The Miami Pursuit

Pray. Pray. Pray.

Blogger: Matt

If you are reading this, I am begging for you to pray.

This weekend the city of Miami is hosting one of the largest porn conventions in the world. Drive down I-95 you'll see the billboards. Read the Herald or Sun-Sentinel and read the articles. It's everywhere.

At one booth, in the middle of the convention celebrating lust and the porn industry, you will find TRUE LOVE. XXXCHURCH.com will be there handing out "Jesus loves porn stars" Bibles and sharing with people that God's way will bring them the satisfaction they are searching for.

The Pursuit Christian Church has invited Craig Gross, founder of XXXCHURCH.com to speak this Sunday, April 20 and he will be there. We have done all we can to get the word out. Here is one person's response to our ad...

Thank you for taking the ad out on the Sun-Sentinel web site. I go there daily. Tonight I saw your ad and came to your site. The subject matter of 4.20 hit squarely between the eyes. I am a Christian who is so raped by and in bondage to this subject.

Thank you for obeying God. Your ad may have lead me to the hope. This subject will drive you to suicide, I know, I’m there. The shame, the guilt, they are overpowering and all consuming.

There are thousands of men and women hooked by pornography living in SoFla.

Pray:
- for the XXXCHURCH.com team as they share the love of Jesus with those in attendance at the porn convention.
- God will connect people to The Pursuit on Sunday as Craig shares the truth about pornography
- lost people will find their way back to God
- those who are hooked by porn will find the freedom that comes only through Jesus

If you would like to join me and The Pursuit staff, we will be praying and fasting on Thursday for these specific requests.

Venue Update

Still pursuing a venue. Please pray!

Prayer Need - Venue Update

Blogger: Matt

When I started this blog back in February, I wanted this blog to do two things:

1. I felt it was important for those who partnered with the Miami Pursuit to be able to know how to pray for us and what our needs are.

2. I also wanted this site to be a window into the process of church planting for those who might go through it at a later time. If they can learn from any of our successes (and especially our failures) it's a win.

Our staff had a bit of a shock this week and we are calling for you to pray.

I got a call late on Thursday that came from out of left-field. The theater where we thought our weekend worship services were going to be fell through. I honestly didn't see that coming. The local theater wasn't the problem and neither was National Cinemedia (the company that owns Regal, AMC and a few other chains). They were both great to work with. The problem was the company that leases out the retail spaces in that plaza. I won't mention the name of the company.

The reasons they wouldn't allow Regal to give us the space were 1) lack of sufficent parking and 2) they wouldn't allow non-profit or "religious" gatherings in any store fronts in the plaza. I will also choose to be silent right now what I think of their reasoning.

Let me get personal for a moment. After that phone call, I had a few moments where I felt Satan kicked me in the gut. Then I got excited. Why? This is just another reason why South Florida is exactly where God wants us to be. Miami is a place that needs Jesus and people aren't going to throw open the doors and welcome us to the neighborhood. This is going to be a fight . . . not a physical fight (I am boxing now in case it comes to that - haha) but a spiritual battle.

Our team needs your prayers. We are going out this week in full force and looking at other available spaces and we fully believe God has a better place for us. It may cost more. It may look different than how we envisioned it. It may stretch us.

But, as Brent Foulke (church planting guru) told me on the phone, "Matt, these are the most exciting moments in church planting." I got chills when he said that.

Climb in the ring with us ...Pray Pray Pray.

1/2 of the Diaz are Here!

Blogger: Matt

Briefly saw Erin today as she and her mom pulled in to Diaz's casa. She was super excited to walk into the first house her and Alex have ever owned. I am very proud of them.

Talked to Alex on the phone around 4:00 p.m. and he was just entering into Tennessee. Sadly, he's still there. His car broke down in Cleveland, TN (the headquarters of The Church of God). Alex found a hotel to stay in for the night and hopefully things will look better tomorrow.

If you have a moment, please pray for Alex and his friend who is with him (I apologize I can't remember his name right now). Hopefully, they'll get back on the road tomorrow.

Special Prayer Request

This blog has connected us with a lot of people all over the place. But none have I been more honored to meet than a group of soldiers training in Wisconsin. One soldier, Matt Henrich, is a good friend of Alex's, and Matt and I have exchanged a few emails over the past few months.

The unit Matt is a part of is heading to Iraq in a couple weeks. I asked Matt to send me the names of his "Band of Brothers" so those who read this blog will keep them in mind and pray for them. A couple guys are even from Miami!

Please take a moment and cover these brave and noble men with prayer support.

Matt Henrich
Cesar Meza (Miami)
Alejandro Mesa (Miami)
Nick Hamm
Ryan Thrift
Matt Shroyer
Chris Isenberger
Jeirn Rutherford
Eric Newsome
Bradly McCluer
Branden Colen
Travis Linnsteadter
Eric Morgan

My thoughts and prayers are with you guys. Thank you for pushing through when the training became increasingly more difficult. Thank you for putting your life on the line so we can enjoy the freedom we have and others will enjoy a fresh, new taste of freedom.

My prayer for you during this time is for God to reveal Himself clearly to each and every one of you. He is never at a distance from you. Any place you go He is right there. His desire is to have a relationship with each one of you. This relationship is only possible through God's son, Jesus. If you are interested in knowing more about him pick up an easy-to-read copy of the Bible (New International Version or New Living Translation) before you head out and investigate the books Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John.

I am positive Matt H. can help answer questions but if you ever need anything do not hesitate to email me at mattmehaffey@mac.com.

Take care!

Prayer Need - Partnering Churches

A little over a week ago, Janie and I mailed out several letters to Christian Churches across the country letting them know about The Miami Pursuit. We included one of our brochures and letters of recommendations from church leaders who are very dear to us. We have been blessed by two incredible churches 1) Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN and 2) Journey Christian Church near Orlando, FL who have already committed to partnering with us by finacially supporting this project. Because of kingdom-minded churches like these and many individuals and families we have reached our halfway mark to our financial goal, but we have a long way to go. Pray that God will lead other churches in joining Team Pursuit who want to be a part of bringing the gospel to the South Florida region.

Today, I will begin calling those we mailed letters to making sure they received them and to answer any questions they might have. Thanks for your prayers!

Prayer Need - Staff

I consider it an honor to have served on an incredible church staff over the past 9 years at Traders Point Christian Church. Rubbing shoulders with people like Howard Brammer, Bob Smith, Jeff Krajewski (now pastor at Common Ground), Don Keehner (now pastor at Northview Christian), & Janie Mehaffey (she's HOT) has been such a highlight in my life. These aren't just people I respect but people I love to be around.

Now it's time to hire my own staff. This is one of the most important tasks that a church planter must do prior to launch. It's not about hiring the best and most talented people. It is about hiring the right people (and if they so happen to be the best and most talented, that's a bonus).

Janie and I had a lunch meeting today with potential staff members and their wives. I appreciated so much their passion for Christ and we had an absolute blast with them. It was the quickest three hour lunch I have ever had. However, I am a little suspect because once our Chili's server brought the chips and salsa, they quickly asked me about how God called us to The Miami Pursuit. As I kept talking, they ate all the chips! That ain't right. =)

Please pray that God opens doors for the right people and forms an awesome team of leaders who will work as one for Him.