Those of you who follow ACTS XXIX know well that St. Paul is a hero of ours alongside St. Joan of Arc. Paul’s preaching is passionate, anointed, and direct. And we see his precision in a particular way when he speaks to the Church in Corinth that has forgotten the heart of the gospel. We would argue that many of us in the Church today have forgotten the heart of the gospel (or never heard it) as well, thus the reason behind why we created The Rescue Project.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, St. Paul makes clear when speaking about the gospel that something has happened, as opposed to the development of a set of principles. He summarizes the gospel for this community of believers with a homily comprising four simple bullet points: 1) Jesus had died; 2) Jesus was dead and buried; 3) Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day; and 4) Jesus appeared to his disciples. Paul is proclaiming that the gospel of Jesus Christ is an event that has forever changed the world, and not some ambiguous religious idea. He’s preaching the extraordinary reality and amazing truth that Death has been overturned, overcome or, as Fleming Rutledge writes, “Death has been undone.”
In these glorious 50 days of Easter, may we, like Paul, be on mission to tell people about Jesus, to share with everyone we meet that something has happened, and invite them to experience the heart of the gospel through The Rescue Project.
May the same extraordinary news that converted the Mediterranean world convert our world today. St. Paul, pray for us!
Your sister on mission,
Mary
STORIES:
Our sister and friend Jackie Lupien, who serves as the Life Groups Assistant at St. Benedict Parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia told us they launched The Rescue Project on March 14 with roughly 100 people coming to experience the heart of the gospel every Tuesday evening. In their initial weeks she told us something we commonly hear in ACTS XXIX, “Why haven’t we heard this?”
St. Benedict’s promoted their first Rescue in A+ fashion, with both Fr. Alex and Fr. Simon preaching on the weekends preceding their launch, generating enthusiasm and excitement. They leveraged social media like crazy, promoting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their webpage.
One of the many exciting things happening there is that they have 10 on-line Life [Small] Groups, with The Rescue Project reaching approximately 80 people. One of their groups is composed of people from Spain and Argentina, and so they’re finding the videos dubbed in Spanish especially helpful.
Jackie said the initial feedback has been beautiful and the retreat this past Saturday brought people to an experience of being overwhelmed by the love and power of the Holy Spirit. “We are so excited the Holy Spirit is being poured out here. Praise God. We can’t say enough how good our God is!”
Many thanks to Fr. Alex, Fr. Simon, Jackie and her entire team who brought Rescue to their parish. May rescue missions now multiply in homes and beyond in Halifax.
OUR SPRING STORE CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT!
Friends, take some time today to place your order for merch before the doors close at midnight! This time around you’ll see that our store is featuring both Rescue Project and ACTS XXIX apparel. Fill your carts now and be prepared to invite people to experience The Rescue Project, as you wear your swag out and about this summer. Remember, rescued people rescue people! And if you’re out of the country, or on vacation, we love getting pictures of people wearing Rescue Project swag.
REGISTER YOUR RESCUE
Just a gentle reminder that we would love to know where God is moving, and to connect friends looking for a Rescue Project group. Would you consider registering your Rescue? You can register by visiting rescueproject.us and clicking on the banner at the top of the page or by completing this simple form. Thank you!
EQUIPPING NEWS
As always, we look forward to hearing from you as we host our next monthly live stream. Mark your calendars for Friday, May 19th at 11:00 am EST.
Should you miss our conversation, you can access it at your leisure by visiting watch.actsxxix.org.
WHAT WE’RE HEARING
“The Rescue Project is about biblically being healed. The Word of God has touched my heart.”
Bishop Louis Kihneman, Diocese of Biloxi, MS
