Go Downtown Pres

I am so thankful to be serving on the launch team of this new church. It is amazing to see all that God is doing for HIS church even now. He is working in incredible ways and I am so blessed and grateful to get to serve along side a great team of people who are working to make this new church a reality.

Downtown Presbyterian will be launching this fall with preview/reveal services starting in the next month or two. ANYONE who is interested in coming, please please please let me know! We would love to have you come worship with us.

check out our website www.ourdownchurch.org I copied the stuff below from the website.

Downtown Presbyterian will be guided by Scripture, serve the community, following Jesus by eating with, speaking to, and claiming as neighbors the sick, hungry, homeless and lost. We will be regional in scope, gathering people from surrounding neighborhoods and the Greater Columbia area. We want to reflect the diversity of Columbia. We will worship with joy while embracing the richness of ancient spiritual practices and remaining open to modern worship styles. We will welcome all people to worship, learn and serve with us no matter where they are on their spiritual journey.

Zac Smith

For those who also know me on facebook, you have seen me mention Zac Smith on several occasions. I first heard of this man last fall on twitter when different pastors and church staff members at NewSpring Church (the church I go to when I am at school) tweeted about him. I have followed his story for months, praying for him and finding his story was greatly impacting my life, my personal relationship with Christ, my daily walk with the Lord, as well as my relationships here on this earth. His story became something I saw first hand about 12 weeks ago. They played this video in church.

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

It rocked my world. First, because of his young age (32 at the time of diagnosis), and also because as a child of a parents with cancer, I have seen its struggles but also seen how it can radically change the person I am in my faith. In the video, Zac talks about how God's plan for him, despite cancer, was going to be something special. In the video, again shown in February 2010 at church, he says "the bible says in Matt 7:11 'God gives good things to those who ask' God cannot give me a bad gift." He even goes so far as to say cancer is the best thing that happened to him because it positively changed the way he lives his life. He says in the video his hope was that God would heal him. Finally he says "if God chooses to heal me, God is God and God is Good. If God chooses not to heal me, then God is still God and God is still good. To God be the glory."

On Sunday, May 16th, Zac Smith met Jesus face to face. He was healed-- relieved of all the pain and suffering. It breaks my heart for his wife Mandy and their three children. But I am certain he is rejoicing for being with his savior.

Today they posted his memorial service. For whatever reason, it wont let me embed the video, but you can go here and watch it. http://www.newspring.cc/zacsmith

I hope and pray that I can live a life of faith as he did. I pray that at the end, I will have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.