21 JANUARY 07

FIRST LEADERSHIP MEETING

It was an amazing evening, and a historic night. Even with Nancy Wurm leading us into prayer, we were unprepared for God to move so powerfully Sunday night. In the end, everyone we talked with felt the Holy Spirit move in their hearts. And every spoken word, whether in message or song, felt as if God himself was speaking. Mark Nelson's challenge to remember in whose power these things are done was dead-on. Thankfully, whenever the spiritual markers of Main, North, K2 and East are celebrated, the credit has always been given to God. At Kensington, it is never a celebration of what people have done, only what God has done through people. That humility began nearly 17 years ago with the leadership of our church, and it has been passed on to those that have followed.

As Steve Andrews said, if we answer the call this year, we will get to see God at work in astounding ways. To think back on how He has already worked in miraculous ways and then to consider that "we ain't seen nothing yet" creates a sense of awe and wonder but also fear. But this kind of fear is good for it is a sign of dependence. We need to know that nothing happens west without God moving first. Nothing happens without Him.

It was also exciting to hear from Joe Wurm about the upcoming calendar and our facility options. God is carving out a path for us to make an impact in our west communities. When someone asks "where will the West Campus be?," let them know that we are prayerfully considering facilities in the areas surrounded by Woodward Ave to the east, Farmington Road to the west, Square Lake to the north and I-696 to the south. We expect to firm up (and officially announce) a location for Kensington's West Campus by March 1, 2007. So, keep praying that we will hear clearly where God wants us and that the school administrators will have open minds and hearts to what God wants to do in their school.

For those of you that made it, thanks for braving the ice, sleet, and snow to be a part of a historic night in the development of Kensington Church and the West Campus. Special thanks go to Steve Andrews, Mark Nelson, Joe and Nancy Wurm, and Chris Cheshire for helping to make our evening incredible. The 'heat' was turned up as God was definitely on the move. Seems like He has big plans. Maybe our dreams need to get bigger!

Ask that one hundred years from now the memory of these days will still burn for God's renown.

“Father, let these days be eternal, bearing fruit for Your name that lasts forever.”

In Christ, The Kensington West Core Team

11 FEBRUARY 07

TEAM BOWLING OUTING

We had a great time bowling and there were some highlights and lowlights. It was great to have as many people show up on such short notice, especially the entire Neff family of 8! We really had a great time and for those of you who could not make it, we missed you (see a summary by viewing the video in the left column).

We did hear about several serving opportunities coming up that we want everyone to consider:

First, we will need all kinds of help with the Easter Egg Hunt, scheduled for the first weekend of April. If you can offer your help in anyway, please contact Kristie McCormick ([email protected]) or Sarah Piper ([email protected]) as soon as you can.

Kensington also needs help at the Good Friday and Easter services to help give a break to the regular volunteers. If you can be an usher/ greeter/ hospitality/ coffee person for that weekend, it would be greatly appreciated. Contact Brenda Tagle for more information. ([email protected]).

Lastly, and most timely, Robyn Whitelaw on our team has agreed to help out Harvey Carey's church and the people of Detroit. This past summer, Harvey Carey did a sermon at Kensington Main on how we need to step up and help the people in Detroit. He asked Kensington members to "adopt" Fairbanks school in Detroit and help with tutoring and fixing up the school. Robyn took on the project of creating a library for the school (they had just a few books in a room that they called the library). She collected over 6000 books! She 100 boxes of books in her basement that have been sorted and labeled and need to be delivered on Saturday, February 17. If you can help, please respond ASAP to ([email protected]) or call her at 248-203-9621.

Thanks for your help in advance and don't forget about our next Core Team meeting on March 11th!

In Christ, Jeff Petherick

11 MARCH 07

CORE TEAM OUTING

Joe Wurm, Campus Director at Kensington Church, informed us today of some amazing news. The Detroit Country Day School board has approved us to be in their facilities starting this Fall! While the details still need to be hammered out, this uplifting news came today in a call from the Headmaster of the school. To put this in perspective, this location was not an option six months ago. But through the help of some wonderful families, Joe's hard work, and of course, God's providence, what was once impossible, is now a reality. This is a phenomenal location for us, a location to which only God could have directed us. We all need to praise and thank Him for His orchestration of events. This news is truly amazing.

We also had a great meeting on Sunday night. Dave Wilson gave us a great message on "Grace." It is a concept that is difficult for many of us to comprehend, and yet as Dave told us, grace is the oil that keeps Kensington and our campus effort's purring. Without grace, our mission will seize up and come to a grinding halt. What has always attracted people to Kensington is the overwhelming sense of grace that permeates the body of the church. "Come as your are" and "all are welcome into this place" are phrases that are heard over and over again. More importantly, these words are backed by authenticity in action. In other words, when our friends encounter Kensington people, we want them to see and feel Jesus in each one of us.

We also got a more in-depth look at the events coming up for the West Campus of KCC. When the calendar page flips into April, the timetable will have begun on the work that needs to be done before we launch next September. We have several opportunities for you to get involved right now, and we really need your help. Below is a list of ways to serve God in this adventure:

1) We need many volunteers to help with our big Easter Egg Hunt in Beverly Hills, April 1st from 1-3 pm at Beverly Park. If this is of interest to you, please contact Kristie McCormick ([email protected]) or Sarah Piper ([email protected]).

2) Help serve at the Main Campus for The Experience (Stations of the Cross), Good Friday or Easter Services. The Experience needs volunteers on Wednesday from 4-10 PM, Thursday from 4-10 PM, and Friday all day. Volunteers are also needed to usher, greet or serve coffee for the Good Friday and Easter Services. If you can help in this area, please email us at [email protected].

3) Our big reception weekend, the official kick-off of our campus, will happen on the weekend of April 21-22 at the Main and North campuses. We need people to help be hosts/volunteers as people will be invited to a room on the third floor to find out more about the campus plans/events and needs. Then we will need host/volunteers to help with the Home Meetings that will take place from May 10th to June 10th in various homes throughout the west communities. If you can help with this, please email us a [email protected].

The invitation that Jesus makes to "follow" him is not simply a spiritual call, but an experiential call. Accepting his invitation means becoming his hands and feet in world that is lost. It is the only way we will ever have the impact and experience he desires for us. For most of us, this will probably be the single most important call to obedience we will ever encounter in our walk with Christ. He is obviously on the move and has great plans for our family, friends and neighbors on the west side. Please seek Him in prayer and ask Him how he wants you to serve him in this great adventure.

With Christ's grace and love, The K:west Core Team


Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done" [Matthew 16:24-27].

MARCH-JULY 07

PRAYER MEETING
EVERY WEDNESDAY - 6:25 PM - 7:00 PM
KENSINGTON MAIN - “Parents Room”

We will be having a time of prayer every Wednesday before New Community. If you are coming to New Community anyway, stop by the Parent's Room (even if you don't make it by 6:30) and join whoever is there in praying for K:west, Kensington Church, our Pastors, leaders, staff and team, and the people who God wants to touch with our new campus.

Please consider fasting from something (lunch, dinner, sweets, coffee, whatever, or all of it). Even though He already knows what we desire, God loves it when we present our requests to him. So come whenever you can and help lift our collective voice to God as the team grows and develops into a campus over the next eight months.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land [2 Chronicles 7:12-14].