The Paragon Launch

It has been an amazing journey to this point and I look forward to what God is going to do… here is how we got here

It was March 2009 and a friend of mine in Phoenix was going with his church staff to the 2009 Catalyst West Coast Conference in Irvine, CA. It sounded fun and a lot of great speakers were going to be there, so I went and little did I know what God was going to show me.



It was an amazing conference with guys like Francis Chan (author of Crazy Love and The Forgotten God), Craig Groeschel (author of It and The Christian Atheist) and Perry Noble (a church planter in South Carolina – leads the church “where the sinners go”). With ten speakers in less than two days, by the time it was over I was leaving with a headache because my brain was literally full-- so many thoughts, so many ideas, so many people to be reached for Christ. I didn’t know what to do or how it was going to get done. One thing was for certain; I was never going to be the same.



As I sat on the plane leaving Orange County, I thought about all the things that were said but one the one speaker that kept ringing in my mind was Andy Stanley, the Lead Pastor at NorthPoint in Atlanta. He shared his story of planting a church in Atlanta in the mid 90’s and all that it entailed and what God had done to bring it to where it is today (tens of thousands weekly over 5 campuses). I kept saying to myself that I would never be a church planter and I didn’t want that stress or to put that stress on my family or my friends. I guess we don’t tell God “no”.



I got home and really prayed about it. I didn’t even tell Christy right away. I wanted to hear from God to see where He wanted me and what He wanted me to do. As the time came and I shared with Christy, I was excited that she was completely on board. During that same time, before I even mentioned “church planting” to anyone, God was moving. People at First Baptist Rio Rancho were coming up to me “out of the blue” and saying, “if you plant a church, we will go with you.” That happened more than a few times.



We didn’t know how, where, when, or even if this was going to happen, but we started to talk about it with some friends. The first friend that I talked to was a buddy by the name of Scott Brownson. (you might recognize that name because he is now Paragon’s worship leader) We talked about the possibilities of what God might do in bringing him along… but it was a long shot, a VERY long shot – nearly impossible by any stretch of the imagination. It wasn’t quite as long of a shot for our other friends. It was just the question of how to make this a reality.



The summer flew by (just as it always does for a youth pastor) and September came. We had a church informational meeting in the PowerHouse that brought a lot of people out to hear what God was doing (it also brought out a lot of people because they found out we were serving Hot Tamales enchiladas, beans, and rice). A few more weeks passed and we had our first meeting in the fellowship hall on a Saturday Night. The Hendrix, the Proctors, the Lundays, Juanita Peralta, Katie Carroll, and Christy joined me and pastor Si to kick this off. We started meeting every other week and two weeks later we met for our first regular meeting in Room 204 (seats about 20 comfortably) with 24 people.



We continued to grow every meeting we had through December 2009, so much so, we had to move into and out of two rooms and finally ended up in the PowerHouse at First Baptist.



That brought us to March, and Sandia Vista Elementary School. Our first Sunday there (March 7) we started our Spring Training series with 77 people. The second week we had 83, third week, 93, and the fourth and final week, 94.



Then, we launched. Easter Sunday was preceded with door hangers, mailers, and a fun outreach at WalMart. God did His thing and brought out nearly 150 people to our first official Sunday. It could not have been better.



It has been exciting to watch the transformation from a Bible Study to a church in the past months. We have seen decisions for Christ every week since we entered the school. We have a Baptism “Life Change” Celebration on April 25th with six people already lined up to be baptized. I really can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.

Until NEXT time…

Spring Training

March 7 was our first Sunday in Sandia Vista Elementary, the home of Paragon Church. The church family spent the day Saturday in preparation for this big day. We unpacked the trailer, organized carts and supplies, set-up rooms and transformed the school into a beautiful place for corporate worship. You could sense the excitement in each of the devoted people that have played such a huge role in the behind the scenes of Paragon Church.

After little sleep on Saturday night, Sunday was here. Our first service in the school was upon us. There was a busyness in the school as people had gathered early to make sure that everything was in its place. As a crowd gathered in the worship center/gym, you could feel God's presence. I stood in the back in awe of God's mighty hand in Paragon Church. He IS Paragon Church. As we continue through our own "spring training" in this season of ministry, we have already been recruited. We ARE on the team. Are we going to sit on the bench or are we going to get in the game?

Put me in coach.....I'm ready to play!!!

And so it begins...

With great anticipation, Paragon Church has had its first two Bible Study gatherings. What excitement was in the air! I am ecstatic to see God moving. I want to document this incredible journey of obedience and faith, so we can be reminded again and again of God's blessings.

I remember as a youth hearing the term "founding member" of the church. My immediate thoughts jumped to elderly men and women of the church who complained that the music was too loud and the youth were too rowdy. Now, here we are with a group of people that will soon BE the "founding members" of Paragon Church.

This picture represents a group of people that want to share the gift of Christ to the lost. These are the eyes of people that are going to see people the way Jesus sees them. These are the arms of people that are going to welcome in the unlovely. These are the hearts of people that are going to show others God's love for them.

Paragon Church has a home!

The home for Paragon Church will be Sandia Vista Elementary School.

Who is Paragon Church?

par·a·gon: example of excellence: somebody or something that is the very best example of something

MISSION:
Our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with our paragon, Jesus Christ.
By God’s power, we want to see the “unchurched” transformed into a community of Christ Followers and see our community of Christ Followers go change the world.

VISION:
In northern Rio Rancho…

…there is a need for Paragon Church
Paragon Church will be a catalyst for life change in Rio Rancho, the surrounding communities, and into the rest of the world.

…there is a need for people to CONNECT.
Life was never meant to be lived alone. We believe that church is a team sport. So, we desire to help people make that spiritual connection and begin experiencing true community. Our small groups are designed to provide you with an even deeper connection to a group of people that pray, learn, and experience life together.

…there is a need for people to GROW.
If you're not moving forward, then you're falling backward. Once you make the commitment of being a Christian, it is necessary to continue to grow or become like Christ in your thoughts, your actions, and your life.

…there is a need for people to SERVE.
Every member is a minister. The Bible teaches that if you have accepted Jesus Christ then you have been given special gifts, talents, and abilities that you are to use in serving others. Our goal is to help you discover what they are, and then to maximize your ministry potential in helping you become all that God has called you to be.

…there is a need for people to SHARE.
One life. One family. One community at a time. Our goal is that people all over Northern Rio Rancho would hear about the life changing reality of Jesus Christ through one of the members of Paragon. We are committed to sharing the most important relationship of all with those in our world, doing ministry that would draw in our families, and hosting events that would reach our community.

…there is a need for people to RESPOND.

Worship is not an event, it is a lifestyle. We are called to respond everyday to God's love and provision in our lives by surrendering and following His will. Our corporate worship times are designed to be a gathering to celebrate who God is, what He has done, and how He is working.

…there is a need for quality Children’s and Youth Ministries teaching Biblical Truth
Our ministries will be unafraid to teach the TRUTH with the desire to teach and equip children and youth to distinguish right from wrong and know absolute truth.

…there is a need for a place where everyone can belong
A place where all will be loved and valued. A place where all will see and experience the wonderful grace of God. A place that invites you to come just as you are. It doesn't matter where people have been in life; we're not concerned with that. We are concerned with where they are going.

Let's go!!!

Over the past 3-4 years of my life, God has been challenging me. He has grabbed a hold of my very being and redirected my gaze to Him. He has reminded me that the life I live, the family I love and the ministry I lead is all to glorify and reflect Him. I begin to ask God what He wanted me to do and where I could lead.

I love youth ministry and wondered if God would continue to use me with students. I was ready to go wherever He called me to go. Then, God made it clear to me....I wasn't supposed to "go" anywhere. He gave me a love for and a connection to the people of Rio Rancho. There is an abundance of people that still need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

So, God....yes....I'm willing, I'm able. Let's go!