Vision for the City

It is said that Cleveland was the largest poor city in America before the hurricains that hit Louisianna with a vengeance. Besides our other goals for the church, we have a big heart for the poor of Cleveland. We want to start 5 church plants around the perimeter of Cleveland proper in the suburbs. Not at once, but as healthily as possible. The goal is to build a big enough financial base to be able to support work in the heart of the city. I have heard of several successful works where the finances from the dennomination or organization were pulled. The finances were cut off because the works just weren't self sufficient or the ROI wasn't great enough. This just breaks my heart! There are certain works that we can do where there doesn't have to be a financial return ... right? I mean aren't there things worth an eternal reward. If you take the light out of the darkness what is left? Certainly, no hope! We don't know exactly what this would look like yet. We do know that we want to have inner city missions trips as a part of this. People raise money all the time to go over seas and spend a week or two and learn how to reach people of a different culture for christ ... to make a difference in the lives of those who don't know Christ and don't have hope. Why can't we evaluate the needs in our back yard and take those same resources and make a difference in the lives of those in our own city or region. The idea is not to simply give to needs, but to help change the quality of life. To train, love and give hope ... to combat the darkness in society so that people can see, on a consistant basis, that Jesus is still alive and that no matter what they have done or how they are living there is a savior who isn't ashamed of them, but instead who very much wants to be a part of their lives. That anyone in America is free to dream as big you want to, and the only barriers we have are in our own minds.

We know that this won't happen imediately through the Venue Church, and that it is quite a task to take on, but it is one of the driving factors of why we feel we are going.