Sometimes it is easy to see the awesome stuff God is doing in other churches and overlook the amazing things that God is doing right in front of you. I had the privilege of doing an interview with the center for church planting from my Alma Mater, Liberty University. They wrote a short write up on Lifepoint Church! Thanks Liberty for setting me on my journey toward pursuing God’s will for my life. I particularly want to thank Doug Randlett and Matt Wilmington for the passion that sucked me into this crazy thing called Student Ministry!
Here is a copy of the article:
Liberty Center for Church Planting Newsletter
January 2009 vol. 3 Issue 1 buy Red Dragon The Negotiator ipod Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy download
Lifepoint Church – Pointing People to Life in Jesus
Like most of us, Jeff Kapusta (LU ’98) loves it when God simply smooths the way and opens the doors. So goes the amazing story of his church plant almost 3 years ago.
When Jeff graduated from Liberty University after studying Youth Ministries, he thought Student Ministries would be his life-long calling, especially since he did not think he had the administrative and organizational skills he saw in most successful Senior Pastors. After several years in ministry, he ended up at C3 Church in North Carolina under Pastor Matt Fry as a Student Ministries pastor. But God had other plans. While sitting at an ARC conference in Baton Rogue, LA, Jeff’s curiosity was greatly piqued about church planting. Terrified, he did not tell anyone. A year and a half later at a Youth Conference in Florida, Jeff heard one particular message that seemed to be personally directed to him: “Do you want to be a part of what God is doing? God is on a mission. He has given you everything you need to complete this mission.” Within two to three months, Jeff had a clear vision, a highly qualified dream team, and had moved to Wilmington, North Carolina to plant Lifepoint Church. There was no detail for which God had not already provided, including financial support, interested launch team members, and even free housing in a beach house!
When Jeff and his wife, Michelle, moved to Wilmington in the fall of 2005, four other families moved with them. They began meeting in a home to pray and to cast a vision for LifePoint Church. Their launch team grew to about 40 by the time they held their first public service. Largely by word of mouth, this core group grew almost immediately to 120. Lifepoint’s values are expressed at their weekly worship service in three-fold fashion: 1) Love God; 2) Love others; 3) Serve the world. They have made extraordinary efforts to reach into their community, beginning with the school in which they first met. Initiatives designed to show Christ’s love such as Backpack Drives, Angel Tree, mentoring programs for needy children, and Gas Give-Aways have caught the community’s eye, to the point of drawing TV news stations to report on some of their outreaches. They particularly try to partner with and bolster local organizations already in place.
A melting pot of college students and move-ins from the Northeastern states, Wilmington is an interesting economic and age blended community. It is comprised of many de-churched people, i.e. those who no longer attend church due to negative experience. In that context, Jeff tries to create an atmosphere of love, Christian authenticity, and giving. A recent sermon series entitled “Shattering Stereotypes” is testimony of his sensitivity to the spiritual climate in Wilmington.
Lifepoint has grown quickly, now averaging well over 600. The next step? Developing a multi-site strategy to reach into the highly segmented Wilmington area. Check out their website at www.lifepointnow.com. Fist Of The Warrior aka Lesser of Three Evils ipod 16 Blocks divx The 10th Kingdom download
The writer who penned this did a really great job. Awesome story! The journey is the best part! So thankful you were obedient to God’s call, and blessed to serve alongside you.