Wilderness Resort, Pigeon Forge, TN

I have had a wonderful week with my family. Time to really watch them play, live, be kids at the water park! I realize how important it is to enjoy every moment with my family. Thank you God for them! We met 4 different families from back home which was really unbelievable! I also met another pastor who started a church 5 years ago and got to ask him some questions and share. We have eaten GOOD!

I know God would want me to say, “Life is so FULL and such a blessing when we put Him at the center of it all! We can be who we are, yet be transformed to know and think like Jesus. Whatever you do, do it for the Lord and realize that this life is for His glory. Don’t live it selfishly because you and I end up way off course when we do!”

GRAND OPENING – TheAvenueChurch.tv

On September 12th The Avenue Church will have it’s Grand Opening. Sunday’s at 11:00am @ the Social Circle Theater. The Avenue Church is a part of the LifeChurch.tv network! Loving and Serving the community we strive to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ! What is your purpose? Find life and live it!

The Word & Presentation

For mature believer’s the Word is all we need, but unbelievers and new believers don’t know that yet. Think of your favorite food, you can smell it, taste it, sense it, desire it. Now instead of putting that food on your plate, I get a trash can lid and put the same food on it and serve it to you. It is not as appetizing as it once was. The presentation could make someone reject the food of LIFE! I feel that some people never really hear the truth(the word) because they are so not into what we do that they tune out!

It’s My Birthday 33!

It’s My Birthday 33!

Ordination May 16th, 2010

Well, I am getting ordained this Sunday night May 16th, 2010. I pray I may lead people to put their full trust in God and Jesus for our salvation! God is BIGGER than we let Him be and more than capable of keeping every promise according to His word. Let’s have ridiculous FAITH and open our hearts and minds and allow God to teach us the rest!

You are invited to the ordination, 5:00pm @ the SocialCircleTeater.com on Sunday night May 16th, 2010!

THE CHRISTIAN/ATHEIST

How far is the gap between what you say you believe and how that belief get’s lived out? All of us have that distance between what we believe and how we live. Even one of the writer’s of the Bible, Paul, said:

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another powers within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. – Paul (a missionary and writer in the Bible)

Isn’t this disparity between belief and behavior so much easier to point out in others?! It is another thing entirely for us to see it in ourselves. Often when we do it can feel like such a different kind of life we start to question everything. Do I really believe in God? Am I really saved? What does a lifeactually lived in full to devotion to Christ look like?

These questions were the topic of series of teaching we had here at Church Online last year called Practical Atheist (see them here). But the topic connected with so many people and helped so many that our Pastor Craig Groeschel is coming out with a book that addresses the topics hit in Practical Atheist and takes them further.

The book is called Christian Atheist and comes out March 23, 2010, but you can pre-order your copy through any of these booksellers:

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Mardel, and Christianbook.com

FROM A VISITOR at The Avenue Church

FROM A VISITOR at The Avenue Church: “My wife and I went to The Avenue with my Aunt and really enjoyed the worship, as well as, the message. We were encouraged by what we saw at your church and have both decided to get more involved in our church in Deland, FL.”

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=41527146035

THE AVENUE: *UPDATE as of April 6th!

EASTER was incredible and we we presented the truth about Jesus.

This past month we have TRIPLED in attendance!!! We had been averaging 35 – 40 since January and on March 14th we had 87 people show up. To make it CRAZIER, I team taught with Craig Groeschel that day and I don’t normally teach. Just like God to do that to me! One young man excepted Christ that day and it just proves God can use anybody! LOL

Most everybody has come back and I have slowly gotten to know many NEW PEOPLE. I am so excited to really hang out with and get to know people more.

EASTER SUNDAY – We had 124 people show up and just had an AWESOME service!!!! God is going to change people’s lives and change the course of their future.

NEW VOLUNTEER STAFF on board!!! LORD HELP US!!! LOL (See Staff under DISCUSSIONS on the Avenue’s FB page)

God, May we lead people to YOU and be faithful to put YOU first ALWAYS!!!

Love You All,

Bryan Hoover

The Avenue Church – *IMPORTANT Updates as of March 11, 2010!

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to personally take a few moments to update you all on where we are at as a church. We have been meeting weekly now for about 3 months. We have been in testing mode, trying new things, sharing the vision and praying for those that God would have serve with us as we look to our Grand Opening date of August 8th, 2010. God has been faithful to connect the right people together and I am blown away to see Him bring the caliber of people he has. I would like to ask you to put this date on your calendar and begin praying for this day as well as praying for yourself and how God may use your life in His mission here at The Avenue Church.

Some current info on our ministry areas:

-Our worship and music team is incredibly blessed and God has supplied great people.
-Our leadership is growing and God has brought high impact people to help us grow people spiritually. We need more, PRAY!
Also, I am having conversations with others and I believe God is preparing the path for some other leaders to be here with us in the future. I believe it
with all my heart!
-Our media and tech teams are thin, meaning we only have one volunteer on each technical equipment. We need to pray for these teams to grow!
-Our Student Ministries, SWITCH, will be led by an incredible VOLUNTEER Leader Jordan Flores, who also serves as Creative Designer. We are making plans
and working through those details to begin the process of this ministry. If you are interested in Student ministry, please let us know!
-Our Life Group ministry, which is our small groups, has just started and the only group we have at the moment is at 4pm the 1st & 3rd Sunday’s of the
month, located at The Hoover’s. Directions are on our page: Go To DISCUSSIONS! We would like to start some more here in Social Circle.
-We are praying for a ministry leader for our children, LifeKIDS, ministry. I would ask you to PLEASE JOIN me in praying for THE person and for those God
would have assist in this ministry, including all volunteers.
-Currently we have no nursery but want to begin a self serve nursery when the little ones get cranky. We want to provide a couch and TV so you can
continue watching the message and have a place to go. Currently this is for children 2 and under. 3 year olds may stay with there families or try to hang
with the older kids in LifeKIDS if they can! All this will develop with time and we will plan to have ministry areas for all ages. We’re getting there!

We also plan to be very involved with our community. Currently the city leaders are very supportive of us and have even given us the leadership on some events. We are currently involved with leading the Community Wide Easter Egg Hunt, also, we are in charge of all the entertainment and music production at the July 4th Celebration. That is so far! We want to serve the needs in our community as we grow and are able to do more.
We have been able to serve with the CLC at the schools as well as some FCA morning groups, hang out at lunches with students, provide services to some of the school sports programs like announcing wrestling matches(Coach Prater), baseball games(Coach Lowen) and look forward to working with the football team in the fall with Coach Morris!

Of all the years I have served churches as a worship leader, the one thing that I know makes a church great is the VOLUNTEERS who make it happen. Jesus will do His job, but will the CHURCH (the people) do their part? Find a church fellowship that WOW’s you and you will find a great team of VOLUNTEERS! Jesus refers to His people as THE CHURCH! As a pastor and leader, my job is to prepare you (the CHURCH) for “works of service/ministry” Ephesians 4:11 & 12. EVERYBODY CHRIST SAVES IS CALLED and we must surrender to His plan, not our own! When we do, we find LIFE in serving Jesus with our whole heart! This allows us to accomplish our mission which is “TO LEAD people to become fully devoted follower’s of Christ”

In 2010 and beyond, we will connect with our culture in a way that relates to them. We will share Jesus and then lead them in the journey. Will you PRAY hard about serving Him and being a part of His story and MAKE Disciples with us as a team?

EASTER: Begin inviting people to come to church with you on EASTER which is April 4th. Start asking them now so they can write it down. The message will be geared toward asking people to give there lives to Christ. Begin praying for those God lays on your heart and bend over backwards to get them here, don’t give up on them!

*REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD 1 HOUR SATURDAY NIGHT!

Love you all and I’m so stocked to be on MISSION with you guys,

Bryan Hoover
404-392-1007
bryan@bryanhoover.com
www.bryanhoover.com

The Avenue Church
Campus Pastor/Worship Leader
www.TheAvenueChurch.tv

Hippie Churches??? What does that mean? Maybe, does that mean Hippies get GRACE Too??? Anything to reach the world!!!

Anonymous:

Byron…I love you’re quote. You inspire me. I will pursue wisdom above all things! Now Byron, I was thinking about visiting your fellowship but I wanted to make sure The Avenue Church ain’t one of them hippie churches that don’t use the KJV. What time is Sunday School?

My Response:

Hmmm? Not sure what a hippie church is! Can hippies be Christ followers? I actually like YouVersion of the bible. It is a site that allows you to use a version that you can understand because having the WORD apply to your life is what I’m into. KJV seemed to be an accent that was used many years ago and was very effective and that is why it became a new translation in its day! Why do you ask that question rather than “do we do ministry modeled after Jesus?” I’m not really into the religious side of following Christ because Jesus had issues with the religious people. I am into His purpose (life, death & resurrection) because that means life for all who choose Him right? So really, why do you ask? I am glad I inspire you, it means a lot! Where have you currently been attending?