Sunday I was scheduled to give everyone an update with regard to our building project known affectionately as Building Momentum. I took advantage of the opportunity to do just that as well as to talk more about the Saturday satellite services we're planning to launch later this year.

One-third of the people who attend Calvary Austin live in Cedar Park and Leander. Another third live in Pflugerville and Round Rock. When we leased our present site seven years ago, we knew this would be a temporary location for us. We knew we'd move and that we'd move north. For some time, we've had our eyes on 13.5 acres at I-35 and Grand. We need to raise about $1.2 million to buy the land before we can build. So far we've raised about $220 thousand. While we wait on God's provision and timing, we continue to explore possibilities as they arise.

What about the Saturday satellite services? What are they? How, if at all, do they relate to the building project? You might think of these as taking Calvary Austin on the road. It's about recreating Sunday services on Saturday. I will speak live at the satellite services. So we're talking about the same relevant Bible teaching, interactive ministry to children, and creative worship.

Why Saturday? Eighty-five percent of Austinites don't attend church. Many of those work retail or technology on Sunday. This is about giving those people an opportunity to attend. It's about reaching unreached people. Why satellites? As I said, two-thirds of our people live in suburbs north of Austin. These suburbanites are the ones who are attracted to the way we do ministry. They're the ones we've been wired by God to reach. Add to that the fact that we know our future campus will be located well north of our present location nearer to, if not in, those same suburbs. This gives us the opportunity to establish a presence there now and to begin right away reaching and impacting many more people. Eventually our present location and the satellites may all merge into one new campus.

Here's one possible scenario starting as soon as September. On Saturday, imagine a 5 p.m. satellite service in Cedar Park and a 6:30 p.m. satellite service in Round Rock. Then on Sunday, imagine that we still have 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. services in Austin. We're talking about four worship gatherings, three locations, over two days, all one church!

Many of you have only heard me talk about what it was like to move half way across the country to plant this church. My wife and I were in our mid 20s and six-months pregnant when we moved here not knowing anyone who would be part of the new church. God did such amazing things in answer to prayer and today we are a church of over a thousand. I want our staff and satellite service teams forming this summer to experience what it was like when we started Calvary Austin. Though most of our families will continue to attend on Sunday morning in Austin, everyone will experience vicariously the thrill of seeing these satellites launched as we share regular updates. I believe these satellites will do as much for current members as for the people we will reach. One thing's for sure. It won't be church as usual. The Christian life is way to exciting to settle for that.

What to do? With regard to the building project, please continue to pray fervently and give generously. And with regard to the satellite services? Pray fervently and seriously consider joining a satellite service team or stepping up to replace someone else who does. This is going to mean dozens of new leadership and ministry opportunities for people. I can't wait to see what God is going to do and how He's going to use you!

Allen

Sunday we come to the end of our message-series I.D. in which we've explored our values as a church. We'll be talking about the value we place on diversity as we study verse-by-verse through Acts 16 starting with verse 11. One of the things that make Calvary Austin a great church is our diversity. Not only are we a racially diverse church but, on any given weekend, you will find all kinds of people worshiping together. We are a community of worshipers who celebrate both the ways we're alike and the ways we're different. In Revelation 5:9, we learn how diverse the population of Heaven will be. I like to think that in some small way, a weekend service at Calvary Austin is a foretaste of that.

Allen

A few thoughts about crosses in churches, etc. Last month I walked through a cathedral in Pecs, Hungary. It was neo-Romanesque with four corner towers, the oldest part from the 11th century. Like all the European cathedrals I've seen, it's filled with crosses and other religious symbols. The sad part is that these cathedrals are filled with icons and relics but not with people. They're spiritually dead.

In recent history, the so-called "seeker churches" removed spiritual symbols and terminology in an effort to make people feel comfortable in church where, it was hoped, they would be introduced to Christ. No doubt many people have come to faith, and some of these churches are filled with people. But observers have expressed concern as to whether enough emphasis is placed on discipleship. As a result, well-meaning people are afraid that if a church doesn?t prominently display the cross, they must be compromising somehow.

Now we come to the Calvary Chapel movement. On the one hand, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa has always displayed a symbol on the back wall of their auditorium. On the other hand, that symbol has never been a cross. Instead it's been a dove, a symbol for the Holy Spirit.

Who's right? Does a church have to display spiritual symbols? Does it have to be a cross? Does it have to be displayed on the back wall of the auditorium? What does the Bible say? That's just it. It doesn't. The Bible is silent with regard to the architecture or interior design of a church.

At Calvary Austin, we didn't have our own building for the first six years we met. So displaying anything on the back wall was a non-issue. When we moved into our present facility, we hired a graphic artist to create a new logo for us. He presented several ideas and the one we went with included a stylized cross with the at symbol (i.e. @) at its base. It was cool and we used it for over five years displaying it on the back wall.

Early in 2004 we were ready to do something different with our stage. Rather than having one look all the time, we chose to be creative and present a different look for each message series. People who attend Calvary Austin know that when we start studying 1 & 2 Thessalonians in June, the stage will have a whole different look and feel than it has since Easter. When we start studying Mark in September, it will be transformed again.

We don't even have a logo anymore. The design element on our homepage that we've also used for our current message series is nothing more than a simple graphic design suggesting change. As you can see, the colors and shapes change as you work counter-clockwise around the design.

What matters is not whether a cross is prominently displayed in a church's auditorium but whether Christ is prominently displayed in a church's attenders. Can we say with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20)?

The danger of drift is always from substance to symbol. Nothing wrong with symbols. I wear a cross-engraved ring every day. I sometimes wear a necklace with a cross on it. But so do lots of people who don't even profess to be followers of Christ. If we don't place more emphasis on substance than on symbolism we will soon be majoring on minors and minoring on majors. Or as Jesus said, we will be straining gnats and swallowing camels (Matt. 23:24).

Allen

In case you missed it, here's what I shared with the church Sunday about our God-given goals.

First we want to triple the number of small groups we offer by summer's end. We believe that discipleship takes place best in the context of relationships and that relationships are most naturally formed in our Life Groups. Our goal is to go from four Life Groups to 12 and that's just the beginning.

Second we want to begin a monthly Communion service known as First Wednesday beginning June 1. This interactive worship gathering will include songs, Scripture readings, prayer, open sharing, times of silence and, of course, Communion.

Third we want to launch two Saturday satellite services possibly in September. We are exploring both the Pflugerville/Round Rock area as well as the Cedar Park/Leander area. Why Saturday evening? We want to reach the 85 percent in the Austin metro who don't attend church many of who work retail or technology on Sunday. Why satellite locations? Most of our attenders and visitors live in these communities and our next campus will likely be located in that area.

How does a church keep adding activities without ever subtracting? Just as families experience gravitational pull toward over-scheduling, churches experience gravitational pull toward over-programming. We understand that we can't do everything. If we try to do everything, we may end up accomplishing nothing. What we need to do is to leverage limited resources for maximum results.

For that reason, we are suspending our mid-week service. The last mid-week service will be Wednesday, May 25. Student Ministry will continue uninterrupted moving to 6:00 - 7:30 Sunday evening starting June 5. This will make it possible for many more families to participate than were able to do so on Wednesday. We will continue to pour resources into G-Force - our interactive ministry to children at weekend services - and to encourage families to attend the Life Groups and experience community together. We will soon add a banner to the homepage taking you to a list of FAQs.

Have you or someone you love had laser surgery? Chances are you've at least heard of it. Ever heard of flashlight surgery? Of course not! You can't do the same things with a flashlight that you can do with a laser. And the difference between the two? One word: focus. As a church, we know whom God's called us to be. We know what God's called us to do. We know where God?s called us to go. Focus with me. Let's move forward together. For the glory of God. And the good of the Austin metro.

Allen

God has given us some great goals and clear guidance as a church. This summer our goal is to triple the number of small groups we offer as well as to begin a monthly Communion service known as First Wednesday. Then this Fall our goal is to launch two Saturday satellite services. To accomplish this, we are suspending the mid-week service. The last mid-week service will be Wednesday, May 25. Got questions? We?ve got answers! Sunday morning, May 8, I will take several minutes to talk about our new schedule before continuing in our current message series I.D. - Unleash Your God-given Identity. After the services, Pastors and Elders will be available to answer your questions and a list of FAQs (frequently asked questions) will be distributed.

Allen