Highlands Fellowship 30th Anniversary Transcript

0:05 Well hey everybody and welcome to Highlands Fellowship. It's so good to have you at all of our campuses, at all of our different venues, online, on TV. We are so thankful that you are here celebrating Jesus Christ with us.

0:12 Also today is a very special day because it is our 30th year anniversary as a church and we're super excited to be able to celebrate that with you today. And one of the best ways I feel like to celebrate this is by hearing from some people who have been instrumental in the fulfillment of the vision and mission of our church.

0:26 And so what we have for you today is we have a video. I'll have a brief message after that, but the video is going to take up a significant portion of our time together today. But what it does is you will get to hear the heart and the passion from the people who have been here over a period of years, but also you'll get to see some pictures and some videos of some things that have taken place.

0:51 And it really tells the story of what I believe Jesus Christ has done here in this church over the last 30 years. So let's take some time. Let's watch this video and then I'll come back up and give you just a brief message after that. Let's watch the video together.

1:04 [Music]

1:11 [Music continues]

1:27 Uh, my husband and I have been coming here about 7 years. Uh, let's see, probably over 15 years now. For 21 years, I've been attending Highlands for uh, 13 years. I'd say about 2 years. Probably since I was three. Uh, about 7, 8 months. Um, about 6 months. Um, 18 years.

1:53 Um, we actually moved here from Florida end of July. So we've been attending um, physically since August, but we were attending online for like a year and a half before that.

2:01 What do I love about Highlands? Um, I love that Highlands is uh, not afraid to roll its sleeves up and be in the community and really um, not only tell about uh, the gospel but really show it.

2:08 Uh, I love the community that we built here and the people that are friends that feel more like family than friends because we definitely feel like a lot of people at Highlands are just as close to us as our family members.

2:21 Feels very much like a family and I'm a long way from home. So the second I walked in the doors, um, yeah, it really made me feel like I was part of a family and um, you're always welcome and yeah, it's a great feeling.

2:34 I love that it feels like a family. I love that I'm constantly encouraged by other people in the same season of life or they've walked um, a little bit further along than us and they just have so much biblical wisdom um, to give us as we parent and we do life and just try to become more like Jesus.

2:53 Um, through missions like uh, I've attended mission trips with this church um, to Africa, Nicaragua, Haiti. Um, but then just the global glory of God or the G3 conference they have. It's just so amazing that our church can partner with pastors and all over the world and that alone is just, it's world-changing.

3:15 You know, not too long ago, we had someone come to the church in desperate need of prayer. And um, we were the only church she said anywhere near here that had our doors open on a, I think it was a Friday night. And uh, the pastor here, James, reached out to me, said, "Hey, we, someone here needs prayer."

3:33 Um, and I came running right after work and we all gathered around and prayed for her. And she came to church the next, you know, the next Sunday and she was, she now she's a part of the church. And I think that was a great moment to see God change someone's life.

3:43 Uh, last week, uh, we're going through some different challenges at home with just parenting um, one of our children and God used someone in this church to speak into my life and I saw immense change in him and myself this week, which was really beautiful and um, very special.

3:55 Um, there's so many. Uh, one moment was uh, when my wife-to-be was baptized and just seeing that happen and just seeing God move in her life and how her, how she grew close to God in those moments really made me even grow closer to God as our relationship grew and stuff and that was just a really awesome experience seeing her get baptized for the first time in with Highlands a couple years before we got married in uh, 2022 actually.

4:12 I um, had a brain tumor and Highlands surrounded me like no, nothing I've ever experienced before in a family and especially a church family. Um, and they prayed diligently day after day after day and um, had it removed and all went well, but the support continued even after the fact.

4:38 And God just humbled me through that whole process that no matter um, how helpless I might feel in life, maybe even hopeless at times, uh, I'm okay. I'm going to be okay. And he just moved through Highlands and showed me that he's got me through my family here at Highlands.

5:01 Huge, huge um, change of, I love that uh, 'cause it's just a building, man. I love that I have people here that I can rely on. If I need anything, I can, I can holler somebody and somebody will answer. It's a community for our family.

5:23 Happy birthday Highlands Fellowship. We love you.

5:36 One of life's greatest blessings was being chosen by Jesus to be your founding pastor, to lead you and love and care for you for 18 years and the team that Christ brought together, even now constantly praying for all of you.

5:49 You know, one of the questions that I was asked is, take us back to 1994. What was a moment that you knew God was calling you to plant a church in Abington? You know, the word says that unless the Lord builds the house, those that labor, labor in vain. Highlands was Jesus's idea.

6:02 How did he reveal his will? You know, I was driving back home uh, from my hometown in Abington, Virginia one day, just a normal day, and my wife and girls were in the car and I said to my wife, probably for the hundredth time, I said, you know, somebody should start a church in Abington, and it needs to be new and different kind of church.

6:28 And my wife, for the first time, looked at me and she said, why don't we do it? Our biggest challenge was, would we believe God?

6:41 I recently heard Dave Ramsey talk about, you know, what if you, if you put the bean counters and the lawyers leading your organization, mark it down, that's the day you are done. Your org is going to die.

6:52 You know, we didn't have anything but a word from the Lord. Literally, people said, "You're crazy. What are you doing?" We had no members, no building, no place to live, no income. Two baby girls, Ashley and Amy.

7:07 I had never planted a church before. Like, this is a prescription for failure. But the Lord kept encouraging us through others. He kept showing up and answering our prayers as we asked him to confirm.

7:18 The only way to describe it is one God story after another. We were pumped. God had tested us in so many times, in so many ways. And yet, at every test, he would come through. He would answer our prayers, and we knew he was among us.

7:34 And the question was always, would we trust him? Would we follow him and what he wanted us to do? It was uncomfortable, but it was exciting.

7:54 And by the time Easter Sunday came in 1994, there were 70 of us preparing to launch Highlands Fellowship, and we were having so much fun. We hand-addressed 8,000 personal invitations to the community. It turned into a party.

8:06 Everybody was assigned a role. And on that Easter Sunday, 1995, 156 people came to the first official service.

8:19 Those 70 people, we spaced ourselves out on the sidewalk, lining the driveway into the front doors of the Kums Recreation Center, greeting and loving and sharing. We did coffee and juice and donuts. We didn't want anybody to ever come and uh, hungry or walk away hungry.

8:34 Five years later, on our last Sunday at the high school, we were averaging 700 people in that auditorium. People would say, "You can't, a church can't grow in an auditorium." And uh, I just laugh, you know, when I would hear that.

8:50 You know, and honestly, tell God anything he can't do, right? Our first Sunday in our new facility, Easter 2000, many of you were there. We had 1,200 people in attendance.

9:01 We never looked back. You know, many of us have been called out from Highlands. We still call Highlands home, but like us in California, we're out here helping plant churches.

9:15 In the last 10 years, Sin Network and the team I work with, there's been over 600 churches planted in California. People think California's fallen into the ocean. Well, listen, there's a group of people, and one of them's a Highlander out here planting churches, reaching people with the gospel.

9:29 This is the question I was asked: If you could give one piece of encouragement to the people of Highlands, what would it be? Follow Jesus. Highlands is his church. He's the head.

10:08 As Mary told the people at the wedding in Cana, do whatever he tells you to do.

10:36 I come here, it's a multi-site, and it's a large church, and um, I just realized fairly quickly I was in over my head, and I needed help.

10:43 And so uh, you know, God in his graciousness was able to put me around some people who had led organizations and businesses. I was able to form some friendships with some community people.

10:54 I began to just go into the communities and meet with, you know, uh, town council and mayors and board of supervisors and first responders and people of influence.

11:01 And I tried to ask them the same question: what keeps our communities from being all that God wants it to be? One of the early ones was poverty and food insecurity, which I felt like we had a food pantry, and that was an answer, you know, to help in that particular way.

11:19 Another thing that we were trying to help with was the addiction rate that we found was very high in all of our locations, some uh, form or fashion. Almost all of us have a family member with addiction. And so addiction was on that list.

11:30 But one of the ones that sort of surprised me was the need for foster care and adoptive families. And it made sense to me once I began to think about it because uh, often when there's food insecurity and poverty and addiction, then children are often the ones who have needs, and they're overlooked.

11:51 And so, at that time, we didn't have a whole lot of families who were fostering children in our area. And yet, Highlands, being a larger church, I felt like, hey, here's an idea that maybe Brenn and I can lead the way.

12:03 And so we started getting foster care training. And we were able to foster to adopt Chris. And today, we have lots and lots of families all around Highlands that have been through the foster journey. And many of them have moved to adoption.

12:20 And I felt like that was, looking back, I felt like that was one of the neatest things we were able to do, is to help children write a better story. And u, I'm very grateful for that.

12:33 Here's a thing that sticks out to me. There was a Sunday that I'll never forget. I've been here maybe three or four months, and I'm down on one end of the mall at our Avenue location.

12:46 And there's a guy comes in, in his work clothes, and he's got his work boots on. I mean, they're covered in mud. And he's bringing three, uh, three little girls in.

12:58 And it looks like they've just had a challenging time to get to church. And you could just tell this was a family who were just, you know, they were just trying to get by, day after day. And yet, they felt right at home at Highlands.

13:09 And then I go on the other end, and there's a gentleman and his wife who come in on that side, and they are dressed fit to kill. I mean, they've got a suit and tie and an elaborate dress and fancy shoes, and you could just tell, these are people of affluence, but yet they feel right at home at Highlands.

13:26 And that struck me, that here's a church that's multi-generational, multicultural, multi-economic, and all these people are able, because of the foundation of the gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ, to find a home at Highlands. I think that's truly the reason we can all call Highlands home.

13:45 When I think about stepping into leadership here in a church that has a legacy of faith, sacrifice, and mission, and what does that look like as we move forward into the future, I can't help but think about all the wonderful people who have come before me.

14:05 We've heard from Pastor Jimmy, we've heard from Pastor Allan. And these are wonderful men of God who I'm so grateful to for the hard work, the dedication, the blood, the sweat, the tears that they've poured into this church, and to see that what God has called them to do is fulfilled in this area.

14:23 And so I'm so thankful to them. Uh, I'm honored to follow them in ministry. And I do really feel like I'm standing on their shoulders, and they are propping me up to do the work that he's called us to do.

14:36 I know both of them love Highlands Fellowship so much, and they've poured their lives into it, and I'm thankful for their heart. I'm thankful for their hard work, their dedication, and for so many other things, their continued guidance, uh, their mentorship.

14:50 But I am thankful uh, for what they do, what they have done, and I want to see it continued on, and I want to be faithful to the mission and the vision that God has called us to as a church.

15:02 I would say what excites me the most about where God is leading our church right now is uh, with a lot of momentum, God is leading our church to make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.

15:14 And we get to do that in so many different ways. But one of the ways that I think is so exciting to me is the way that he's doing that in the next generation. To see our students and our kids growing up, understanding God's word, learning about who he is and what he's done for them, for them to really truly understand who Jesus is.

15:27 It just, it really, really excites me to see the life change that's taking place. We get to see people who are saved and baptized. Uh, we get to see people all around the world be equipped, and we're going to change the world.

15:47 And I believe that with our partnerships that we have all across the globe, places like South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, the Ivory Coast, Pakistan, the Ukraine, all of these places are places that God is doing amazing work, and he's allowed us to be part of those things.

16:00 And so when we think about changing the world, it's not just here in Southwest Virginia, but it's all over the globe. Uh, we also have a wonderful partnership in Cairo with our 4G3 partners for the global glory of God.

16:17 And these are people who are going into the most unreached places, war-torn places, places where there's massive persecution, and they're sharing the gospel. They're raising up disciples of Jesus Christ, and they're training them and teaching them how to then raise up other disciples.

16:29 And so they're doing discipleship institutes, and we get to be part of that work, and it is extremely fulfilling, and it's amazing, and it's significant work.

16:43 The theme verse that's been throughout the whole course of this anniversary celebration, as we celebrate 30 years, it's Ephesians 3:20 and 21, where it talks about God doing immeasurably more.

16:55 And when I think about doing immeasurably more, God has already proven that to us over the first 30 years here at Highlands Fellowship. I mean, he's done incredible things, more than we could possibly dream or imagine.

17:08 And I believe that God is faithful. I believe that he will continue to do these things, above what we could even imagine. But we have to remain faithful to the calling that he's put on our lives, and for us as a church, like, our mission is to help people experience life with Jesus as we make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.

17:27 And I believe that as we stay faithful to the calling, we stay focused, doing only those things that we can do, I believe that God will be generous with us as we move forward. And we will see him do immeasurably more as we continue to seek him with all of our lives.

17:46 God is a good God. I'm so thankful for what he does in our lives. He has been so good to us, and I can't wait to see what the next 30 years has to offer.

17:59 [Music]

18:21 Wow, guys, would you join me in just thanking the Lord for all that he's done in our communities, in our church, and around the world? It's absolutely amazing.

18:28 [Applause]

18:34 You know, it's absolutely incredible to hear all about what God has done. And it makes me excited to think about the future of the church as a whole, and also the future of Highlands Fellowship.

18:40 You know, today really is a special day. We don't often take the time to celebrate and remember God's goodness and God's faithfulness in the ways that we should, but today we are. We're looking back, and we're remembering all of the good things that he's done over 30 years here at Highlands Fellowship.

18:52 We've heard from Pastor Jimmy. We've heard from Pastor Allan. And both of them have been so faithful to lead Highlands Fellowship in the way that God has called them to lead.

19:07 And today, we honor them. We honor their families for the sacrifice each and every one of them have made to see lives changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

19:13 You know, today, I'm not going to share a whole lot of numbers with you. I know there's been tens of thousands of people who have walked through our doors over the 30-year time period, but there is one number that I want to share with you that really shows the life change that I believe God has had us be part of over the years.

19:27 And that's the number of baptisms that have taken place. So the number of baptisms is 5,157 people have been baptized. They've given their hearts and lives over to the Lord, and they have followed him in baptism.

19:39 They've taken that next step. And so they have told everybody, "Hey, I'm following Jesus Christ with my life." And that averages to over three a week for 30 years.

19:53 Over three people a week have been baptized. God has done amazing things. And it really is more than we could ask or imagine.

20:05 So we remember and we celebrate the past, but we also, we push into the future. And a great Bible story that highlights remembering and honoring the past while actually moving forward into the future is the story of Joshua and the 12 stones from the Jordan River.

20:20 And it's found in Joshua chapter 4. And I'll give you just a brief summary of the story, and then we're going to pull out just a few points that I think are so very important.

20:25 So the Israelites, they had been wandering in the desert for 40 years, and they were coming to the end of that season. So after Moses's death, Joshua, he led the Israelites into the promised land.

20:39 But before they could enter into the promised land, they would have to cross the Jordan River. And this was at flood stage at this time.

20:50 Well, God miraculously stopped the waters, just like he did at the Red Sea, allowing them to walk across on dry ground.

20:56 God then commanded Joshua to have 12 men, one from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, to take a stone from the river and to set them up as a memorial.

21:03 And so these stones were meant to remind future generations of God's faithfulness and in leading them out of the wilderness into the new future.

21:15 So the stones, they symbolize honoring the past, you know, God's miracles, God's deliverance, and God's guidance, but they also, they pointed toward the future, as Israel was about to step into new challenges and blessings in the promised land.

21:29 And like the Israelites, we should remember what God has done in our lives while also moving forward in faith toward the future plans that he has for us.

21:46 And that's exactly what we're going to be doing. We have to stay focused. We have to stay focused. We've got to remember what got us here because if we're not careful, we're going to drift away from the foundation that our church was built on.

22:02 So here are three ways that we fight the drift. Number one is this: We've got to remember God's faithfulness. We've got to remember the faithfulness of God.

22:12 And we know that everybody needs God. See, the most important connection that we were created to have is our relationship with Jesus Christ.

22:20 When you surrender your life to Jesus, you enter into a relationship with your heavenly Father. And that's the most important connection you were created to have.

22:31 When you walk with God, guess what? He walks right with you as well. In life, you're going to face tons of difficult times. You're going to face challenges. You're going to face tough times.

22:38 And over the 30-year time period that we've had here at Highlands Fellowship, there have been lots of tough times. But God has walked with us.

22:50 And when you're going through challenging situations, God promises to never leave you. When you're in the valley of the shadow of death, God promises to lead you and to be with you, to never leave you and never forsake you.

23:03 God walks with you, and he shows you his faithfulness. You know, as I mentioned earlier, the Bible tells us in Joshua chapter 4 about the Israelites, and these are God's people.

23:17 All right, and the Israelites have been delivered from Egypt. They've been delivered from slavery. They're going into the promised land.

23:26 So they were sent. All right, and God told them, "I'm going to give you a land that's flowing with milk and honey."

23:33 And so they went, they went after the promise that God had for them. But because of their stubbornness, because of their disobedience, they wandered through the wilderness for 40 years, just wandering around, drifting.

23:44 Finally, 40 years later, they stand at the banks of the Jordan River, with the promised land just across the other side.

24:01 All they've got to do is, they've got to walk across to take the promise that God has for them. I mean, this is such a big deal, right? Like, this is so important. This is a big, big day.

24:14 Everything is coming together. It's so important that God tells Joshua, "Here's what I want you to do. I want you to take those 12 stones out of the river, and I want you to place them as a memorial to remember my faithfulness."

24:28 To remember that I delivered you. To remember that I'm the God who walked with you through all of these difficult times. I'm the God that set you free. Remember my faithfulness. That's what he says.

24:40 So look with me at Joshua 4:21 and 22. It says this: Then Joshua said to the Israelites, "In the future, your children will ask, 'What do these stones mean?' Then you can tell them, 'This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.'"

24:59 God is a faithful God. He always provides for us in ways that we can't even imagine. And he has proven that to us over and over and over again throughout these 30 years.

25:21 Our church was built on the foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we will continue to make sure that that foundation stays strong, and we will continue to build on that foundation.

25:34 Listen, God is building his church stone by stone, and Jesus himself being the cornerstone that holds all of it together. So we remember God's faithfulness.

25:47 The next way to stay focused and to keep from drifting is that we must rely on God's people. We've got to rely on God's people.

26:02 See, we all need somebody, don't we? I mean, everybody needs somebody. We need somebody who's going to be real with us, who's going to help keep us accountable, who doesn't judge us necessarily, but we also need somebody with good judgment. And there's a difference between those things.

26:13 See, it's not just about having people in your life. It's about having the right people in your life. And really, the difference between where you are today and where God wants you to be depends on having the right people in your life.

26:24 And they'll help you remember the faithfulness of God. And let me tell you two ways that I believe you can actually find the right people in your life.

26:36 The first one is this: Start serving. Very simple, start serving. Like, you just need to get around people that are walking in the same direction as you're walking.

26:43 Number two, get in a small group. Like, you need to be connected in community. Like, you need to meet consistently with people that are going to encourage you and that are going to hold you accountable.

26:58 And really, the goal of this is two things. All right, it's very simple: Grow in your relationship with Christ and care for each other. Right, grow in your relationship with Christ and care for each other.

27:10 Get in a small group so that we don't drift. All right, and another way, you know, we've got remember God's faithfulness, we got rely on God's people.

27:17 And then the third thing is this: Follow the mission and vision God has given us. If we don't want to drift, we got to follow the mission and vision that God has given us.

27:29 So here's the mission and vision of Highlands Fellowship is that we, as followers of Jesus Christ, would do what he teaches us and truly focus our efforts to help people experience life with Jesus as we make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.

27:47 At Highlands Fellowship, we are going to make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.

27:58 And here's something that I want you to understand because it's very, very important. We're not about making a name for ourselves. We're not about building a denomination. We're not about just building buildings.

28:04 Okay, what we are about, our mission, is to help people experience life with Jesus. And we are going to do that as we fulfill the vision of making disciples, loving our communities, and changing the world.

28:18 And so I want to talk about that for just a minute. And let's start with this idea of making disciples. Okay, this is what Jesus teaches us to do in the Great Commission.

28:25 Matthew 28:19-20 says this: Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

28:39 This has to be part of what we do. It has to be part of what we do.

28:52 So the method that we are going to use to make disciples is by focusing on small groups where you grow spiritually, right? You grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, and you're cared for.

29:06 So growth and care are going to be our focuses within our small groups. And our plan is to constantly be looking for small group leaders and investing in them through training and providing small group materials and resources.

29:20 We're going to be having another round of small groups starting April the 30th at all of our campuses, and this will go for four weeks. We would love for you to be part of a small group.

29:33 The second part of the vision is that we're going to love our communities. We are going to love our communities because I believe that God has strategically placed you in the community that you live in for this specific time in history to fulfill the purpose that he has created you for.

29:47 You know, I talked to so many people who are having a hard time trying to figure out what God has called them to do, wondering if they're in the right place.

30:00 So here's what I would say to that: Are you being obedient to what God has called you to today? Are you walking in a relationship with him? Are you looking for ways to care for people?

30:13 Are you sharing your faith with the people that are around you? Are you connecting with other believers? Like, are you worshiping God both privately and corporately?

30:20 Because, listen, you can be obedient to Christ wherever you are. So start by doing what God's word teaches you to do right now.

30:32 And I believe a big part of being obedient to him is by loving our communities in a tangible, practical way. Matthew 5:16 says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

30:44 We love our communities so that God will be glorified. So when we work the food pantry or we fill up backpacks with food to take them to different schools so that kids can eat when they're at home, we do that to bring glory to God.

30:57 When we wrap around these families who are fostering children or who have adopted children, we're doing that to bring glory to God.

31:08 When we care for our first responders, those who care for us so very well, we do it to bring glory to God.

31:14 We desire to truly love our communities. Like, we need to constantly be thinking of ways to show the love of Jesus Christ in the community that he's placed us in.

31:22 All right, so we're going to love our communities. And then the third part of this vision is we are going to change the world. We're going to change the world with the power of God at work within his church.

31:30 We're going to change the world. Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

31:38 You know, we've talked about being witnesses in our Jerusalem, in our Judea, and our Samaria, but I want to talk about this for just a minute, the idea of being witnesses to the ends of the earth.

31:56 Because one of the things I love so much about Highlands Fellowship is about your heart that you have for reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

32:13 Listen, we're going to continue. We're going to continue to change the world by investing in our global partners to do discipleship institutes around the world.

32:26 We're going to provide opportunities for short-term mission trips where you can go and you can share the gospel. You can work with people who are different than you are, to see, to taste, to smell poverty in a way that you've never experienced it before.

32:33 We're planning to continue investing in pastors with our G3 conferences to teach and to train them in how to be more effective in their leadership.

32:51 And we want to continue to expand our global network so that we can find out where God is at work around the world, and we can meet him there.

33:04 So this vision is something that you're going to hear a lot about as we move forward. We're going to make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.

33:17 So I want you to be praying about how God would use you to see this vision fulfilled. Let it become part of your language. Talk about it with your friends. Talk about it with your family, and let's give it everything we've got.

33:30 Because I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is what we are called to do as followers of Jesus Christ.

33:41 Church, I believe that the next 30 years can be even more impactful than the first if we'll go all-in on the mission and vision that God has given us, keeping Jesus Christ as the focus.

33:54 Would you pray with me today? God, we thank you so much for how you've loved us, for how you've cared for us, for the life change that has taken place over these 30 years.

34:00 Today, we just stand in awe of who you are and what you've done. Thank you for letting us be part of it.

34:12 Thank you that our lives have been changed by your grace and your goodness.

34:19 God, we remember the past. We remember the good things that you've done. Not to say that they've been easy, because they haven't. I'm sure there's a lot of times it's felt like a massive struggle.

34:31 But the reality is, God, you are a good God. And you have shown yourself faithful over and over and over again.

34:46 And today, we just want to recognize that and thank you for how good you've been. We get to celebrate the life change that's taken place over these 30 years.

35:00 But God, we also get to get excited about what can take place both now and on into the future. About how we are standing on the shoulders of those who have come before us.

35:13 They are propping us up, cheering us on as we move forward, following after you.

35:27 God, we thank you for those who have come before us, paving the way so that we can experience your presence and your miracles and all the things that you want to do through us.

35:38 So God, today, we pray your blessings on this church as we move forward. We thank you for the leaders who continue to follow after you and follow your will, trying to fulfill the vision that you've called us to fulfill.

35:51 We pray that you would stir our hearts to truly reach out to those in our communities, to make disciples, love on people in a way that is just tangible, like it's real stuff.

36:03 And I believe with all my heart we're going to change the world.

36:15 God, you're a great God. We love you. We thank you for the 30 years that we've got. We pray for 30 more really, really good ones.

36:20 Looking forward to seeing what you're doing. God, you're great, and we love you.

36:28 It's in the name of Jesus we pray. And everybody said, "Amen."