Merry Christmas. Us Together. December 24, 2016

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Barbara Gloria Cobb
5 years ago
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Merry Christmas Merry Christmas! We hope and pray that your hearts and homes are 4illed with peace and joy this season. We are experiencing God s peace in a special way this year.

Each of you has sacri4iced so much to join with us in sharing the life and beauty of the gospel with the world. Words can not express how grateful we are for each of you and for your faithful support.

Not only does it provide the resources that we need to continue to move forward, each time you choose to bring what you have, it is like you are showing up in the 4lesh at mile 15 of the marathon.

1 Merry Christmas Merry Christmas! We hope and pray that your hearts and homes are 4illed with peace and joy this season. We are experiencing God s peace in a special way this year. While we long to be home with family and friends in Oregon, God is showing us the remarkable reality that His family is ours. What a profound and mysterious gift. Each of you has sacri4iced so much to join with us in sharing the life and beauty of the gospel with the world. Words can not express how grateful we are for each of you and for your faithful support. Your support is a choice. A choice that involves your mind, your heart and your will. We want you to know how much your choice matters. Not only does it provide the resources that we need to continue to move forward, each time you choose to bring what you have, it is like you are showing up in the 4lesh at mile 15 of the marathon. We check the mail and your support is there. We see the phone and your words are there. Your card shows up in the mail. Your arrives. The scripture that you had for us shows up. It happens everyday as you bring what you have. The distance between some of us is great, but I am telling you, each night it is like the whole team is surrounded by your love, prayers and support. We are free to give everyday because you freely bring what you have. Thank you. We pray that God would honor your love and faithfulness and we pray that you will experience the incredible joy of sharing the life and beauty of the gospel with the world. We are praising God for you and we can t wait to begin the new year.. Merry Christmas! 1

2 CULTURE FUTURE CHURCH The last 4ive months have been a wonderful season of growth. We have taken important steps to the begin the work here in Tampa while thinking carefully about how our local work 4its into the broader context of VUVIVO s mission to share the life and beauty of the gospel with the world. Our call reaches beyond the walls of any one church and across geographic and cultural boundaries. We are keeping this at the top of our minds as we pray and prepare for the year ahead. Recently, we reached out and asked you to join us in prayer for this very reason. Thank you for praying! It was incredible to receive the calls, scriptures, words of encouragement and perspective that you shared with us. God continues to use each of you to accomplish His purposes. It may be one of the most wonderful things about this journey.. The reality that we are truly growing and going together. Prayers are rising up from Tampa to Washington State. Wisdom is being shared through friends in small towns in Central Oregon. Young men and women in the heart of the Northwest are committing to pray. ; from Oregon to Macon, Georgia and down to Florida. California to the Northeast. God is working through each one of you every single day. One incredible friend shared that he has set a daily appointment in his schedule speci4ically to pray for VUVIVO. Don t miss the signi4icance of this! The shared vision, diversity of gifts and united purpose to share the life and beauty of the gospel with the world. It is all producing fruit and bringing glory to God. Amazing. Together, we begin a new year responding to our call in an important and exciting cultural moment. The landscape of both the culture and the church are changing dramatically. In and through these changes is a tremendous opportunity to care for culture, equip future leaders and encourage the church around the world. Culture. Future. Church. These are the venues where we share the life and beauty of the gospel. Together with each of you we are bringing what we have to do just that. Here s to the year ahead! 2

VUVIVO MONTHLY 12/24/16 Here is a look at some of the important work we will be doing in 2017: Culture: // VU VI VO Monthly A Book- Rebecca Sandberg and I are co- writing a book!

The book will explore the life and beauty of the gospel and will be one more resource VUVIVO can share. The process alone is creating wonderful opportunities for good conversation.

3 VUVIVO MONTHLY 12/24/16 Here is a look at some of the important work we will be doing in 2017: Culture: // VU VI VO Monthly A Book- Rebecca Sandberg and I are co- writing a book! Rebecca is an incredible author, friend and artist. Together, we are working to complete our manuscript and hope to have it ready to share in late 2017! The book will explore the life and beauty of the gospel and will be one more resource VUVIVO can share. The process alone is creating wonderful opportunities for good conversation. Stay tuned for more! Album Release - Jerome Milner has completed two new albums. He will release both albums this year! Mark Stockhoff is working hard behind the scenes to generate interest in the albums. Jerome continues to develop as an artist and we can t wait for you to hear his latest work. We hope Jerome will be the 4irst of many artists that VUVIVO can support and encourage , February 12-19, April and May Church: Tampa Fellowship - The foundation has been laid and a new VUVIVO Community is growing here in Tampa. Our missional communities not only provide the local venue for cultivating and celebrating the life and beauty of the gospel, they create the hip and wise fellowship essential for encouraging and equipping the future. We have an awesome group meeting each week and 2017 will be a year of growth and development as we learn to be VUVIVO in Tampa. To the Churches - Our work extends beyond our own missional communities. An important part of broader work is encouraging, connecting and equipping other communities to share the life and beauty of the gospel with the world. Future: Future Leaders - We are getting back to the lab to continue pioneering new ways to invest in the next greatest generation. This next year, we will take one more step in our work to encourage and equip leaders. Beginning in January, we will open a guest room one week each month in order to welcome a young leader to help contribute in the development of this important work. If you are between the ages of and would like to be a part of this process, please shoot me an . Our open dates are: January This year we will host a monthly First Friday Breakfast to encourage, connect and equip local pastors. Our 4irst breakfast will be January 6th in Tampa and we expect to have pastors from at least six different churches joining us. In early 2017, we will be traveling to Macon Georgia to speak to a local church working in inner city Macon. We look forward to bringing what we have to support their important work. Culture. Future. Church. May we see the life and beauty of the gospel growing and producing fruit in all three in 2017! 3

4 VU VI VO V3 Years ago, my older brother and Jedi counsel Seth, advised me to begin using the shorthand V3 when talking about VUVIVO. His opinion was that the linguistic funk of saying VUVIVO was creating a barrier to people communicating their excitement about the vision and mission. As a visionary, I resisted. My opinion was that the substance of VUVIVO was important and that by doing the hard work of learning to say it people would learn the meat behind it. Well, after all my resistance, I am ready to acknowledge that once again, my older brother was right. accents has been hearing different people try their hand at saying VUVIVO. That s VU. VI. VO. Like Rome Minor says it: Christ is my vision and His vision is my M.O. You will see us using V3 and VUVIVO interchangeably. The vision, mission, community and of4icial name of our ministry remain the same. V3 is just a smoother and simpler way to say it. The more I say it the more it grows on me. Thank you Seth Elliott for helping us to share the life and beauty of the gospel through your linguistic liberation movement! If you are just tuning in: The Vision is Jesus. VU = Vision Up or Look to Him. VI = Vision In or Look like Him. VO = Vision Out or Look with Him. VU VI VO Ministries is the of4icial name of our overall ministry. V3 Tampa is the name of the new Tampa Fellowship. As we have traveled, the only thing more interesting than the VU VI VO V3 4

VUVIVO MONTHLY 12/24/16 CULTURE FUTURE CHURCH How you can help in 2017: 1. Prayer.

In addition, please join us in praying for a new space for our weekly gathering in Tampa.

We rely on your 4inancial support to fund our annual budget. If you are already a monthly partner, thank you!

If you would like to support VUVIVO or to learn about some of our speci4ic needs, please email Zach@vuvivo.com.

We would love to see you in Tampa. 2017 is going to be an awesome year of growth for VUVIVO.

5 VUVIVO MONTHLY 12/24/16 CULTURE FUTURE CHURCH How you can help in 2017: 1. Prayer. Please pray for Jerome and Erin as they make their transition to Florida this coming Monday. In addition, please join us in praying for a new space for our weekly gathering in Tampa...We are already running out of room on Hubert Ave.! 2. Financial Support. We rely on your 4inancial support to fund our annual budget. If you are already a monthly partner, thank you! We are so grateful for your partnership. If you would like to support VUVIVO or to learn about some of our speci4ic needs, please Zach@vuvivo.com. You can also make an online contribution here: 3. Visit! We would love to see you in Tampa is going to be an awesome year of growth for VUVIVO. Come and be a part of the story on the ground. If you would like to visit, we can help you 4ind the best time to make the trip. Please Cammie@vuvivo.com to discuss travel to Tampa. Thank you all for your love and support! The journey is long, slow and deep. We simply bring what we have and obey each step of the way. 5

Navigating a Strategic Missions Course in a Changing Church Context by Mark Naylor

February 2011 / Vol. 6, Issue 2 Navigating a Strategic Missions Course in a Changing Church Context by Mark Naylor My frustration, said Tom, his voice rising, is that missions has no boundaries nowadays.