Did you ever feel like a failure? I know I have...on multiple occasions! Peter was a person in the Bible who definitely felt like a failure on multiple occasions (Luke 22:61-62; John 18:10-11; Matthew 14:29-31). I love his story because it reminds us that we are constantly falling short no matter how hard we try, and that's a good thing! It's a good thing because we can totally depend on Jesus. Even though Peter may have failed on multiple occasions, Jesus still pursued him. And even though we fall short, Jesus still pursues us. Remember that "failure is an event, never a person".

Swerve is a new church coming to Bushwick in Brooklyn.

We have an exciting relationship with NetworkChurches.tv which will really help us to grow further and faster together. We've mentioned them here before on the blog.

Recently, Brandon Donaldson and Brandon Livingood paid Bushwick a visit to really get a feel of the big city and to dream of the possibilities of having a Network Church in NYC. We're excited to be a part of Network Churches and cannot wait to see all that God has in store!

The Basketball Nets Outreach was birthed in the summer of 2014. Basketball in the city is huge. On any given summer day you can pass by a court and see pickup games going on. Most basketball courts however do not have nets. Last year we visited 3 parks to hang up a total of 11 nets. This year by God’s grace we will be able to do way more, even extending our reach beyond Bushwick. Here’s what we do:

•  HANG - We provide and hang up nets for our local parks. This year we plan to visit parks in Bushwick, East Williamsburg, Bed Stuy, East NY, and Ridgewood.
  
• GIVE - We giveaway free bottles of water to all the players and families throughout the park.
• PLAY - After hanging the nets we stick around to play a game or two. This is used as an opportunity to meet the people at the park. You never know what relationships may begin and what gospel conversations may be had.

This is such a simple and practical way to serve the needs of our community. At the same time, the nets add a certain look to the court that helps to beautify the park letting people know that they are valuable. We are looking forward to all that God has in store for us this summer.

 

Part of what makes us unique as a church plant is that we are a part of NetworkChurches.tv. This means that once we launch our primary teaching will be covered by Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv in OKC, Oklahoma. Crais is an excellent speaker and teacher of God's Word. His messages are presented in a captivating, understandable, and funny way.

Network Churches are made up of over 100 churches throughout the US and around the world. We all share the mission of leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ in our cities.

That being said, especially in an urban context as where we will be, we constantly get the pushback of why video sermons and will it work? The truth is that we are definitely spearheading the way when it comes to this in an urban context. But here are some reason I really think this will work.

1. A CLEAR, SIMPLE, AND RELEVANT PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL
Craig is an excellent communicator. He has a way of presenting Biblical truths in a relevant way. 

2. A TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN SOCIETY
We live in such a technology, social-media, and video driven society already anyway. The average family in the US owns four mobile devices. Add TV's, computers, and video games to the mix and in many ways we're always glued to a screen. We cannot deny the impact that technology has had on society. 

As a church we believe that we can leverage technology for the sake of the gospel. We'll use it to get the good news of Jesus out in a way that is relevant to our times. There has definitely been many negative affects in society, but it's time we leveraged it for good. Remember, we will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God.

3. THERE IS MORE TO CHURCH THAN THE SERMON
Remember, the church is not a building. It does not revolve around one man's teaching. The church is and always has been a people impacted by the gospel on mission for the gospel. The teachings on Sunday will simply be the fuel in our tanks to continue to live a life on mission. Loving God, loving people, and serving our community, That's our vision. That's our goal. The video teaching is only supplementary to being the church week in and week out.

If you'd like to hear a message from LifeChurch.tv, check it our here.