Hi CVC family,
Last night, a few hundred of us gathered to celebrate 40 years of God’s faithfulness at CVC and to look ahead to what He has for our next 40. If you couldn’t be there, I want to catch you up, because what we shared affects every one of us. You can watch the entire Launch Vision presentation at the link below.
Where We’ve Been
First, we took some time to take a bit of a stroll down memory lane. In September of 1986, Rick and Maryanne Duncan moved to Cleveland with a simple, bold goal: to plant a church that would “go to heaven and take as many people with us as we can.” Pastor Rick shared that story last night, and we spent time remembering what God has done since: 27 church plants in Northeast Ohio, over 1,600 baptisms, and gospel partnerships from Ghana to El Salvador to Pearl Island.
None of that came from dreaming small dreams.
Where We’re Going
Last night Pastor Joe shared CVC’s new vision statement:
A world where the gospel, the Bible, and a healthy church are within reach of everyone, everywhere.
That’s a God-sized vision. Billions of people still have no gospel witness, no Bible in their language, and no healthy church nearby. We won’t finish this in five years, or even in our lifetimes. But we want to play whatever part God has for us.
Our First Steps: Launch
Launch is the five-year plan that moves us toward that vision:
- 5 spaces for transformation: digital, worship, family, accessible, and outdoor spaces renovated and renewed so more people can be invited in and transformed by Jesus
- 400 baptisms: 400 more stories of people trusting Jesus and following Him
- 30 ministry residents: a new two-year residency program, including a no-cost master’s-level education, to train and send the next generation of church leaders
- 2 healthy, independent churches: Brunswick taking its next step toward independence and maturity
- 1 new church: launching a new church in our region with the same multiplying DNA that started CVC
At the close of the Launch presentation, Pastor Joe addressed an important question: “Why does so much of Launch focus on CVC Broadview and not our broader Kingdom impact on the city, nation, and world?”
The short answer is that a church can’t send what it isn’t developing. Launch is about strengthening the home base so that more people can be reached here and more people can be sent from here. The video explains this more fully, and we would humbly ask that if you call CVC home, please take 90 minutes and watch the entire vision presentation.
Before We Build, We Pray
Here’s the most important part. We aren’t starting with action. We’re starting with prayer.
Today begins LaunchPad, a church-wide season of prayer and fasting that runs through November 4. We’ll walk through the book of Nehemiah together with daily devotions written by our staff and elders. You can find them at cvconline.org/launchpad.
Here’s what we’re asking you to do:
- Pick one day to fast. Everyone chooses their own day, so that throughout this season someone at CVC is fasting and praying every single day. (For tips about fasting, click here!)
- Pray through the daily devotions, for Launch and for what God might be calling you to do.
- Join us Wednesday, November 4 at 6:30 PM for a Corporate Night of Prayer and Worship to close the season.
Have Questions? We Want to Hear Them.
You probably have questions about cost, timeline, how this affects ministries you care about, and how members have a voice. Those are good questions. Join us Sunday, October 18, at 4:00 PM for a church family discussion night. You can also send your questions ahead of time to connect@cvconline.org so we can come prepared with good answers. Members’ questions will be given priority.
Whether you left last night excited, uncertain, or somewhere in between, I’d ask you to pray one prayer with me this season: “Lord, whatever You want for and from CVC is what I want. Give us Your heart.”
Grateful to serve with you,
Pastor Joe
