All of the posts that Eric Sanford creates.

Happy New Year

The Sanford family wants to wish you a Happy New Year.  The next year of our life should be full of new and exciting things.  We will continue our church planting residency, host mission teams, relocate to Lowry, build and nurture relationships and begin planting.

One of our greatest needs in this season of life is prayer.  Pray for us to be open to the leading to the Holy Spirit, the people of Lowry to be open to God’s movement in their lives, and that we will minister here and now as we prepare for the future.  If you would like to sign up for our prayer newsletter, send an email to prayerpartner@sanfordfamily.org

We are thankful for you to be on this journey with us.  We are excited to see what God will do in 2013 in our lives, the lives of others, and in your lives, too.

Define Your Terms (Followup)

This is a followup to my previous post (http://sanfordfamily.org/2012/11/29/define-your-terms).  I must say that I am disappointed in the lack of comments and interaction on this post.  I know that most of my blog posts are informational, but this post provided an opportunity for great discussion.  Ok, I am turning my teacher voice off and letting you into my world by revealing my definitions.

Disciple– Someone who’s end goal is to abide in Christ, grow in likeness and understanding of Christ, and leads others to do the same.

Doctrine– A biblically based systematic understanding of a certain aspects of God, the Bible, the Church, etc. and how that aspect of Theology is lived out, interacts with our lives.

Theology– The study of God through careful examination of the Bible and general revelation.

Gospel-The Good News of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins by His death on the cross, His resurrection from the grave, and the forgiveness and transformation that is available in Christ alone.

Evangelism– Sharing the Gospel with those who are not believers in Christ, through words, actions and relationship.

Elder/Pastor– One who leads, equips, teaches, cares for and encourages a group of believers.

Deacon– Servant leaders who take care of needs of people of the church.

Leader– An individual who walks alongside others, points them toward Christ, and encourages others to seek after Christ.

Missions- Carrying out the ministry of reconciliation as an ambassador of Christ in the world, from our home to the ends of the world.

Church- A local gathering of Saints, who desire to make disciples, worship God in spirit and truth, and minister to the world around them.

So now that my ideas are in black and white, let me know what you agree with, disagree with and help us all understand why you feel that particular way.

Define your terms

Inside our cells we have a DNA code millions of characters long but only made of 4 molecules arranged in such a way to create the exact definition on a cellular level of a singular individual. The specific language in a cell is important because one misplaced molecule could be detrimental to the whole individual. Likewise in the Body of Christ we must define our terms carefully and allow them guide us toward a healthy organization, the Church.

Over the past few weeks I have been taking a hard look at language; the very basic thoughts and ideas of what scripture commands us live out. I have always been a person who asks questions and sometimes to my detriment but now I am having to ask hard questions about things that are dear to my heart and mission and the purpose of the church. Many times the issues we have in church are not because of bad theology but differing definitions for terms that are widely used but have many different acceptable expressions.

Have you ever stopped to define your terms? I want you to join me in this exercise. Here are list of terms that are common terms used within the church take your time and give the best biblical definition of them in the comments below.

Disciple, Doctrine, Theology, Gospel, Evangelism, Pastor, Elder, Deacon, Leader, Missions, Church

In a few days I will give you what I have come up with and I am eager to hear your thoughts on those definitions.

Pumpkin Carving Contest (After)

Contest Pumpkins (Winner on right)

Yesterday we had our first neighborhood get together.  We had nine people attend from the area.  As you can see from the picture we had five pumpkins carved and entered in our contest and a good amount of conversation with those who attended.  The attenders were an older couple who attend a local church and were very hospitable to Reagan and I when we were passing out invitations, an across the street neighbor that works with a para-church organization, the next door couple, their son and his two children, and a single middle aged man, who was kind enough to bring us some pumpkin bread after our invitation to attend the pumpkin carving.  Three of the nine attend church on a regular basis, while two of them have had bad experiences in church and they are currently not attending because of it.  The others do not attend church and are mostly indifferent to the idea of church.  The latter two opinions of the church are the most prevalent here.  It is our prayer that, this year, we can help repair their view of the bride of Christ.

Pumpkin Carving Contest (Before)

In response to one of the biggest needs in our neighborhood, lack of community, tomorrow we will be hosting a Pumpkin Carving Contest in our driveway. We invited four streets worth of people to come and carve pumpkins, meet the neighbors, and have a good time together. Pray that we have people come out, that the weather is warm enough (right now it is projected to be 59 degrees), and that we are able to begin building relationships with our neighbors that will lead to spiritual conversations. Tomorrow night, I will post about the Pumpkin Carving Contest once it is complete.

You’re not from around here, are you?

One of the biggest tasks that we face here is becoming indigenous.  Right now our car tags, driver’s license, souther drawl and cell phone numbers give us away.  But, within the next year, we hope to be seen as a family residing in Colorado.  Our goal is not to bring southern culture, spirituality, and cuisine to the west, but to become westerners for the Gospel.  We are spending time out in the community and region, learning with each trip out of the driveway.  For us, this year is just as much about learning the people as it is learning about the nuts and bolts of church planting.  Part of this learning happens in the neighborhood we will plant in, but a lot of it can happen just minutes from our house.

Speaking of learning, we had our second weekend learning intensive, Cultivate, last weekend.  This session focused on developing healthy leaders and churches.  If the leadership is not healthy, the church will not be either.  We looked at symptoms of burnout and how to avoid it, as well as talked about some practical ways to remain healthy through the stress and pressure of ministry.  So far we are sponges, soaking up the lessons coming our way, but we are also looking for areas to be wrung out so we don’t sour.

All of this learning, whether relational, experiential, or formal, will hopefully lead to us planting a healthy church that will impact the neighborhood, city, state, nation and world.  We are thankful for the opportunity to follow God as He leads.

God At Work

Many prayers have been lifted up by us and on our behalf, praying for God to be at work here in Colorado Springs. Just wanted you to know He is!!! How? Well, I’m so glad you asked!! 🙂
Just after we followed a prompting of the Holy Spirit last weekend and went door to door meeting neighbors, relationships began to develop. Our next door neighbor came and brought us fresh veggies from his garden, as he closes it to end the season…another opportunity to chat, show thankfulness, be blessed and be a blessing! Coupons and samples of baby formula arrived in our mailbox, addressed to a former renter, and I was able to deliver them and a few other baby goodies to the expectant mom behind us whose husband is deployed. This time we talked longer, specifically about why we moved here, and she is intrigued by the Gospel in us, joy yet a believer! Also, while walking one of our dogs, Eric met a neighbor across the road (area not yet canvassed) and he is a believer, employed by a parachurch organization, active in a church here…praying he will help in reaching out and ministering to our neighborhood! We may host a fall gathering outside in the next few weeks…pray God will orchestrate that as only He could’ve orchestrated these other interactions!
Also, as many of you know, our contract on our house in Demopolis fell through after we settled into our home here. Financially, that is discouraging, but God continues to provide through many of you. We are still certain He has a PERFECT plan, as His Word tells us, and we are trusting in that plan! We’ve had a couple of calls about our house, one to schedule a showing, in the last couple of days! He knows our buyer by name and He strengthens our faith with each month we trust Him for provision!
Speaking of provision, you can make a tax deductible donation toward our life and ministry in CO if the Lord leads. You can mail a check to Vanguard Church, c/o Church Planting, 3950 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80917. Just be sure to note “Sanford Family” on memo line, please! Also, online giving is now set up for one time and monthly recurring donations. Just visit https://vanguardchurch.ccbchurch.org/login.php, enter your first and last name and email address, and our receptionist, Andrea, will send you login info. You can give with a debit or credit card on the secure site, even choosing when $ will be drafted. Thank you to so many of you who have given so generously and sacrificially. You are a huge part of what is happening here! You can still sign up to pray with us and receive our monthly prayer updates…just email us at eric@sanfordfamily.org and we will add you. Prayer is vital for this journey and we are grateful for over 100 current prayer partners!
Another opportunity God provided this past weekend was for Eric to be able to bring 3 men from a local rescue mission to Vanguard for Sat night worship. We were privileged to meet them, hear their stories, and introduce them to our church family. God is at work in these 3 lives. Pray for strength and victory over addiction, salvation and/or spiritual growth. A lady we met at the block party a couple of weeks ago was in the Sat night service the past 2 weekends. She asked many questions of us at the block party and she and I talked again this weekend. She is searching. Pray God will be evident to her and she will respond to the Holy Spirit’s gentle nudge in her heart and life.
Provisions and opportunities abound…may we never cease to be full of praise, giving God the Glory and being filled with His Word and His Spirit, so we may overflow into others. May God guard us and guide us so our lives may be a pure example of Him to these He continues to bring into our paths. We covet your continued prayers that we are being obedient and that our lives and service are God-honoring!!

Kingdom Focus

The past few weeks have been intense yet relaxed, full yet in slow motion.  Amanda and the kids have started school, I have been putting out applications for part-time work, reading, networking, and getting to know The Springs and we have been attending Vanguard Church on Saturday nights.  Amanda and I participated in our first learning intensive, Cultivate, last weekend and throughly enjoyed the discussions about the Kingdom of God and Discipleship.  This monthly training is designed to challenge, equip, and empower us to create “successful” church plants.

Last night, I was able to be part of the annual celebration for Pike’s Peak Association.  It was part business meeting, panel discussion, and small group connection points, but overall it was the celebration of what God is doing in Colorado Springs.  For the last few days, the Kingdom of God has been a theme as we looked at scripture and then I saw it at work within the churches of Pike’s Peak Association.

Join us in praying Luke 10:2 “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field'” at 10:02 am each day.  We want to see and be a part of God’s movement in Colorado, The United States of America, and the world.  We want a Kingdom Focus.

Ending and Beginning Again

This past week has been a week of endings and new beginnings. Sunday August 12th was our last day at Fairhaven Baptist, our church home for over eight years. On the 13th we had a fundraising dinner in Huntsville with friends and family; then we had another fundraising dinner in Demopolis on the 16th. It was truly a blessing to see friends and family and share our call and vision. Our time in Demopolis has ended and will be missed and our new journey has begun.

Then our family piled into our vehicles and tackled the journey to Colorado Springs. Who knew that Texas and New Mexico were so desolate? We arrived 2 days ahead of our moving truck and camped out inside. Finally, our stuff arrived and Amanda and I have been unpacking like mad. Only a few things were damaged or broken and now we have what seems to be a home, with a few things left to unpack. Tonight we attended Vanguard (on a Saturday night) and Frontline Church Planting has already put information about its new residents on their website. We look forward to a new beginning in Colorado.

Save the Date

Monday, August 13th at 6pm at Hillowood Baptist Church in Huntsville, AL, we will have our first fundraising dinner.  If you are in the Huntsville area and would be able to come to the dinner it would be much appreciated.  This will give us an opportunity to see old friends, make some new friends, and share the vision God has laid on our hearts for Denver, CO.  If you want to attend please RSVP to Emily Eckley at the listed phone number.  I hope to see you there.

Thank you to Ashley and Jon Cabra and Emily and Matt Eckley for making this happen.