The ACTS Group
July Update
From the Director
How are you feeling? How are you feeling about your life? How are you feeling about our nation? How are you feeling about our world? Feelings can rise and fall with each new day or each new event within a day. If we are riding the waves of our feelings, it seems that the waves have been getting bigger and the “sets” have been coming in faster. We receive a text or a tweet updating us on the most recent news (most often bad or hard), or take in the headlines on a news feed or in a radio report – more detail, but churning the same dread.
I want to challenge you to get off that crazy carousel and take some time to “stay curious, think well and advance good” as friend and Q Ideas founder Gabe Lyons so succinctly puts it. Bad times are always good times for the good news! Be encouraged that God is at work in the world and in our Sacramento/Capital region. There is a “gospel movement” that continues to grow in breadth and depth. Take a moment to watch this fantastic video about the unity movement among pastors in our region – ADD LINK. Be aware that Sacramento was chosen as a “Promise Zone” – one of six in the nation – that targets some of our toughest neighborhoods with collaborative work to bring transformation. ACTS Group advisory board member and Sacramento Area Churches Together president Pastor Joy Johnson is rallying faith leaders as she is a proven transformation agent through Life Matters – more on this in a later newsletter. Dozens of area churches have greatly raised the level of prayer this summer, seeking God for the working of his Spirit and revival. The buzz around church-school partnerships continues to grow as the obvious missional rallying point to engage the diverse population of our region.
I don’t have enough room to tell you all of the things cropping up all over, but ACTS Group has the opportunity to tell more of the story beginning this month through a new radio show and podcast called Convergence Conversation. Every week through blog, radio, podcast and social media, we will be elevating leaders and stories that are impacting every sphere of cultural influence in our cities and communities. This gospel movement will gain momentum and strength as more gospel based leaders find each other, encourage each other and decide together how to be engaged in shaping the narrative and life of our communities.
If you are reading this, you are the ACTS Group,
Jeff Kreiser
Convergence Conversation
Bringing leading believers together into collaborative relationships has been a central strategy for the ACTS Group since its inception in 2012. This summer, ACTS is poised to touch thousands more leaders with key ideas, inspiration and information from those making a difference in our region. Through our marquee live events, Convergence Conversation and Q Commons, we have curated video content that has been used to populate a multi-media platform including a new website - Convergence.World – as well as a radio show and podcast called Convergence Conversation. You can tune into the radio show on Fridays from 6-6:30pm on KFIA or download the podcast on Monday mornings. The goal of the platform is to connect 10,000 gospel centered leaders by the end of 2017.
Summer of Prayer
Summer of 2015 will be a summer of prayer. As ACTS Group began in the Fall of 2012, God was very specific – “Prayer First”. So, the first strategic organization was established out of the Palau Festival prayer team - SacramentoPRAYS. Over the last 2 ½ years, the knitting together of the diverse prayer ministries has resulted in large meetings, as well as a proliferation of smaller gatherings getting connected together. This summer, Sacramento PRAYS is working with many others to promote daily prayer throughout the region from June 14 to August 14. We want to connect thousands more believers in prayer in their churches, in their neighborhoods and around their schools – learn more at http://www.sacprays.com/events/
Every School Partnership
The Every School Partnership is church-school partnership side of the Every School/Every Neighborhood Initiative. Through preparations that began in December of 2014, the initiative is being formally launched at the end of August. The goal is simple: one or more church partners for every public school in the Sacramento/Capital region. To get off to a great start, activities are being planned like prayer walks around every school campus in Roseville, a Day of Hope in Arden Arcade at Encina High School, and a luncheon for pastors and principals in Rancho Cordova and Folsom to facilitate these connections. A funding effort is underway this summer (see below) to be able to hire a project manager for this initiative and provide the online and communication support to fulfill every goal of the initiative by the end of the 2017-18 school year.
Financial Update
As we are in the heart of the summer, we are in a focused time of rallying funding for the launch of the Every School / Every Neighborhood initiative. If you are receiving this newsletter, you can expect an email from Executive Director Jeff Kreiser this month, as well as a phone call from one of our ACTS Group staff. We are asking every person who has been part of the ACTS Group to participate financially to launch the initiative in August as planned. . Everyone giving something can mean everything to the flourishing of the ACTS Group as we fulfill our mission ot catalyzing and mobilizing united Christian initiatives.
Merisa Moy, Finance and Development Director
Giving to ACTS Group can happen anytime online at www.ACTSonline.net – just click on the bar below.
If supporting by check, you can mail the check - made out to WJU / ACTS - to: The ACTS Group 333 Sunset Ave. / Rocklin, CA 95765.
If you have any question or need to learn more, Merisa Moy, our finance and development officer, would be glad to hear from you and can be reached at merisa.moy@gmail.com.
ACTS Group Endorsement
Shari Bonnard, CityGatesPray
“I believe that a city is transformed by its people coming to the saving knowledge of Christ. Churches play a large part in this by evangelizing and ministering to those in their communities. An individual church or groups of churches cannot reach an entire city. It takes the entire body, it takes a movement.
I am involved with the ACTS Group because the mission is gospel advancement through a series of strategies that incorporate prayer, service, leaders, and the gospel. This is the beat of my heart. It takes the body of Christ moving together as one, to spread the Good News. The ACTS Group models the principles and foundations laid out in the book of Acts and together we can reach those that are lost.”
About Us
The ACTS Group is…
Unified, gospel-based leaders working for transformation in the diverse communities of the Sacramento region. These leaders provide ongoing leadership and encouragement for gospel movement in communities as well as in the spheres of cultural influence of the city.
Email: acts@jessup.edu
Website: actsonline.net
Location: 333 Sunset Boulevard, Rocklin, CA, United States
Phone: (916)577-2389
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheActsGroup
Twitter: @TheActsGroup