Before planting a church in Ithaca, NY, Elizabeth and I had begun two university ministries; one at the University at Albany and a second at Cornell University. During that period, we were bi-vocational and also raised ministry support. Eventually, the church we planted grew, I received a salary and was relieved that I would never…
Like any other year, our first year in the Czech Republic (Czechia) was an endless testimony to God’s light breaking through whenever dark clouds gathered. As we boarded our flight from Denver, Colorado on July 4, 2019, we could never have imagined the crazy year that lay ahead. We began serving in Czechia in 2009, leading…
I have sometimes thought that we are more of a hindrance than a help to God’s work. In moments of personal prayer I have surprised myself by asking God not to allow me to spoil what He alone does so well. This is funny to me, now that we are getting out of lockdown and…
In 2005 I started my journey with Communitas as an “incarnational missional investigator” in the city of Santa Barbara, CA. There was radical need within the margins of an otherwise wealthy community, and for over a decade we worked with and for the marginalized, including a special focus on working within our homelessness culture and…
God is on the move! Even in the midst of strange COVID-19 days, we see God at work. Here are a few examples from our teams across Brazil, the nation with the second highest COVID cases in the world: São Paulo Sampa Church was our first church in Latin America. Recently, a cool relationship that…
One of our core values within Communitas International is “Kingdom Seeking,” which means we embrace the daily rhythms of our lives as opportunities to include others in our communities so that they see Jesus in us–and we see Jesus in them. Stefano wanted to pray through his day with Kingdom seeking eyes. “After meditating more…
On Friday, April 24, I spent a long time on the phone with two young men of Mslm- background named Kasem and Bashir, and their story is such good news in this time of corona-virus uncertainties. They called to tell me they had responded to our invitation to meet Christ in the Eucharist (communion) at the conclusion of our live-stream Upper…
While speaking to a parent from his daughter’s school in Dublin, Ireland, a Communitas church planter was asked what he did. He replied, “We create spaces where people can talk about faith and Jesus – safe spaces where they can ask questions and express doubts, and it’s okay. Here is no judgment.” The response? “Do…
Communitas often focuses on serving “the least of these,” but sometimes we interact with very influential people in advancing God’s kingdom. One memorable example occurred in June in Berlin, Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel met Christine, the founder and director of Serve the City Berlin, one of 25 nonprofits chosen out of hundreds to be recognized…
Being consistently present changes lives. It did for Sasha. She spent most of her young life in the orphanages in Russia. She was quiet, reserved, and seemed to be content with just one or two friends. One day, a group of Russian adults showed up to her orphanage on a Saturday to play some games, hand…
