Come Alive

Posted on November 8, 2021 by jwfisch

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We call out to dry bones, come alive, come alive

We call out to dead hearts, come alive, come alive

Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise

We call out to dry bones, come alive

From “Come Alive” by Lauren Daigle

We are going to conduct a revival over the next three weeks. Here at the Catch. Online. “Are you crazy?” you say. “What do you know about revivals? Were you raised Pentecostal and you never told us?”

Actually, I know very little about revivals except to expect the Holy Spirit to show up and for God to do something evident in our lives. The Holy Spirit has already been invited. I haven’t heard an R.S.V.P. yet, but I’m sure He will come. Jesus said that God would never withhold the Holy Spirit from anyone who asks.

Oh, by the way, by inviting Him we aren’t saying He isn’t already here. He is here, in our lives already, for all those who believe. So what’s a revival then? Let me guess. It’s a shaking up so that what remains is solid. It’s a fire — a burning off of dross. It’s a pruning — a cutting away of dead wood. It’s something new we haven’t experienced before. It’s the Holy Spirit actually doing something in our lives. It’s real. It results in a transformation from which we will never be the same again. That’s what I think. I also think that if you expect it, you will see it. If you don’t or if you doubt, you probably won’t.

Though we will be in the last three chapters of Hebrews throughout this experience, we are going to start off today with a well-known story from Ezekiel 37 about the Valley of the Dry Bones. In this story, which is a prophesy about how the Lord is going to restore the dead nation of Israel, God sends Ezekiel to the Valley of the Dry Bones and tells him to prophesy to the bones. As he does, the bones start to rattle and come together to form skeletons of people. And as he continues to speak, sinew and muscle, soft tissue and skin form on the skeletons until they are fully formed human beings, “but there was no breath in them.” Then God said to Ezekiel; “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army” (Ezekiel 37:8-10).

I would say a revival is all about the breath of God. What about us? Are we a bunch of dry bones lying on the ground, or do we have flesh and skin on our bones, or are we on our feet with the breath of God in us?

Lauren Daigle has written a worship song about this story that cries out, “Breathe, O breath of God, now breathe.”

I have selected this song as a theme song for our revival, because our revival is all about the breath of God from the four winds. You may be dry bones or you may be fully formed, but you can do nothing without the breath of God. Revival is a fresh wind from four corners of the earth that will prepare us for whatever lies ahead in these troublesome days. “Breathe, O breath of God, now breathe.”

I want you to listen to this song and save it where you can easily access it from any of your devices because I want you to listen to it often and use it for your own worship. The words are below. Click on the title for a YouTube version of the song. And get ready for something special.

Oh yes, and mark your calendar for the next three Wednesday nights at 6pm Pacific for a special Zoom meeting related to our revival with special guests. You won’t want to miss it. More on that later.

Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.

Come Alive

by Lauren Daigle

Through the eyes of men, it seems there’s so much we have lost

As we look down the road where all the prodigals have walked

One by one, the enemy has whispered lies

And led them off as slaves

But we know that You are God, Your’s is the victory

We know there is more to come

That we may not yet see

So with the faith You’ve given us

We’ll step into the valley unafraid, yeah

As we call out to dry bones, come alive, come alive

We call out to dead hearts, come alive, come alive

Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise

We call out to dry bones, come alive

God of endless mercy, god of unrelenting love

Rescue every daughter, bring us back the wayward son

And by Your spirit, breathe upon them, show the world that You alone can save

You alone can save

As we call out to dry bones, come alive, come alive

We call out to dead hearts, come alive, come alive

Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise

We call out to dry bones, come alive

So breathe, oh, breath of God

Now breathe, oh, breath of God

Breathe, oh, breath of God, now breathe

Breathe, oh, breath of God

Now breathe, oh, breath of God

Breathe, oh, breath of God, now breathe

As we call out to dry bones, come alive, come alive

We call out to dead hearts, come alive, come alive

Up out of the ashes, let us see an army rise

We call out to dry bones, come alive

Oh, come alive

Posted in revival | Tagged revival | 6 Comments

The Ultimate Adventure of Transformation

Posted on November 5, 2021 by jwfisch

Dear Fellow Catch Citizens:

There are people like me who want to impact the Catch Ministry by participating in its fall campaign but are not in a position to financially contribute at this time.

I am writing to ask all of you who find it difficult to donate at this time to join me before the Creator of the universe to ask Him to provide the remaining $3,500 toward the $15,000 goal by encouraging those within our community who have the capacity to contribute or can provide a second gift toward its goal.

Having prayed together, I challenge those who are capable of contributing to the Catch Ministry to prayerfully consider if God is calling you to be part of the answer to our prayers.

As the Catch Ministry closes out its campaign, my heartfelt gratitude goes to all participants of this campaign; to those who came together to pray and to those who have given or are prayerfully considering a gift.

Blessed to be a member of the Catch Community,

John Shirk

Minister for Discipleship and Community

John is building communities within very diversified areas of interest including people who are poets, musicians, and artists. Troubled by the cultural gulf separating most churches from those who have yet to follow Jesus, John identifies with the Catch Ministry and its reconciling Grace Turned Outward voice. John disciples both believers and non-churched people. They like his interactive personality. They participate in the communities he creates to talk about the struggles of living in a broken world, the questions we all wrestle with, and each person’s search for meaning and purpose.

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Day Eight: Friday, November 5. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

I don’t know how He does it, but He does it. Sometimes it’s sudden — almost overnight — most times it’s gradual. But God is working in us a total and complete transformation that turns us inside out and completely overrules anything we are trying to do to maintain some kind of spirituality that we think we control. You don’t experience transformation until you give up your Christian charade and turn to the Lord.

When you turn to the Lord you lose that self-righteous protective guard we all like to hide behind like Moses hid behind his veil. Moses kept the veil on long after it had out-served it’s function. It was supposed to protect the people from the brightness on his face from being with God, but he kept it on long after so they wouldn’t see the brightness fade away and lose heart. He was really protecting himself. The veil was Moses’ way of hiding and claiming a spiritual authority that had nothing to do with the Spirit. It was pure manipulation.

In the same way, we rely on a protective layer of spirituality that we are in control of. We learn to hide behind a false self — a fake spiritual straw man that hides the fact that we know we are not measuring up. We are miserable and bored, and yet we try to maintain an air of authority. Surely we are better than most Christians. We do all the right things and don’t do the wrong things, but we are dead inside because we are following the law and the law always kills.

The only way-out of this spiritual playacting is to turn to the Lord. When we turn to the Lord, everything falls off. We lose the veil. The gig is up. God sees right through us. We can’t hide anymore. We are who we are, vulnerable, broken, tired, sinful and failing, and yet this is where transformation begins. Now, because our scheming is out of the way, the Holy Spirit can take over and this is where the adventure begins. This is why “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Liberty from trying and failing. Liberty from self-righteous comparisons. Liberty from being something that we are not. Liberty from the game. Liberty to experience what God wants to do with our lives. Liberty to discover His idea of what that is, not our own. When God transforms us, you never know what to expect. God has more in mind for us that we can ever ask, think, or imagine.

All of this happens by way of the Holy Spirit, and it happens when we turn, open-faced and vulnerable, to the Lord.

God’s way of transformation starts with losing our carefully crafted image and coming before God and others with honesty and total transparency. It involves coming clean with our sins and our failures. John tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That is transformation — to be forgiven and cleansed and not in control of our image anymore. It’s having the Lord transform us into something we can’t create or control because we don’t even know what it is! We know it reflects Christ in us, but who can manage that? Can you make yourself look like Christ? No. But you can keep your eyes on Christ as He transforms you into what He wants you to be, and reflects Himself through your life in ways you will never know.

This is what it means to turn to the Lord — to become completely vulnerable and open before Him and allow Him to transform you into what He wants you to be. It’s the ultimate adventure of transformation.

Here is a song that pretty much says it all.

Lookin’ Straight On

by John Fischer

(Click on the song title for a YouTube version of song.)

Keep lookin’ straight on at the Lord and then

Keep lookin’ straight on at me

There’s nothin’ to hide but the light inside

So shine where the people can see

Keep lookin’ straight on at the Lord and then

Keep lookin’ straight on at me

Your eyes reflect the glory of God

So let everybody see

Once you’ve had the Lord see through you

You’ve got nothin’ too hide

Once you know He loves you anyway

You’ve got nothin’ but love inside

Why not turn full-face to Him

Let His light flow into your soul

And in the mirror of your eyes

We’ll see He’s makin’ you whole

Keep lookin’ straight on at the Lord and then

Keep lookin’ straight on at me

Your eyes reflect the glory of God

So let everybody see

Keep lookin’ straight on at the Lord and then

Keep lookin’ straight on at me

There’s nothin’ to hide but the light inside

So shine where the people can see

This brings us back to recognized fund-raising as a ministry that always calls us to transformation. And this call comes to both those who seek funds and those who have funds. Whether we are asking for money or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is doing a new thing through our collaboration:

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

Are you ready?

________________________________

MATCH! MATCH! MATCH!

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Wayne Bridegroom, our Associate Pastor, would like to challenge other pastors and former pastors to Match his donation of $100.

The Catch Ministry’s Associate Pastor, Wayne Bridegroom, is leading with his experiences working with Laotian, Hmong, Cambodian, and Hispanic peoples starting and pastoring churches for each of these nationalities as well as working with the African American churches in Modesto, California. Wayne was awarded the Martin Luther King Legacy Award for his contribution to the African American community in Modesto, the first time the award was given to a white person.

Hooray!

We are now over the $10,000 mark, and with two matches totaling $1,500 yet to come in, that leaves us only $3,500 to goal! With an ambitious $15,000 goal, that’s great news! We are extending our deadline to Sunday night to give time for the new Matches to come in. We can do this, but we need a second wave to step up. Get ahold of the fact that the Catch is a cure for Boomeritus and we are in a position to make a big change in the world as we join hands across the generations and across the globe and turn grace outward to everyone, everywhere. Join those below and enter into this incredible ministry of fund-raising. Thank you and God bless every one:

David from Lakeville, Minnesota
Michael from Tucson, Arizona
Cynthia from Harlingen, Texas
Terri from Reedley, California
Daryl from Cherhill, Alberta, Canada
Daniel from Hershey, Pennsylvania
Jay from Gainesville, Florida
Stephen from Clarinda, Iowa
Rick
Michael from Sacramento
Markus from Köln, Germany
Priscilla from Spencerport, New York
A member of Chri’s discipleship group challenge
Roberta from Kent, Washington
Bob from Iowa City, Iowa
Darin from Cozad, Nebraska
Arthur from Arlington, Virginia
Jill from Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Lyn
Neil from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Athelyn from Phoenix, Arizona
John from Coralville, Iowa
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Lisa from Sunland, California
Michael from Cambria, California
Greg from Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathleen
Laura Campbell, California
Siri from Marin, California
Merlyn from Goodyear, Arizona
Rona from Northampton, UK
Joe from Sugar Land, Texas
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Victor from New Castle, Pennsylvania
Ann from Rockford, Illinois
Olivia from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Larry from Plains, Montana
Steve from Keswick, Ontario, Canada

Partner with theses men and women by contributing today: or if you wish, send your contribution to The Catch Ministry, Inc., 1278 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach, California 92651.

Contribute Today Here is the link again. Contribute now.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

The cure for boomeritus

Posted on November 4, 2021 by jwfisch

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Day Seven: Thursday, November 4. “I know there are older people who might like me, and me them, but generally speaking, it appears older people naturally go up in age and inward in focus. I do not think there is an intent in them to go downward in age and outward in focus.”

So states one of our Millennials in our recent “Your Participation Matters” questionnaire. He’s right. And for those of us of the age to qualify, there is, most definitely, a tendency, as we get older, to pull inside and become more private — more isolated, more protective of ourselves. It’s dangerous out there and I am slowing down, walking with a cane, not so quick on my feet, and I tire more easily.

Besides, it’s harder to make sense of the world around me. It takes a good deal of effort to understand another generation that is of a different time and age. They have their own language, their own humor, and they play by a different set of cultural rules. Those of us who are older could work at this, but the prevailing assumption is “Why?” Why bother? We’re not going to be around much longer anyway — it’s their world, they’re going to have to fend for themselves. We’ve already put in our dues. Our world was hard enough to navigate, but we’ve earned the right to kick back and take it easy now, so don’t bother me. We’re done. We shouldn’t have to work that hard anyway.

This is a seriously ineffective and I dare say unChristlike way to think. To checkout now is to surrender to the enemy. We have life to live and battles to fight to our dying day, and even evidence that there will be more battles to fight in heaven (Revelation 22:14-15).

If you think you’re done, may I kindly and gently see you to the door?

Believe me, you won’t be comfortable here, because we’re not giving up or giving in. We are giving out, and we are seeking a way to connect with younger generations that we might be used of God to find out what turning grace outward means in this day and this age. Not what it might mean, or what it used to mean, but what it means now, to everyone, everywhere.

This is transformational. Transforming what it means to go upward in age and inward in isolation into going downward in age and outward in connection. That is a true transformation out of boomeritus. Not up and in, but down and out.

The cure for boomeritus is transformation.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

Are you ready?

________________________________

MATCH! MATCH! MATCH!

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Terri Main would like to continue her challenge to all teachers and former teachers to match her $50. Michael, Rick, Stephen, Jay, and Daniel have all checked in. I bet there are more teachers and former teachers out there who would love to join them.

Hooray!

We are now over the $10,000 mark, and with two matches totaling $1,500 yet to come in, that leaves us only $3,500 to goal! With an ambitious $15,000 goal, that’s great news! Tomorrow is our last day. We can do this, but we need a second wave to step up. Get ahold of the fact that the Catch is a cure for Boomeritus and we are in a position to make a big change in the world as we join hands across the generations and across the globe and turn grace outward to everyone, everywhere. Join those below and enter into this incredible ministry of fund-raising:

Daryl from Cherhill, Alberta, Canada
Daniel from Hershey, Pennsylvania
Jay from Gainesville, Florida
Stephen from Clarinda, Iowa
Rick
Michael from Sacramento
Markus from Köln, Germany
Priscilla from Spencerport, New York
A member of Chri’s discipleship group challenge
Roberta from Kent, Washington
Bob from Iowa City, Iowa
Darin from Cozad, Nebraska
Arthur from Arlington, Virginia
Jill from Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Lyn
Neil from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Athelyn from Phoenix, Arizona
John from Coralville, Iowa
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Lisa from Sunland, California
Michael from Cambria, California
Greg from Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathleen
Laura Campbell, California
Siri from Marin, California
Merlyn from Goodyear, Arizona
Rona from Northampton, UK
Joe from Sugar Land, Texas
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Victor from New Castle, Pennsylvania
Ann from Rockford, Illinois
Olivia from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Larry from Plains, Montana
Steve from Keswick, Ontario, Canada

Partner with theses men and women by contributing today: or if you wish, send your contribution to The Catch Ministry, Inc., 1278 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach, California 92651.

Contribute Today Here is the link again. Contribute now.

Posted in giving | Tagged fundraising | 2 Comments

Gratitude flows from gifts received and shared

Posted on November 3, 2021 by jwfisch

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Day Six: Wednesday, November 3. Gratitude is the sign that this transformation is spreading into all aspects of our lives and takes us full circle in this series on transformation.

Gratitude flows from gifts received and shared

How do we become people whose security base is God and God alone? How can we stand confidently with you on the common ground of God’s love? How can we ask you for money without pleading, and call you to a new community without coercing? How can we express not only in our way of speaking but also in our way of being with others the joy, vitality, and promise of the Catch Ministry’s Purpose to develop disciples and Vision to introduce the Gospel of Welcome — Grace Turned Outward — to everyone, everywhere? In short, it’s a call to transformation.

The call to transformation comes when we pray, because prayer is the spiritual discipline through which our minds and hearts are converted from hostility or suspicion to hospitality and graciousness. And graciousness is the sign that this transformation is spreading into all aspects of our lives, and thus impacting every aspect of our culture.

Prayer uncovers the hidden motives and unacknowledged wounds that shape our relationships. Prayer allows us to see ourselves and others as God sees us. Prayer is radical because it uncovers the deepest roots of our identity in God. In prayer we seek God’s voice and allow God’s word to penetrate our fear and resistance so that we can begin to hear what God wants us to know. And what God wants us to know is that before we think or do or accomplish anything, whether we have an abundance of money or little money, the deepest truth of our human identity is this:

“You are my beloved son. (You are my beloved daughter.) With you I am well pleased” (see Luke 3:22).

God was well pleased with His Son before he performed any ministry on earth. And, in the same way, God considers us as his beloved children with whom he is already pleased. When we can claim this truth as true for us, then we also see that it can be true for anyone else. God is well pleased with you. God is well pleased with us, providing us freedom to speak with you in the freedom of God’s love. Whether you respond is less important than the knowledge that we all are gathered as one on the holy ground of God’s generous character toward us. In prayer, therefore, we learn to trust that God can work fruitfully through us no matter where we are or who we are with.

Grounded in prayer and undertaken in gratitude.

As our prayer deepens into a constant awareness of God’s goodness, the spirit of gratitude grows within us. Gratitude flows from the recognition that who we are and what we have are gifts to be received and shared. Gratitude releases us from the bonds of obligation and prepares us to offer ourselves freely and fully for the work of the Kingdom. This is a time of significant transformation for all of us from rest and regeneration to God’s call unto himself. Those who respond to Him are already separated out, some by choice and some by surprise, to spend time putting our homes in order and solidifying our relationship with God. It is as if the first harvest is occurring — a new outpouring of the Spirit of God on a global scale.

The focus of this transformation is nothing less than the fulfillment of Ephesians 1:10: to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment — to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

He is gathering together in one, all things. It is the time for oneness where we all reach unity in the faith, and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

This transformation is about a new calling, a new wineskin, a new expression of church, the new government of God, and the coming of His Kingdom within our midst. He is making all things new!

Therefore our confidence in our Purpose and Vision, and our freedom to love one another does not depend on how or whether you respond to our freedom to love. Similarly, in this way, gratitude allows both of us to approach a fund-raising request without grasping neediness and to leave it without resentment or rejection. Coming and going, we can together remain secure in God’s love with our hearts set joyfully on the Kingdom.

God’s kingdom come. Therefore, when we pray, we are asked to pray:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven …”

Our desire as kingdom builders is to come alongside you and connect you to other kingdom builders. This is a very rich and beautiful activity. It is a confident, joyful, and hope-filled expression of our ministry together. In ministering to each other, we work together for the completion of God’s Kingdom “on earth as it is in Heaven.”

This brings us full circle to our first Catch in this series that recognized fund-raising as a ministry that always calls us to transformation. And this call comes to both those who seek funds and those who have funds. Whether we are asking for money or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is doing a new thing through our collaboration:

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

Are you ready?

____________________________________________

MATCH! MATCH! MATCH!

9996

Christina DelMonte Robinson’s challenge to Marti’s former discipleship group has been matched! And Terri Main would like to challenge all teachers and former teachers to match her $50. We’re 2/3 towards our goal!

Hooray!

We are very pleased to announce after day five of fund-raising, we have received another $1,5000 toward the $15,000 required, totaling now over $9,500! Many, many thanks to you who are sharing with us as we add to the list:

Markus from Köln, Germany
Priscilla from Spencerport, New York
A member of Chri’s discipleship group challenge
Roberta from Kent, Washington
Bob from Iowa City, Iowa
Darin from Cozad, Nebraska
Arthur from Arlington, Virginia
Jill from Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Lyn
Neil from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Athelyn from Phoenix, Arizona
John from Coralville, Iowa
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Lisa from Sunland, California
Michael from Cambria, California
Greg from Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathleen
Laura Campbell, California
Siri from Marin, California
Merlyn from Goodyear, Arizona
Rona from Northampton, UK
Joe from Sugar Land, Texas
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Victor from New Castle, Pennsylvania
Ann from Rockford, Illinois
Olivia from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Larry from Plains, Montana
Steve from Keswick, Ontario, Canada

Partner with theses men and women by contributing today: or if you wish, send your contribution to The Catch Ministry, Inc., 1278 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach, California 92651.

Contribute Today Here is the link again. Contribute now.

Posted in giving | Tagged giving | 1 Comment

A New Community that transcends the limitations of time and space.

Posted on November 1, 2021 by jwfisch

OIP-28

Day Five, October 30: A New Community that transcends the limitations of time and space.

Great changes are upon us. When Christ ascended on high, He gave gifts to mankind.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

and he gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:6-8

Some might think spiritual gifts have been mostly dormant since the early church. We know this is not true. We see His gifts at work among us every day. God is using his gifts to build His Kingdom on earth, where He remains available and ready for us to find Him, to look for and worship Him in the anxiety-riddled situations in which we often find ourselves. The Lord Jesus told us clearly that God’s kingdom is on earth, and in heaven, as He taught us to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Since the prophetic Jesus Movement fifty years ago heralded the beacon to recognize a significant Christian transformation, God has used His gifts from one that was independent in nature to one that is interdependent. Billy Graham is an example of an independent nature. He evangelized or preached the Gospel of Salvation to people wherever he went and many, many people came to know Jesus. During the Jesus Movement, on the other hand, the Gospel of Salvation was vigorously preached throughout the world by many people who were interdependently working together to share the message of salvation. Through this message we have witnessed the greatest revival the world has ever seen. There are more Christians alive on the face of the earth today than in all of previously recorded history combined.

This shift of working interdependently instead of independently allows us to experience the team synergy of the gifts working together as one in the Body of Christ. Today, at least, under the virtual roof of the Catch community, you might say we are a crew of many builders with a purpose. We are moving toward unity. We are becoming team players and we look for one another because we want to connect. We have to connect because that is who we are becoming. We are a new community that transcends the limitations of time and space.

Within the Catch Ministry, we are also seeing the beginning of the body coming together from all walks of life. There are Marketplace Christians within the Catch Ministry representing those in government, education, healthcare, military, clergy, banking and finance, communications, transportation, agriculture, the arts, and urban development. They are raising up Christ from where they are working within the marketplace.

This is true transformation. This is the fullness of Christ expressing itself across a broad spectrum of our culture and with it the saving grace and mercy of God is being experienced by the lost.

This is a new community, indeed, that transcends the limitations of time and space and a new way of belonging.

And as for the lost, many are being called out from their own destruction to Him. Some by choice and some by surprise. They are responding to Grace Turned Outward. They are coming to God and they are spending time solidifying their relationship with Him. It is a time of great transformation for each, from lost to found, as it is for us who became a part of the transformation.

Allow us to introduce to you Susan, a sister in Christ thanks to your willingness to be there for her. As the hometown emergency crew was responding to our alarm to intercept Susan and the dangerous weapon she held in her hand. She stayed on the phone line with us. We talked about her family conflicts and loss. We know Susan is alive today and receiving treatment because of you. Like a fallen bird, your contributions gave Susan reasons to hope again.

This is a new community, indeed, that transcends the limitations of time and space, a new way of belonging, and expressing God’s passionate yearning for community with us and with all that God created. God desires

“that the whole creation itself might be freed from its slavery to corruption and brought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

This is who we have become. This is who we are. We are Kingdom builders — never Empire builders as we spoke of yesterday. Of course we cannot preach the Gospel of the Kingdom without preaching salvation. But salvation is only the entry point, the beginning of the journey.

Having shifted from an old-styled independent form of ministry to working interdependently, we experience the team synergy of the gifts working together as one in the Body of Christ. We want to know how best we can come alongside and assist you in fulfilling your calling. We want to continue to build relationships with you, and, together we want to make real the Catch Ministry’s Vision to introduce the Gospel of Welcome — Grace turned Outward — to everyone, everywhere by conducting the business of the Ministry and its Purpose, which is to develop more disciples to go out as the Lord’s ‘Boots on the Ground’ worldwide.

If you invest in the Catch Ministry’s Vision, which is our mutual Vision and its Purpose, which is our mutual Purpose, dare we guarantee your return? Indeed we can. Because we share a new community that transcends the limitations of time and space.

Fund-raising is always a call to transformation. And this call comes to both those who seek funds and those who have funds. Whether we are asking for money or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is about to do a new thing through our collaboration:

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

____________________________________________

MATCH! MATCH! MATCH!

9996

Christina DelMonte Robinson (“Chri”) challenges Marti’s Discipleship Group (from “back in the day” as Chandler would say): Donna, Patti, Patti Y., Gay, and in Cheri’s honor, Ralph, to Match her Gift of $500. We are extending our campaign to allow for the results of these Matches and other gifts. We are just over halfway to goal.

Discipleship-2

Hurray!

We are very pleased to announce after day four of fund-raising, we have received another $2,000 over the weekend toward the $15,000 required, totaling now over $8,000! Many, many thanks to you who are sharing with us and they are:

Bob from Iowa City, Iowa
Darin from Cozad, Nebraska
Arthur from Arlington, Virginia
Jill from Wernersville, Pennsylvania
Lyn
Neil from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Athelyn from Phoenix, Arizona
John from Coralville, Iowa
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Lisa from Sunland, California
Michael from Cambria, California
Greg from Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathleen
Laura Campbell, California
Siri from Marin, California
Merlyn from Goodyear, Arizona
Rona from Northampton, UK
Joe from Sugar Land, Texas
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Victor from New Castle, Pennsylvania
Ann from Rockford, Illinois
Olivia from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Larry from Plains, Montana
Steve from Keswick, Ontario, Canada

Partner with theses men and women by contributing today: or if you wish, send your contribution to The Catch Ministry, Inc., 1278 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach, California 92651.

Contribute Today Here is the link again. Contribute now.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fundraising | 4 Comments

Posted on October 29, 2021 by jwfisch

Day four: Friday, October 29. The Kingdom is our mutual priority

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Florence, our little snow queen, is not very happy in this picture. She is the daughter of a member of Marti’s current discipleship group, and she has just found out her mother has to go to the hospital (an important item of prayer as medications for kidney stones and migraine headaches have clashed). Followed by a picture of Florence upon finding out her mommy doesn’t have to stay in the hospital.

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Now that is what we call a real transformation!

But the transformation that is now upon us is not about a new movement or the catching of a new wave as we have so often experienced over the last 50 years.

This transformation is about the calling of a new breed of leaders, and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom, His lordship over our lives in the midst of crooked and troublesome times.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. (Philippians 2:14-15)

God is calling His people to turn from what is counterfeit and not of Him. This represents not only the world’s form of power and authority but also includes those in the church who have been carried away into a form of captivity, where religious leaders are laboring to establish their own personal empires through combining religious beliefs with the world’s systems. During this time of transformation, God is separating His kingdom builders from those who are building their own personal empires, especially within the church.

Empire builders are primarily interested in how you can serve their agendas. They are engrossed with their own personal mission, and how your calling fits into their plan. They tend to be very hierarchical in nature and seek to control everything around them. It is also common for them to live outside of personal accountability and revel in the recognition and adoration of man.

Kingdom builders, on the other hand, have the heart of a servant. They want to know how they can come alongside and assist you in fulfilling the reason why you specifically are here at this time and place. They hold nothing in this world tightly and will eagerly surrender all when called upon. Kingdom builders build by relationships. The hierarchical structure of the empire builders is replaced by a functional understanding of gifting and calling where everyone on the team is equal, and understands their place and fit.

The Catch Ministry is a very concrete way to be in alignment with God and the building of His Kingdom. What is the Kingdom? Jesus is clear that if we make the Kingdom our first priority,

all these other things (questions of what to eat, drink and wear) will be given you as well (Matthew 6:33).

The Kingdom is where God provides for all that we need. It is the realm of sufficiency where we are no longer pulled here and there by anxiety about having enough.

So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself (Matthew. 6:34).

Jesus also compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed,

which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth. Yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade (Mark 4:31-32).

Fund-raising as a ministry is a concrete way to be in alignment with God. Even a seemingly small act of generosity can grow into something far beyond what we could ever ask or imagine:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20).

Here at the Catch, we are creating a community of love in this world, and beyond this world, because wherever love grows, it is stronger than death:

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away (1 Corinthians 13:8).

We want to tell you about a fellow member of the Catch Ministry. George grew up in a spiritual tradition that lay, while it survived, near a primary root of American Christianity. He cut his teeth on the King James Bible among a group that refused to name or organize itself, but can be identified as Brethren, who in turn can be identified as descendants of the people who have come to be known as “the Pilgrims.” This particular group lived in reaction against the condition of the protestant church and scornfully swore off every trapping of churchiness. For George the Bible was priest and prophet, pastor, elder and deacon, the throne of the Holy Spirit, the only center and focus, the only subject of attention and reverence. The society of this group was principal oriented, and its services proceeded according to an accepted pattern without leadership and often in silence.

Like many of George’s friends parents, his mom and dad were emotionally absent parents who might as well have been physically removed from the lives of their children. This is why George thinks he never felt he belonged. He perceived everyone as judging him. So when discovered the Catch community, it transformed his whole idea of God and God’s people.

“This ministry is an absolute God send for all of us who are disenfranchised from a church or a caring community. The Catch Ministry, like Jesus, accepts me as I am. They invited me, of all people, to join this fellowship family and witness for myself and others, answered prayer every day. I am now on an adventure to present the Gospel of Welcome — Grace Turned Outward to many within my own community. And I promise you, there is great need for Grace, and, if they accept it as theirs from the Lord, His love will follow.”

So, like George, when we give ourselves to planting and nurturing love here on earth, our efforts will reach out beyond our own chronological existence. Indeed, if we raise funds for the creation of a community of love, we are in alignment with God who is building His Kingdom. We are doing exactly what we are supposed to do as Christians. Paul is clear about this:

“Make love your aim” (1 Corinthians 14:1).

So whether we are asking for money or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is about to do a new thing through our collaboration,

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

Check in with us over this weekend as we continue our story of transformation and to learn more about how we believe God is making His way through the wilderness, where we often find ourselves.

MATCHES ARE BRINGING US CLOSER TO GOAL!

Get this. At 9pm on Wednesday, I received an email from a Vanguard member saying that if I could raise $1,000 by the next morning at 6am, he would match it. Wow, I thought. Nine hours to raise $1,000! Can I do it? I later realized that he got his days wrong and he meant 6am the following day. But guess what? I got it anyway, and then some. So that 9-hour challenge was worth $2,500. And now we have two more matches to announce. Steve from Ontario, Canada is looking for other Canadians to match his $1,000, and our board member, Mike Boland, who has funded all my album remastering projects (thank you, Mike!), is putting up a $1,000 match as well. So think about this opportunity to share in the Catch Ministry vision, and double the impact of your gift!

An Exciting Announcement — Hurray!

We are very pleased to announce after our third day of fund-raising, we have received another $1,105 toward the $15,000 required, totaling now over $6,000! Many, many thanks to you who are sharing with us and they are:

Lyn
Neil from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Athelyn from Phoenix, Arizona
John from Coralville, Iowa
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Lisa from Sunland, California
Michael from Cambria, California
Greg from Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathleen
Laura Campbell, California
Siri from Marin, California
Merlyn from Goodyear, Arizona
Rona from Northampton, UK
Joe from Sugar Land, Texas
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Victor from New Castle, Pennsylvania
Ann from Rockford, Illinois
Olivia from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Larry from Plains, Montana
Steve from Keswick, Ontario, Canada

Partner with theses men and women by contributing today: or if you wish, send your contribution to The Catch Ministry, Inc., 1278 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach, California 92651.

Posted in community | 1 Comment

The common ground of God’s love

Posted on October 28, 2021 by jwfisch

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Day Three: Thursday, October 28. Transformed into new life in the Spirit of Christ.

When those with money and those who need money share a Vision and a Purpose, we see a shared sign of new life in the Spirit of Christ. We belong together in our work because Jesus has brought us together, and our fruitfulness depends on staying connected with Jesus who tells us:

I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).

We are pleased to introduce to you a relatively new Catch Member, Heidi, who represents a sign of new life in the Spirit of Christ. She is a beneficiary of us meeting together on the command ground of God’s love.

“Staying sober was one thing,” says Heidi, “finding support was another. Doors shut everywhere I went.” Virtually all the resources Heidi needed to try to keep clean and out of jail were out of her reach because of her felony record.

“When you get locked up,” she says, “you get locked out — locked out of housing, jobs, assistance, all the things you need to return to a productive life once you are free.”

But because of the Catch Community and its network of on-the-ground ministries and resources, doors unlocked for Heidi. While our network kept us informed as to Heidi’s progress, we too kept in touch. There were no easy solutions but Heidi managed to recognize how the Lord was turning pain into power, despair into hope, and, because of a true transformation occurring, fear into love.

But just like dealing with an addiction, if there’s one thing the Catch has learned without a doubt: a system doesn’t work just because it is there. You have to make it work — and work it you did!

With Him, we can do anything because we know that God surrounds us with an abundance of blessings. Therefore, those who need money and those who can give money meet on the common ground of God’s love.

And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). When this happens, we can indeed say with Paul, There is a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5:17). Where there is a new creation in Christ, there the Kingdom of God is made manifest to the world.

We are learning together that fund-raising is always a call to transformation, and this call comes to both those who seek funds and those who have funds. Whether we are asking for money or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is about to do a new thing today through our collaboration.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

And so here is a challenge for you and for me: Let’s walk together in confidence, connected together because of our Vision and our Purpose. And let’s participate in the spirit of what we are about.

Come together under the common ground of God’s love.

An Exciting Announcement — Hurray!

We are very pleased to announce in our second day of fund-raising, we have received another $2,000 of the $15,000 required, totaling now almost $5,000! Many, many thanks to you who are sharing with us and they are:

Lyn
Neil from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Athelyn from Phoenix, Arizona
John from Coralville, Iowa
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Lisa from Sunland, California
Michael from Cambria, California
Greg from Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathleen
Laura Campbell, California
Siri from Marin, California
David from Normandy Park, Washington
Merlyn from Goodyear, Arizona
Rona from Northampton, UK
Joe from Sugar Land, Texas
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Victor from New Castle, Pennsylvania
Ann from Rockford, Illinois

Partner with theses men and women by contributing today : or if you wish, send your contribution to The Catch Ministry, Inc., 1278 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach, California 92651.

An Important Notice

The Board of Directors are currently reviewing the 72-page One Voice, Many People Report prepared from the “Your Participation Matters!” questionnaire responses (the “Report”). We hope to turn around the Report in short order so that it can be in your hands soon.

In the next few weeks to come, we will be creating the Report’s Action Plan together. Stay tuned to learn how. We promise you — you are not going to want to miss out on this opportunity to be one of many people who speak with one voice — the Voice of Christ to this century’s generations.

Contribute Today Here is the link again. Contribute now.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged fundraising | 3 Comments

Let’s light some candles

Posted on October 27, 2021 by jwfisch

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Day Two: Wednesday, October 27: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds

Our son Chandler is a serious and inquisitive individual. He is unlikely to conform in accordance to anyone’s expectations, especially as a result of social pressure. He can generally be seen with frown lines on his forehead between and above the eyebrows. That is … until he smiles.

When he smiles, his entire character is converted into radiant light that can light a candle. It is a dramatic and complete change in appearance and character. When Chandler smiles, his whole self transforms. It is a deep shift from an ordinarily serious young man into a child-like person with high expectations as if it was Christmas morning. He has a whole new way of seeing things. The outlook for him moves from checking things to prove they are wrong to an attitude that is bright with anticipation and not too terribly different than the way the younger son did when he was starving far from his true home and coming into the celebration that awaits him (Luke 15:17-20). It’s called a transformation.

It’s a transformation from how we see and think and act. It is a shift of attention in which we set our mind on divine things,

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

As the guilty sinner that I am, I am often begging for funds. Yet the people I surround myself with remind me as business people that they would never get much money if they beg for it. These business people believe that they have something important to offer. Without apology they invite people to be a part of their endeavor or, you might say, vision.

And so as I am learning from my friends, I extend to you my new way of thinking as it relates to your resources. The Catch Ministry’s Vision is yours as is its Purpose. Yes, we want to extend our reach by introducing to everyone the Grace given to us so that it can be given to them. That is our vision. And our purpose or our business is developing disciples to go out wherever they are as Boots on the Ground to introduce Grace Turned Outward to everyone, everywhere. But if the Catch Ministry’s Vision and Purpose are not yours or you do not benefit from both, then you really ought not financially support the Ministry. If you do not experience a benefit by making your resources available to us, making your gift good only for us who receive it, it is not fund-raising in the spiritual sense. Fund-raising from the point of view of the gospel says to you: “I will take your money and invest it in this Vision only if it is good for your spiritual journey, only if it is good for your spiritual health.” In other words, we are calling you to an experience of transformation:

“You won’t become poorer; you will become richer by giving.” We can confidently declare with the Apostle Paul: “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity…” (2 Corinthians 9:11).

If this confident approach and invitation is lacking, then we are disconnected from our Vision and have lost the direction of our Purpose. We also will be cut off from you, because we will find ourselves begging for money and you will find yourself merely handing us a check. No real connection has been created because we have not asked you to come and be with us. We have not given you an opportunity to participate in the spirit of what we are about. We may have completed a successful transaction, but we have not entered into a successful relationship. Here we see that if fund-raising as ministry invites you to a new relationship with your wealth, it also calls us to be transitioned in relation to our needs. If we come back from asking you for money and we feel exhausted and somehow tainted by unspiritual activity, there is something wrong. We must not let ourselves be tricked into thinking that fund-raising is only a secular activity. As a form of ministry, fund-raising is as spiritual as giving a sermon, entering a time of prayer, visiting the sick, or caring for the poor. So fundraising has to help us with our transformation too.

Now here is the hard question and it is directed to me: Am I willing to be transformed from my fear of asking, my anxiety about being rejected or feeling humiliated, my depression when someone says, “No, I’m not interested in giving to the Ministry”? Have I gained the freedom to ask without fear, to truly love fund-raising as a form of ministry? I have to be honest with you. I am transitioning — half way into Chandler’s smile. Yet, if I believe what I am writing is true, and I do, and if I am willing to act on my belief, then fund-raising will be good for my spiritual life. And so I ask you to pray for me as I pray for any of you who are in the process of transitioning into this new way of seeing fund-raising as ministry that invites you to a new relationship with your wealth. It’s a two-way street this thing called fund-raising as a ministry. It calls us to be transitioned in relation to your resources and the Ministry’s needs.

Fund-raising is always a call to transformation And this call comes to both those who seek funds and those who have funds. Whether we are asking for money or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is about to do a new thing through our collaboration,

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

And so here is a challenge for you and for me: Let’s walk together in confidence, connected together because of our Vision and our Purpose. And let’s participate in the spirit of what we are about.

Let’s light some candles!

An Exciting Announcement — Hurray!

We are very pleased to announce in our very first day of fund-raising, we have received $2,000 of the $15,000 required. Many, many thanks to you who are out in front and they are:

Lyn
Neil from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Athelyn from Phoenix, Arizona
John from Coralville, Iowa
Patrick from Dundee, Michigan
Lisa from Sunland, California
Michael from Cambria, California
Greg from Wilmington, North Carolina
Kathleen

Partner with theses men and women by contributing today and click here: or if you wish, send your contribution to The Catch Ministry, Inc., 1278 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach, California 92651.

An Important Notice

Contribute Today

Here is the link again.

Posted in community | Tagged fundraising | 1 Comment

A Glimpse of the Face of God — Here and Now

Posted on October 26, 2021 by jwfisch

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Ministry is, first of all, receiving God’s blessing from those to whom we minister. What is this blessing? It is a glimpse of the face of God — Here and Now.

Announcing the Vision and the Purpose

From the perspective of the gospel, fundraising is a form of Ministry. It is a way of announcing our Vision, which is to introduce the Gospel of Welcome — Grace Turned Outward — to Everyone, Everywhere, and inviting people into our Purpose, which is to develop disciples. The Catch Ministry’s Vision and Purpose are so central to the life of God’s people that without a Vision we perish and without Purpose we lose our way.

Therefore, from the perspective of the gospel, fundraising is not a response to a crisis.

John Fischer panics

However, this is where I blow it. As the minister of this Ministry, I panic when I think the Vision and the Purpose are in danger of faltering.

Even before the pandemic, it was known that the Catch Ministry, as any other nonprofit organization, is required to raise funds to cover the budgeted monthly expenses by conducting annual, semi-annual, and membership campaigns, and by our MemberPartners responding to our Vision and Purpose by providing individual gifts.

However, during the pandemic when many within the Catch community were experiencing economic hardship, these campaigns were postponed and later canceled. This significant loss and the 30% drop in contributions while at the same time, investing further monies to keep up with the increased demand for our services, soliciting monies on an emergency basis was required. This caused an entirely negative cast to be imposed on what is a very positive thing, namely, the deep commitment of donors in support of the Catch’s Vision and Purpose.

Making Right an Unfortunate Shortfall

This is an unfortunate shortfall on my part, a blind spot which is being corrected in the following manner:

Toward the desire to give dignity back to their major supportive roles, a thoughtful, annual plan for the involvement of our major investors with the ministry will be executed early enough in the new year to be able to treat both their support and the ministry with due respect.
To emphasize the importance of the MemberPartner efforts and contributions. we plan to introduce a recognition program that identifies known efforts, always with gratitude. We believe that in doing this, we will increase the sense of trust and appreciation, and motivate MemberPartners to remain engaged with the ministry.

A Vanguard Salute followed by Applause

I ask the Catch community to join me in saluting these men and women who answered the door each time I banged on it or when I shouted even louder to let me in. Each time, they responded by opening up their hearts and their financial resources in support of the Catch Ministry.

They provided the financial stability as the ministry has labored through a pandemic during a time while many organizations did not stand.

These gracious people disappointed the enemy

All of us within the Catch community must be grateful for these gracious people. The enemy is not happy that we maintained our Boots on the Ground — those who introduced the Gospel of Welcome — Grace Turned Outward — to everyone they encountered. He is not pleased that we continue to work to bring light to a broken world through one of the darkest times in human history. And I promise you he tore off his hat and stomped on it because, in spite of the pandemic and the desire to look inward, the Catch community elected as a response to our “Your Participation Matters!” questionnaire to put their weight in support of the Catch Ministry as the voice of Christ to this century’s generations — to introduce Jesus to a new generation. Although we face financial, physical, spiritual and emotional stress like most of us have never suffered before, the enemy remains defeated.

Thank you members of the Vanguard. Like a house on fire that keeps on burning, you might feel like you are too tired to fight the fire any more or it feels like water supply has run out. But the Vision and the Purpose of the Catch Ministry still stands, which gives us reason for heartfelt thanksgiving.

Invest yourselves

So now we have an unexceptionally short time to ask those who are recovering from the pandemic to participate with us in this Vision and Purpose of ours by inviting you to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you— your energy, your prayers, and your money—in this work to which God has called us. Our invitation is clear and confident because we trust that our Vision and Purpose are like “trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season and their leaves do not wither” (Psalms 1:3).

We are seeking to raise $15,000 — starting here, starting now.

An impossible feat? Not if we collectively work together.

Impossible, you say?

That would have been my response before witnessing the Catch Ministry’s Vanguard and its pronouncement to those whose Grace is dormant and to those who do not know yet the Grace of God, the promise of the Catch Ministry’s Vision and Purpose.

A call for a real transformation

Therefore, the Catch Ministry leadership and I join the Vanguard to call all of us within the Catch community to a real transformation. And this call comes to both those who seek funds and those who have funds. Whether we are asking for money or giving money, we are drawn together by God, who is about to do a new thing through our collaboration,

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).

Let us all receive God’s blessing. What is this blessing? It is a glimpse of the face of God — Here and Now.

Join Us

Join us on this first day of challenge to raise the $15,000 in support of the Catch Ministry’s Vision and Purpose. Please contribute by clicking on this link.

PS: The One Voice, Many People Report from the “Your Participation Matters!” responses is currently in the hands of the Board of Directors.

The One Voice, Many People is 72 pages long and is broken into two parts:

Part One of the report incorporates the responses from those who participated in the “Your Partition Matters!” questionnaire. Together, they discovered the real needs of the Ministry and identified the expertise and financial needs required to conduct the business at hand, which is to serve as the Voice of Christ to this century’s generations. Their understandings helped us identify goals, recognize areas that need improvement, and other pain points the Ministry is experiencing.

Part Two accesses the Catch Ministry’s community point of view and willingness to stand together as the Voice of Christ for this century’s generations.

What to expect:

Following the Board of Director’s review, an unabridged copy of One Voice, Many People will be made available to all participants in “Your Participation Matters!” Questionnaire for their good thinking as to whether we captured the essence of what was said. Following the document’s rewrite based on their comments, we will make the study available to all Catch citizens.

During the weeks to come we will be drawing together the Road Map or Action Plan as to how best we, the many people, will move out with the one voice of Christ to this century’s generations. Stay tuned to learn how. We promise you — you are not going to want to miss out on this opportunity to be one of many people who speak with one voice — the Voice of Christ to this century’s generation.

Be one of the first to join the Vanguard. Contribute now.

Posted in community, pandemic | Tagged community, fundraising | 2 Comments

Love over barriers

Posted on October 25, 2021 by jwfisch

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For the past three weeks, Hebrews 13 has been revealing its treasures to us daily. There are many and they are prophetic, and they are so very timely. And I am personally excited because I have been praying for this. Of course, all of scripture is prophetic and certainly timely, but some passages seem to speak directly into what is needed in the current situation.

Continue reading →