Latest SERVICE Projects
Hudson church members served on Charis Team at Sandstone FCI, February 24-27
STORM Faith Community: An alternative to church as we know it...Developing a coalition of house churches across the Twin Cities that meet weekly for fellowship, learning, discussion and doing life in the way of Jesus. All meet monthly for a meal and corporate worship and opportunities to serve the communities in which we live.
VISION. Growing a community of faith that goes into the world Serving Jesus by Serving Others and loves all without condition that the world might be transformed for the Kingdom of God.
MISSION. Providing disaffected, de-churched young adults and baby boomers a different kind of Christian community that enables them to grow in their love for God and for one another.
METHOD. We will establish a coalition of house churches across the Twin Cities who are committed to sharing life while learning to live out the teachings of Jesus in everyday living.
Simplicity: Church was never meant to be a complex heirarchy with layers of administration and organization and buildings to house them. Rather, it is intended to be a group of people, seeking to follow Jesus, using their gifts, talents, and abilities to go into the world sharing the good news of His life, death and resurrection. SFC intends to keep things as simple as possible while accomplishing the mission of proclaiming and building the Kingdom of Jesus.
Devotion: The early disciples were “devoted to the apostle’s teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.” Those disciples were in deep relationships with one another. They were committed to doing life together, recognizing the spiritual depth that faith in Jesus offered.
Community: The early disciples “were together and had everything in common...they broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts”. It is human nature to long for community. In order to meet this need, many churches have a “small group ministry”. We are saying that the Church is a small group...a band of disciples gathered together sharing life.
Service: The way of Jesus is the way of servanthood. In John 13, Jesus washed his disciples feet as an act of love. He told them to go and do likewise. In Luke 10, he told a story about a businessman who took time to care for a bleeding man beside the road...and told his followers that such acts are the way we love our neighbor. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells a story of the final judgement where sheep are separated from goats. The sheep are the ones who fed the hungry, gave a drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and visited the prisoner. They are commended. The goats did not do those things and are judged. In SFC, we will strive to serve as individuals, as house churches, and as the whole community, making a difference in the lives of the least, lost, last, and left out.
Generosity: Followers of Jesus are supposed to be generous people. We give because we have been blessed and God uses us to bless others. We give because open hands are so much better than clenched fists. We give because God has first given to us. We give our wealth, our time and talents and spiritual gifts to be used for good and noble purposes in the Kingdom of Jesus. We desire to use our gifts for more mission and less administration.
Invitation: SFC believes that there are many, many people who yearn for a deeper sense of God’s presence in their lives. Some have experienced a spiritual awakening in their childhood or teenage years, but got distracted as they grew older. Some have explored world religions and found them lacking. Some have tried the “no God” path and came up empty. Some have just never heard the Good News of Jesus. We want to be a community that welcomes all people who are seeking after God. We want to be a community that invites others to share with us the spiritual journey of following Jesus. Consequently, inviting our friends and family and our neighbors and co-workers to come along is essential to sustaining our life together.
Hospitality: In every gathering, every sharing, every mission we want to make sure that all persons are respected and made to feel welcome regardless of what path of life they are walking. One of the greatest compliments STORM Faith Community can receive is when someone says “I came to a gathering and I felt loved”.
We want to do three things well at SFC, and each one is a door by which you can enter and begin to participate.
(1) HOUSE CHURCH. The basic component of STORM Faith Community is the house church. These congregations will have 4 to 20 people who meet weekly to share life together. Some will have meals, some will have dessert, some might have bread and water. Part of the time will be spent taking a look at what Jesus has to say about life...and then discussing it. There will be some application steps that we put into practice for the following week, and then talk about the next week. There may also be planning for a house church service opportunity, some way we can help the community we live in become better. As we eat, serve, share and challenge one another, God will draw us closer to each other to become His people. If you are interested in hosting a house church and inviting friends and family to join you, or if you would like to attend one in your area,
Click here.
(2) MONTHLY WORSHIP. A second important component is a monthly worship gathering. We have been meeting on the first Sunday morning of the month, alternating between east and west metro. Our worship always involves a meal! We expect persons who are not part of a house church to participate in our monthly worship times. The worship begins about 10 am and ends around noon. We will keep our worship simple. There will be mostly contemporary Christian music, testimonies, and a message from the teachings of Jesus to encourage and challenge us. Tithes and offerings are expressions of worship, so we will receive those gifts. Child care will be provided for little ones. Our monthly worship will be one of the unifying factors for the STORM Faith Community. We are not in this alone. We are together. We are united. If you expect to attend and share the meal, we will need to know so watch this website for "reservation" information. If you have an artistic gift you would like to share, please contact Pastor Dave with that info.
(3) SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES. Thirdly, we will participate together in regular service opportunities. These will range from helping pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, to filling food bags for Feed My Starving Children, to serving a neighborhood of a church member, to travelling together to a community in Minnesota to assist agencies and social services and other congregations in meeting the physical needs of the poor, the elderly, and the agencies that serve them. We expect that this will become a monthly opportunity, but we are working on some things right now that persons can participate in. You need not be participating in other aspects of SFC in order to join us in serving those in need. Again, watch the website for details.
It would be helpful for you to join the STORM Faith Community Facebook Group and send Pastor Dave your email address so we can keep you informed of the goings on of SFC. Thanks for your interest!
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CONTACT
STORMCamp Registration
WHAT
STORM Camp is a weeklong experience for students and adults who gather in Park Rapids MN to "Serve Jesus by Serving Others". STORM stands for Service To Others in Relational Ministry. This fits our local and global outreach activities and maintains the positive identity we have with each other, with others in the communities we serve and most of all with Jesus.
We coordinate a one week mission experience in a "camp" setting for approximately 105 students (13-18yrs old ) centered around various service projects for residents in the local communities we serve. STORM provides the labor and materials when needed.
WHEN
STORM Camp 2012 will take place July 22-28.
WHERE
Our "base" camp in located in Park Rapids, Minnesota at Northern Pines Assembly Grounds. It is nestled in the beautiful pine forest and sits a top a hill overlooking Fish Hook Lake. Northern Pines Camp has lodging, meal service and a great staff to ensure our stay is comfortable, fun and safe. They are members of the ACA - American Camping Association which supports various standards of a quality camping experience.
WHY
Whenever our youth can fellowship together, share their faith, service and friendship with each other and with those we serve everyone benefits. Each "camper" is changed in powerful ways and the communities we serve are also deeply changed.
Many campers return to camp and many continue on with SJXSO in their hearts for the rest of their lives. We are proud to have many past participants who now serve as adult volunteers at STORM Camp. Many serve in their own local church's youth programs, some are called to become leaders and go on to do other ministries.
Pastor Dave (PD) has been in ministry for 29 years with the United Methodist Church. He is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and Hamline University. He has served various sized churches in Menahga/Sebeka/Hubbard, Plymouth, Lakeland and Faribault, Minnesota.
PD has always had a passion for serving the least, last and lost. He has led 7 teams to Guatemala to serve an orphanage. A trip to Uganda in 1995 led to the formation of a non-profit called United with Uganda that resulted in church and school buildings and a pastors school held in that nation. PD has also traveled to Mexico and Appalachia on mission trips.
In 1991, along with four lay leaders, PD started STORM Camp (Service To Others in Relational Ministry) in the Park Rapids area as way of serving the poor and elderly in Wadena and Hubbard Counties. On average, 100 students and 21 adults serve 105 families each year the last week in July. With the mission of Serving Jesus by Serving Others and a focus on work and worship, teens, adults and community members come to know Jesus in a practical, hands on way that transforms lives. Many students have had a call of God confirmed or heard a new call on their lives for deeper service as a result of STORM Camp.
Dave was captain of his high school football team, ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, travelled in 45 of 50 states, loves Glacier National Park, has a hobby of brewing craft beer and sharing it with friends (he is from New Ulm!). He will also drink a cup of coffee with anyone anywhere at anytime. He chooses to live each day with joy and thanksgiving and expects to live to be 100. Most of all he wants to see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven.
PD has been married to Lisa for 35 years. They have raised three sons who are all married and they are blessed with three grandchildren.
CONTACT US
GENERAL INQUIRIES:
Pastor David Brown
FINANCIAL, BILLING:
Valerie Loppnow
MAILING ADDRESS:
STORM Ministries
65628 386th Avenue
Lake City, Minnesota 55041
"They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." -Acts 2
