Hey everyone. This is Andrew. This is my first blog on our page, but Shawn and I are so excited about the vision that God has planted in our hearts; A vision for people to really understand Jesus for who He really is. I believe it is Christ's heart for people to know him and experience Him in the same way that people met him and had a face to face encounter with him thousands of years ago in the streets where he was ministering. It is our heart that people know Jesus in such a real way, and we believe that we, and all Christians, are Christ's ambassador’s to the world.. Being a Christian means "little Christ", so we want to be Christ to the world, going out into the world and meeting them where they are. Hence, our motto is "trying to be Jesus to the world."
              One day in December, Shawn, and I were sitting around the table having dinner with our wives. We were talking about our frustration with the lack of continual outreach from the church. Many churches only have outreach as a “special event” or a “holiday event” instead of a lifestyle. As we were talking about ministry ideas, I happened to blurt out the name "Inside Out Church". Immediately I knew it didn't come from me. Shawn and I both looked up at each other in amazement knowing that God has just birthed something. Before I had blurted this name out, I had a visual picture of a congregation of people walking into a traditional looking church and sitting down in the pews. Then I saw the Pastor getting up in front of the church saying “Hello everyone, today we are going to all get up and walk right back out those doors and go out into the surrounding neighborhoods and community and minister to whoever we can.” Upon that, I saw the whole congregation get up and walk out into the church and disperse into the streets and neighborhoods that surrounded the church.
           That is the vision that Shawn and I have. Whether it ever turns into an actual church congregation or just remains Shawn and I out ministering together, we feel like God has called us to be His church by doing more than take up a pew, but to go out and do everything we can to try to be Jesus to the world.
    As Shawn described in the earlier blog, we launched our first outreach yesterday, 03/25/07. It was a great experience as we got to be face to face with many people who were just blown away that we would even be willing to give something even as insignificant as a coke and a PB&J sandwich away for free. We had the chance to talk and visit with many people, feed the homeless, and pray with a man that had been stranded in town. He had to sleep in a ditch the night before and hadn't been able to eat in 2 days. People's responses were amazing.  
            It still amazes me how people are so drawn to the desires that God put within from the beginning. It is so logical how God created man out of a desire to love and fellowship and then when we bestow those same gifts back upon people for free, they can't help but be drawn to it. It’s because that is what their soul longs for because they were created in the image of God. It is amazing how anyone could believe in the power of love but deny God, but I guess that is another matter, for another blog.

                                                                                    In Christ,