Richmond Road Campus Blog

The launch of the Richmond Road campus is less than a year away!

We are looking for 2000 people to help us pioneer our second multisite launch by attending the Richmond Road campus for the first 18 months.

If you and your family would like to be a part of this new campus, please let us know by completing the short form below!

 

In 1990, when the Hubble telescope was launched on the back of the space shuttle Discovery, It was the most powerful and expensive telescope ever made.  Its primary mirror measured eight feet in diameter and weighed 2000 pounds.  Scientists were beside themselves with excitement over the possibilities.

But when they got it up there, 353 miles above the earth, they made a terrifying discovery:  the 1.5 billion dollar telescope didn’t work!  Everything was fuzzy.   Nothing was clear.   It had to be repaired.  

Thus in December, 1993, they sent a crew on the space shuttle Endeavor and fitted the mirror with corrective optics.   Since that time the Hubble has sent us tens of thousands of astounding and breathtaking photos from outer space.

I share that story to illustrate this:  Power is important and size is important...but FOCUS is everything! Nothing significant ever happens for any period of time without focus.

Over at the new campus these days we are focused on the following:
 

• Mailing out 1,121 letters asking people who live in the area to  to make a commitment to attend the new campus

• Resubmitting our Master Development Plan to reflect changes that have been necessitated by cost reductions, including a reconfiguration of the pond.

• Laying out a plan to recruit and train volunteers in the Spring.

• Begin planning for a Vision Night for the new campus on April 18th

• Framing, electrical and HVAC in the Dillard’s Building is nearly complete.  Drywall will begin to go up within 10 days.

• Removing and replacing the roof on the Dillard’s building—nearly halfway there.

• Preparing the worship center for concrete slab to be poured within three weeks

Pray for us as we continue to stay focused!   Pray especially that our primary focus will be on hearing well from the Father and carrying forth His plans and purposes.

Gary, Richmond Road Campus Pastor

In the gospel of John it says, “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14) I’ve always liked the way that reads. Jesus didn’t just come and sit; he hung out with us. He didn’t just house himself in a building in the suburbs; he “dwelt” among people like you and me. That’s a great model for His church, and we are His church!

I don’t know a lot about football but I do know this: If you don’t come out of the huddle you’ll never win the game. Perhaps today’s church is too much into huddling. We huddle on Saturday and Sunday. We huddle for midweek services. We huddle for nights of worship. We huddle for Bible studies and Life Groups, for men’s and women’s ministries and youth programs. Did you ever think that sometimes the world might be asking, “When are you folks gonna come out of the huddle?”

It’s time, folks! Time to go dwell among people! And we plan to be intentional about that on the east side of town! We’ll dwell among black people, white people, sick people, poor people, irreligious people, political people, homeless people, hungry people, immoral people, abused people, weak people, marginalized people, frightened people, scarred people, hopeless people, helpless people, broken people and needy people! This is the ministry of Jesus Christ and this is the ministry of His Bride, the Church.

Yes, it’s time to dwell, not huddle. People will not listen to you until they trust you. And they will not trust you until they know that you love them. And they will not know that you love them until you serve them. That’s our call! That’s the mission on all our campuses. Let’s get busy. It’s time to get in the game!

Gary Black, Richmond Road Campus Pastor

Few things in life are more painful than being misunderstood; to do what you think is best and right, only to have people question your motives or criticize your actions. It’s nothing new. Jesus always had the purest of motives, yet he was one of the most misunderstood persons in human history...even now. But that did not detract Him from His mission, nor should it detract us from ours. A friend of mine says, “You often find the most rocks under the trees with the most apples.” That’s his way of saying that criticism is one of the results of serving and producing good fruit.

We’ve taken our share of criticism for launching the Richmond Road vision. It is to be expected and frankly, it could get worse! If I weren’t a believer, I’d probably be pretty skeptical myself. Honestly. Anything that is big or visionary usually draws skepticism. It just comes with the territory. Let me offer a few suggestions for dealing with it.

1. Be kind when others aren’t. I’ve discovered that many people who are critical are also unhappy. They often have a lot of pain in their lives and, in an odd way, it can feel therapeutic to express negativity. We’re all fighting hard battles, so always be a little kinder than is necessary. Don’t give people permission to be your enemy. That’s a choice you can always make. 
2. Invite them to “come and see.” When Philip expressed strong skepticism about Jesus being the Messiah, Nathaniel simply said, “Come and see.” (John 1:46) I sometimes invite people who are highly critical of Southland to try attending for six weeks. Then I say, “If you still feel that we’re chasing power and money, or that we’re not loving or authentic, I’ll buy you a steak dinner at the restaurant of your choice.” I’ve discovered that people who “come and see” often change their opinion. The old saying is true-- People tend to be down on what they’re not up on. Worst case scenario, I have a good lunch and make a new friend!
3. Let your deeds speak for you. If you’re doing the right thing, your friends won’t need an explanation and your enemies won’t believe one. At the end of the day, our actions are the things that people will remember. Long after people forget what we say, they’ll remember how we made them (or others) feel. Peter put it like this, “Live decent lives among unbelievers. Then, although they ridicule you as if you were doing wrong while they are watching you do good things, they will praise God on the day he comes to help you.” (I Peter 2:12) Jesus was equally clear, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
4. Finally, pray for them. You do know that God loves them, don’t you? Jesus died on the same cross for them that He died on for you. They’re on a journey too, same as you. Pray that God might order their steps. Pray that someone would love them and believe in them. Pray that they might be encouraged and continue to seek truth. All of us need that, for sure.

Well, I’m convinced He’s leading us. Are you? Let’s not forget that. When you’re walking in the darkness never forget what He has shown you in the light. We press on.

Gary Black, Richmond Road Campus Pastor

Dr. Fred Craddock is a retired professor of preaching at a well known seminary. He tells about attending a conference on world hunger a few years back. He said that the keynote speaker was extremely eloquent and entertaining, but within five or six days he’d forgotten virtually everything she said.

“But there was another speaker that day,” he said, “a frail, elderly gray-haired woman who spoke for only about seven minutes, yet I’ll never forget her message. She recited the same sentence 53 times in 53 different languages. I understood an occasional word, but it wasn’t until she spoke the 53rd sentence (in English) that I got the full impact of the message. Here was the sentence: ‘Mommy, I’m hungry. Why don’t we have any food?’”

Craddock said, “When I left that night I passed a billboard along the road that said, ‘Buffet, all you can eat, $6.99.’ and I was repulsed. I realized that if any one of us is hungry, we’re all hungry, and since that time I’ve done all I could to fight world hunger.”

This past Monday night on Richmond Road, in the Dillard’s Building, we had the construction workers on the project participate in our meal-packing event for hungry kids in Haiti. I shared a few thoughts with them before we started. I said, "I hope you guys realize that you’re not building a “building” here; you’re building a “tool.” It’s a tool that we will use to restore hope to hurting people. It’s a tool that will be used to mend marriages. It’s a tool that will be used to mentor and tutor children. It’s a tool that will be used to conquer addictions and bring people back from the brink of insanity. Every pipe laid, every wire pulled, every fixture hung, every piece of steel bolted into place is a part of this amazing “tool,” that,  in the hands of God, will do miraculous things. Please remember that as you work. And remember that as you pack these meals tonight. We love you and we’re thankful that you care about others and have come to do something tonight about world hunger."

It was a fabulous night! 140 construction workers and their family members packed 14,500 meals. Everyone had a great time... and everyone made a difference!

Gary Black, Richmond Road Campus Pastor

I recently heard a story about a man who cut his finger on a piece of sharp metal and decided to have his wife drive him to the hospital. As he entered the emergency room he saw two doors with a sign over each. One read "Men" and the other read "Women." He walked through appropriate door then saw another set of doors. One read, "injury below the waist," the other read, "injury above the waist." Again, he chose the appropriate door only to find another set of doors! One said, "Not so serious injury"; the other said, "Serious injury." He glanced at his finger and decided to go through the door that said, "Not so serious." To his surprise, he found himself back in the hospital parking lot. His wife, who had been waiting, said, "What happened? Didn't they help you?"

He replied, "No, but they sure were organized!"

Hospitals are usually very attractive structures, well-furnished with the latest medial technology and highly trained staff. They often have a carefully organized system to handle the flow of patients. But if they don't actually help anyone, they are basically worthless.

I know it's a silly story, but not so different from many churches. We can have a beautiful building with a beautiful sign out front, but that doesn't mean we're actually helping anyone. We can have plush seating and the latest multimedia equipment but that doesn't mean we're actually changing lives. We can have an educated staff and function with a high degree of excellence... but if people are not finding hope and healing, we are basically worthless.

The new campus on Richmond Road will be designed to be a hospital--a hospital for sinners, a hospital for the broken, the poor, the confused and the lost. As Dave Donaldson says in his book, "The Compassion Revolution," we need to become a "shopping mall of compassion," a place where a great variety of human needs can all be met in one place while people also have the opportunity to meet Jesus. Simply put, that's what we're about. By God's Grace we will be... a shopping mall of compassion. Pray about that, okay?

About five years ago we began to ask the question, “if Southland closed its doors tomorrow, would anyone in the Community miss us? Would people not affiliated with our Church be devastated? Would our absence leave a huge void among the poor and the disenfranchised?”

The answer was, “No.”  We realized that we were too internally focused, and we realized that this wasn’t consistent with the call of God for Southland,  so we began to change. We began mentoring in the public schools. We started medical clinics. We reached out to teachers. We mobilized people to go door-to-door in impoverished communities to see what we could do to help. In essence, we moved outside the walls. There’s much more to do and the Richmond Road campus will be an additional springboard to launch community service initiatives.

But can I ask you something? Could I enjoin you to personalize the original question we asked of ourselves as a Church?
What if you left?   Would you  be missed if you left town and moved somewhere else? What would change in our community? What ministry would stop? Who would miss your compassion and love?”

Basically I’m asking this, “What difference does your presence on this planet make on a daily basis?” Let me phrase it another way, “If everyone at Southland were as committed as you are, what would our influence look like? If everyone gave their time, talents and treasures in a way that was commensurate with your commitment, how strong would we be? If everyone served and prayed like you, would the Church be healthy and empowered, or be weak and insipid?

We are each given spiritual gifts to serve others (I Cor. 12:14, Eph. 2:8-10). How are you using your gift(s)?     

Friend,  it’s really not about what God is doing for you, but what God is doing through you. When you think about going to Richmond Road please think about going to work. Think about going to serve! We are most fully alive when we are loving others and giving ourselves away. That’s why we’re here. That’s what we do. And that’s why we’re launching this new campus!

People often ask me, “What kind of Church do you want to have over at Richmond Road?” My answer is, “The same kind of Church we want to have on Harrodsburg Road and in Danville.” They will then ask, “You mean, all of the programs will be the same?” To which I reply, “It’s not about programs. It’s about people.” The Church is people, and people who live everyday like Jesus lived...is the kind of Church I want to have.

Allow me to be more specific: I “want” a Church where: 

• There are no denominational or racial walls. Everyone kneels together at the foot of the Cross 
• People prefer others above themselves 
• Members swallow their pride and the need to be recognized 
• We speak kindly about other Churches in town 
• We serve the poor and marginalized 
• We make unity a priority 
• We allow God to break our heart over the things in our community that break His heart 
• We will take risks and do the things that no one else is willing to do 
• We pray hard, give generously and live in daily dependence on the Holy Spirit 

What kind of Church do you want? I’d love to hear your views. Please pray for God’s leading as we formulate plans and listen to His voice. We’re not asking Him to follow us; we’re totally committing ourselves to follow Him...on all our campuses, as the Apostle Paul said, “To the praise of His glory.”

- Gary Black

Steel is going up at the new campus and should be completed by mid-November. Things will accelerate quite a bit after that, on all fronts. Behind the scenes we’ve been making decisions on staffing and the budget for opening the campus in January 2013. I’ve visited several multisite campuses and consulted with a number of campus leaders around the country. Currently I’m meeting with our Division Leaders to discuss programming and processes for the new campus. It’s a treat to get to work with these high caliber guys!

Key areas we’re discussing are: 
• Identifying people who will “transfer” to the new campus 
• Recruiting and training volunteers 
• Community outreach from Richmond Road 
• Advertising and publicity 
• Inter-campus communications 
• Delivering care and assistance 
• Managing property and facilities 

We plan to have a comprehensive plan and timeline in place by mid-December. You’ll hear much more after the first of the year.

As we pointed out, way back when we start this journey five years ago, our multisite strategy gives us an opportunity to reach thousands of people for Christ, in Lexington, Danville, and beyond, so let’s be prayerful.

In fact, let’s re-center our prayer. Let’s be especially vigilant and diligent. The enemy has already thrown several curve balls our way…and frankly, we expect more. At the end of the day, we’re advancing on our knees…. or not at all. I don’t know if you know this, but God the Father…. will always answer in the affirmative…every prayer that God the Holy Spirit prompts you to pray. So when you feel the prompting…. PRAY!

- Gary Black

Well, the crane has made it on campus and we've got it busy setting the steel.

Get comfy, Steel. You're going to be here for a while.

As always, keep the construction in your prayers. We're on schedule and we continue to get excited about how this building will be used.

Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding a donkey. The crowds cheered and shouted praises to Him. They lopped off palm fronds and laid them on the ground for the donkey to walk on. When they ran out of palm branches they gladly laid their cloaks on the ground and, walking ahead of Jesus and the donkey, shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David.  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)

As I read that I wonder if perhaps, for a moment, the donkey might’ve thought it was about him. I mean, he was doing all the work that morning! Or so he may have reflected. But it wasn’t about him at all; he was simply carrying the message.

I view the Richmond Road Campus as a good donkey commissioned to take Jesus into some places where He hasn’t always been present or welcomed. The new campus is just the donkey. Everything is still all about Jesus. It always has been and always will be. That’s the way Southland operates. We will continue to do so. I'm glad you’re considering joining us on this journey. People are going to be rescued from the enemy’s camp. We will bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim freedom for the captives. It’s going to be a great ride!

-Gary Black

We threw together a few bullet points to update you on where we are in the construction process. As always, you can actually see what's happening with the webcams. But if you like hearing about the technical mumbo jumbo, there's always some fun stuff to share...

• We had a great summer to get out of the ground at Richmond Road. Construction activities have moved better than expected.
• Deep foundations or Caisson are 100% complete.
• Installation of footings are 85% complete.
• Interior demolition of the old Dillards is 98% complete.
• Demolition of canopy along west elevation of old Dillards is underway, with plans to remove steel structure starting tomorrow.
• EOP Architects completed the Contract Drawings  and were submitted to LFUCG on September 13 for Final Permitting.
• Messer Construction sent out the Contract Drawings for bidding September 15 to selected subcontractors with bids due on October 6th.  We have 22 different work catagories we are bidding.
• Structural Steel for the new Auditorium will begin on October 3 with completion of the steel frame to be complete by November 10.

You can keep checking back for construction goodies and whatnots. We'll try to keep a weekly update going here on the Richmond Road Blog.

About five years ago we embarked on a strategy to add new campuses instead of expanding again on Harrodsburg Road. In 2009 we opened our Danville campus. In January, 2013 we’ll open the Richmond Road campus. Since many are new to Southland it might be helpful to restate some of the key reasons we are developing a multisite strategy.

• Evangelism:  Research shows that more people come to Christ in several locations than in one location. This is the whole theory behind Church planting, which is why Broadway Christian planted Southland Christian in 1956 and Southland planted Southern Acres in 1972. Some say, “We don’t need more churches. We’re only draining the rolls of other churches. Our hope is that we’re draining the rolls of hell.   More locations provide more opportunity for evangelism.
• Location:  Multiple campuses give us a way to reach people in other areas or regions who can’t or won’t regularly drive to an existing location.Rather then asking them to come to us; we are going to them.
• Leadership development: With every new venture comes new opportunities for people to serve and grow. Multisite increases the number of volunteer and leader opportunities.
• Community Service: The more communities we can be part of, the more opportunities we have to serve within those communities.  
• Potential: Growth always brings change and healthy things grow, albeit people or organizations. Change is challenging for some, but there is no progress without it. The alternative is to stay the same and staying the same is the best way to start dying. Multisite gives us an opportunity to change with purpose and reach our full potential.

God is glorified and His Kingdom advances...and the rolls of hell get smaller! I’m excited about that.  I hope you are too!  

Gary Black
Campus Pastor, Southland-Richmond Road