A CALL TO INTIMACY

ALOHA:

Today I celebrate Gods sovereign gift of earthly life and eternal life in Jesus Christ. 29yrs ago, I was born in Honolulu, Hi and 29yrs later I'm preparing to head back to my home state to plant a church that plants many churches.

I walked into my office today and my staff overwhelmingly blessed me with gifts, and encouraging words. As I received their blessings, one thing stood out to me, my personal relationship with them because of Christ.

As a young Pastor one thing I struggle with is my performance to God. That ultimately over flows into the way I view how the people I Pastor should be as well. I struggled with basing spiritual growth on how we are committed to church stuff and activities. This is a easy temptation to get influenced by; however God has not called me to my performance for Him, he has called me to be with Him and let Him press His life in and through me. Christianity is not about doing good things for God and others, it's about a genuine love relationship with God through Christ.

I served as a youth and worship Pastor in Tennessee for a little over 2 1/2 years. I got caught in the temptation of legalism. I would constantly preach on commitments and base our youths and adults spiritual growth on weather or not they were committed to the Lords work by their involvement, and if they weren't, I would throw a self righteous act of affliction on them. No different from the Pharisees of the bible. FORGIVE ME LORD!

Thank God for His Grace!

If I could go back in time and redo my ministry all over again in TN, I would teach my congregation on how to walk intimately with God. The main goal in the life of a believer is to KNOW GOD! Our daily goal is to SPEND TIME WITH HIM!

John 17:3 says "this is eternal life, that you may KNOW HIM, Jesus Christ, whom God has sent"

John 15:5 says "apart from me you can not do anything".

GOD CALLS US TO BE INTIMATE WITH HIM! He then presses His life out of us in such away, that the overflow is being connected in what He is doing through his church globally. Hear me correctly, GOD DOES THE WORK, NOT ZEKE. Our participation in His kingdom work is us living out of the overflow of our intimate love relationship with Him.

To my Pastor friends, encourage your people to walk in intimacy with Christ. Beware of the lie of thinking that their personal commitments to the church is the goal. Let Christ press His life in and out of them.

To my friends, don't let ministry commitments be your focus. If so, you will fail. Focus on walking with Jesus, and let Him mold you into the masterpiece He plans to make you (Phil 1:6).

6 months from now my wife and I will jump on a plane and move our lives to Hilo, Hi to start Ohana Church. It is my goal not to try and make a big church with a packed out room in Hilo. It's my desire to teach people how to walk with God intimately, through His word, in the powerful name of Jesus!

To Gods Glory ALONE!!!

Pastor Zeke

WINS!

ALOHA,

One of the words I have been introduced to since being back at Hope Church is the word "WIN".  Our team constantly asks each other "what are the huge wins in your ministry?"  By doing this, we are reminded about God's promise to us in the great commission, that he would be with us in every part of the journey on making disciples.

Here are a few WINS for Layne and I...

• As of January 1, my father, Frank Tomaselli has accepted God's invitation to be a part of our launch team in Hilo as we prepare to plant Ohana Church.  My father led me to Christ as a young boy, and planted a church in the same area of Hilo 25yrs ago.  Praise God!
• We have connected with a person of peace on the Big Island who is in connection with new Christ Followers from Osaka, Japan.  This nation has been on our hearts and we have been praying for them and a possible connection to begin church plants and reaching the 99% lostness in Japan.
• Our sending church, Hope Church has already committed and planned out dates on when they will join us in Hilo to help us in mission work in 2014.  I love them!
• We have had a few churches verbalize their financial partnership with OC.  This is huge!
• We have had multiple small groups in our church adopt OC as a mission.  
• We have over 300 people all over the world praying for Hawai'i, the Pacific, and the World.  Our prayer strategy has been life changing for us.  We thank God for our Prayer coordinator Kandy Smith for being sensitive to God's call in this area.  Thank you Kandy.
• My wife and I were blessed to save enough money to travel to Hawai'i this April to do a vision tour.  We learned so much on stewardship through this few months of saving.  What a WIN!

PRAISE GOD FOR THESE WINS!!!

Lastly, we are looking forward to our vision trip to Hawai'i and we would like to invite people to partner with us on this journey.  Our trip will cost us an extra $2000-$3000.  Our resources in the Islands are limited, so we are asking our partners to prayerfully consider giving towards this trip.  This would cover travel while we are on the Big Island, and Oahu.  It will also cover meals, room and board, and other related ministry opportunities.  We plan to prayer walk the islands, and connect with as much of people as we can.  Part of that cost will also cover OC handouts that communicates our vision.

If God is leading you to give, you can do it in two ways...

1. Mail a check to Hope Church, Attn:  Pastor Zeke Tomaselli, Memo: Ohana Church, at 870 E. Cactus Rd. Las Vegas, NV. 89183
2. Give online at http://www.hopechurchonline.com/giving/give-now/

• Go to link
• Fill out your info
• In PAYMENT INFORMATION: Go to Fund, scroll/click on Ohana Church.
• Make payment

Just last May, God gave us a vision for church planting in Hilo and through out the world.  We are living it now.  God bless you all for your time, energy, and resources.  You all are a blessing to Layne and me.

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Pastor Zeke

Who is ready to GO to Hawai'i?

That's the "Big Ask" who wants to spend life with Layne, myself, and the people of Hawai'i in making Christ known?

For 6 months now we have had hundreds of people from all around the world faithfully praying for our journey and the start of a new church in Hilo, Hi.  Since then the vision God has planted in our hearts has become so much clearer.  God has faithfully revealed to us a deeper desire and calling to reach the people in Hawai'i, the Pacific, and the World with the Gospel.

For some of you, God has made it clear to you through your time of prayer what the next step for you is.  Others need some extended info on what life in Hilo, Hi looks like.  It is my heart to be honest and upfront with you on the challenges church planters and fellow churches in general come against while living in the beautiful state Hawai'i.

What to expect...

::  Cost of living is very high

::  There is a shortage of jobs, so unemployment is high

::  95% of the people in Hilo are unchurched

::  The percentage of those living on Government assistance is higher than ever


::  2-3 generations of family members live together due to the high cost of living


::  There is a great need for foster care families

::  It’s a very dark place despite the beautiful tropical atmosphere it provides

But God is at work in Hilo…

::  A new network of church planting has just begun

::  We are seeing many come to faith in Christ

::  Many fellow churches from the mainland is in support of fellow local works

::  Hilo was not hit by the rescission

::  Jobs are beginning to raise

::  The Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Livestock industry has been a success for the people

::  The University of Hawai’i, Hilo is a mission field to students

::  The city is filled with community events, and local sports that allows Gospel living to take place

I am a native of Hilo and I have never been so passionate about my hometown than now.  If you sense God’s call to minister and live life with the people of Hawai’i starting in fall of 2013, go a head and contact me (zeke@ohanachurch.com) and we can begin to help you prepare for this new journey.

For some of you, God is calling you to just continue to Pray for us.  We encourage that.  Prayer is the work.  Others, God may stir within your heart to financially give to Ohana church, if so, go to the following link to begin the process http://www.ohanachurch.com/support/give/

God is good, and he desires to see people in Hawai’i, the Pacific, and the World to come into an intimate love relationship with Him through Christ.  Christ will be made known through God's people!

Who is ready to GO to Hawai’i?

Pastor Zeke

Developing Leaders

God has inspired me to work on my communication skills, and as I have prepared to grow in this area, I have made action steps to get counsel from other mentors.  One mentor encouraged me to use my church blog to encourage leaders, and focus on specific principles.

I am a living product of someone who believed in me, and put their money were their mouth was.  I am thankful for people like my father Frank Tomaselli, and mentors such as Vance Pitman, Jeff Riley, Mike Laughrun, Tim Frank, and Scott Nesbitt.  These men lived life with me, and thought me what it looks like to follow Christ, and lead people to Christ.

When developing leaders, the key is not to give them a lot of tasks, though that has been our down fall.  The key is to encourage them and identify their strengths first.   If a leader is not equipped to carry out a task, then the mission of the task is pointless.  One of my strengths as a young leader was in the form of a talent.  God blessed me with the ability to sing, and play instruments.  Each mentor God placed in my life used this musical ability as a platform, but that also allowed me to discover some new and potential leadership qualities that I did not know I had.  This is key.  Maximize from your strengths, not weakness.

From this development, I have grown with a desire to teach the bible, create and lead ministry teams, and God has specifically given my wife and I a vision to plant a new church in Hawai'i, that involves so many different areas of leadership competencies.  What an honor!

As leaders in an organization, we must also realize that with new leaders come new models of ministry.  Not every leader functions the same way.  So the organization may have a mission in place, but it may be fleshed out differently based on the new leaders personality, skill, experience, and personal conviction.

From a Christian view, let's develop leaders that lead from the talents and gifts that the Lord has blessed them with.  Let's be flexible to punt from past leadership/tradition, and move forward with the provision God gives us.  Let us look at change as a GIFT of God, and not opposition.


Let's develop healthy leaders!


Pastor Zeke

Our Journey Update

Hello friends,

WOW! Preparing to plant a church is a blessing, but very overwhelming.  I thank God for the North American Mission Board, Hope Church Las Vegas, and Launch Network for the training we have received over the past two months.  Very blessed to have been chosen by these ministries to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through church planting.  Praise God!

I think this process of training is so humorous.  When God called us to plant a church in Hilo back in May, I immediately began working on our missions statement, core values, strategy, fundraising, and community needs plan.  As I began to seek counsel on this plan, I realized how much I did not know about planting a new church.  The truth is, I need God more then ever in my life.  A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege to lead 2000+ of our church members in a song called "I Need You Jesus".  The first verse and chorus says this...

I am frail, broken easily
Without fail, my strength keeps failing me
All alone, I'm powerless
To lift myself from the pit that I am in
I need You, Jesus
I need You, Jesus
I need clean hands
I can't, You can
I need You, Jesus 

Those words say it all!  Apart from God I can do nothing, but through him I can do all things.  Here at Hope Church we call this God Dependence.  My goal is not to plant a church.  My goal is to grow deeper in a intimate love relationship with my God/Father.

As Layne and I continued though our church plant training, we were so convicted by God to erase everything we have written down, stop looking at other planters strategy, and just seek God and desperately cry out to Him for forgiveness, and restored fellowship.  Following that sweet time of meeting with the Lord, He just revealed Himself to us, and refreshed us.  Its good to know that the Christian life is not based on our efforts, but rather what God does in and through us to showcase His glory.  When we are intune with God through intimacy with Him, He presses His mission out of us to the ends of the earth.  Thank You Lord for being so good!


Grace and Peace to you all!


Pastor Zeke


Prayer Needs...

• Launch Network Training
• A clearer vision and strategy for Hawai'i, the South Pacific, and The World
• Partners - Church/Family/Individua/ (Prayer, Financial, and Missional support needs)
• The Collins Family - They are planting in Las Vegas.  Jim Collins and I serve together as the resident church planters at Hope Church.  We have become close friends.
• The 43,000 people who live in Hilo
• The 95% lostness in the State of Hawai'i
• The unreached/unchurched Nationals that live in Hawai'i (People from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the rest of the South Pacific)

Praising God On The Journey

(Hope Church Worship)

The Psalmist writes...

PSALMS 150
Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

    Praise him in his mighty heavens!

 

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

    Praise him according to his excellent greatness!

This Psalm says it all.  This is where Layne and I are living at this very moment, PRAISING GOD!!!  We are in all of God right now.  He is worthy to be praised, and high and exalted.  He is so good, and we are so thankful for God in allowing us to be a part of this glorious journey we are on.  Thank you Lord!

Since God has called us to church plant in Hawai'i, He has answered so many of our prayers.  We would like to share with you all that He has answered and revealed to us since He called us on May 1.

• The Lord connected us with Launch Network (May 1)
• We needed a sending church:  Hope Church Las Vegas committed to be that to us within 24hrs our Calling. (May 1)
• We were low on funds to get to a Church Plant Assessment Retreat in June.  God provided those funds immediately after we prayed.  We were also approved at that retreat by LAUNCH in June to plant in Hawaii in 2013. (June 13)
• Upon Approval to plant, we were also offered a year paid church plant training position through the North American Mission Board with Hope Church in Las Vegas. (June 13)
• As we got ready to move, we had no money to move across the country from TN to NV.  Our home church in Carthage went over and beyond in giving us a HUGE love offering. (July 15)
• NAMB also provided us with a 3bed 2bath home in the Silverado Ranch area of Vegas for the next year. (Aug 1)
• Our house in Carthage sold within 30days for the price we asked for. (Aug 30)
• We have 10 churches that has committed to partner with us through this Journey (July).
• God has blessed us with a Prayer Coordinator and a prayer team of over 100 partners (Aug 1).
• Layne was offered a job as soon as we got to Vegas (Aug 20)
• Our first individual has committed to being a part of our financial support team.  The cool thing is that she lives on the Big Island, where we are planting. (Aug 28)

PRAISE GOD!

Thank you for your prayers, God is using you greatly in our lives as you cry out to him on our behalf and the needs of Hawai'i, The South Pacific, and The World!

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Pastor Zeke

50-50-30 Journey

Our Church Plant training here in Las Vegas has been so rewarding.  God is at work in our lives and we are excited to be a part of this Journey at Hope Church.  Thank you to all our partners all around the world for your co-labor in the faith.  Christ is being made much of because of your efforts in being intentional about the Gospel.

Yesterday, our church fellowship kicked off an intentional Gospel message called The 50-50-30 Initiative; which means we want to personally reach 50 thousand people, and 50 thousand households within 30 days with the Gospel of Jesus.  We have created strategies on how that would look like from baking desserts for our neighbors, taking them to lunch, being heavily involved in community events, etc.  From there, we will invite them to our 3 week series where our messages will be surrounded by one phrase "GOD, I've got a question..."

Sept 9 | Question 1:  God, can I really trust the bible?

Sept 16 | Question 2:  God, do all religions ultimately lead to Heaven?

Sept 23 | Question 3:  God, why does bad things happen to good people?

We have discovered that 95% of our city is lost, and that the 3 zip codes we are serving in are the most unchurched communities in the city.  Like I said from the beginning, us planting a church in Hawaii is not the main goal, it is all about the Kingdom of God and pointing those who are lost to Christ.  Sharing Christ with others should not stop for us after this initiative, it will continue because God WILLS it too!

Luke 19:10 - For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

- Be intentional about engaging your city with the Gospel
- Be ready to live generously
- Be aware of the lostness that's around you
- Be dependent and desperate for God


Glory to God, FOREVER!


Pastor Zeke