I've got some important building news that I need to share with you all. Please watch this five-minute video for all the details.
Grilling pork chops for supper.
A Favorite Quote
Sarcasm….it sure beats killing people.
— Jennifer Smith Schreit
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Lifestream
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— August 31st via PastorGear.com
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Posted DIY T-Shirt Launcher FTW!.— August 31st via PastorGear.com
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Stay Classy Church Planters http://bit.ly/biSnP6 // Another great post from @heretolead. [tonymccollum]— August 31st via Twitter
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"Houses and wealth are inherited from parents,but a wise wife is a gift from the Lord." http://read.ly/Prov19.14.NCV. //So thankful for Amy! [tonymccollum]— August 31st via Twitter
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"People’s own foolishness ruins their lives, but in their minds they blame the Lord." http://read.ly/Prov19.3.NCV [tonymccollum]— August 31st via Twitter
No worries Pastor Tony. We still have a great place to meet at and great people to meet with. When God wants us to find a place we will. Until then I will rejoice that fusion is still my church and happy I have such a wonderful pastor and people in my life.
Tony, No worries man! God is still in charge and the mission is the same “connect the disconnected”! Building or no building me and my family are with Fusion church in accomplishing the mission!
Hey Tony, I understand your disappointment and again applaud the fact you brought it to the church when you did. The grea folks at Fusion will share your disappointment, but more than that they share your vision and the work will go forward all the stronger becau eof the rallying call you gave last Sunday.
Take that offering, dream together and remember God’s plans are still bigger than your wildest dreams.
Tony:
I’ve got your back! I can’t tell you how powerful that message was when went to New Springs. I didn’t take it lightly; I’ve got your back to me means I’m in constant prayer for you, your family and our church family and our mission to bring the lost home. I’m with Roger, take up the offering, God is most certainly not through with us and it will not hurt for us to be prepared for that call when it comes and it will come!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I love you, and I love watching God work in you, through you and I love how he uses you to encourage and teach us week after week.
Thank you for following God! Thank you for putting yourself out there so we have an example of what it is like to be continually growing in a relationship with God!
Tony,
Like you have said so many times… a Church is a body, not a building!
Robby
Hey Tony,
Tough news! We had TWO buildings we were seriously into (with much prayer) fall out from under us, one of them a company outbid us with an offer on the table.
It felt horrible (especially the leadership part of it), but I can absolutely tell you the place we ended up was a better deal ALL the way around, and the other locations seem terrible by comparison on this end.
I think the lesson for us planters is very much that God wants us attached to Him, not the building, and He’s willing to walk us through a process to keep you attached to Him. Thus, your video comments are right on!
I do know that God is sovereign, He has a specific, perfect plan for Fusion, and He’s never late (but rarely early!)
Also, when He does do it, there’s supernatural flow to it.
Hang in there, and I am praying for you!
Dave
Hello Pastor Tony. I know what your mean both about the dissapointment and the acceptance of this news. In any case it was an eye opener for possibilites and possibly for a Church Building Fund. This way if we start building funds now, once another opportunity presents itself we can act on it. I support you and will continue to enjoy our wonderful church regardless of where it is. Thank you for everything.
Tony, We love you. We love this church. We will go with you when it is time. And it will be time to move someday. Until then, See you at church. Laurel
You just keep listening to that whispering voice of God and I know we will continue to be exactly where we are supposed to be!
Pastor Tony,
The Greene’s love you and we love Fusion. Let your heart not be troubled….God has great things in store for the church and we just need to keep on keeping on and claim our victories in advance.
This is a great opportunity to implement a building fund so that when God is ready to give us building we will be more than ready.
Thank you for the update Tony. This is a set back. However, We had this happen to us when we were buying our house. We felt like that was the ONLY house we would be happy with. Well, we lost it and we moved on. A few weeks later we found the home of our dreams!:) You are a wonderful, positive Pastor that trusts in the Lord. My husband and I are blessed to have found you and Fusion Church! Love, Laurie Dempsey
If this was not the building that God wanted for our church to meet in, then there must be another place that God has planned for our future. I applaud the people who volunteer to transport, set up and take down all the supplies each week as well as to teach in the class rooms and serve as greeters, etc. I feel that God will reward all the hard work that everyone has willingly done, we just never know what His timetable is.
I only wish I was able to get up early and be there more often but after working 2nd and 3rd shift almost 20 years I am just not able to sleep any more until around daylight. I am hoping to get weekends off, actually praying for it, so I can at least come to church and go home and take a nap, instead of going straight to work on Sundays. My favorite verse for a long time has been Romans 8:24-28,(I think) which says: “For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not true hope. For why would a man hope for that which he can already see? But if we hope for that which we cannot see, then we with much patience wait for it.”
I hope another opportunity comes along that has God’s hand in it.
Tony,
Hey bro. I can comiserate with you. We have been pursuing a leased building and thought everything was nailed down. Raised money ready to act and while finalizing the negotiations the owners threw a huge obstacle in the way. As of now we are waiting on a phone call that I am losing hope in receiving.
Thanks for the reminder that we’re going to do what we always do and that is see peoples lives changed by the power of Christ. Thank God for the great facilities that God has provided for Fusion and Momentum.
Praying for Y’all
Ross
Tony,
Keep on keeping on! You are a great pastor!
We may be disappointed, but not defeated. It’s not over, it’s just begun. This may not have been the answer we at Fusion were looking for, but it was His answer. God already has a place picked out for us. He’ll open those doors when the time is right. Big things are still happening for Fusion and we are continually bearing fruit. I love the Fusion family, truly an amazing group of people. I feel so honored to be a part of God’s wonderful family.
I continue to keep you and the Fusion family in my prayers.
I don’t have anything to add to what these amazing Fusion folks (and supportive pastor friends) have already said, but I definitely wanted to put it in writing that we’re with you, too. We love our church, and we are all in on the vision of connecting the disconnected. If this opportunity seemed good, I can’t wait to see what God’s got in store for us next! Lord, make us ready to move when the cloud moves!
Pastor Tony,
We are lifting you up in prayer and though you may feel let down now, please know that God has something amazing in store for Fusion Church.
I visited Fusion Church for the first time this past Sunday. On one hand, I couldn’t believe that I almost missed out on this amazing place located less than a mile from my home. Visiting your church was like stumbling upon an undiscovered place that I believe my family of 6 may actually call home. We’ve been looking for “this” church for a long time now. This is a story I shared with you in more detail in an email I just sent.
As a newcomer, I bring this. God doesn’t do things without reason. While it is disheartening to have lost this amazing place, I can’t help but recognize the other opportunities presented to you.
First, you’ve set in motion a call to action for your church to begin raising the money to secure that next perfect location.
Second, you connected with me in this service in a way I don’t think could have been as effective otherwise. It so happened that I showed up on a day when you had the “money” talk that you rarely ever have. I somehow always pick “money” talk week when visiting new churches. It was in this service I was able to do a real apples to apples comparison between your church and many others I’ve visited. I was moved, impressed, and inspired by your service.
Third, I think there is still much for you to do at your current location. I drove past North Gwinnett HS on Sundays for the past 2 years and had no idea what an amazing thing you guys had going on there. I’ve spoken to several of my friends who live in the area and asked what they know about you guys. When the common response was people weren’t aware, I shared my experience to which most were pleasantly surprised. I think the “opportunity” to expand your outreach in the current location isn’t completed.
I can go on and on about my own experiences of opportunities that seemed to have fallen through. However, without fail, I am convinced that it was all part of God’s plan and purpose. In almost every case, that purpose was later made clear.
I look forward to learning more about Fusion and getting involved.
God Bless,
David Carroll
Pastor Tony and fellow Fusioneers…
It is a great comfort to know we have a Pastor who has so many AWESOME roles, one of which is a great leader. He always has our needs as a body of Christ as his priority. We will be even stronger because of this and ready to go when He says it’s time. Myself and my family love being a part of Fusion and look forward to what God has in store for all of us. It is very reassuring to know everybody is together. We support you Pastor Tony and can’t wait to see what other doors He will open up for us.
Tony:
I am sorry to hear this news. I was excited for you, Fusion Church and frankly us this past Sunday. The message though is that there is much to be learned from this effort. When you try you find new ways to open doors and new opportunities.
We are blessed to have you as our pastor and spiritual leader. We have lost an opportunity nothing more; not what we are which is an AWESOME place of worship.
Charlie Wilkinson
What is the saying – when a door closes, God opens a window….
Thank you all for your encouraging words! I appreciate everyone’s great attitude about this temporary setback. The important thing to remember is that God is still in control and that He always has a plan.
Thanks for the update, Tony. I think its OK to be disappointed. It was a good opportunity, and we didnt get it, and thats disappointing. I am happy that at least it went to another church, so God was actually in the decision, just not for our church at this time.
I think we should embrace this set back Tony. I see it as another opportunity to totally trust God again, for Him to lift us back up!
I will keep praying and will be on the edge of my seat – where will God take us next?
It’s not where we meet, but how we meet. The church still will have a great influence on my life as well as others!
Thanks for all you do Pastor Tony!
My family loves Tony and Fusion Church… wherever we may be it is still my church home and church family. Disappointed maybe but God always provides what we need and not what we want. It will come it time I will keep praying for Gods will and we will see where it takes us. I miss comming to church I am trying for alternate jobs so I can have sundays off again.. I miss you all…… sooo much.
To Tony and all of you at Fusion…
I will be moving to GA in the next month or two and have been online church hunting. I can tell you…after looking over the entire website, reading the Trekkie blog *grin*, and reading many of these responses…I am excited to visit when I come down! Fusion sounds like what I am seeking and I am so relieved to find you!
I attend an EFree church here in Indiana that is very beloved by me. God is doing a work here, and I have grown in grace and truth the past 6+ years. It is bittersweet to leave my church family and the solid, practical teaching I receive here week after week. But I knew, I just KNEW God would not let me down in moving to GA! You don’t know how tickled I am! I was feeling a little discouraged as I searched; now I am full of hope. Where God guides, He provides!
I will be popping in soon for a visit and can’t wait to see in person what I feel through the church’s website! God bless you all and your ministry!
Dee
Dee, we’d be glad to have you at Fusion! Can’t wait to meet you.
Thank you, Tony. I will be sure and introduce myself when I visit.
Blessings on your week!