Bill Berger.org

Hey, All Saints!

I am excited to share a few things with you all:

1. What a great Sunday! The energy and excitement yesterday were fantastic. I am so proud of Brynn Nelson and her team for launching the Life Group Expo. We had many of you signing up for Life Groups, a lot of first time LG attenders. The facilitators are excellent and the content of each group is going to be great. If you need more info, contact Lifegroups@believedoubtseek.org

2. Living a Generous Life series has really been great. I am enjoying the feedback I am getting from many of you, especially about making margin in your life. I would really like to share some of your stories and what you are doing to create margin in your life. Do me a favor? Would you email me your stories and would some of you be willing to share those stories with the church on a Sunday morning? Either way, let me know how you are doing. life@believedoubtseek.org

3. The team that went to El Salvador returned safely on Saturday night. I was smiling constantly trying to keep up with the many amazing things that happened for them on that trip. They are so excited to share with all of us! We are working on a Sunday morning gathering that will be dedicated to them sharing about their trip. Be looking and listening for the Sunday coming soon when we will get to hear from them. I am anxious to learn from them and to transfer that excitement and energy to reach the people of Seattle for Jesus.

4. We have amazing volunteers. This week I want to thank our Custodial Team. Every Sunday after each gathering, they are there to empty trashes, pick up and tidy up the building to make it comfortable for who ever is coming in next. They are people you may or may not see, if you do see them, say "thanks," and ask how you can join up!! 

5. This Sunday we are continuing our series on Living a Generous Life. We are going to talk about money and how it is in direct relation to our heart. Jesus said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21). I always have mixed emotions about this talk, I know it's necessary and I know how people feel about churches and money. I promise this, we are going to look at the Bible and see what God has to say, then we are going to act on it. It's going to be informative, fun and probably personal. So, be sure to be there and bring a friend! Yup, bring a friend to the money talk, it will certainly create some delicious conversation.

I am excited about what God is doing in and around All Saints! I pray everyday for the 7 hills in this city, I look forward to being a part of new church communities one day springing up on those hills as we become generous with our prayer, time, money and people!

See you Sunday!

pBill

Snow, stuff, generosity, Sunday...

Well, this has been quite a winter adventure! My kids went to school for literally two hours this past week. It has been such a wonderful time to hang out with them while we waited out the SnowIcemageddon! I hope you found some kind of rest and reprieve, even though it was forced upon you.

I am putting the final touches on the message for this Sunday. I have been so pleased with the wonderful feedback, both good stuff and criticism, on this series. I think we are learning that Living a Generous Life is an intentional decision and one that requires thought, dicispline and a whole new way of looking at time, margin and stuff. I hope you have found this helpful and useful.

This week we are looking at Mark 10:17-27, a close look at the rich, young ruler. This young man had a face to face conversation with Jesus about his possessions, and it was a tough chat. We are going to look at this and let Jesus chat with us too. At the end of the gathering, you will have an opportunity to respond to what Jesus is suggesting.

A few things for you to know about:

1. Beginning February 1 you will have an opportunity to attend a Journey class or a Starting on the Mission class (7-8:30). Journey is an introduction to finding your place in God's story, navigating the life of a Christ-follower, practices to deepen your spiritual growth, and some tools and perspective for the journey. Journey is a time for growth, discussion, reflection, exploration, teaching and prayer. Fore more info: journey@believedoubtseek.org

Starting on the Mission is All Saints version of membership. In this class you will learn about the history of All Saints. What all All Saints believes (doctrinally, missionally and philosophically). You will learn why we do Life Groups and why we are so passionate about reaching the city of Seattle with the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the conclusion of three weeks you will be given an opportunity to say, "I'm in!" on the mission of All Saints. Contact life@believedoubtseek.org

2. This Sunday, (1/22/12) we are going to give everyone that attends All Saints an opportunity to meet the Life Group (LG) facilitators and sign up for a LG group! To do that, we are moving our break time to the end of the gathering. We want to give everyone plenty of time to find a group!

3. Speaking of the break time on Sunday, from now on we are going to have that time between the 9:30 and 11 am gatherings. It will be a great opportunity to meet people you haven't met, especially people who attend a different gathering time than you. We are grateful for the Hospitality team who do such a great job making that time possible; also warm and delicious.

4. Margin has been our theme to begin this new year. We have been challenging you to make time for the important things and not let urgent things consume your schedule. On Wednesday night, January 25, 7pm-8pm, we are going to have our church prayer night. I want to encourage you to be there and take 60 minutes to pray for and with each other, our city, our church and the world.

5. I am so proud of Sarah Castillejo and her team that serve our children. They have done a fantastic job and continue to look for ways to improve, grow and make our children's hour excellent. Thank you Sarah and team!

6. A Big WELCOME HOME to our team that served in El Salvador! I am excited to hear about their journey. What a great group of people, and we at All Saints are so very proud of them. Boy, are they in for a change in weather!

I look forward to seeing all of you this Sunday. Check out All Saints website for some brief descriptions of Life Groups to choose from. I am so grateful for All Saints! What a great church!!!

Grace and peace,

pb

What's holding you back?

I'm ready for the New Year. I'm always ready for change. I think I am odd that way, but change is what keeps things interesting and fresh. 2011 was a year for change for me and All Saints. It has been fun and difficult; exciting and mundane; personal and corporate; some gains and some losses. I am excited about how change will affect the future and what new stories will be created from it.

I am grateful that God's love doesn't change inspite of circumstances, pain, good news and loss. Here are a few reminders:

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations" Deuteronomy 7:9

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." I John 4:7

"The steadfast love of God endures all the day." Psalm 52:1

As much as change has occured in 2011, you can count on change in 2012. However, the love of Jesus will remain something that you can depend on, lean into and embrace. Don't be afraid or worried, Jesus will hold you steady through the storms.

A few reminders:

1. We will be having one gathering on Sunday, (New Years' Day) at 11 am. We look forward to seeing you.

2. We are excited to send a team to El Salvador, January 13-21. Please be in prayer for them as they travel and work with children in San Salvador.

3. Life Groups are about to start! On January 22, we will have a Life Group Fair for you to join one of our many groups that will be offered in a neighborhood near you.

4. Starting on the Mission and Journey classes will start February 1, 2012. We are excited about this spiritual growth class. This  will be a class where you learn spiritual practices and habits as a Christ Follower. Starting on the Mission is where you learn everything about being on mission with All Saints; history, philosophy, beliefs, and your part on the mission.

5. We being a new series on January 8th called, "Living a Generous Life: Generosity happens in the margin." We are really excited about this 6 week series where we will learn about putting margin into our life so we can serve, give and love lavishly and freely. Bring a friend!

Happy New Year!

See you Sunday,

Bill

No Regrets!

I came across this post, I want to share it before 2011 comes to a close. It is something that will make you think as you come into the New Year. 

 

Hey All Saints, What's up?

#1 I am grateful and excited for what Jesus is doing at All Saints.

• I hear amazing stories of transformed lives.
• I meet new people every Sunday.
• I am absolutely amazed with all the buzz around Life Groups! I am grateful for the leadership team that is making Life Groups happen.

#2 The Christmas Eve gathering this Saturday is going to be excellent. Watch this video clip

Everlasting Light - Christmas Eve 2011 from All Saints on Vimeo.

Be sure to invite friends and family, we will begin at 5pm and wrap up around 6:10. It will be a great way to begin the celebration of Christ's birth.

#3 Reminder, we will NOT have Christmas day gatherings. A few may be wondering why so I will take just a second to explain. Our staff and volunteers have been preparing to make this time period the best it can possibly be, a lot of hours have been invested in what we are all sure is going to be an amazing experience. After an incredible ministry run such as that the leaders in our church decided that it would best serve our church, our volunteers and our staff to encourage them to spend Christmas Day with their families.  I can assure you that Jesus will not be offended. :)

#4 A GIGANTIC THANK YOU to all of our volunteers who tirelessly serve All Saints in many ways. The incredible creativity and excellence by which you serve is inspiring. We are a very blessed church to have volunteer teams that serve the way they do. A HUGE THANK YOU to the staff. They do so much and believe in the mission of All Saints. I am so grateful to work with all of you. A MASSIVE THANK YOU to the Board. You guys are wise and generous. What a blessing to have you serve All Saints the way you do.

#5 Reminder #2 - We will have ONE gathering on New Year's Day at 11 am. We can be grateful for 2011 and look forward with joyful anticipation for 2012. 

#6 I am excited to begin a new series on January 8th that I am calling Living a Generous Life. The idea here is that we can't be generous without margin in our life. I am really looking forward to it.

Well, I think you should be caught up with "what's up?" I look forward to joining with you on Christmas Eve. I am so proud to be your pastor!

Merry Christmas,

Bill

Hi, All Saints Church!

Hey All Saints'ers, I would like to share a few things:

-This past Sunday was truly special. I was so inspired by several conversations, one in particular. Our series The Living God, has been inspiring people to truly seek and experience the reality of Jesus Christ. I listened to a story of a person who could not resist the reality of Jesus in their life and the transformation is incredible. What a gift during this Advent season.

-The Christmas Eve gathering is going to be one that you won't want to miss. We mentioned that we have some invitation cards for you to hand out to your friends and family. Please pray about who you are going to invite and give them an invitation. The majority of people who come to church do so because they were invited by someone. A few things about inviting people:

Please know that this is not about church attendance , it's about eternity. We are more concerned about a soul than a seat.

Every conversation you have with someone counts. Think of it this way, those appointments are divine.

Keep asking. I am sure you have asked before, but keep asking. See above comment.

-Prayer. This is so important. If you are reading this please pray for our gatherings every Sunday. In particular, pray for our Christmas Eve gathering. I believe God is going to do some amazing things. If you would, let me know that you are praying! Send me an email, simply say "praying" in the subject line. That's all you have to do. (life@believedoubtseek.org)

-I finished our new series that I will begin on January 8 called, "Living a Generous Life." I am really excited to share it with you.

-Thank you All Saints, I am blessed and humbled to serve with you as we serve Seattle for the glory of Jesus Christ!

 

 

 

I've been thinkin'

When we planted All Saints Church in 2001 I was 33, my kids were 12, 10, 7 and 2. I thought I knew a little about a lot of stuff. Today, I am 44, my kids are 22 (married), 20, 17 and 12. I know even less about a few things. 

I do, however, know this, the gospel changed me then and it continues to do so today. I am convinced the gospel is relevant, transformational and good news for everybody. It has been said, the gospel is an "open secret." It is meant to be shared, leaked, served and talked about over coffee. I have seen the gospel change and transform many people in my 10+ years at All Saints Church.

I have invited many people to "check out" All Saints and take in the culture of changed lives. I know many people at All Saints who have invited friends, family and "strangers" off the street to "check out" All Saints. The effect is too vast to measure!

During this Advent season, we all have an opportunity to invite someone to experience the gospel in its various forms. We can invite people to listen, serve, be a guest, watch, taste and sense the power of the gospel in Jesus Christ.

All Saints is preparing for our Christmas Eve gathering at 5 pm. We will be listening to Kris who was invited to hear and experience the gospel, it transformed him! His story is inspiring. Kris experienced the purpose of why Jesus came into the world as light, peace, hope and joy.

Who are you going to invite this Christmas Eve?

Seattle, a Creative Class city. What does that mean?

Richard Florida has helped us understand who, and where the Creative Class cities are, and what they are doing to garner economic and social momentum. Florida and his research, have been extremely helpful for me to know who the people are in my city, what they value, and what messages they will listen to. I have found this analysis of Seattle very insightful. From the Creative Class website:

“Seattle has an enormous number of Creative
Class members as well as a ridiculous amount of creative potential…Microsoft, Adobe, Starbucks, Tully’s, REI, The North Face,
Nordstrom, Washington Mutual, Amazon.com, Safeco, Jones Soda, Taco Del
Mar, Getty Images, Real Networks, Sur La Table, Red Robin, The Little
Gym, Nintendo…All of these companies are pioneers for
there industry … People in Seattle are constantly using their
individuality to invent, rediscover, and engineer … As
reported a number of months ago, Seattle, a very affluent city, was
found to be the least philanthropic … Seattle was found to be the least generous city in
the country … So
here is where I am left…can a city that is highly creative change their
lens? Can we begin to use our creativity for positive influence? Can we
stop relying on Bill Gates and Paul Allen to carry the load of
influence? How do we move high creatives to have positive influence on
the world? Can Seattle stop waiting for their arts to leak to the main
stream and begin to see ALL creativity as a movement that can inspire
hope to those who are in desperate need? Can we stop looking to use our
creativity to make money and gain popularity and see it as a gift that
we possess that can move other’s to a common good?”

How do you answer these questions?

Getting excited for the 2011-12 Ballard High Basketball season

Creative Class and Exiles

Thank you, David Kinneman for a very insightful article. For more info on the Creative Class, see Richard Florida.