LOTS OF ACTIVITY:
There was a lot of great discussion and a 'plethera' of great munchies!

Click on picture to see an album

BATHED IN PRAYER:
A few of us started the night out by asking God for His blessings upon the meeting.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

VISION IS SHARED:
Jeff Pethrick gave all a synopsis of how the 'vision' came to be, and what some of the plans are.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

MOVIES VIEWER:
If you click on one of the pictures that indicates that there is a "movie" available and it doesn't play, you may need the QuickTime Player. Click on the logo below to download it.

PDF READER:
If you click on one of the links that indicates that there is a "PDF" available and it doesn't show, you may need the AcrobatReader. Click on the logo below to download it.

12 MARCH 06

FIRST “TEAM” MEETING

We had an OPEN MEETING to present the 'visin' of this new outreach---a 'forum' to determine if God might be calling people to be a part of planting this new church.  We presented the following information:

WHAT IT 'MEANS' TO BE A PART OF THE TEAM

THE VISION FOR PLANTING THE CAMPUS

LAYING OUT THE PLANS FOR THE NEXT YEAR

It was a GREAT TURNOUT! After six months of gathering, connecting and building momentum for a k:west campus, it is time to start forming the core leadership team that will take this vision from dream to reality. So many of you have shared your heart for seeing this happen, and it is clear that God has been moving in this way for some time now.  We are simply jumping on with Him in His great adventure to be His hands and feet.
 
Many of you (59 to be specific) had a feeling of being called in some way to share your time, talents or treasure for the purpose of launching a Kensington campus in our local community---and we want to commend your 'faithfulness'.  We also layed out the plans for the rest of the year (as much as we know them now).  It was mentioned that we are still shooting for a launch in September of 2007, but we are listening intently for God's leading on this.

So, to those who were not able to come or did not know of this meeting, it's not too late to 'get 'on board'. At this time, we are focusing this outreach to the following communities

Berkley; Beverly Hills; Bingham Farms; Birmingham; Bloomfield; Farmington Hills; Ferndale; Franklin; Huntington Woods; Lathrup Village; Royal Oak; Southfield; West Bloomfield

Please pray about your involvement in this effort. If your heart continues to stir for reaching those in your community for God, then come and hear about how He can use you as His instrument of love.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. [Acts 2:42-47].

QUESTIONS POSED:
There was a time during the meeting that offered a chance to offer a comment or ask a question.
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

7 HABITS PRESENTED:
Joe Wurm talked about some of the things that KCC has learned by planting North and East.
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

CLOSING PRAYER:
We were read a Scripture and then formed some 'small groups' to pray over it.
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

SAYING GOODBYE:
The fellowship had to end---but only for a month or so.
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

A GREAT SONG:
Click on the following links to hear a great song that captures the 'heart' of what we are tying to do here for God, or to read the lyrics
y

A SUCCESS!!!:
There was a lot of great discussion and a 'plethera' of great munchies!

Click on picture to see an album

MORE PICTURES:
Here's a few more pictures from some of those who attended

Click on picture to see an album

MOVIES VIEWER:
If you click on one of the pictures that indicates that there is a "movie" available and it doesn't play, you may need the QuickTime Player. Click on the logo below to download it.

PDF READER:
If you click on one of the links that indicates that there is a "PDF" available and it doesn't show, you may need the AcrobatReader. Click on the logo below to download it.

9 APRIL 06

EASTER EGG HUNT

When Sunday was come and gone, it was clear that God had his hand all over the Beverly Hills Easter Egg Hunt. By our best estimation, we figured that over 1,000 people attended. There were definitely over 500 children who took over the park. When the seven to twelve year-olds got ready for their hunt, we had to go a little ahead of schedule for fear of civil unrest!  It was truly an amazing event. Thank you to Kristie and Mike McCormick for heading up the team, and thank you to all of you that showed up to help throughout the week. Special thanks to Tookles the Clown, our two Easter Bunny's, Robin Whitelaw for stepping in and up at the last minute, and Jon Bada for your organizational talents and your great cooking!. It truly was a team effort, and could not have been done without all of you.  We are truly grateful for the incredible servant's heart you all displayed.
 
While God gets the glory for the event, Kensington reaped some rewards as well, as one family after another came up and told us how truly wonderful the event was. The greatest testimony came from the Beverly Hills Council President, Dave Taylor, who wrote in an email "You folks from Kensington put on an awesome Easter event!"  He went on to say that he would be attending the 4:00 PM service on Good Friday! Another great moment happened when the local press official approached Kristie and said that they wanted to do a story on what we were doing. Kristie began to tell her about all of the volunteers for the event and the reporter replied "Oh, I will be doing a story on the Easter Egg Hunt for sure, but I want to do a story about Kensington coming to Birmingham!" The council has invited Kristie to come to the next meeting to give a report on the event, so we have another opportunity to let the folks in the area know what God is planning for their community.
 
As we remember last Sunday, let's look ahead to this coming Sunday. When this Sunday is come and gone, it also will be clear that God's hand was all over what took place that day nearly 2,000 years ago.  Something about Sundays. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Sunday a celebrity. Five days later he hung on a cross as his followers stared in disbelief. Yet on the following Sunday, what was uncovered would change the course of human history forever. It is the central focal point of our faith, that Jesus Christ resurrected from the grave to give hope to the world. For those who would follow him, he promised an amazing life, not just in eternity but in this world as well. As we reflect on the amazing events of that weekend, consider the incredible gift we have received, and ask yourself, "Have I accepted Jesus' invitation to a life unknown, yet a life promised to be so much greater than all I could ask or imagine?"

NOTE: We are still collecting pictures for this event. Please click on the following link if you would like to share some of them: Easter Egg Hunt Pictures

SUMMARY VIDEO:
There was a lot of things happening throughout the day. Take a look at a brief 'summary' of the major activities.
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

A GREAT SONG:
Click on the following links to hear a great song that captures the 'heart' of what we are tying to do here for God, or to read the lyrics
y

SPECIAL GUEST:
Don Lee talked about his experiences in planting North.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

UPDATES:
Mike presented the 7 Habits, and Kristie gave us an update on the Easter Egg Hunt.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

ENDING PRAYER:
Rick talked about 'exuding' a "sense of Him."

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

MOVIES VIEWER:
If you click on one of the pictures that indicates that there is a "movie" available and it doesn't play, you may need the QuickTime Player. Click on the logo below to download it.

PDF READER:
If you click on one of the links that indicates that there is a "PDF" available and it doesn't show, you may need the AcrobatReader. Click on the logo below to download it.

7 MAY 06

FIRST 'ORGANIZATIONAL' MEETING

Quick!  In ten seconds or less, who is known as "Rubber Band Man", "Adam with the Fig Leaf" and "The Delinquent Mom"?  If you don't know the answer, you probably missed our first Core Team meeting. We had a lot of laughs on our first night, setting the tone for what should be an exciting and fun adventure. My only problem of the evening was trying to take Mike McCormick (Adam) seriously when he was giving the informational update!  Thankfully he has such a heart for Jesus that it did not take too much time for me to refocus on the true task at hand.
 
I want to apologize for the meeting running over. We will do our best to honor your time. However, I am especially sorry that the prayer time felt rushed. While Rick Hartsell was concerned about the lack of time to pray, the focus he chose for the evening really brought to the forefront the importance of our prayer time, not only individually but corporately. To "bring a sense of Him" wherever we go, requires that He is living vibrantly within us, that we are feeding on Him and that His living water is penetrating every fiber of our being. A "sense of Him" means something that reflects the real, living, but unseen Jesus. Maybe it is found in serving. Maybe it is found in unconditional acts of love and kindness. Maybe it can be found in our grace and forgiveness. And maybe it is simply found in the fruit we bear because of being connected to the vine. However, it is portrayed to those in the K:west communities, if it is not real for us, it won't be real for them. We can't place out a bowl of plastic fruit, and hope that nobody will notice. For the next 16 months, let us make a commitment to one another to put prayer at the top of our list. For our next meeting, we'll put it at the front end of the meeting, not the back.
 
I am so excited that "The Great Adventure" is now underway in earnest.  By the way, most of the feedback was that this should be our 'theme' song. It just seems to fit perfectly the mission at hand. 

For next time, please do the spiritual gifts test below (at the bottom of this page). Come to the next meeting on the 4th of June prepared to share your top three gifts.
 
Thanks for being willing to follow God in this journey, wherever he will take us. It promises to be a great ride.  Saddle up your horses!
 
With Christ's unfailing promise,

Jeff

WHAT'S MY LINE? #1:
We had some fun playing a 'game' similar to the one that was on TV in the 70's.
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

WHAT'S MY LINE? #2:
"Adam with the Fig Leaf".
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

WHAT'S MY LINE? #3:
"The Delinquent Mom".
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

OUR 'THEME' SONG:
Click on the following links to hear our 'theme' song that captures the 'heart' of what we are tying to do here for God---or to read the lyrics
y

UPDATES:
Jeff Petherick and Joe Wurm give us an update on a variety of items.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

SPECIAL GUEST:
Pam Wilson talked about her experiences in planting North.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

TEACHING:
Donna Buckey taught on spiritual gifts and the Body of Christ.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

MOVIES VIEWER:
If you click on one of the pictures that indicates that there is a "movie" available and it doesn't play, you may need the QuickTime Player. Click on the logo below to download it.

PDF READER:
If you click on one of the links that indicates that there is a "PDF" available and it doesn't show, you may need the AcrobatReader. Click on the logo below to download it.

4 JUNE 06

SECOND 'ORG' MEETING

In early June, we had our last Core Team Meeting before taking time off for the summer. It was a great meeting as we assembled body parts (spiritual gifts) to our Kensington West stick person! In the end, it was amazing to see how God has already assembled a spiritual body of people with so many different gifts that He will use for His glory.

So now we look to the summer, and beginning next Wednesday, July 5th, for the next four weeks, New Community Summer Nights will take place at the Main Campus. We plan to have an area where we will meet each week, so pack a picnic, look for our K:west sign, and join us around 5:45 or 6:00 PM as we gather in community before heading inside at 7:00 PM for some spiritual nourishment.

If you can only make some of the Summer Nights, please mark July 19th and the 26th as special nights. On the 19th, there will be a competition between the campuses, and we are hoping for a great representation that night for K:west. It would be a lot of fun knocking off the North Campus champs in the tug of war this year, especially since Dave Wilson called us a bunch of softies! Actually he didn't really say that, but you know he is thinking that!

The evening of the 26th will be a very special night. It is the night for Baptisms at Stoney Creek Metropark. We already know of several Kensington West people who will be baptized, so it would be awesome to have a huge group of us there to share in this special time with them. ( Click here for more detail on the baptism event). Also, bookmark the "calendar" page on this site so you can be up-to-date on all of K:west's planned happenings.

In August, the Leadership Summit will take place from the 10th throught the 12th in the main auditorium. The Summit this year will be broadcast live to 160 U.S. cities, and will feature an incredible line-up of speakers from Bill Hybels to Jim Collins, and a special video cast interview with Bono from the band U2. This summit is not just designed for those in leadership positions within ministry, but anyone who is in a leadership role period. It promises to be a truly enriching and eye-opening conference. Registration is cheap before July 8th, and can be done online. We will have a special room designated for K:west participants where we can meet during breaks and for lunch. I hope to see many of you there.

We have several other things planned, including a serving opportunity at City Mission in August, so check your e-mail and the web site often to keep up with what is happening. I hope you all have a summer filled with rest and the refreshing love of family, friends and Jesus Christ.

BTW: Below is the "stick person" we created. We thought it would be neat to have a name for 'it'. So, send in your suggestions (as many as you would like) as soon as you can, and we will present them to y'all to decide. [Reminder: If you haven't yet completed the "Spiritual Gifts Assessment," you can download it by clicking the link at the bottom of this page].

Thanks for being willing to follow God in this journey, wherever he will take us. It promises to be a great ride.  Saddle up your horses!
 
With Christ's unfailing promise,

Jeff

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" [Matthew 11:28-30].

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
We are still shooting for a launch in September of 2007, but we are listening intently for God's leading on this.

So, to those who were not able to come or did not know of this meeting, it's not too late to 'get 'on board'. At this time, we are focusing this outreach to the following communities

Berkley; Beverly Hills; Bingham Farms; Birmingham; Bloomfield; Farmington Hills; Ferndale; Franklin; Huntington Woods; Lathrup Village; Royal Oak; Southfield; West Bloomfield

Please pray about your involvement in this effort. If your heart continues to stir for reaching those in your community for God, then come and hear about how He can use you as His instrument of love.

YOUR INTERESTS/ "GIFTS"
For the people who are interested in becoming a part of the k:west team, we would like to get a feel for where you are 'gifted', and start to develop some teams focused on some specific functions.

The following is a list of 'areas' of interest we are looking to fill. E-mail us the ones which you are interested in or the gifts you have to offer:

- Adult Small Groups
- Bookstore Team
- Building and Grounds (Future Meeting Site)
- Children's Ministries
- Communications Team (Marketing and Tech)
- Community Care
- Community Outreach
- High School Ministries
- Hospitality and Food Team
- Information Table
- Medical Team
- Men's Ministries
- Middle School Ministries
- Office Administration
- Performing Arts Team (including choir)
- Prayer Team
- Recovery Ministries
- Security Team
- Set-up/Take Down Team
- Single's Ministries
- Small Groups
- Sound and Lighting Team
- Ushers and Greeters
- Women's Ministries
- World Missions Outreach
- "Not Listed Here" (Tell us what we missed)

"GIFTS" SURVEY
If you are not sure what your gifts are, the links below are a few aids that could help you get a better feel for them.

"Spiritual Gifts Assessment" (Click to download Word file)

"Spiritual Gifts Test" (An online test)

GIFTS PRESENTATION:
We had some fun 'team building' and presenting our gifts in an unique way.
ly

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

OUR 'THEME' SONG:
Click on the following links to hear our 'theme' song that captures the 'heart' of what we are tying to do here for God---or to read the lyrics
y

PART IT (5 JUL 06):
Here's a few things that happened at our first "Summer Nights" picnic.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

STOP IT (19 JUL 06):
Here's a few things that happened at our first "Summer Nights" picnic.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

CITY MISSION (AUG):
Here's a few things that happened at our first "Summer Nights" picnic.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to startt)

KCC BAPTISM (AUG):
Here's a few things that happened at our first "Summer Nights" picnic.

Click on picture to see a movie
(Will take about a minute to start)

MOVIES VIEWER:
If you click on one of the pictures that indicates that there is a "movie" available and it doesn't play, you may need the QuickTime Player. Click on the logo below to download it.

PDF READER:
If you click on one of the links that indicates that there is a "PDF" available and it doesn't show, you may need the AcrobatReader. Click on the logo below to download it.

5 JULY 06

FIRST "SUMMER NIGHTS"

Great weather, great food, and great worship. The first "Summer Nights" picnic was a wonderful time to connect with everyone within the Kensington community---especially with the people who are interested in seeing a campus in the western suburbs of the Detroit Metro area.

So, come join us next week, 12 JULY 06, that will be themed, "DRINK IT: Water from the Rock."

12 JULY 06

SECOND "SUMMER NIGHTS"

Picture this in your mind: During New Community, Dave Wilson stands on the KCC stage talking about the upcoming campus competition on Wednesday, 19 JUL 06 at 6:00 PM during Summer Nights. On the screen, it shows the color of shirt each campus is supposed to wear to identify themselves more easily---Blue for North, Green for Main, Red for East and Yellow for West. Then he asks, "Who thinks North is going to win (again)?" A loud roar goes up. "How about Main?" An even louder roar from over half the 1,100 person crowd is heard. "East?" The most enthusiastic roar is belted out. "How about West?" All 15 of us yelled as loud as we could---some of us even standing up. Nevertheless it was a meek display, and I'm sure some in the crowd felt sorry for us. Some of the East folks even reached across the aisle and said we could join their group!

Now I know it says in the Bible that "the meek shall inherit the earth" but that is probably a long ways off, so in the meantime it would be awesome if our meek showing last Wednesday night turned into a MIGHTY ARMY next Wednesday. We have close to 300 people on our K:west list and surely we can field a worthy team. All I know is that if I am on the tug-of-war team, we are in deep trouble. My faith has become huge in the last several years, but not big enough yet to believe that all 168 pounds of me is able to help slay the Philistine-sized team of North, Main or East. I would rather just yell encouragement from the sidelines!

Obviously this is all in good fun, and the most enjoyable part of the evening is being able to connect with all of you who have in interest in seeing a Kensington Campus in the Birmingham area. By the end of the summer, we will only be a year away from launch, and that time will go by fast. So let's make the best of a great opportunity to eat, laugh, pull, run, throw and bond together as a team. We hope you can all make it, especially those with bulging muscles! Look for our K:west sign and we will be gathered in that area.

Lastly, I wanted to mention to you something that is taking place on Friday, July 28th. Kristie and Mike McCormick, along with several others from our team and many who don’t attend Kensington, are holding a road rally to benefit City Mission. The rally will take place throughout the Birmingham/Bloomfield area, and with commitments made already, they have raised close to $40,000. City Mission is in great need right now. If you are interested in joining the road rally, please contact Kristie at [email protected] or call her at 248-723-2197. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring friends and meet other interested K:west people---all for a very worthy cause. We are also planning a specific K:west barbeque at City Mission soon after the road rally, and as soon as we know the date we will let you know.

Hope to see you all there Wednesday evening!

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
[Ecclesiastes 4:9-12]

With Christ’s love,
Jeff Petherick

P.S.
"Leadership Summit" is coming to Kensington Main August 10-12. It will be an awesome event, and if you have not signed up yet, please do so. You will not regret it, and it is exactly the kind of training that we will need as a Core Team for our upcoming Campus initiative. If you are pressed for time that week, you do not need to attend every session. Instead pick the ones that seem to fit your interest at this time.

Importantly, for those that are planning on attending, we need several people who will agree to take one of the days of the Summit to be our room Host. You will still be able to attend the sessions, however you will simply need to make sure that you are in our K:west room during the breaks and at lunch, and to make sure the room is properly stocked with refreshments. If you can help, please contact my wife Gina and she will give you all the details. Thanks in advance for serving. It is greatly appreciated.

Register Online for Leadership Summit!
As of July 17th, over 900 have registered for the annual Leadership Summit at KCC Main on August 10-12. Sessions include “Life Cycle of a Leader” with Bill Hybels, “Enemies of a Growing Church” with James Meeks, “Focused Leadership” with Andy Stanley, “Tribal Warfare” with Peg Neuhauser, “When Business Thinking Fails the Church” with Jim Collins, “Silos, Politics and Turf Wars” with Patrick Lencioni, “Dead Leader Running” with Wayne Cordeiro and “Exclusive Interview” with U2’s Bono. More information and easy registration:

On-line sign-up for Summit:

19 JULY 06

THIRD "SUMMER NIGHTS"

The theme was, "STOP IT: Crossing The Jordan"---and we had a great time of connection and gave it our best in the "tug-of-war." Take a look at the video for a summary of all that happened.

31-2 AUGUST 06

CITY MISSION

Wow! What a great time we had a City Mission this week. Thank you for all your help in reaching out to the kids. It was great to be with all of you and love on the kids. I know my kids had a great time and the City Mission kids did too. Together we served over 50 kids and families each night. We couldn’t have done it without each part of the team coming together to serve. Thanks for using your gifts. Thanks for sharing your time and resources. Most importantly, thanks for giving your heart.

We look forward to doing more projects in the future.

Take a look at what City Mission is doing:

10-12 AUGUST 06

LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

We had our own room that we met together between sessions, which included “Life Cycle of a Leader” with Bill Hybels, “Enemies of a Growing Church” with James Meeks, “Focused Leadership” with Andy Stanley, “Tribal Warfare” with Peg Neuhauser, “When Business Thinking Fails the Church” with Jim Collins, “Silos, Politics and Turf Wars” with Patrick Lencioni, “Dead Leader Running” with Wayne Cordeiro and “Exclusive Interview” with U2’s Bono.

21 AUGUST 06

STONEY CREEK BAPTISM

The "Summer Nights" picnic water theme got really 'big'---as we enjoyed nature's beauty at Stony Creek for KCC's special baptism celebration.

We had several people on our team baptized and it was one of the highlights of our first year 'together' as a team.

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" [ Romans 6:4].

9 SEP 06

K:EAST PREVIEW SERVICE PICNIC

We helped K:east focus on coordinating all the aspects of their service by providing a 'BBQ picnic' to all the volunteers It was a great time and the East team members were very appreciative for our efforts.

24 SEP 06

K:WEST SMALL GROUPS

With the opening of the East Campus this weekend, it's hard to believe that K:west is only a year away from opening! This is going to be a critical year for our team to come together and get ready for the exciting adventure that God has set before us. There will be many ways for our team to grow together throughout the year with a variety of social gatherings, service opportunities and meetings.

The most important thing for each of us to do right now is to get together in community with one another through small groups. The relational impact of small groups is exponential and will help to knit our hearts together as we move forward with K:west. If you are excited about K:west and want to be in fellowship with others who share the same passion, I encourage you to take a look at the list of small groups and pick up the phone to join one.

Inevitably there will be some K:west groups that we don’t have listed. If you have a group that you would like us to list then please email me your information.

This Sunday, Kensington East is expecting over 1,000 people to attend their first service! It’s exciting to think of the impact K:west is going to have on our neighborhoods and community within the year. I hope you are planning to be a part of this movement to the west. Please join us in a small group and get to know others who are on the journey!

Please don’t hesitate to give me a call if you have any questions at 248-207-7777.

Mike McCormick

OUR 'THEME' SONG:
Click on the following links to hear our 'theme' song that captures the 'heart' of what we are tying to do here for God---or to read the lyrics
y