North Stars Preaching Series | Sundays 1/11 - 1/25
On May 25th, 1961, U.S. president John F. Kennedy announced that America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. What made this announcement so bold was that no one at the time actually knew HOW to put a man on the moon. What happened next, however was incredible! The articulation of a clear, bold, inspirational, yet measurable goal organized America’s energies and industry to not only achieve Kennedy’s vision, but produce tons of other technological breakthroughs to benefit society in the process including MRI & CAT scan technology, home insulation, kidney dialysis, increased computing power, and more. Kennedy’s “moonshot” was a sort of north star that guided and focused America’s shared efforts over the course of a decade to accomplish much more than scattered and un-organized efforts ever could.
The Mission Cincinnati was planted 9 years ago with a vision to become a church that would plant other churches throughout the greater Cincinnati area. About a year ago, our Vestry determined it was time for this vision to move from the backburner to the front-burner. In the Fall, we placed before the congregation a vision to collaborate with our diocese to bring on our first church planting resident in mid-2026 who would work on staff with us for 2 years and then plant our first daughter church in mid-late 2028. This vision for church planting is a “north star” for our church similar to Kennedy’s moonshot. The path toward church planting will be a patient one. We won’t attempt to do this tomorrow because we are not yet ready. There are still ways we need to learn, grow, and mature as a church to be ready to plant a daughter congregation healthily and wisely.
And so, over the next 3 Sundays we’ll engage texts of Scripture that help us revisit some of the key components of our church’s vision and mission. We will consider what it looks like to make Jesus and the Gospel central to our personal life and corporate life as a church. We’ll explore how we can continue to foster hospitable and safe ministry spaces where people can be welcomed, heal, and grow. And we’ll refresh our passion for missional engagement with the wider world outside the 4 walls of our local church.
These would be great Sundays to consider visiting The Mission if you’re new to our congregation, curious about us, or looking for a church home in Cincinnati. These are also great Sundays to invite others in your life who may be looking for a welcoming spiritual family to journey with. We can’t wait to share these next 3 Sundays together as we refocus on these “north stars” that will guide us in our pursuit of Jesus and our ongoing growth as God’s people in the year to come.