LOOKING AHEAD

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Good things are happening in the new year at CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST, CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN, CHURCH IN THE NOW ONLINE, and NOW MINISTRIES. Please check out these important dates, and be aware of certain changes, particularly the Week of Prayer and Praise (Jan 2 - 6), Pastor Debye ministering at CINTE/CINO on Wednesdays in January, the return of (NOW MINISTRIES) BODY-BUILDERS, and the new COMMUNION BRUNCH at CITNM, beginning on January 8...

Wednesday, December 28 -

Last CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST/CHILDREN ONLINE service of 2011...(P. Debye will be ministering on Wednesday nights at CITNE/CITNO for the month of January, so we'll be finishing up our study of Luke In The Now on 12/28)
7 PM, EST...

Thursday, December 29 -

Last CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN service of 2011...
Biltmore House, Imperial Ballroom,
7 PM...





Saturday December 31 -

No New Year's Eve service at CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST, but you're all invited to attend the Watchnight Service at THE CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
10 PM


Sunday, January 1, 2012 -

FIRST SUPPER/UPPER ROOM SERVICE AND BAPTISM
CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST/CHURCH IN THE NOW ONLINE,
11 AM, EST*

*(please note that the service is an hour later)

No service at CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN



Monday, January 2 -

2012 WEEK OF PRAYER AND PRAISE, CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST
(led by Bishop Swilley)
 7 - 8 PM


Tuesday, January 3 -

2012 WEEK OF PRAYER AND PRAISE, CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST
(led by Pastor Judah Swilley)
7 - 8 PM


Wednesday, January 4 -

BODY-BUILDERS (NOW MINISTRIES)
Mary Mac's Tea Room (Board Room)
224 Ponce de Leon Ave
Atlanta, GA 30308,
11 AM

2012 WEEK OF PRAYER AND PRAISE, CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST
(led by Pastor Debye)
7 - 7:30 PM

Pastor Debye ministering, CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST/CHURCH IN THE NOW ONLINE
7:30 - 8:30 PM, EST


Thursday, January 5 -

2012 WEEK OF PRAYER AND PRAISE, CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST
(led by Pastor Scott Pettite)
7 - 8 PM

CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN
(Bishop Swilley ministering,
Dan Shives leading worship)
Biltmore House, Imperial Ballroom)
7 PM



Friday, January 6 -

2012 WEEK OF PRAYER AND PRAISE, CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST
(led by Pastor Michael Person)
7 - 8 PM




Sunday, January 8 -


CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST/CHURCH IN THE NOW ONLINE
10 AM, EST

CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN
COMMUNION BRUNCH
Cypress Street Pint & Plate
817 W. Peachtree St. NW (next door to Biltmore House)
2 PM

 

 

One Year Later (Part II)

Q. How is CHURCH IN THE NOW doing?

A. CHURCH IN THE NOW is alive and well, but it has definitely gone through some transition. As has been widely reported, the property on Iris Drive went through a foreclosure back in April of this year and was put up for sale, at which time we moved back into our original building on the property. We've been meeting there for the last six months and leasing the building from the bank. There have been a few offers made on the property during that time, but, as of yet there is nothing definite. The word on the street is that the property has already been purchased by another Conyers church, but that is not the case at the time of this writing.

The ministry in Conyers is now called CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST, and most Sundays there are several hundred people who attend the 10 AM service there, and hundreds (perhaps thousands) more attending CHURCH IN THE NOW ONLINE. On Easter we had approximately 1,000 in attendance, but most Sundays the attendance is in the hundreds. Apparently, a lot of people think that the church was disbanded when I came out, but that's certainly not true. We're not as big in numbers as we were before, but we're definitely as strong, if not stronger. The presence of the Holy Spirit is very evident in all of our services, and miracles continue to happen there on a regular basis as God is exalted.

Many of the hateful "Christian" blogs (more about them later) have celebrated what they believe was our demise, but, as Mark Twain said, "The rumors of my (our) death have been greatly exaggerated". The bottom line is that the property was not foreclosed on as a result of my telling the truth about myself. Of course that was a factor, in that many of our financial supporters left the church because of it...but anyone who knows our history knows that we have been in a financial struggle since we built the main building. We were headed toward foreclosure long before 10/13/10.

Some other of the mean-spirited "Christian" bloggers have speculated that I came out because I knew we were headed toward financial ruin, and I wanted to re-invent myself so as to attract and fill up the church with gay people who could support the church. Well, let me tell you that that idea is, as they say, a hoot and a half! Be assured that telling people in the Bible-belted South that you're a gay minister is NOT, I repeat NOT the way to fill up a church! These people...these anonymous bloggers with their crazy suspicions...continue to amaze and amuse me. Believe me, if I was wanting to save the church building at any cost I would have NEVER told the truth about my sexual orientation!

Considering everything that has happened at and to CITNE, the fact that we still have what we have...a church that is still considerably larger than the average American church, and still meets the definition of a Megachurch...is really quite remarkable. If and when the property sells we will simply move to a more manageable location (one with less than 43 acres and three large buildings to maintain!) and will continue to meet somewhere on the East side of Metropolitan Atlanta, preferably in Conyers or Covington.

We are not worried about the future of CITNE for two reasons. The first is that God has always taken care of us and we know He always will...and the second is that the church is more than bricks and mortar and acreage. The "CHURCH" in CHURCH IN THE NOW is what really matters, and it's not going anywhere.

In the meantime, we have added a second congregation in Atlanta called CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN, currently meeting in the Imperial Ballroon of the iconic Biltmore House. That church is doing very well, and I am blessed to be able to minister weekly in both locations. I've already said a lot about CITNM, so I won't repeat myself...but I do want to make it clear that CITNM is NOT a gay church...nor is it a black church, or a white church...it is a melting pot of all kinds of people, gay, straight, black, white, young, old, married, single, liberal, conservative, democrat, republican, believer and non-believer...in a word it is simply REAL PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE REAL GOD IN THE REAL WORLD.

I have never had a ministry demographic, and I never will. I only want to pastor a New Testament Church where we recognize that "Christ is all and is in all", and that's what we have in Midtown. CITNM is certainly gay-affirming and has a considerable gay population, but everyone is welcome there, and everyone comes. The gay people I have spoken to there have no desire to attend a "gay" church...they just want a church where they can hear the Word and be themselves without fearing the wrath of religious bigots and pharisees...a place where they are not forced to live a lie, but can worship God in Spirit AND IN TRUTH. We provide that place weekly at CITNM.

The vision...the Big Picture, if you will...is that there will eventually be a CHURCH IN THE NOW NORTH and a CHURCH IN THE NOW SOUTH in addition to the two current locations...maybe a CHURCH IN THE NOW in every city in America. Who knows?

In the meantime, it's all good. Many people who left CITNE because of my telling the whole truth are now returning. They have realized that absolutely nothing about my ministry has changed, and they still hear my voice as being the voice of their shepherd, so they want to come back and find the green pastures of revelation that have sustained many of them for the last 26 years. We gladly receive every one of them back, no questions asked.

This past year has no doubt been an adventure and a walk of faith, but we believe that our latter will be greater than our former!

9/11 REFLECTIONS

Happy Monday...

Thanks to all of you at CITN EAST who came out yesterday for the service...it was a good day. I'm very excited to anounce that we will begin Sunday services at CITN MIDTOWN on October 9, where I'll be ministering every week at 8 AM before coming to Conyers for the 10 AM service. A lot of great things are happening in both locations...check out www.churchinthenow.org for details...

I ended up watching 9/11 stuff for hours on TV last night until I was saturated with it, and I still cannot believe it's been ten years! But I do want to say that I hope the Memorial brought some healing and maybe a little closure to those who lost loved ones on that terrible day. The picture above really touched me...I think the Memorial will at least give those who have lost so much a place to go and reflect, especially because they have no cemetery plots to visit. And I'm also very grateful that we got through the day with no problems or incidents at any of the ceremony sites in NY, Washington D.C. or in Pennsylvania...maybe it's a new day...at least I pray it is...

I referred to this yesterday in my sermon, so I wanted to re-post it:

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD (Originally posted May 2, 2011)

As an American, I join in with the rest of the country in breathing a collective sigh of relief in knowing that Osama Bin Laden has been removed from the world stage, and I applaud the obviously successful efforts of our (American-born) Commader-In-Chief (who has had a very good week, by the way) and the amazing soldiers who executed a virtually flawless raid on Bin Laden's Pakistani mansion/compound. I wish it hadn't taken so long to find him, especially since he has obviously been hiding in plain sight, and I regret that we are still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan...but at least he's gone, and at least it happened before the up-coming 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Being as patriotic as the next guy, I was moved by the spontaneous celebrations that broke out at the White House and in Times Square and at Ground Zero last night, and I certainly don't want to be insensitive to the pain of the families who lost loved ones on that horrible September morning a decade ago...families that will never have full closure from the attrocities of that day, no matter who is assassinated...but I am sober today. Relieved? Yes. Happy? Not really...at least not totally...

Just yesterday I preached on "The Fruit of the Spirit is Kindness", and how we live in such an unkind world...people killing one another...hating one another. Even though what was done in Pakistan in the last few hours apparently had to be done, I can't in good conscience really rejoice in the death of anyone, no matter how evil they are. Am I glad he's gone? No doubt about it. I'm glad to know that we don't have to dread another of his videos coming out that shows he's still alive and still a threat to our safety. But I am grieved that we live in a world where this kind of thing still has to happen at all.

The President gave a short but brilliant speech last night, in which he pointed out that Osama Bin Laden does not represent Islam, and he's right about that. In fact, Bin Laden has killed more Muslims than he has any other group. But where my mind is today is that the real enemy is not Osama Bin Laden or any other person, for that matter...it's religious fundamentalism.

Fundamentalism kills...be it Muslim or Christian or that of any other religious persuasion. The Crusades, The Spanish Inquisition, the Holocaust, the violence between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, the Ku Klux Klan, the Taliban, etc...it's all about religious intolerance that stems from fundamentalist interpretations of holy writ.

Today I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud of our President and of our troops. I love this country, and I want it to be safe. But I'm really, really tired of religious fundamentalism, and all the hatred and death that it inevitably causes.

Terrorism happens every day in the name of religion...believe me, I know of what I speak.

Just wanted to share some thoughts.

Love never fails...

The Fruit of the Spirit is Kindness...

God bless America...

And since I also mentioned Katharine Lee Bates yesterday, I wanted to share something else I posted a while back. Here is the first verse to her song...one of the most beautiful ones ever written, in my opinion. I love the Star Spangled Banner, but I'm one of those who would vote to have this awesome hymn become our national anthem. It's interesting to think that a woman who could write something like this would not be accepted in most mainstream churches today...

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN PREMIER SERVICE TONIGHT!

Thanks for all the support and great words of encouragement that I've received about CITN MIDTOWN and its opening service this evening! I hope to see many of you tonight at the Biltmore House (Imperial Ballroom) at 7PM. Remember, there's no childcare provided...but the parking is free (and safe...and covered...and well-lit). Biltmore House is a historic Atlanta landmark, and very easy to find...it's beautiful, too...also, if I've never met you before, be sure to introduce yourself tonight...I'm looking forward to a wonderful time together...see you in a few...

"I have been waiting and hoping for a church like this in Midtown. Great location at the Biltmore...Let me know if I can help....signed John the Baptist."
- John R Morgan

"I love this area of town. It looks, feels so different than anything this way. It's like going out of town, somewhere different, on a trip without going very far. To think it's just around the corner. This is exciting news!"
- Cheryl Tiedemann

"If you build it, 'HE' WILL come."...If I weren't in DC, I would definitely come out to support. If possible, stream Live and I will definitely be there!!!!
Luvya Much!!!"
- ReNée Aiken

"...God is about to blow the roof off the building. He has called you to this work. And He will see it through to the end. One can put a thousand to flight and two can put ten thousand to flight. If only two show up, that is enough to move mountains. Go on with your bad self man of God. Be ready, if you can for what God is about to do. Namaste, yours in Christ..."
- Jeff Rust

"Jeff ~ you are 100% right! God IS about to blow the roof off this ministry! I agree with you! And Bishop is the man for such a time as this!!! How exciting that we get to be a part of it too! This is the dawning of the age of the Holy Spirit!!! :)

Bishop, go out there, and do what you are supposed to do! Only you can do it! I love you! :)"
- Jere Luck

"...keep the faith Bishop! Keep the service there for those seeking healng and restoration!!"
- Bryce Hardin

"my crystal ball tells me you'll be pleasantly surprised at the midtown attendance.... ♥ "
- Melissa Floyd Hall

"...I will be there with friends....we will have C-H-U-R-C-H...You r soooooo needed there"
- Amy Hamrick

"Right down the street from faith memorial in the 70's...history repeating itself...great area where we grew up...you'll do well there..."
- Jon Mark Swilley

"wow...It has been a while since I have been to church...now you are in my back yard...I have no excuse...and I miss the word so...thank you Bishop....thank you so much...will see you on Thursday"
- Shareese B. Smith

"I'm so excited for CITN and The Bishop as the Word begins to flow in new locations. With God and Love good things will come. Stay Blessed!"
- Bobby Newsome

So exciting Bish. Looking forward!
- Eddie Brumlow

"‎1 Corinthians 2:9...Ephesians 3:20-21...His Holy Spirit Will Reveal to You exactly What He wants you to know as you move on through this Great and Mighty Transition.... New Beginnings are every day and You have answered His Call to live in them Bishop... You are Not alone! There are Many who are Waiting for you to bring the Light, Love and Word of Truth to them! Love you Much!!"
- Lynda Edwards

"Reach out and touch Faith. Movement, change is exciting. Allows us to TRUST God and watch him work his magic in all of HIS glory. Where there is no vision, the people perish. CITN is a group of visionaries. Visionaries never die. They just keep getting up and get up stronger each time. Visionaries move forward and never in reverse. I am proud to be a part of the vision of CITN. It's all good."
- Cheryl Tiedemann

CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN PREMIER SERVICE TOMORROW NIGHT!

"I have been waiting and hoping for a church like this in Midtown. Great location at the Biltmore...Let me know if I can help....signed John the Baptist."
- John R Morgan

"I love this area of town. It looks, feels so different than anything this way. It's like going out of town, somewhere different, on a trip without going very far. To think it's just around the corner. This is exciting news!"
- Cheryl Tiedemann

"If you build it, 'HE' WILL come."...If I weren't in DC, I would definitely come out to support. If possible, stream Live and I will definitely be there!!!!
Luvya Much!!!"
- ReNée Aiken

"...God is about to blow the roof off the building. He has called you to this work. And He will see it through to the end. One can put a thousand to flight and two can put ten thousand to flight. If only two show up, that is enough to move mountains. Go on with your bad self man of God. Be ready, if you can for what God is about to do. Namaste, yours in Christ..."
- Jeff Rust

"Jeff ~ you are 100% right! God IS about to blow the roof off this ministry! I agree with you! And Bishop is the man for such a time as this!!! How exciting that we get to be a part of it too! This is the dawning of the age of the Holy Spirit!!! :)

Bishop, go out there, and do what you are supposed to do! Only you can do it! I love you! :)"
- Jere Luck

"...keep the faith Bishop! Keep the service there for those seeking healng and restoration!!"
- Bryce Hardin

"my crystal ball tells me you'll be pleasantly surprised at the midtown attendance.... ♥ "
- Melissa Floyd Hall

"...I will be there with friends....we will have C-H-U-R-C-H...You r soooooo needed there"
- Amy Hamrick

"Right down the street from faith memorial in the 70's...history repeating itself...great area where we grew up...you'll do well there..."
- Jon Mark Swilley

"wow...It has been a while since I have been to church...now you are in my back yard...I have no excuse...and I miss the word so...thank you Bishop....thank you so much...will see you on Thursday"
- Shareese B. Smith

"I'm so excited for CITN and The Bishop as the Word begins to flow in new locations. With God and Love good things will come. Stay Blessed!"
- Bobby Newsome

So exciting Bish. Looking forward!
- Eddie Brumlow

"‎1 Corinthians 2:9...Ephesians 3:20-21...His Holy Spirit Will Reveal to You exactly What He wants you to know as you move on through this Great and Mighty Transition.... New Beginnings are every day and You have answered His Call to live in them Bishop... You are Not alone! There are Many who are Waiting for you to bring the Light, Love and Word of Truth to them! Love you Much!!"
- Lynda Edwards

"Reach out and touch Faith. Movement, change is exciting. Allows us to TRUST God and watch him work his magic in all of HIS glory. Where there is no vision, the people perish. CITN is a group of visionaries. Visionaries never die. They just keep getting up and get up stronger each time. Visionaries move forward and never in reverse. I am proud to be a part of the vision of CITN. It's all good."
- Cheryl Tiedemann

CITN 26th ANNIVERSARY

Hey, bloggers...I want to invite all of you who are part of Church In The Now, including friends of CITN, and those of you who haven't worshipped with us in a while (along with members of the cyber-congregation), to come celebrate the past, present and future of this ministry on Sunday, May 22!

I founded CITN (then Word of Faith Assembly of God) on Pentecost Sunday, 1985, which fell that year on May 26. Pentecost Sunday is always observed in the Christian calendar 50 days after Easter, and for all the years since our initial Sunday we've generally celebrated the church anniversary on every Pentecost Sunday. But because Easter came late this year, Pentecost falls on Sunday, June 12, so we're going to keep the anniversary observance closer to the original date of the church's inception.

We will have a wonderful service on the 22nd (I have a powerful word to share with you), followed by what is traditionally called “dinner on the grounds” afterwards. CITN will provide paper products, so I need for all of you to please bring a meal and/or a dessert sufficient for your family plus two. And also bring your lawn chairs so that we can enjoy a CITN family picnic together.


As many of you already know, we are entering a new and exciting phase in the life of CITN as we move to multiple locations around the metropolitan Atlanta area. This has been a dream of mine for some time, and we are now ready to begin implementing it.

The Conyers location will now be known as CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST (still meeting Sundays at 10 AM and Wednesday evenings at 7), and beginning June 2, there will be a CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN, which will meet on Thursday nights at 7 in the Imperial Ballroom of the historic Biltmore House. The Atlanta Biltmore, once known as the South's supreme hotel, has served celebrities such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mary Pickford, Bette Davis, and Charles Lindbergh, and was the initial home of the Atlanta Historical Society and the meeting place for many of the city's civic organizations. For more than 30 years, WSB, the South's first radio station, broadcasted from its studios within the hotel and the radio tower on the hotel roof became a landmark on the city skyline.


Please mark your calendars for CITN MIDTOWN's premier service. There is free covered parking available, and there will be no childcare provided. If you look on the right side of the blog you can see a Facebook badge for both CHURCH IN THE NOW EAST and CHURCH IN THE NOW MIDTOWN. Please click on them and go to both pages and "like" them.

On the CITN EAST page you will find some great pictures of Conyers and Covington sites and events, including the Hollywood connection with both cities (the Conyers/Covington area is actually pretty cool, as it turns out).

And on the CITN MIDTOWN page you will find shots of famous Midtown landmarks, including 163 Ponce de Leon where I preached my first sermon. I hope that those of you who are Facebook-savvy will feel free to comment on the pics.















I don't think that it's any secret that CITN has faced some major challenges, especially in the last year, and that we have been in transition for some time now. In many ways, this past season has been "the best of times and the worst of times", as in A Tale of Two Cities.


But that's what makes this coming Sunday so sweet...we are going to celebrate the fact that He has brought us "from a mighty long way"

(..."hitherto hath the Lord helped us..." -
1 Samuel 7:12, KJV )



Most of you know that some of our members have gone around the corner from our current location and started another church because they believe that God told them to do so. We bless each and every one of them, because who are we to question the will of God? Besides, the Lord places people in the church "as it has pleased Him".

Unfortunately, there are still others who don't understand what we're about (and probably never will) who have reveled in what they perceive to be the demise of CITN. Some of the more hateful and mean-spirited religious blogs who have discussed me and my personal life ad infinitum over the last eight months have actually rejoiced in our hardships.

But they have rejoiced prematurely...

Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me. (Micah 7:8 , NKJV)

...Church In The Now is not only alive and well, her best days are ahead of her!

Going to the multiple location concept is certainly a step of faith for us, but we are ready for the adventure, and look forward to establishing a CHURCH IN THE NOW NORTH and a CHURCH IN THE NOW SOUTH...and who knows where else?! We will continue to create that community of REAL PEOPLE, EXPERIENCING THE REAL GOD IN THE REAL WORLD, as we fulfill our prophetic mandate to do what has not been done before!


It really is all good.

I love you all...

See you on the 22nd!

Let's

Heart to Heart Concerning the Future of CITN

First of all...before I address a few things, let me say that it's all good, Jesus is still Lord, the Kingdom of God is still advancing, Church In The Now is alive and well, I'm fine (and at peace), Debye's fine, my kids are good, my parents are good, and the world is still a wonderful place in which to live.

Many of you, of course, have read in the papers about the current situation with the property at 1877 Iris Drive in Conyers. Those of you who are a part of CITN know that this is no new development...that we have been discussing the possibility of this for about five years now. You may also know that this situation is not unique to CITN. Currently, there are in excess of 40 churches in the metropolitan Atlanta area that are in foreclosure (and some sources say it may be as high as 80 or 90). And if you follow the trends of other megachurches in recent years, such as Rick Warren's Saddleback Church and Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral, you already know that this is happening everywhere, and to some of the most successful congregations in the USA.

Before I go on, let me share an excellent letter that Debye sent out for me this week which will explain the whole scenario:

Dear CITN Board and Care Pastors,

As always, thank you so much for your continued support, faith and belief in Bishop and CITN. I am sure you are already aware of the transition and impending foreclosure that will take place on April 5. What we are believing for is that the lender (ECCU) will be the owner after the April 5 date; of course, we will have no way of knowing for sure until that day comes. We do have in writing from ECCU (assuming they will be the owners on April 5) that we may remain on the campus through May 31 (allowing us to host the graduations), with the potential to continue to lease the campus afterwards for an indefinite period of time.

In an effort to better serve the congregation, restore and repair relationships, and use every opportunity to reduce costs, we have decided to move services into the KITN building effective Wednesday, March 30, so…this Sunday will be our last Sunday in the current sanctuary, for now.

Beginning April 3, we will be combining the 9 and 11 AM services into one 10 AM service. On Sunday, April 3, we will have our first service in the new location and will celebrate Bishop’s birthday and our future. We are looking forward to a great service and everyone seeing that there is still a strong, cohesive family that believes in the message of CITN.

Once April 5 comes and goes, we will have direction to plan for the near future. Pastor Avery will be contacting you immediately regarding communion which will be served on April 3.

Regardless of what anything appears to be in the natural, we believe that we are in the center of God’s will and that the best days for CITN, and each of us individually, are ahead.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Please spread the word to others with whom you are connected.

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and faithfulness.

Pastor Debye

Well, that's the deal...it is what it is, and we are prepared for whatever is to take place in the near future. You may have also heard rumors of a possible reality show coming up about our ministry and its transition, and that is, in fact, true. We just signed a contract with FreemantleMedia (the company responsible for such programs as American Idol, America's Got Talent, The Price is Right, Family Feud and Let's Make a Deal). They are now in the process of pitching the show to the networks, so there's nothing definite to report at this time...but as you can see from their track record of successful programming, there shouldn't be a problem in getting it on the air. I only bring this up to say that they are aware of our situation, and are planning on being here on April 5 to film whatever happens. We have given them the green light to document everything concerning the ministry, and even our personal lives, because we have nothing to hide and nothing to fear at this point.

Is it going to be hard to lose the building? Well, what do you think? Church In The Now has been my life's work for the last 26 years...my heart and soul (and blood, sweat and tears) are in those 43 acres. But Church In The Now will continue, regardless of its physical location, and I've already done all my crying...now I'm just ready for the future....ready to get on with it...

People write me fairly regularly and say that I should step down from the pulpit because of what I told the church about myself six months ago, and let me just say to that that no one can make that call except God Himself. No one else is qualified. He alone gave me my call and anointing, and He alone can remove it. My life is in His hands...no one else's. And when you consider that we are a multicultural church in Conyers, GA that has survived what some people consider to be major shifts in theology in recent years (inclusion/reconciliation), highly publicized scandals of high-profile family members of mine, and personal revelations about myself that could potentially destroy the average church, it's amazing that we're doing as well as we are. When you take all that into consideration (and I'm not even factoring in the economy), the fact that Church In The Now is still a church of around 1,000 people with a very solid and cohesive staff is quite impressive in my opinion. We may be in transition, but we certainly haven't failed. We are blessed.

So all I can say is, stay tuned. I'm posting this on Saturday night, so tomorrow could possibly be our last Sunday in the main building. I hope many of you will come out for this important service.

God is good.

I love you all.