June is a great month.  Days are long, the heat is on, baseball is in full swing and the Blackhawks just won the greatest trophy in all of sports (I agree – it’s way too late for hockey to be going).  I hope your June is off to a great start.

I wanted you to know that we have recently decided to change our blogging system.  Instead of an indivual blog (like this one) I will be working with a small team of people like other campus pastors and teaching pastors to keep an EBC blog active.  The new site is at http://blog.eaglebrookchurch.com/.  At this site you’ll be able to read my adventure-filled blogging action as well as keep up on the other sites.  I recommend you subscribe to this new site and keep up on all the action.

In order to sign-off, it’s only fitting for one last WBL slideshow.  This shows some of the great action at our site over the past couple of years.  I didn’t attach music, but I suggest turning on a fine mix of U2, Johnny Lang and Kutless, sit back and let the memories roll as you watch.

To be put simply, in order for us to start and develop more sites (i.e. Blaine, Woodbury and beyond) we need a better system in place.  Most all of these changes you will never notice, but there’s a few that you will notice.  Let me start with those that you will probably not notice but might be interested in:

- First – We have added a Centralized Team that will be developing curriculum and supporting what happens at the campuses.  It used to be that all ministry people were involved in creating, developing AND teaching through certain curriculum.  Now, we will have a Central Team ready to develop and a Campus-Based team that is prepared to deliver it.  This is significant for our staff, but probably something most people won’t notice.

- Also – The ministry staff that is assigned to our campus will all report to me for the first time.  Up to this point, I’ve had no staff reporting directly to me.  As of this last Tuesday, I now have 16 people assigned to our site (with a few openings). Pray for these people who I’ll be supervising.

Now for some of the changes that you might notice.  Many staff members have been re-assigned to new roles with new supervisors.  At our site, here’s some of the changes that will affect us.

- Dawn Dixon is changing her title to Elementary Pastor (from Director).  Give her a high 5!

- Sue Lennartson is moving from Groups Pastor to Connections Pastor.  This new role will have Sue focused on getting people connected to volunteering and to groups.  She’ll also be given some more time to focus on pastoring at our site.

- Trent Anderson and Amy Carlson have been re-assigned to our Central Team.  You’ll start seeing much less of these 2 on the weekends, although both have made it clear that WB is their home and they will be attending with their families.  Trent’s new role will be to help with Care on a church-wide basis and Amy will be helping to develop leadership curriculum for our entire church as well.  While I’m happy that their gifts and talents will be used church-wide I’m sad that we’ll see them around less on the weekends at the Bear.  Make sure to give them a hug or slug – whichever’s appropriate in the next couple of weeks as the transition plays out.

- We also have a new position being added to our campus called Ministry Director which will be charged with overseeing all of our ministry staff and serving as a key ally with me in pastoring at WB.  This is a key position we are looking to fill ASAP.

I think I’ll stop there for now – if more questions pop up, feel free to email me or pull me aside on the weekends and we can chat more about it.  I do think these changes will be a bit complicated up front, but as we settle in, our church will be better off because of them.

If you’ve got more reading time available – I’ll add Scott’s letter that was sent out recently.

Eagle Brook Church

Staff Transition Update

Being ready to add a fourth and fifth campus, and someday even beyond, has been an overarching goal of the staff transition that has been taking place around Eagle Brook for the last month. As someone in a serving role at Eagle Brook, you will likely see some changes that others will not notice as we continue on this path.

First, campus roles have become more focused and more intentional. In the past, virtually all of our staff participated in developing the ministry areas and also in delivering that ministry. This system served us well for a long time, but as we have added campuses, it has become clear that it was time to separate these roles, allowing people to become experts at development or delivery—not both. For you as a volunteer, it means that your pastors will have the freedom to fully serve at your campus, with a focus on investing in the most important asset we have as a church—you.

Second, the staff pastor(s) that you have become accustomed to seeing at your campus are likely transitioning into new roles. In many cases, they will serve in a slightly different capacity at your campus, and in some cases, they will be moving to a different campus; in a few cases, pastors and staff are being placed in a central role, responsible for ministry development.

We ask for your patience with us as we navigate through this change. Eagle Brook has a bright future ahead, but getting from here to there has a few bumps along the road. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me at scott.anderson@eaglebrookchurch.com if you have any questions or comments.

In the coming weeks, we will contact you regarding specific changes that will take place at your campus.

In Him,

Scott Anderson

Executive Pastor

I made this announcement last weekend, but I thought it was worthy of putting here as well so you don’t miss it.

We have decided to not keep the meals going through the summer on Saturday nights at WB.  I have loved the opportunity to meet many of you over a meal and have enjoyed the Multi-Purpose room teeming with life during the 5:00 hour.  I’d like to publicly (if you can call this public) thank the amazing volunteers for regularly putting together outstanding meals.  At this point we are focusing on some other matters in our church and there’s a chance these could come back in the coming months.  We’ll keep you updated along the way.

For the time-being, on Saturday nights - plan on eating out before or after you come or bringing your own “Sliders” –  just make sure to bring one for your favorite pastor as well.

Oh – one more note.  In case you think you need a lot of theological wisdom to lead your home spiritually, you don’t.  Notice how much “wisdom” is actually needed to do any of these…

1. Make sure your family comes to church regularly.
2. Talk about what’s being taught at church
3. Read books and watch/listen to podcasts on building a better marriage and better family
4. Create a spiritual moment regularly in your home
5. While kids are in bed, read a devotional or pray
6. Read a devotional at a meal
7. Bring in spiritual content when talking to your kids about character issues
   1. i.e. – when talking about being kind to others – talk about God’s kindness
8. Ask your spouse and kids how you can pray for them
9. Encourage your kids to pray (at a meal, before bed, etc) and when they do, reward them greatly
10. Encourage your kids to memorize verses.  (I pay my kids)
11. Capture a moment when you and your spouse pray for each other and/or your family.  If you’re not doing this, have a discussion about it.  When?  Where?  Etc
12. Consider creating spiritual markers for your kids. – (When they start public school – have your family pray for them or when they turn 13, 18 or 21, honor them in some way)
13. Initiate and plan date nights at least monthly (get the sitter)
14. Initiate family fun nights at least monthly
15. Initiate budget discussions with your spouse at least monthly
16. Plan once a quarter to serve as a family
17. Ask your spouse what he’s/she’s learning in her Bible Study or small group
18. Tell your spouse what you’re learning in your group or in your own study and ask him/her questions about it
19. Sponsor a child.  Pray for this child and send letters as a family on a regular basis
20. Ask your spouse – “How can I be a better husband/wife to you?”

Just didn’t want you to miss out on a great opportunity.  This weekend on Saturday night (May 1) we’ll celebrate Uno De Mayo with some of our favorite burritos from Chipotle.  Bring some friends or come and make some in our Multi-purpose room at about 5:05.

Then…next Saturday night we’ll celebrate Mother’s Day weekend with a little something called “Milkshakes for Mom’s” after both Saturday night services.

After you enjoy some time with your friends, some great food and a life-changing hour in church sleep in all day on Sunday.  Just a few reasons to ck out Sat’s at the Bear!

See you there!

Easter brings about so many great things doesn’t it?  Typically it’s a sign that we’ve survived yet another deep freeze (and judging from this last week’s weather, things are right on course).  It’s the end to the Lenten period which brings about somber reflection and maybe denial. It’s a time that we get to eat lots of candy for the sake of a “higher cause,” and obviously, it’s a time where we get to reflect upon and thank God for the work He did on the cross and in (or should we say out of) the tomb.  For many, this is fairy tale or something that is unconvincing.  For others, it’s life-changing, hope-producing and eternity-altering news.  I hope and pray, you believe the second.

As this weekend closes in, I thought I’d just take a moment to tell you how proud I am to be a part of our community and to play any role in serving here.  As I reflect back on just the past couple of months, here’s just some of the highlights that come to my mind.

  Over 50 new people have stepped forward in volunteering thanks to the 2 weekends that we asked people to help out.

  Almost 50 people have committed to giving up vacation time, raising money and leaving the comforts of this country to care for orphans and people in distress in Nicaragua this June

  Almost 500 men gathered to rock out at the Blues N BBQ night with Duede and the band @ our WB campus

  We’ve given away 100’s of thousands of dollars to the rebuilding efforts of Haiti

  And in Feb – once again – 11,000 vol’s packed 2.6 million meals and 1000 more kids were sponsored in Africa.  Unreal!

Talking about fairy tales…these responses would definitely be fairy tales if it wasn’t for the power of Easter.  It’s because that same power is at work today, changing us and helping us to change the world around us.  How great to be a part of it. 

I wish you and your families a Happy Easter.  I look forward to seeing you this weekend and I look forward to what lies ahead.

Here’s some things going on this month that you should know about.

New Series - called “Keep It Simple” focusing on why and how to share our faith with others begins this weekend.  Don’t miss out!

Blaine – had its first 2 services within the SLP location this last weekend with around 250 people showing up between the 2 services.  For the record, it’s probably not the best time to take on a new initiative when the USA hockey team is playing the Canadian team for a gold medal…but who knew?  We’ll have more updates about Blaine this weekend – I think…

Meals – This weekend we’re back with a catered meal from Donnatellis on Sat night but there will be no brunch on Sunday. 

Ribs N Blues – I hope all you guys got your tickets early because they were gone in record time.  It’s obviously a hit.  I’ll be there with over 550 of you and looking forward to a great night eating some of my fav food listening to some of my fav music.

Nicaragua – Applications are due Friday 3-5 so turn them in ASAP if you want a life-changing, perspective-altering experience.

Easter – Yup – I know, it’s really in April, but in order to get all your planning in place, here’s the scoop.  We’re going to stay with the 4 regular times for our WB location.  They’ll be offering other options at the other 2 sites, but we’ll stay the course at WB.  In order to fit everyone though, we’ll need many of you to make the shift to Saturday night.  If you’re flexible that weekend, help us out by making the shift to Sat and sleeping in on Sun.  RSVP process for this begins next week.

Lots going on.  Thanks for dialing in to stay up to speed!

We’ll see you this weekend!

 PS – We’ll spend some time this weekend talking about the great results from Feb…

I wanted to keep you updated on something that has a lot of buzz around our offices, but odds are good you’ve heard very little about.

This Sunday (28th) Blaine will launch within the Spring Lake Park Campus on Sunday night.  From now till the “real” launch of Blaine – which is hopefully this fall – a team of staff and volunteers will be hosting services at 4:05 and 6:05 on Sunday nights at the SLP location.  The hope of these 2 services is to develop a great team of volunteers who prepare to launch the new Blaine location, develop some camaraderie among the attenders at the new site and create a place for current SLP attenders to move to so that more room can be made for the demands of growth going on at that site.

Keep this new initiative in your prayers as they begin something that has the potential to reach many more for His sake.

BTW – Bob will unpack more of this next weekend (I believe)…

What a great night!  I heard many comments from people saying how much they enjoyed the “homegrown” feel of such a service and that their lives were touched by Pat’s story, Katie’s song, the overall music or something in the concept of the “Dip.”  I also felt the energy in the room throughout our time together and watching families come forward to receive the ash and communion together is always incredibly powerful.  A definite memorable evening!

In order to help me continue to stay aware of this season of preparation for the death and resurrection of Christ (Lent) I’ve discovered a daily reading plan that continues to walk me through the life of Christ.  I’ve been trying to stay engaged with this plan on a regular basis.  Here’s the link of you’re looking to get a little more out of this lenten season.  http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/lent.php

Thanks all for coming to our event.  Here’s some great photos that were taken that I just got a couple of days ago…

PS – I’ll be off this weekend – so show Alex some love as he steps in for the first time.

This last August – I was in Nicaragua and am headed back this June and I’m taking 30 people with me.  The video that was shot of Bob this weekend at church in Nicaragua ranks as one of my favorite video’s we’ve ever done.  So amazing.  This blog is a story of one of my experiences in Nicaragua that I had written this last September after I got back.  I thought I’d “re-surface” it so you could see the video I made at the bottom.  The places we will go this June are seen in the 2nd half of the video.  Here ya go…

PS – I wrote one other story if you want to scroll back in my blog to last September to find it…

Sept, 2009

Hello Friends of WB – If you don’t have time to read, skip down to the bottom for my Nic Video.  It’s taken awhile to get it edited and onto the web but I finally think I got it done.

I wish I had more time to pound out the many stories of Nicaragua.  I’d love to tell the story of how Tyler Gregory hit a small girl in the back of a head with a softball, tell stories of the sweat, moisture and digestive disturbance, and of course, the story about how Barb Knutson commented on beautiful someone’s “home” was before she realized she was actually located on a toxic pond of gu (quite the gift of positivity).  Anywho – In order to keep it readable, I’ll narrow it down to one more story.

On our last morning in Managua, we drove into a place that I will never forget.  We drove a bit to get out of the hustle of the city of Managua (which is a large metro area).  Slowly we made a turn onto a beat-up dirt road.  As we moved onto this road, our leaders clearly elevated their sense of concern as they told us to close all the windows (which had been open the whole trip) and then asked us to take off any jewelry and put it out of sight.  We drove along this winding road and began to see black smoke hovering this area while the stench of burning garbage quickly invaded our van.   We had entered an area called La Chureca.  Some refer to it as the city garbage dump and about 1500 refer to it as their home.  Most of those people comb the garbage to identify anything edible, to look for recyclable products that they can sell off and dig for any other “keepables.”  The guides we were with told us that what happens here is the worst kind of poverty in the whole world.  Even in terrible 3^rd world countries, at least most communities know to separate the animals from the people.  In La Chureca there are cattle that roam and graze through the garbage, wild dogs that scavenge through the piles and people that are there trying to make it through another day.  Therefore, the combination of garbage, animals, people (including children) and water makes for an incredibly toxic and unhealthy environment.

About 5 minutes down the road, our van came to a stop.  We got out and in front of us was a large red rickety steel gate with triangle shaped shards of metal on top – to offer greater protection.  The door eventually opened and we walked into a mob of elementary kids.  These were kids who found their way to a Christian school that is offered free to the Chureca community.  As we walked in we got pummeled by kids grabbing on our legs, insisting to be carried and climbing on our backs.  After I spent some time hanging out with kids, I noticed that our team was talking with someone.  I made my way over to the team and found that in the middle of the circle stood a 22 year old white female American wearing her blue jeans and polo-type shirt.  She is the coordinator of this school.  Her presence was a total shock to me.  Here, in the middle of this awful poverty, surrounded with rabies infested dogs, endless garbage,   toxic conditions and dirty, desperate people stood this girl who looks like she could be a Bethel student. 

It was a great reminder to me about how bright a light can be in a dark place.  This place that we were in probably was one of the darkest environments I’ve ever been in…and here stood this woman, standing as a beacon of light. 

The rest of our time in the dump was spent meeting with people who actually host Bible Studies in their “homes” – go figure!  We also met with a couple who had earned a sewing machine through the risk of some micro-finance lender and stopped by a feeding center where one of the leaders said they feed about 100 kids every day and turn away about…100 kids every day. 

Here’s the challenge I took away and leave with you.  Are you a light?  When you walk into rooms, do people think…here come’s some light? When someone receives an email from you or gets off the phone with you, do they feel illuminated? And…are you operating at full wattage potential?  You don’t need to go to Nicaragua to find dark places to shine a light.  Find a way to shine your light where you are today.  (Matthew 5:14-16)