(From Monday, July 14)

Topsfield, MA
Monday was a VERY full day.  Our last post featured highlights from our time with Ed Marcelle at Terra Nova Church in Troy, NY.  From Troy, NY we drove to Topsfield, MA, about 30 minutes north of Boston to meet Patricia Jamison and a group of leaders from several churches in Topsfield area.  Patricia has been coming to Catalyst for several years and rallied this group together at the last minute...it's always an immediate shot of encouragement for us when we hear people share about how their experience at Catalyst has encouraged them and served as an influential part in their growth as a body of believers.

For days now we have been talking with men and women on the front line of the church in the northeast; we've heard about how difficult ministry can be in this part of the country so we asked this group about that very topic.  "What is the state of the church in the northeast?"  Sarah (22) is a leader in their local youth group and when she was asked tis question she said very simply, "Sleeping."  "Complacent" was what we heard from Kim, a pastor of 15 years.  The education and wealth of this area leaves little room for outside need and solidifies a spirit of self-sufficiency.  "Then how do you reach a community that has no need for you?"  This sparked a great conversation and one that I wish you could have been a part of - the facede of lifestyle, wealth, "perceived" intelligence, and self-sufficiency crumbles in the face of friendship.  Kim, Michael, Sarah, JR, Kristy, Jon, & Patricia all shared about how they are seeing significant impact in the community - not through a refined and fancy program, but through personal connections and friendships that begin and unfold in the simplest of circumstances.  Church in the north does not look like church in the south but the power of selfless love knows no cultural boundary...

"What Will You Do?"
The theme of Catalyst last year was Reverb and the question we asked the audience was, "What Will You Do?"  Patricia's daughter came to Catalyst last year and was impacted by the challenge to made a difference.  She, and the entire Senior Class at Lexington Chrstian Academy in Topsfield, MA, decided to forego the traditional Senior Prom and instead organize a Benefit Gala to raise money for an orphanage in Uganda.  They did not target any of the parents from their school and focused on their community - they raised enough money for the event itself AND $6,500 for the orphanage in Uganda.  17-18 year old students decided to make a difference...and they did...and they are!

Boston, MA
Our day wasn't even close to being over...we drove south into Boston and were quickly reminded why this town is so stinkin COOL!  If I could move to any city in American it would be Boston, and yes, I love the cold!  :)  This night was going to be somewhat of a night off for us (simply meaning that there was no official road trip stop).  The exciting thing about our time in Boston is that while we were enjoying a fantastic dinner and touring around the city with the Vanagon top popped up, great music filling the night air, and innocnent onlookers waving curiously, we met two young leaders that are taking risks and reaching out two their community.  Dave Johnson, our Boston host and a good friend from college (CU Boulder, Go Buffs!  :)), shared with me about a running club that he started that has now become something of an outreach to 40 people every Saturday morning, many of whom would not claim to be followers of Christ.  Running is HUGE in Boston and Dave wanted to join the Cambridge Runing Club but it had a two year waiting list...so he started his own!  For three weeks he ran alone, and then he decided to tell people that there would be food offered at his home after the morning run.  Hmmm, food...yes, the tide of runners began to swell.  Dave, Andy (his roommate), Katie, and a few others are building commnity through their passion of running! 

Here is a story from the 2nd young leader that we want to tell you about - I asked Katy to email me a short blurb about what she is doing so I wanted to share it with you!

• "About 1 year ago, I began a small group based on the teachings of Norhpoint Community Church.  There is so much opportunity for ministry, especially to young professionals here in the Boston area.  In my opinion there was not an outreach ministry that was targeting this audience effectively.  The vision of the group is to create an environment where people, Christian and Non-Christian, can experience the message of the gospel in a fresh and relevant way.  We meet together every Tuesday night for dinner and fellowship.  After dinner, we watch a message from a Northpoint series.  We then we have an open discussion regarding the topic!  The group has really gained a lot of momentum this past year!  We have grown to almost 20 – 30 people every week!  It is exciting to see what God has done in just one year!  I am looking forward to see what he will do in the year to come!"
                                                                                                      -Katy Kilpatrick

So much more to share from our time in Boston, but this lengthy post will have to suffice!  Have a great night...I am writing this from my brother's apartment here in Manhattan.  We leave tomorrow morning for Washington D.C.!  Updates from our time here in the Big Apple coming soon - Redeemer Church & Origins Church took some time to meet with us -amazing insight on church in the northeast.  Stay tuned!

LV
on behalf of the Catalyst Road Trip Team