The Goings on and Work of Sam Mahlstadt

As many of you well know by now, my wife and I have relocated to Winston-Salem, NC to help plant One Church. We have now lived in W-S for a few weeks, and the work has begun. The first step in this adventure is sharing the vision of the church. It is a unique opportunity for us because we are constantly getting asked the question, “So, what brings you to Winston?” every time someone sees our license plate, driver’s license or finds out we are unfamiliar with the city. It catches people off guard when I respond that we are helping build a new church community. Many times, I get an “ah” or “oh, really?” and the conversation ends. But more times than I would expect, the conversation continues, and people have questions. What kind of church? (that’s a big one) What denomination? Where is it? (I love that one) What’s it called? etc, etc. Several people have responded with excitement as I give a quick overview of the vision of the church with two statements that make it all worth it:
1. This city needs a church like that. (breaking free from tradition)
2. I need a church like that, I just don’t feel like I fit in church.

People are excited about new vision, and some are just excited by vision, period.
I shared a bit of One Church’s vision in the previous post if you would like more information.
To partner with us in what God is doing through One Church, click here.

Step 2: Fundraising – more on this in the next couple days, stay tuned.
Thoughts on the church-planting process? Join the conversation.

I feel like I may have put the cart before the horse in my previous post. Let me explain; I asked for contributions to One Church, but I did little to explain why.
So, here is some clarification:

One Church is:
brand new (still only a handful of people)
dreaming of ways to reach people who aren’t being reached
creating strategies to have maximum impact in our city
developing ways to communicate “you belong”
re-imagining what the church is and how it functions
a genuine community
creative and innovative in our approach

One Church is not:
just another church in Winston-Salem
leaning on tradition to dictate methods
bankrolled by a mega church (we are all working non-ministry jobs for our sustenance)
doing the same thing that is being done by other churches in W-S
a preacher and his congregation ( we are a COMMUNITY)

One Church will be:
needed by the city
accepting and loving with no strings attached
a voice for those without a voice
a place to belong for those who feel they don’t belong in church
speaking up for justice
fighting for, and with, those who are fighting alone

This is a small portion of the DNA of One Church, but I hope it helps to clarify why you would want to invest in the community.
To donate toward the formation of One Church: please click here.
Remember, you are not investing in an institution, you are investing in people’s lives.
Join us in making this happen!

So one week is up. A litter over a week ago, I made a goal to raise $1000 for One Church, the church Amanda and I moved to Winston-Salem to help build. I set up a savings goal on Smartypig, and put a widget on my Facebook account, and Twittered (tweeted?) about it heavily. So…one week has passed, and $200 came in. Not the $1000 I hoped for, but a solid start. Here is the thing, if a large group of people can commit to a small donation, we can do huge things.
Feel free to contribute here.

An example of what I am talking about is the Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) and CNN (@cnnbrk) racing to a million followers. To amp things up, @aplusk brought in Malaria No More (@malarianomore) and started raising awareness to their cause. Now, after his taping of @Oprah, hundreds of thousands of mosquito nets will be donated to people in Africa. Using social media to do big things, that’s what I’m talking about!

**UPDATE:
It turns out, I don’t pay attention to directions (my wife and grade school teachers could testify) and Smartypig only accepts contributions equal to or greater than $10. Oops! So here is the new deal, I need at least 100 people to donate at least $10. This week. C’mon, let’s do this thing!**

This is a bit bold, but I am in that mood. I have established an account through Smartypig, and have established a savings goal of $1000. The $1000 will go enitrely to One Church, and I will not take a penny. Not a huge amount, but here is the kicker; I am going to ask only those in my social network to donate towards the goal.

Here is my plan:
I am going to ask everyone who I am friends with on Facebook to give $1-5. Simple enough, and less than the cost of a value meal. Really, who doesn’t have at least $1 they could give to a friend?
I am going to ask everyone who follows me on Twitter to also give $1-5. For those who fall into both of those categories, I am going to ask twice. $2-10 isn’t all that much.

Here is my goal:
I want to make a very clear statement about many people doing a small share to create a great impact. This is true community.
I want to raise this $1000 in one week. Again, using only my social media networks (FB & Twitter)

Here are my predictions:
Only a handful will participate, but the goal will be met.
It will take at least 200 people’s participation to reach the goal, but I think I have that many who would contribute…I hope. (700 friends on Facebook, 100 followers on Twitter) I need 1/4 of my network to participate ideally.

Again, I will not touch a penny of this savings goal, and in fact, if no one participates, I have committed to give the $1000 on my own. I believe in the vision of One Church, and I will do what it takes to support it. Please join me.

**Update #2: We have raised a little over $300 as of 5/28/09**

Tonight, the launch team of One Church hosted a Seder to celebrate the Jewish feast, Pesach (Passover). A Seder is a family meal that kicks off the Passover week, known as the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. It is an appointed feast found in Exodus that commemorates God delivering the Israelite nation out of Egypt. Learning the traditions and customs that accompany the Seder were astounding, and it seemed like the perfect first gathering for One Church. Here are some pictures from our Seder, before, during and after. Enjoy, and have a good Passover week! Did you do anything to celebrate Passover, or plan to do anything this week?

Amanda and I arrived in Winston-Salem, NC on Wednesday evening. We are starting our third full day here, and some incredible stuff has already happened. We have applied at several different places, with some good leads. We have a real estate agent who has committed to help us find jobs, a place to live, a place to hold church services (he has already called with one great location for us to check out) and is interested in becoming a part of the church.

Yesterday:
In a conversation explaining why we moved here, Amanda and I were told by a lady in her twenties, “this place needs a church like that, my friends and I just don’t feel like we fit in at church. I will have to tell all my friends about you guys.” She then proceeded to give us her phone number and email.
We then found a place that we want to live, and put in an application.
I then got an interview for Monday at a restaurant. Then I was directed to a store in the mall who is hiring, and was referred by a manager at a different location. Things are happening and we have only been here for three days. It almost seems like someone has gone before us and prepared the way…call me crazy.
As things develop, I will continue to fill you in. In the meantime, join our facebook group for updates. Or, follow us on twitter @onechurch