Come Holy Spirit, Come!
“I’m going to sing, in the middle of the storm. Louder and louder you’re going to hear my praises roar!” As I write this, those words are echoing in my head and in my heart. As divisiveness in our country, in our denomination, and in other parts of our world grows and grows into a storm; I am abundantly thankful for the people called Coker and your commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. God has done great things this year and I believe that 2020 will only take us even further.
2019 saw our church take on a Lenten project of feeding 5000 people. Through our #feeding5000 program we actually ended up blessing close to 7000 people in the name of Jesus Christ. We saw our dinner church continue to grow and reach new people and get ready for the next steps of ministry. We saw 250 children at VBS and a Christian sports camp we hosted and we have had close to 50 people profess faith in Jesus Christ through our ministry. 2019 also saw the launch of the Coker Leadership Institute, our new Leadership Development and Theological training partnership with Asbury Theological Seminary. God has been moving, and our ministry is growing.
As I think about 2020 my prayer is that God would do more of the same. We are projecting that the Health and Wellness Ministry will accomplish a million pounds of food given to families in our community this year. We expect to launch a new partnership with Compassion International that will include starting a new compassion program and being part of starting a new church in a part of Latin America where those services are desperately needed. It is our hope that partnership with Asbury Seminary will grow to include other Institutes to bring even more areas of deeper theological education to our church. More than anything, it is my prayer that God would continue to raise up a invigorated Coker to boldly proclaim the name of Jesus and make an impact in San Antonio and beyond.
I hope you will join me in a simple prayer that, when prayed sincerely, can open up a new world of possibility and connection to the Lord; “Come Holy Spirit, come.” So simple, and yet so profound. What we do isn’t about programs or partnerships. If we never entered into another partnership with another great Christian organization but the Holy Spirit filled our church, our hearts and our lives it would be more than enough. If we never did another mission project or offered another Bible study but the Holy Spirit healed broken people, and relationships and unjust societal systems it would be enough. When we pray that simple prayer, “Come Holy Spirit, come” we are opening ourselves up to something more than “what church does.” We’re opening ourselves up to the indwelling power of God that will lead our community deeper in knowing and living the faith that has been passed down to us. That’s the kind of thing that changes cities, that heals brokenness, and that sets prisoners free. Join me in that prayer and let’s see what God has in store for Coker in 2020.
