Get ready for the 2010 FST retreat.Starts at 10:00am and will be held at the Lions Lodge in Cuyahoga Falls. See basecamp events for details.

The FST Retreat in 2010 will be remembered for a long time to come as we survey the spiritual carnage surrounding our Cleveland home. In preparation for the retreat, NeoXenos elders have suggested watching this YouTube video which helps us understand the general outlook of fellow-Clevelanders after so many demoralizing football seasons!

The video speaks for itself…

On 1/23 CT-BOWMAN HALL ROOM 137

Connor found out what happens if you don't fill out a pledge form!

Read about the 2010 Elder’s Retreat, which describes how 2009 was a banner year in so many ways. More important, the issues and open doors available in 2010 will be considered in-depth at our 2010 FST retreat, but you need to fill out a pledge for that retreat!

We are now collecting pledges for 2010, after cutting our expenses to the bare minimum needed to continue the ministry. Please prayerfully consider how much you can possible contribute, and fill out our online Pledge Form, below…

Or download the Pledge Form...

Or download an

2010 Pledge Online Pledge Form

Greg surveys the spiritual landscape

For the first time in years, NeoXenos trustees gathered at an Elder’s retreat rather than a Sphere Leader’s Under-shepherd Ministry (SLUM) retreat. The Michaleks and Hughes’ were trustees, but at the the October Body Meeting they were appointed Elders by common consent. The difference is not small, because the Bible says it should be those with Elder character qualifications who lead Christian ministry (See 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1).

Together with the McCallums and Morschers, who were already Elders, the group met for two days on the shores of frozen Lake Erie to survey the spiritual landscape and get a fix on future directions.

As we see in Acts 6, Elders should focus on “the Ministry of the Word” and prayerful leadership. The challenge of an Elder’s retreat is discerning God’s leadership, understanding how God’s Word applies to NeoXenos, and discussing how “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12)

The Ministry Landscape

The ministry in 2010 looks considerably different than last January’s SLUM retreat when we were faced with such tremendous persecution and opposition. Not only did Jesus lead us into vindication and protection, He also brought us tremendous spiritual victories:

1. All ministries are reporting salvations.
2. All ministries are seeing new and competent leaders and teachers.
3. We saw unprecedented growth (nearly 25%) across our ministries.
4. We were blessed with 12 new qualified Deacons and two new Elder-teams!
5. We expanded our support to include the Meeting House in Canada and Ray Stedman’s people in California.
6. We were blessed with free (and quite exquisite) meeting facilities at the KSU Chemistry labs!
7. And two student Home Churches split!

All of these advances are quite astonishing, considering that NeoXenos was a renegade, vagabond Christian fellowship last January. It seemed the whole world was set against NeoXenos for no reason anyone could identify!

For 2010 please pray that Jesus will continue to provide for us! Even with all these great advances, we are still a church “with only a little power.” (Rev. 3:8)

Issues for the 2010 FST Retreat

Despite all this good news, we are facing tremendous hurdles for 2010:

1. Financial shortfalls continue to limit our future prospects.
2. We desperately need to hire part-time student  interns in order to sustain our growth and take advantage of new ministry opportunities opening up to us.
3. We cannot lose our zeal for spiritual revolution, now that we are no longer facing persecution and opposition.
4. The expanding ministries with new leaders and teachers desperately require equipping in the Word.

These hurdles are significant, because we must also expand into these new and exciting ministry opportunities:

1. We must spread and export the Jesus Revolution we enjoy so much; what a tragedy it would be if this ministry remained bottled-up in Ohio while spiritual decline spreads across the rest of the country!
2. We must do more to “remember the poor” and suffering that surrounds us. New opportunities are under consideration.

The Elders emerged from their weekend with an exciting list of prospects to meet these challenges, however. And this will be the topic of the upcoming Fiscal Support Team Retreat (FST) in February!

Stay tuned for more…and fill out a Pledge Form for the FST retreat!

NO CT 1-9-10.CHECK OUT A PRAYER MEETING! HOWELL’S DISCOVERY GROUP, CBS, WORD AT THE HOWELL’S. STOW HC, MICHALEK HC, HUGHES HC AT ALESNIK’S,

NEW Podcast! : Neoxenos Christmas Gala http://neoxenos.org/podcasts/578/

NEW Podcast! : Word discusses split http://neoxenos.org/podcasts/577/

NEW Podcast! : Ephesians 3b http://neoxenos.org/podcasts/576/

NEW Podcast! : IP discusses split http://neoxenos.org/podcasts/575/