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Over the past year and a half, during all of our itineration and support raising time, something has been haunting me: what should the name of the new church be?

From the beginning we have been hovering around the name “True Life Church,” which reflects our passion of seeing people experience true life in and through Jesus Christ.  However, this name never really settled within me as THE name.  So, for the past 18 months, my wife has been tormented, along with the other members of the church planting team, with my struggle to name the church.

I guess the underlying thought that kept this name from seeming like THE name had to do with all that God is speaking to us about the church plant.  Namely, that we are to patiently follow Him in directions that we are not entirely comfortable with and have little experience in.  On my end, I am inclined to rent a building, begin doing outreach and evangelism, create a commotion, draw a crowd, and call it a church.  This is what I know how to do.

But God seems to be speaking to my heart this thought: you can do what you know how to do and create what you know how to create, OR, you can follow my directions and plans and create what I know how to create.  God is saying to me that if we follow His plans we will be on an unconventional path, but the results will be what He intends.

Back to the name – If we were to go with the True Life Church name, defaulting to it because it is comfortable and conventional, I believe in five years we will have produced a fairly conventional church.  That is not God’s intention.

My good friend and mentor in all things cool, James Kennison (who violently opposed the True Life name), told me that we needed to find a word and give it meaning.  He referred to names such as Google, Twitter, etc., that are words that had little to no meaning in society as a whole in themselves until the concept that they represented gave them meaning.

I won’t bore you with the details and incidents that led us to the name we have chosen (but will give much thanks to Jackie Sharp for being the idea catalyst)….

The name:  NOVATION CHURCH

Pray with us that we will give this word meaning to the glory of God.

P.S.  Look it up – it actually has very profound and significant meaning, although virtually no one know the word in general.

This past Saturday, May 9th, we hosted a Mother’s Day Banquet for moms in our community.  The banquet had a two-fold purpose: 1) to applaud and honor the mothers in our neighborhood for who they are and the work they do in raising the next generation, and 2) to connect with moms in order to learn the heartbeat of the community.

The banquet was held at Frazer’s, a very nice restaurant in Benton Park.  We reserved the entire main dining room, complete with white linen table cloths and fresh flowers.  The mother’s had their choice of dinner entree’s prepared especially for them by one of Frazer’s chefs; they also had their choice of delightful desserts. 

This Saturday the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in St. Louis will be happening in our neighborhood.  The presence and growth of the Hispanic community is one more dynamic of our neighborhood that makes it perhaps the greatest part of St. Louis to live in.  It also speaks to the reality of the diversity in our community.

Just walk down Cherokee Street and you will witness firsthand the many cultures and subcultures that make up the area.  Across the street from a Buddist temple sits a alternative music shop; next door to a West African clothing store is a Mexican grocery store and restaurant.  From artists to entrepreneurs, and from bikers to moms pushing baby strollers, the neighborhood’s diversity gives it a character all its own.

Our question is this: what will the Kingdom of God and a new local church look like as it develops in this environment?

Our very first event is right around the corner.  On Saturday, May 9th, we will be hosting a Mother’s Day Banquet for the purpose of connectiing with a key segment of our community: Moms.  It is our desire to give honor to the mothers of the neighborhood by treating them to a fine dining experience at a great local restaurant (Frazers on Pestalozzi), a fashion show, a special speaker, and a few specially chosen gifts.

Many churches and individuals have partnered with us to make this event happen by sponsoring moms financially, by committing to work with us the day of the event, and by donating the things needed to make this event a success.  And for this we say, “Thank you.”

Please pray with us that God will connect us with the moms that He desires to participate in this event, and for a strong presence of the Lord on the day’s activities.