The Poland team flew back into Charlotte airport on Tuesday, July 7 after a week in Poland. The team was able to conduct a sports camp for kids at a local park in the morning. It had more than 50 kids in attendance on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, they were invited to the YMCA of Krakow to conduct the camp there since it had rained overnight. 

They also worked with a newly-formed baseball team in Krakow every evening. On Friday night, the scrimmaged, the UAM Cotton Blossoms vs. the Krakow Tigers, and the Blossoms won, 6-5! The guys presented them with a signed baseball and a shirt on Friday night at the ministry coffee house that Compass International Christian Church hosts weekly.

Jeff preached at CICC on Sunday night, and Kayla Temple shared her testimony during the service. Both spoke with the aid of an interpreter so that the baseball team members (and some Krakow girls basketball team members that the girls had met) who were in attendance could understand.

The team also got to visit the Nazi death camp Auschwitz on Monday.

Team members included Jeff and Carolyn Noble, Tracy Reed, Lou Arnold, and UAM Cotton Blossoms Kayla Temple, Becca Sustaire, Becca Tipton, Savanah Morin, Lindsay Randall, and Amy Mardis.

Each summer, our normal small groups take a break, and we meet in separate groups for men and women. It’s a fun, relaxing time to get to know one another better, invite friends, and enjoy “guy-talk” or “girl-talk.”

Beginning the week of June 7, our gals group will meet on Mondays at 6:00 p.m., and our guys group will meet on Tuesdays at the same time. Guests are encouraged and welcomed to attend.

This summer, we will focusing on prayer as a church. If you’d like to attend, just show up. Both groups will be meeting at Journey Church. If you have a prayer request, please fill out the contact form, and we’ll consider it a privilege to minister to you through prayer.

In an email sent out last week, founding pastor Jeff Noble announced his resignation from Journey Church. Jeff started Journey in January 2003 as a small group began meeting in the Noble’s living room to pray and envision a new church for Monticello.

Jeff will be the new pastor of Northstar Church in Blacksburg, Virginia. Its founding pastor, Bob Jackson, retired last year. After many months of searching the Northstar pastor search team invited the Nobles to visit their church the last weekend of May. Jeff preached May 31 in view of a call.

Here is the text of Jeff’s resignation letter:

Dear Journey family,

We spent the last weekend, as you all know, in Virginia at Northstar Church. We had a wonderful opportunity to meet the people of the church, leaders, spend time in discussion and Q&A as well as preach in their services Sunday. They voted to call me as their pastor.

We told them over the weekend that we could not make that decision in the “heat of the moment.” Who wouldn’t say “yes” after being treated like royalty all weekend? We needed some time to get home, process and pray more.

It is with a mixture of intense emotions but great confidence in the direction the Lord has placed before us that I communicate to you that I will be resigning as pastor of Journey Church to go to Virginia and serve as pastor of Northstar.

We plan to be with you through June and the Poland mission trip, and after that, we will be packing and moving. Sunday morning, July 12, will be my last Sunday as your pastor. These next few weeks are extremely important for us as the people of Journey. I will be assisting the leadership team in creating a transition team. They will be the group that seeks to determine the direction for Journey into the faith-filled future.

I’m excited about worshipping with the people of Journey for the next several weeks. This Sunday, we will have our regularly scheduled Leadership Team meeting and Core Group meeting. On Sunday, June 14, at 5:00 Dave McClung will meet with the leadership team to assist us in this future transition process. Dave is on the Missions Team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. His role is to aid contemporary and innovative churches across our start. He is a great guy, and he will be a huge blessing and asset for us.

I’ll be sharing more about our journey this coming Sunday, but for now, I want to say how much the Nobles love you all. Anything I could write in an email is insufficient to communicate our respect, gratitude and joy in being your spiritual shepherds.

In His hands,

Jeff

Jeff will be helping the Leadership Team of Journey develop a transition team and process as they begin their search for a new pastor.

It’s been several months (actually over a year!) since Journey has hosted an NCourage! We’re excited to be able to offer another morning just for ministers this month on Tuesday, May 26, at 9:00 a.m. We will be partnering with Rose Hill Baptist Church to host pastor and author Rob Morgan. (http://www.robertjmorgan.com)

Rob Morgan is the pastor of The Donelson Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served for 29 years.  He is a best-selling and Gold-Medallion winning writer with over 20 books in print approaching 2 million in print circulation, and is now a brand author of B&H Publishing.

NCourage is designed to encourage ministers. Each time we host the event, we hope to allow pastors, church planters and staff to leave with a lighter heart and a refreshed spirit. We deeply appreciate what these leaders do to serve Christ and extend His kingdom.

We will be feeding breakfast that morning. In addition, everyone who comes will receive a free copy of one of Rob’s books, compliments of Journey Church and Rose Hill Baptist.

Rob will be preaching at Rose Hill Baptist Church from Sunday – Wednesday in revival that week, and you’re invited to attend!

We’re beginning to raise money in earnest for the upcoming mission trip to Poland this summer.

On June 29, six girls from the UAM Blossoms softball team will join members of our church on a trip to Krakow, Poland. They will be assisting missionaries already on the field by conducting sports clinics during the day. At night, they will be helping Polish students practice conversational English in addition to seeing historical and cultural places like Auschwitz and Wawel Castle.

The trip will cost approximately $1500 per person. We’re so humbled to have so many in our church that have taken personal responsibility for a role in making Christ known to the nations. This sports clinic trip will be an extremely pratical way that we can help and support the work of International Mission Board missionaries already in Poland.

You may give directly to the trip by clicking on the “Chip In” link to the right.

Tired of hearing the fear, doom and gloom that’s filling the airwaves? Join Dave Ramsey for a nationwide town hall meeting and discover what’s happening with the economy, how we got here, and where we’re going. Plus, Dave will answer your questions live throughout the event!

Join us for this free event April 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Journey Church as we receive encouragement and practical instruction to manage our money wisely and stop bowing to Washington.

Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s actually a culmination of Sundays for Christians. You see, every Sunday celebrates Christ’s resurrection. It was because of His resurrection on Sunday that early Christians began to worship on Sunday rather than the traditional Jewish Sabbath (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown).

As we exalt our loving God this Easter, we invite you to join us. Just as Christ rose from the dead in new life, so He offers new life to all, without partiality.

May your Easter be full of joy, family, worship, and thanksgiving. Because Christ is risen, we are redeemed.

Come worship with the Journey Church family at 10:00 a.m. this Sunday!