Name: Perry Koon

Name of your church: Hope Mission Church

Church Affiliation (denomination, network, etc.): The Anglican Mission which was started by the Church in Rwanda in 2000.

Tell us about your family.

An unbelievable wife of 31 years, two daughters and two grandchildren, what an awesome God we serve. In addition, we have two crazy dogs that keep us from enjoy the empty nest life to its fullest.

What geographical area are you focusing on?

Southwest Austin

What have you been up to prior to church planting in Austin?

Associate pastor and account executive for over 15 years! Real answer, having a blast with my wife and being engaged with two wonderful daughters as they journey through life.

What has drawn you to the Austin area?

outdoors, fun, open, spiritual, casual, people, culture.

How do you hope to see the next 12 months unfold for your church?

As a new faith community in Southwest Austin, we are here for the sake of others. We pray for God to raise up folks who want to live in a small faith community, serve their neighbor and gather for worship to become more effective apprentices of Jesus of Nazareth. HMC will hold its IPO (Initial Praise Offering) on March 7, 2010 at Gorzycki Middle School starting at 9:30am. Thanks for your prayers

How can others be praying for your work? 

That each person at HMC (include me) allow God’s Spirit to make them humble followers of Jesus of Nazareth for the sake of others.

Where can we find you online?
HopeMissionChurch.org

Free Chapel is growing as a missional community of Christ followers who are leading people into a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ, with a vision to impact Austin, TX and the world.

We dream of a church that will be a breath of life to those who feel lifeless, hope for those who feel hopeless, bridge of love into the community, light for those in darkness, people of irresistible influence, spiritually transformed people, uncomplicated organization, high-touch environment, low rules environment, place of acceptance, come as you are place, generous with the love of Christ, relevant to every generation with timeless truth, generous people, place where people discover God’s vision for their life personally and live it out through taking risks based on an objective source of truth

Free Chapel had it’s first public worship service in September 2008 at the Cinemark Theatre in the Hill Country Galleria. After the first year, we relocated Sunday services to Lakeway Elementary School, 1701 Lohmans Crossing, Lakeway, TX 78734. Our Sunday service is at 10:30 AM.

One thing we have learned since we launched is we are in a community (world) where people live very disconnected lives. We rush to work early. We rush home late. We are so busy we rarely take time to get to know those who live around us. Through learning more about culture around us, our vision has been clarified: Connect the disconnected. We are learning more and more what it means to be a church on mission together, how to love God, and love our neighbors well.

Essentially, there are three processes in place in our church right now. First, we have weekly celebration/worship services where we teach verse by verse (typically) through the Bible, sing together, and receive communion. Secondly, we provide ongoing, monthly leadership training for all of our dream team (volunteers) and small group leaders. Third, we have a growth track in place to assist people in reaching their potential. It begins by introducing them to the church vision, mission, and values, and ends with encouraging them to get involved in a small group. Each semester, we have at least 80% of our weekend service attendees involved in some type of small group.

Currently, Free Chapel is a church averaging 85 people made up of all different kinds of people who are trying to be a part of the unstoppable force God calls “the church.”

The pastor of Free Chapel is Jeremy Self. Jeremy credits his “papaw” for many of the life lessons he has learned along the way. In addition to some great mentors and formal training at Dallas Seminary, it was this up-close view of “papaw” that influences Jeremy most in his love for people, love for God, work ethic, and visionary leadership. From leading family and student ministries at Maranatha Church in Palm Beach Gardens, FL to preaching and teaching to assisting with two church plants, Jeremy has learned to lead through serving the desires and dreams of those on his team. Jeremy met his wife, Ashley, while in college at Lee University. They have four beautifully handsome boys.

To learn more about Free Chapel:
Free Chapel Website
Email: info@freechapelaustin.com
Phone: 512-553-6407
Free Chapel on Twitter
Jeremy Self on Twitter

We in the Immanuel Austin community believe that God created us to be truly human. Being truly human means that we live in trust and obedience to God. Being truly human means living in community since our God, by nature, is in community. We become truly human, learn to trust and obey, and are brought into community through the person of Jesus Christ.

The name Immanuel (“God with us”) is one of the titles given to Jesus. We call ourselves Immanuel as an affirmation that we are called to be the Body of Christ and a reminder that God is always with us, calling us and empowering us to take part in His work in the world.

Immanuel is a community spread throughout the city as house churches. Our hope is that, as we grow, we become increasingly geographically specific as our house churches impact the neighborhoods they are in. These house churches gather on Sunday evenings at 5pm and then come together for worship on Wednesday evenings at 7pm. We also have smaller formation groups that gather together to share life more intensely and to serve the city together. We have regular prayer gatherings and can be found every Tuesday evening at The Tavern from 8:30-10:30pm discussing some of the bigger questions of life, the universe, and everything.

The pastors of Immanuel Austin are Kester and Rachel Smith. Kester and Rachel have been married for 11 years and have a five-year-old son, Harry. Kester works as a bookseller at BookPeople on 6th and Lamar and Rachel manages the Starbright clinic for HealthSouth.

Immanuel’s hope is to always be seekers as we develop into disciples. Our vision is to become more like Jesus through our relationships with God, with each other, and with our neighbors, our city, and our world. Our mission is to be Jesus to people and to bring people to Jesus.

We invite everyone to seek God with us.  No promises of an easy road…just people who will walk it with you. For more information about Immanuel contact Kester via email or visit ImmanuelAustin.com.

Tell us a little about your family.
one amazing wife, four crazy kids.

What geographical area are you focusing on?
south Austin, but training people to build faith communities all over Austin.

What have you been up to prior to church planting in Austin?
College pastor, evangelism, pastor, rapper/beatboxer, magician, and tap dancer.

What has drawn you to the Austin area?
Big city, growing, urban, liberal, postmodern, artistic, music-loving, and spiritual but not very religious.

How do you hope to see the next 12 months unfold for your church?
Start 4 faith communities (one has started so far) where people who don’t follow Jesus join up to see what it’s like to talk about and experience the kingdom of God. Train 20 others to start their own faith communities, sprouting up all over Austin. Launch with a service for Sunday morning worship in September 2010.

How can others be praying for your work?
That I and my wife and our four kids cling to Jesus like it’s hell without Him. That God mulitplies our labors ten fold since life is way too short.

Where can we find you online? (blog, twitter, church site, etc.)
www.dividetheword.org

Tell us a little about your family:
I have been married to my first wife Bonnie for 18 years. We have three kids Shane who is 15, Suzanne who is 11, and Sarah who is 8.

What geographical area are you focusing on?
We are focusing on the southwest part of Austin.

What have you been up to prior to church planting in Austin?
I have been involved in Youth ministry through Young Life and the church before being called to plant a new church.

What has drawn you to the Austin area?
We lived and served in a local church in Austin 12 years ago. We have always had a heart for the city and the people of Austin.

How do you hope to see the next 12 months unfold for your church?
I hope to see God do some amazing things in the lives of people; we just get to be along for the ride.

How can others be praying for your work?
We are gathering our launch team, building our staff, raising funds, scouting out meeting space, and meeting people every chance we get.

Where can we find you online? (blog, twitter, church site, etc.)
snlcc.org
We also have a facebook page and group page.

I remember the day; how could I forget? It was Reformation Sunday, October 31, 1999. On this same day, some 482 years earlier, Martin Luther had penned and nailed his famous 95 theses on the Wittenberg Door. I was on the heels of a personal reformation in which God and His Word were at work in my own life, breaking down long-held legalistic distortions of the gospel and giving me a renewed passion for the church. In God’s providence, I took a step of faith on that day to plant a new church in East Austin, Texas, fueled and guided by the great slogans of the reformation:

• Sola Scriptura (by Scripture Alone)
• Sola Fide (by Faith Alone)
• Sola Gratia (by Grace Alone)
• Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
• Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone be the Glory)

LEGALISM
That was also the day I left the church of my youth. I felt that the little corner church, of which I had been a part since my new birth, could no longer hold my attention or answer deep questions and theological concerns that had arisen. My personal crisis became a catalyst to rediscovering the biblical doctrines of God’s sovereignty and grace that gave rise to a renewal of my faith after a long spiritual struggle through legalism and burnout. God was merciful, as the Holy Spirit used that “dangerous book of Romans” to forge the way. I wanted tangible answers to a question similar to the one Martin Luther had asked himself centuries before: “How can sinful man be made right before a Holy God?”

As a result of that struggle, the Holy Spirit lit a fresh fire in my soul with an assurance grounded in God’s Word. I was reawakened to justification by faith alone, grace, and God’s sovereignty in salvation. God broke through, and I wanted to tell the world, especially my community, and my beloved city, and I was convinced that church planting was the most effective method of sharing the gospel message.

LEADERSHIP
This endeavor also brought new insight regarding the need for indigenous leadership, especially for East Austin. The growing population of second-, third-, and fourth-generation Latinos is forcing the church to change its missional and leadership strategies. As Latino families become increasingly assimilated in this country, their children gain more opportunities for education and immersion into American culture. I had the opportunity to experience this firsthand, and I reevaluated everything – church, education, culture, and the future. Attracting and preparing indigenous Latino leaders must take all these shifting elements into account. If we are going to be a force for gospel transformation, we must attract leaders who are culturally immersed, equipped for the task, and prepared to contextualize the message to the changing landscape.

LITURGY
My prayer then, as it is now, was that God would raise up churches equipped to reach the diverse people in East Austin: Latino, Black, Anglo, rich, poor, artists, businessmen, sinners, and saints – churches that would proclaim in a fresh way the good news of the salvation story, that God himself has stepped down into our world to rescue and renew creation through the word and work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. This work would embrace the richness and wisdom of the historic Christian faith. This called for a reexamination of the “how” of the contemporary church in light of Scripture. Because of the negative influences of consumerism, entertainment, and the therapeutic, even among small Latino churches, we need God’s wisdom in shaping communities of faith where God is worshiped in spirit and in truth. As I study the history of the Church, I appreciate the value of its creeds and traditions for us today. Even the Pentecostal denomination of which I am ordained in rightly affirms the oldest of these, the Apostles’ Creed. The liturgical elements grounded in God’s Word give our people a real sense that we are not alone, but a great cloud of witnesses has passed on great wisdom for those gathered for worship (see Hebrews 12:1).

SOLI DEO GLORIA AUSTIN
A decade has passed since that prayer began, and God is making it a reality. Soli Deo Gloria Austin (SDGA) is located just across the street where the prayer began. Humbled, just maybe a little wiser and battle-worn, but in every way deeply encouraged about the Kingdom of God at work in Austin, I am still convinced that church planting is one of the most effective ways in reaching our beloved city and East Austin.

Due to gentrification over the last decade, East Austin is being transformed from a primarily poor, low-income Latino and Black community into one that is more ethnically, culturally and economically diverse. And SDGA is already making strides in my old neighborhood. Three weeks before Easter this year, SDGA acquired an abandoned church building that is once again opening its doors to the community. Over 100 people worked to get it ready for Easter Sunday. Tons of supplies were donated: paint, wood, plumbing, a new deck, power washers, sheetrock, and food.

A number of people of diverse backgrounds, including visitors from the neighborhood, attended the Easter grand opening service and we’ve continued to make new friends in the community . The good news is that this is only the beginning; there is more to come!

SDG AUSTIN (SDGA)
Soli Deo Gloria Austin exists to proclaim the Salvation Story — that God himself has stepped down to rescue and renew creation through the word and work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Our vision is to be a bold, biblical, Gospel-centered, Spirit-enabled, Kingdom-serving, multi-site community of faith that is as diverse as the people of Austin.

Our hope is that Christ will build communities of faith in and around East Austin where the theology of the cross will be heard and lived out, where God will be exalted and the people blessed through vibrant Christ-centered worship that is historical and relevant in its liturgy, where word and deed ministry is carried out to the least, the last, and the lost. A place where believers in the church can have opportunities to exercise their gifts for service and grow in their faith and knowledge of Christ.

WHAT DOES SDGA VALUE? WHAT IS IMPORTANT?
FIRST AND FOREMOST WE VALUE THE GOSPEL—seeking the knowledge of God and His Story. The gospel changes everything and is not only something that we believe in the beginning but is something we keep believing and applying to all of our life. It is the power by which believers grow in their relationship with God.

We value a Spirit-enabled PASSION for the worship of our Triune God, which is man’s chief end; living out the faith once delivered to the saints.

We have a love for COMMUNITY. We are to be the church not just go to church. One of the ways that we are really being the church is by seeking to love our neighbor through word and deed ministry.

We value CREATIVITY in telling God’s Story with all the gifts He has given us; living life Corum Deo—before the face of God. We desire excellence in all our holy callings whether we are artists, musicians, dishwashers, plumbers, programmers, etc.

Standing in awe of God’s grace as we live out the gospel among the least, the last and the lost. Grasping together the Father’s love of MERCY MINISTRY to the broken, needy and poor.

We believe that God has called us to be a church in East Austin and for East Austin.

SDGA has been made possible by God’s grace and providential connections with the Austin Area Church Planters Network. A member and church plant of the Acts2Day Conference of the IPHC, a network member of Austin New Church, and partners in ministry with Veritas Fellowship.

David and Veronica, both native East Austinites, have two daughters (Natalie, recently graduated from St. Edwards and Annmarie a UT Austin Sophmore). David received his B.A. in Studio Art from the University of Texas and is an ordained minister with the IPHC. For over 20 years, he has also been involved in the interactive design industry as an art director and creative designer and as an adjunct professor in visual communications. David and Veronica have been involved in numerous multicultural, incarnational, and urban church plants in Austin and one in Phoenix. Veronica uses her gifts of service, hospitality, and leadership organization in the children’s and women’s ministry.

For more information about SDGA:
SDGAustin.com
@sdgaustin — SDG Austin on Twitter
@cafeavila — David Avila on Twitter

Michael Dennis isn’t new to Austin, but his church is, so we wanted to give him an opportunity to tell more about it:

Name:  Michael Dennis
Name of your church:  North Village Church
Church Affiliation (denomination, network, etc.):  Nondenominational

Tell us a little about your family:  
Married for 10 years with two children (Kennedy 4, Tucker 1) and one dog (Dignan).  

What geographical area are you focusing on?  North central Austin

What have you been up to prior to church planting in Austin? 
Worked in college ministry through the local church for the last 10 years at University of North Texas, Stephen F. Austin, and University of Texas.  I love college students, but it seems like there was a pattern that when they graduated, got jobs, got married, and had children that they became distracted from their affection and devotion to Christ.  Our hope is to see young professionals and families still live on mission in addition to their other responsibilities.  

What has drawn you to the Austin area?  
Austin is the best city in Texas.  It is diverse, artistic, eclectic, and beautiful.  

How do you hope to see the next 12 months unfold for your church?
Our goals are three-fold:  Continue to fall in love with Jesus and see people around us do the same.  Continue to move Christ follwers to build individual relationships in the community.  Continue to be a benefit to the community at least once a month as a church.  

How can others be praying for your work?  
Emotional stability because it feels like a roller coaster and we are just getting started.  In September we will start meeting weekly at Lucy Read.  Also, for leadership to challenge and train people to live on mission.  

Where can we find you online? (blog, twitter, church site, etc.):  
Blog:  www.gogetscatter.com
Twitter: @_michaeldennis
Church:  www.northvillagechurch.com

My name is Zac Allen, and I moved to Austin in July of 2006 with a dream to gather a group of ordinary people who love the gospel and want to make their lives count. Prior to moving, I spent a year in a church planting residency in Arkansas. Austin Biblebegan as a bible study in a home, and currently gather at O. Henry Middle School across the street from Lions Municipal Golf Course. I want to use three words to describe different aspects of our church planting journey: Team, Identity, and Influence.

Team: Our greatest setback, pre-launch, was losing my potential staff teammates. All my plans and timelines were dependent on having their horsepower. For me, team can be an idol. I can lean on people in place of God. So when those guys said no, it was as if God was saying, “So you believe in the priesthood of believers, put your money where your mouth is and go build team with who I give you. I will bring staff when you need it.” God forced organic church planting on us, and has raised up almost all our staff from within.

Identity: When you plant, you have a “hoped for” church identity. You think you know your target group and location, your mission statement, and your values, your niche for the gospel within Austin, but you don’t. People shape culture, no matter how great a leader you are. And there is no substitute for the refining process of time. As a leader, it is the delicate balance of clear direction, while discerning and flexing with the people and open doors God provides. It took two years of being a church plant to realize our identity as a church. It is now not something we hope for, it was who we are, the good and the bad. The good: We tend to be a group of Humble, Authentic, Unified, Celebrating, Risk-Taking people. The bad: We are more homogenous than I would like. One of my favorite things I tell people about Austin Bible, is that even if I were not pastoring these people, I would be doing life with them.

Influence. People ask me “Where do you want to be in 5 years”. Some are thinking bricks and mortar, some are wondering if we will be another church who begins in central Austin only to grow and relocate to the suburbs, while some wonder if I am that planter who gets something started and moves on to the next adventure. Truth is, we don’t dream of mega-church, we dream of mega-influence. We dream of equipping and releasing missionaries. If we were given the choice, we would rather have 100 missionaries who are giving their lives away, than 1000 attending on Sunday. But 1000 missionaries is really exciting too. And as far as location, we will do what it takes to remain a hub of the gospel in the heart of the city. Planting Churches is a great idea.

A year ago, my phone rings. It is Jacob Vanhorn. He tells me that he is the Pastor of an Austin church plant called Soma Community Church. My first thought is, “What the heck is a Church Plant?!” I kept that thought to myself. Anyhow, Jacob tells me that he is planting this church in the 78704 zip and wants to connect Soma to serve the 78704 community. CIS has programs in 78704 schools, so we have one meeting and the partnership is rolling.

Soma asks what CIS needs:
We need mentors. So they recruit mentors for our Middle School Mentoring Matters collaboration with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
We need CIS space spruced up. So they do an Extreme Makeover of the CIS space at Dawson Elementary. And bring in Ecclesia (and many other local resources) to help.
A CIS family is in crisis. They respond immediately to help in many ways.
We need volunteers at our Smart Kids after school program. Soma folks apply, get trained and begin volunteering.
CIS wants to get set up on Twitter to extend our reach. Jacob volunteers to get our account set up and going.

In his free time, Jacob tells Matthew Hansen of Austin New Church (then Emmaus Austin) about CIS. My phone rings again. They want to help CIS programs in South Austin. Uh Ok. This time no meeting needed. Partnership is rolling.

New Church Plant, same question. What does CIS need?
We need School Supplies. ANC sponsors 14 CIS students with school supplies.
We need CIS space spruced up. ANC does Extreme Makeovers at Langford and Rodriguez Elementary.
We need runners for Team CIS in the Austin Half/Full Marathon. Matthew and Luis Sanchez sign up, raise $1000 and run the Half Marathon for Team CIS.
We need more CIS space spruced up. ANC gets the local Wal Mart to give us $1000 grant and sign up to do an Extreme Makeover of the CIS space at Paredes Middle School.
We need CIS families sponsored with Holiday Assistance. ANC sponsors families in Hays County.
And on and on. CIS needs come up ANC responds.

Now in his free time, Matthew begins sending more of these really cool Church Planters to CIS. My phone keeps ringing. These partnerships between CIS, Soma Community Church and the Austin New Church are giving birth and life to many other connections between CIS and local Austin Church Plants. Meetings are happening. Additional Austin Church Plants are connecting with CIS programs all over Austin and even in Hays County. The magic of these partnerships seems to be a pure desire to serve the community coupled with knowledge and access to real people and community needs.

Thank you to Jacob (and Soma) and Matthew (and ANC). CIS truly cherishes these partnerships and we are excited to continue developing additional ones. Please keep my phone ringing 512-464-9724 and my email account full: amagrum@cisaustin.org.

We thank God for what he has done at INVGT during the month of May, 10 people made professions of faith in Christ! We also thank God for the great start of a men’s meeting. We have had around 12 men come to our bi-monthly meeting in which we have begun to study the book “The Man in the Mirror”, by Patrick Morley. The meeting has proved to be a special time where the men have felt free to open their hearts and share with each other.

Our Friday night Bible study attendance has also grown. Those who are participating are growing in their knowledge and faith in God . They always have such good questions!

We have begun the membership process in our church and now we are planning our first baptism service for this summer. We have 12 candidates that are ready to follow the Lord in this important step!

There are many other activities planned for this summer :

• June 20 We will visit soccer fields and constructions sites handing out waters and invitations to our Father’s Day Celebration.
• June 21 Father’s Day Celebration
• July 4 2nd annual “Living Water Campaign” we will pass out waters and invitations to our church at San Gabriel Park.
• Church Family picnic and baptisms.
• Children’s Back Yard Bible Club for 5 days ending with a family Carnival. We are teaming with Hill Country BC Georgetown for this activity.
• Open air concert. We will have mariachis, and present the gospel.

Pray that God will continue to provide for this church plant, that He would send souls that will be saved. My goal for this year is to see this church grow to 100 people and to have a active youth ministry in the church.