Our First Baptism

 

Our Baptimal of Minnesota's Boundary Waters

The first weekend of October was an exciting time for Trinity City Church.  A member of our Launch Team decided to get baptized.  He did not come to the Lord through the ministry of Trinity, but we did get the privilege of baptizing him.   Only this event was not your typical baptism.  He wanted to be baptized in the boundary waters of northern Minnesota during the fall.  So during a cold morning of about 40 degrees, we entered into the waters of Clear Lake and had a baptism to the glory of God!  The baptism itself was certainly more of a rush than the cold waters.  I thank God and feel honored to have baptized this member of our Launch Team.

Bryan

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* The picture above is from www.backpacker.com

The Thoms are Moving to Town

During the end of April, Ryan Thom and his family were able to visit Saint Paul and find a place to live.  For those of you who do not know, Ryan is the co-planter of Trinity City Church.  His last Sunday at Evanston Bible Fellowship, which is where he serves as the Worship Director, is May 17th.  Then during Memorial Weekend, the Thom family will be residents of Saint Paul, right in the Highland Park neighborhood south of Saint Thomas and near St. Kate’s.

Be praying for them as they transition from Chicago to Saint Paul, and as they start to connect with this community.  My family and I will also be traveling to Evanston for the Thom’s last Sunday, and we are excited to be with EBF to celebrate their ministry there and their future ministry in the Twin Cities.

- Bryan

Hope Spring Retreat

Big Sandy Camp

This weekend my family and I will be going on the Hope Spring Retreat at Big Sandy Camp in McGregor, Minnesota.  We are looking forward to this time of fellowship with our local supporting church.  It is important  that connections are made at this retreat so that the kingdom of Jesus can be advanced in Saint Paul.  Please be  praying for us this weekend as those who support, pray for and join this plant grow!

In addition, co-planter Ryan Thom and his family are in Saint Paul this weekend in order to look for places to rent.  Please be praying for them as they prepare to move from Chicago to Saint Paul this summer.

I had a great time at the National New Church Conference in Orlando, and thank all of you for your prayers.  It was exciting to be at a conference where over 3,000 church planters are getting ready to go out and spread the glory of Jesus!

 - Pastor Bryan

National Church Planting Conference

On Sunday, I will be leaving for Orlando, FL in order to attend the National Church Planting Conference, which is called Exponential.  I will be going with other church planters and pastors from Hope Community Church.  This conference is large and diverse.  It brings together many different pastors from many different types of churches for one large conference.   Please be praying for me as I attend this conference.  Pray that the Lord will give me relevant information that can be applied to the context of Saint Paul so that more people will worship Jesus here.

- Pastor Bryan

Preaching in Chicago

Another trip to Chicago to meet with the Chicagoland Team and to preach on Acts 6 at Evanston Bible Fellowship. 

Be praying for me!

- Bryan

 

Downtown Evanston

Off to Chicago

I am leaving today in order to travel to Chicago and meet with the Planting Team there, present the latest updates about the plant to the members of Evanston Bible Fellowship at their Membership Meeting, and to worship with EBF corporately on Sunday morning.  Please be praying that much will get accomplished during this trip for the sake of the name of Jesus back here in Saint Paul through this plant!

Photo of downtown Chicago by Greg Benz

Megabus to Chicago

Last weekend (December 6th to 8th) I took a Megabus from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis to Union Station in down town Chicago.  The point of the trip was to connect again with the planting team in Evanston and to worship with my old church family Evanston Bible Fellowship.

The ride down was laided back.  I listen to sermons, church planting lectures, starting reading the book Above All Earthly Pow’rs by David Wells, and passively watched Oceans 13 and A Series of Unfortunate Events on the flat screens of the Megabus.

The time in Chicago and Evanston were a blessing.  I was able to lead EBF in taking communion during corporate worship, and Pastor Jason called the planting team up front at the end of his sermon.  The planting team got together after the service for three ours of vision casting and praying.  Much was accomplished during this time for the church plant.

For various reasons, the overnight ride back to the Twin Cities was not as chill as the ride down.  Nonetheless I made it back and look forward to taking Megabus again to Chicago at the end of January.

 

A Picture of Megabus

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The picture above is from consumerist.com

Settled in Saint Paul

A mural that is on the side of a Whole Foods -- right outside the window of our new place

We have finally arrived!  My family and I are now living in the city of Saint Paul – right in the middle of the target neighborhood.  The day we moved out of Chicago back to Minnesota it flooded.  The day we moved from our temporary home in southern Minnesota to Saint Paul it snowed and it was below freezing.  I know, what lovely moving weather.  The climate aside, it is a blessing to finally be here and we are excited about the work ahead to establish a local church in the name of Jesus.

Please be praying for the next several months leading up to the summer of 2009.  During the summer of 2009, the planting team from Evanston/Chicago will be moving to Saint Paul, and will come together with an ever growing team here in the Twin Cities.  There is a lot of work to do in the meantime.  I am establishing relationships with churches and ministries in Minnesota to support the plant, raising more funds for the new church, recruiting more people for the church planting team from the Twin Cities, and sharing and showing the gospel to those from Saint Paul. 

Pray that God will accomplish, through the plant, all the tasks listed above and much more so that many will come to worship his Son for the first time!

- posted by Bryan Lair

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The picture above is taken by Hoary Head.

October Trip to Chicago

 

 

A picture of downtown Evanston

Tracy and I are traveling back to Chicagoland this weekend from Thursday to Sunday.  We are going to be staying in Evanston, meeting with the Core Team to pray and talk about vision, and Tracy will be going to the True Woman National Conference.  We are particularly excited to be able to worship wiith Evanston Bible Fellowship on Sunday!

Floods, travel and nomad living: the adventures of our move back to Sota

Residents of Albany Park in Chicago during the flood.

Our move out weekend will be known as the Chicago flood of 08.  The rain started early Saturday (Sept. 13th), and poured for hours and hours with no relief.  We decided that we had to move in the pouring rain once we heard that the remnants of hurricane Ike would make his way to Chicagoland on Sunday.  We moved all of our belongings out to a moving truck while water, at times, was above our ankles.  We kept most of our belongings dry by having someone in the moving truck wiping things off with a towel, and also by draping a tarp over some of the furniture.  It rained 6.64 inches the day of our move, which is the most rain in Chicago for one calendar day.  The total rainfall for the entire weekend, after hurricane Ike passed through on Sunday, was somewhere between 8 to 11 inches. In fact, seven Illinois counties, including Cook Country where we lived, were declared disaster zones.  It was certainly a memorable move, and it would have been impossible if we did not have the help of family and friends.

Our 24 foot moving truck.

We drove to Tomah, WI Saturday night and stayed at a hotel.  The next day we arrived at my parent’s place in Albert Lea, MN to store all of our boxes and furniture.  Our things will be in Albert Lea, and we will be staying with Tracy’s parents in Austin until we find a place in St. Paul.  In the meantime, I am making weekly commutes (2 hours) to St. Paul to work at a Starbucks that I transferred to.  The store is right on Grand Ave. in the target area for the church plant.  I am staying with a friend here during the work week.  It feels like we are living as nomads for this transitional period.

Storage in the garage.

Even though Forbes ranks Chicago the most stressful city in the nation, we will be missing the city a lot.  On the other hand, we are extremely excited to move to St. Paul soon and be in the community of the church plant.

 - Posted by Bryan