Church Planting Team Sent to Seattle
Todd and Angela St. Germain are leaving next week for the adventure of their lives; they are moving from northern Virginia for the Northwest city of Seattle to serve as cross-cultural missionaries in a mostly unreached area of the US. Along with their sending church, we at Vanguard Ministries are very enthusiastic about this opportunity. I thought you would appreciate hearing directly from them about their heart and vision as they prepare to be sent, so here are some thoughtful comments from the St Germains:
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Romans 10:13-15 (the Message)
But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them?
And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?
We have some exciting news to share with you. As summer 2009 arrives we, the St.Germains, begin a season of heavy transition and change in our lives as a family, as individuals, and in our ministry. For the last several years Angela and I have been praying and talking about what God has in store for us. We have felt a strong leading to pursue an alternative style of ministry that we call THiNK.
Now as the summer of 2009 comes we are confident that God is telling us it is time to launch the “THiNK ORGANIC COMMUNITY” in the greater Seattle area as a cross cultural mission’s ministry. God is sending us to the Pacific Northwest to plant a church using non-traditional methods. Stepping out from being staff Pastors into an unknown world of cross-cultural missions is a huge leap of faith for us, but we are so excited for what is ahead! We are being sent out of our church here in Vienna Virginia as full time missionaries on August 3rd and will be moving to the greater Seattle area to answer this call.
Angela and I have a passion to see people come to know Jesus Christ, to break free from issues that hold them back from growing as individuals and as a community. Our hearts’ cry is for the OUTCAST, the MARGINALIZED, and the FORGOTTEN. We aim to see people become all that God has intended them to be through this ministry. We desire to see many come into the fullness of Christ.
“THiNK ORGANIC COMMUNITY” - let me tell you a little bit about it
America is quickly becoming a vast mission field full of people groups and subcultures desperate for the saving, life changing knowledge of Jesus Christ but not knowing where to look. We understand that some people will never come to a church to experience the love of Christ, and the life giving benefits of being in a faith community. So by going to where the people are, and creating an environment that’s relevant to them, we will further the Kingdom of God and bring the church and community of believers to them.
THiNK is a mission oriented church aimed at engaging the local culture much like a group of people engage a culture for Christ in a distant land on a mission trip. THiNK is a community of people that live out their lives for Christ while at the same time rubbing shoulders with those who don’t know the reality of Christ, or who may have no real understanding of what a Christian community can look like in their midst. The focus of THiNK is on the unchurched, dechurched, marginalized and fringe groups. THiNK operates in small, casual, personal get togethers much like a small group would. We focus on community, group discussions, discipleship, spiritual healing, and multiplication. We also engage the local culture in a loving Christian way, understanding God can use each of us in powerful ways and desires to do so daily.
We’ve had the great opportunity of working with a local church in Vienna Virginia that has allowed us the latitude to explore this concept in a practical way. On December 2008 we launched our first series of “THiNK tanks” in Vienna and have watched how God has brought together and grown a group of people with like interests and passions. It’s been an absolutely wonderful experience. In addition to the core group of people that have come together, we have seen direct fruit from people who were hurt by past events now give Christian community a chance again. One individual involved with self cutting and self hate took a look at the hope Christ can bring. We were able to help two young men become excited, challenged, and full of their own vision. We were able to get behind them as they started a new ministry in Maryland specifically targeting young alternative teenagers. Also we have been thankful to see a Pastor discover and unlock his true divine destiny and vision. We know this pattern for ministry is of God and can be repeated over and over in others. It has been a prototype that we plan to reproduce.
THiNK Seattle
We believe that every community would benefit from a local outreach ministry such as THiNK. God has given us a vision of a rapid growth movement and we have seen in six short months that He has started to bring it about. After a season of prayer and Godly counsel we believe the Seattle area is where God wants us to go and create a home base. The greater Seattle area is ripe and primed for a ministry like THiNK to flourish and we know it won’t take long for it to start spreading like wild fire. The more people we share our vision with the more we see that the heart of God beats through all we are stepping out to do. We believe God is beginning a work through us that will transform lives with the power and presence of Christ, which will bring communities together, and will multiply exponentially. We know there is much work to do but are convinced that through Christ all things are possible and that it’s not by might or power but by God’s Spirit this will prosper.
How you can be involved
We are writing to you today to share the vision of THiNK and to ask you for your support. We need your help in three primary ways as we build the foundation for this ministry – through prayer, financial support, and by staying connected to us.
1) Prayerfully
Prayer support is needed and we would encourage you to partner with us in prayer as the Lord leads but we would love you to cover us in prayer over the next few months in these following areas:
· Protection (spiritually and physically)
· Transition for the family (new home, new school, new city etc.)
· Divine connections and a solid foundation to begin building from
· Open doors and favor with those we come in contact with
· First Think Tank (what we call the first get togethers)
· Financial support (for the initial move and continued monthly support)
2) Financially
We know you share our passion to see God touch the lost in the U.S. so we are asking you to partner with us in ministry by sowing a financial seed and to consider a monthly commitment for our first critical year in the birth of this ministry. We are 100% given into this and are receiving no salary to do so. We will be operating entirely on love gifts both large and small. All gifts are tax deductible and we have enclosed a stamped addressed envelope to make it easier for you. For the first year while we go through the process of our 501c3 status we ask you to make the checks out to Vanguard Ministry and earmark it “St.Germain”.
Why are we asking you to write a check to Vanguard Ministries
Vanguard Ministries is the organization we hold credentials through and they have graciously given us a gift for our first year while we establish ourselves as a nonprofit organization. They are letting us funnel our financial gifts through them and are keeping no part of any gift but are blessing us in order to see this church plant successful. This is such an amazing opportunity for us to get our feet on the ground while maintaining the accountability of the organization that we are already partnered with. Your gifts are 100% tax deductible and will go directly to us. You can go to www.vanguardministries.org to learn more about their ministry.
Christian Assembly
Christian Assembly Church in Vienna is recognizing us as full time cross cultural missionaries and will be sending us into the mission field on August 3, 2009. They have agreed to stand with us and we are so appreciative. Their love gifts will help us greatly but will not cover all the ministry and living costs that will arise. We have worked fulltime in the CA congregation and are grateful for this vote of confidence from the church leadership.
Tax deductible gifts
Please make checks out to Vanguard Ministries earmarked “St.Germain”
c/o Vanguard Ministries
149 Business Park Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23462
To give online
Go to the VM website, www.vanguardministries.org, on the home page click in the upper right hand corner “give”, complete all the Billing Information and all the Credit Card Information. To apply the donation to our account, you will need to put the amount of the donation in the section “Other Donation” and then specify “Todd St.Germain”. Lastly, you will need to specify if this is a one-time gift, monthly gift, etc.
3) Staying connected with us
You can follow our journey at www.TheStGermainFamily.blogspot.com you can also go to our ministry site to learn more about what we are doing. You can find us at www.ThinkOrganicCommunity.com
19375 137th Place S.E. Monroe, WA 98272
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. This is an amazing time in
our lives and we are thankful and honored we can share it with you.
We love you,
Todd, Angela, Chloe’, and Paris St.Germain
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