THE JOURNEY SO FAR

My landlady is looking forward to the next season. She means the new episodes of "Survivor". My parents are looking forward to the next season. They're flying out here in a couple of weeks to watch the aspens turn shimmery golden. Denver folks are Bronco season crazy (American football for my European readers) which starts this week.

I'm preparing for the next season as well.

While we have been involved in providing events and training over the past 6 years, my primary focus up to now has been to provide effective media for ministries across Europe. The dream of a team in Europe with both the skill and the equipment to produce media is now a reality.

We've produced projects like a video training series for pastors in Poland; a church planting seminar for Germany; and children's videos for outreach in Romania, Poland, Germany and France. We've produced countless short videos to help ministries tell their North American audiences what God is doing through their efforts. And we've created videos to help raise a harvest force for countries here in greater Europe. (If you’d like to see some of these videos, there are examples to watch on our website.)

Our team members Jim and Sara Meyer, Alex Haenggi and Josh Johnson are currently working on 11 new video projects— with several other projects on hold until we can get to them. Ted and Brandy Cox are in their last months of support development before they’ll arrive in Germany. Others have helped CreativeWorks on a short-term basis, moving us into this season of productivity.

We have been blessed with some special financial gifts to purchase an HD video camera, a high-end video production computer, other needed video gear, professional production software and the beginnings of an audio production studio.

The next season for me at CreativeWorks.

As Jim Meyer takes the lead in the media production side of CreativeWorks, I am now able to concentrate more on helping churches create effective events for sharing the Gospel and training church leaders in the use of creative ministry.

My years in Europe have allowed me to get to know leaders in the church and in evangelism throughout Europe and in North America. I am investigating some strategic partnerships with them to harness the power of creativity for ministry. European churches and short term teams from North America are also showing real interest in outreach initiatives with CreativeWorks.

Sharing Christ with thousands over the next year requires people and funding. Children's outreaches and materials along with three major outreach concert initiatives in Ireland, Poland and France won't come cheaply.

We're also developing a new program that churches across Europe can use to create special events where they could effectively share the Gospel with their neighbors. But it will take recruiting North American church teams as well as trips to help European churches prepare.

I've been invited to travel around Europe to begin teaching courses to church leaders in the effective use of creativity in ministry through regional workshops and in European bible institutes and seminaries upon my return to Germany.

I'm excited about the next season of ministry for CreativeWorks. After 6 years, God is only getting started with our media ministry. And I'm sure he has some incredible things in store for equipping the church in Europe for sharing Christ and growing the church.

Looking toward the harvest.

The Lord of the Harvest has seen fit to bring us this far. And he's given us some ideas on how he plans to lead in the coming season. I'll run a few of those ideas by you soon. In the mean time, keep praying for the work of the Gospel in Europe and for CreativeWorks.