In our first Evergreen Interview, Pastor Derik interviews Emily Hlavka Freed from our Brighton Missional Community. Emily currently serves as one of Evergreen's board members and delegates to the Free Methodist . In the second half of the episode we discuss her work with Wunders, an international ministry program addressing period poverty. Evergreen supports Wunders as one of our two strategic global partnerships. You can learn more about them at their website - https://www.wunderspartners.com/

Pastor Derik introduces and facilitates morning prayer through the book of common prayer. 

Outline:

1. Call to Worship

2. Confession & Absolution

3. The Invitatory & Psalms - Psalm 95 and 105

4. Scripture Reading - Revelation 3:7-22

5. The Creed

6. The Lord's Prayer & Intercession

7. The Collect & Benediction

Pastors Brad and Derik discuss the meanings and implications of Advent and connect this season of a new church calendar year to our 2024-2025 vision focus of partnering with the Spirit to take our next step of healing, uprooting strongholds of death, and cultivating flourishing communities.

Pastors Brad and Derik unpack the history and experience of "Meeting Place Prayer" - a type of imaginative prayer used in healing prayer sessions. They share their own experiences and history of meeting place prayer and discuss logistics to help you discern is a healing prayer session is your next step with Jesus.

Pastors Brad and Derik continue discussing the New Room Conference and Evergreen's 1 Year Vision by unpacking deliverance and spiritual warfare, specifically discussing the question, "How much influence can the demonic have upon a born again/Spirit-filled believer?"

Pastor Derik recaps his sermon from September 29th's All Community Gathering by sharing and unpacking the Year 7 vision focus for Evergreen which is:

"In the next year 100% of our disciples will partner with the Spirit to take their next step of healing, uprooting strongholds of death, and cultivating flourishing communities."

Scriptures Referenced: Ephesians 3:14-21 and 6:10-20

Pastors Brad and Derik, alongside OG Evergreener Johnny Weidman discuss their experiences of God's Love from the first half of New Room Conference which gathered September 18-20th, 2024 at The Woodlands Methodist Church just north of Houston, Texas.

Pastors Brad and Derik finish out the Evergreen 101 content by discussing the four common elements each Evergreen Missional Community shares. Those four discipleship and formation rhythms are: Practicing the Presence, Praise and Prayer, Scripture Engagement, and Table (Eucharist and Eating Together).

Pastors Brad and Derik finish out the vision frame by exploring and clarifying our strategy. Strategy answers the question, "How we do Church?". They explore the 5 spaces of belonging and the 5 stages of discipleship formation. How Evergreen does things is just as important, if not more than what Evergreen does.

Pastors Derik and Brad continue unpacking our church's identity answering the question, "When are we successful?" and/or "Who are we becoming?" Outcomes are often not stated or primarily organizational and forced upon church-goers. Our Evergreen outcomes are tethered to being a disciple and becoming more like Jesus.