what's the church name?

Ok so I was going to tell you the name of the church we are launching on the Strip.

I know some of you will not like it and well. . . that’s ok. . . you don’t have to attend if you don’t want to (also it is probably a long commute for most of you anyway). Anyhow, back to the name. The name of the church that will revolutionize the Strip in Las Vegas is going to be named . . . (drum roll please).

VERVE

I know what you’re asking. “You mean the Verve?” Nope. Just Verve. Or you may be asking what the heck does verve mean? Well, I’m glad you asked. Verve means: Energy, enthusiasm, liveliness, passion, vitality, the life from which art emanates.

You see the Strip has energy and passion (although it is sadly misplaced on things that only bring temporary pleasure and more pain is always the ultimate outcome). However, the Strip does not have verve.

I think that verve is exactly what the Strip needs. The Strip need life.

Life that God can use to display and been seen truly as art. Life that is so consumed by His love that others feel the energy and vitality radiate from the individual. Life that is passionate about Him.

The Strip needs Verve.
And God is sending it their way!

Passion 4 Planting

Vince, Robb and I went up to D.C. on Tuesday this week to meet with Passion 4 Planting, an organization that partners with church planters to assist them in remembering all the little details that go along with starting a new church.

I have to say these guys are genuises. I would have never in a million years after doing even a million church plants thought of some of the things and timelines these guys have developed. Not to mention I am in no way wired to be detail oriented and obviously these fellas are. It was nice to have a face to face meeting with people we will be working with extensively for the next year or two.

The ride was pretty cool as well.

What do you get when you put and half Jewish proven successful church planter, a rock and roll star who planted a church, and a motorcycle riding, gun shooting wanna be preacher in the same car? Some interesting theological discussions and mind blowing stories of how a All Powerful God intervenes in normal guys lives in logic defying ways.

I gotta say I can't wait to see what God is gonna do through this church plant in Vegas!!! It' going to be nuts. Oh yeah, we might have decided on a name for the church. . . but I'm not gonna tell yet. . . you gotta stayed tuned for more!


Tommy

Vegas aint cheap

Unfortunately it’s not cheap to start a church, especially on the Las Vegas Strip (which I do not think would come as a surprise to many people). According to the Clark County Assessor, land on the Las Vegas Strip sells for over $30 million per acre! So obviously we will not be buying land to build a church, more on our plans for “where” later (God pretty much had a building built for us. . . well, kinda).

Just to give you an idea as to how much that is a Los Angeles brokerage has listed for sale the 138 acres of land above the Hollywood sign. The land, previously owned by Howard Hughes, has an asking price of approximately $22 million. This price shows just how rare land in a prime location on the Las Vegas Strip has become.

Those of us who will be on staff are currently raising financial support from churches and individuals who believe in what we’re doing and have the means to help make it happen. We are raising our own salaries to keep overhead down for the church for the first 3 years since everything in Vegas seems to cost more.

Please pray that we will reach our funding goals and be able to afford to do everything we think God has in mind for the Strip. (And maybe even pray about you supporting us financially…if you are considering praying about supporting us please feel free to contact me altman0308@yahoo.com to get more information or set up a phone call).

Also if your church is interested in learning more about what we believe God’s vision for Vegas is and where we fit into that we would be more than willing to come share with your congregation what God is doing and how you can be involved.




Tommy