Kris and I were invited to Eastpoint Community Church, in New-ARK Delaware, this weekend. Tom Ward has developed one of the finest church websites I’ve seen. I admit it: when we got up Friday we wondered just where in New England Delaware was. We learned (just south of Philly) and we also learned that it is not in New England. Doesn’t matter, we had a great time at a sprite and growing emerging church.
If you’re in the Philly area, find your way down there sometime. First, it is pastored by a father-son team, Tom Ward Sr. and Jr.. This gives Eastpoint a unique flavor: Tom Sr. has emerged out of fundamentalism and this ministry has created a place for grace to grow and find its way into the lives of folks in the area. Some of it takes place at Starbuck’s. It was refreshing to see a father-son team. Tom Jr. is an enthusiastic leader who hopes to go to Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pa, and who is working hard to create a missional vision at Eastpoint. Gloria (Tom Sr’s wife) and Sherry (Jr’s wife) were also deeply involved. The Roberts family is involved in a significant daily devotional ministry called Partners in Ministry.
Eastpoint came out on Saturday morning for four hours for a Jesus Creed Institute, and Kris and I are grateful to the number who did come out. Saturdays tend to be the time many of us get the errands done for the weekend, so there were probably some active folks Saturday afternoon. The band came out, too, and it is a really effective band — a mix of young and not still real young, men and women, and vocals and guitars and drums.
We went to dinner with the younger leaders, to a place called Woody’s down in Maryland — just over the border. Very good place; quaint town; good eats.
Sunday morning was very refreshing: a full house with some really good worship time, and they gave me more than a receptive response. I taught on the Jesus Creed again: focus on a sacred rhythm, focus on it as a blueprint for an entire lifetime of growth, and focus on the small (mustard seed). We welcomed one another to the Table of the Lord then.
Tom Jr then hurried us to the airport, and we were grateful as the weather in Chicago was warning of delay — we were delayed about 1.5 hours but did make it home at a reasonable hour.