The Exchange

February 5:15 Serve Day Recap

2012-02-27T18:32:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday The Exchange took part in our second 5:15 serve day where we aim to live out the second verse from our foundational passage - 2 Corinthians 5:15 "He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." This month we partnered with a number of churches in the Jackson metro area to take part in SHINE 2012. A day where thousands of people are mobilized to serve the metro area. The Exchange team served at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Pearl and at Pearl Lower Elementary. At the Crisis Pregnancy Center the team did some outside cleanup and also helped inside sorting through clothes and donations. At Pearl Lower Elementary the team worked to plant a brand new flower bed at the school's entrance.

Below are some pictures from our 5:15 event:

Highlights from the February Interest Meeting

2012-02-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

Sunday night was our 2nd public interest meeting where we personally invited anyone to come and hear more about what God is doing through this new church in Pearl. We were so excited to see new people take part in the meeting at the Pearl Community Room! At the meeting we laid out why it makes sense to plant a new church, why we believe God is calling us to plant in Pearl, and why we are called The Exchange. We also spent time some more time looking at the foundational passage for The Exchange -

2 Corinthians 5:14-21. This month we looked at verse 15 that says, "And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." We discussed how although the idea of no longer living for ourselves is contrary to our nature, our world, and sometimes even our view of church, ultimately this idea is right in line with the Word and the way Jesus lived His life.

God is doing some amazing things as He continues to build a team of individuals to love and serve this city with His message of grace and love. Mark your calendars to be a part of the next interest meeting Sunday, March 18th at 6pm at the Community Room in Pearl.

Below are some pictures from our February Interest Meeting:

Be a Part of The Exchange's 2nd Interest Meeting

2012-02-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendar and be a part of The Exchange's second public interest meeting this Sunday, February 19th at 6:00pm at the Pearl Community Room. The Community Room is located at 2420 Old Brandon Road between the Pearl Library and City Hall. If you are interested in praying for, giving to, or just hearing more information about what God is doing through this brand new church, come by and join us for a time of fellowship, worship, and teaching and bring a friend. Everyone is welcome! For more information check out our website TheExchange.cc.

Support The Exchange for FREE!!!

2012-01-31T17:13:00.000-08:00

Would you like to support what God is doing through The Exchange every time you search on the internet at no cost to you? The Exchange has partnered with an awesome website called Good Search. Every time you search for something online using Good Search they will donate a penny to The Exchange. Good Search also has Good Shop which partners with tons of online shopping sites like Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Ebay and more, and each time you purchase something from one of these online stores using Good Search a portion of your purchase will also go to The Exchange. It's all free and simple!!!

Here's how it works:
1. Go to www.GoodSearch.com
2. Create a log-in - it's simple and free
3. Go back to the Good Search homepage and underneath the search bar click on "Choose Your Cause"
4. Type in "The Exchange - Pearl" and "Verify"

You can set Good Search as your homepage or just make sure you use it anytime you search for or buy something online. Anytime you visit the Good Search homepage you can see an updated total of how much you have helped contribute as well as how much money has been raised for The Exchange. Please tell your family, co-workers, and anyone else you know about this awesome, free way to financially support what God is doing through The Exchange!

For more information about Good Search and how it works check out this video:
http://youtu.be/Rijmf7-kmi4

Asking Great Things for The Exchange

2012-01-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

Studies show that one of the main keys to any great relationship is communication. At The Exchange we believe the same goes for our relationship with God. He not only wants to hear from us, but He communicates back and responds in ways we could have never imagined. Jeremiah 33:3 says,
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
God doesn't promise to just give us the normal, expected, everyday answer, but instead He says that He will tell us great and unsearchable things that we do not know or could have never imagined. We are convinced that the God we serve is completely other than us and wants to blow our minds with His power and presence, so He is not intimidated when we pray big prayers!

A HUGE part of launching a brand new church is having a committed group of people who are continually praying for the work God is doing and wants to do. At The Exchange we are looking to find people who are willing to consistently "exchange their words" through praying big prayers for the church and our team. We would be thrilled if you, your small group, or your church would be willing to partner with us in this way. Here are some specific things that you can pray for over the next few weeks:

Life exchange at our February 19th interest meeting
More leaders for our launch team
A place for us to meet for preview gatherings starting in May & weekly gatherings in August
Generous investors to financially support what God is doing

If you, your small group, or your church would be willing to partner with The Exchange by praying for us, please shoot us a quick email at info@theexchange.cc to let us know so we can keep you updated on what God is doing.

Highlights from the 1st Interest Meeting

2012-01-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

Sunday night was the 1st public interest meeting for The Exchange. Anyone was welcome to come and hear more about what God is doing through this new church in Pearl. We were so excited to see 47 people take part in the meeting at the Pearl Community Room that God so graciously provided! At the meeting we spent time hanging out over some hot chocolate and coffee, worshipping, praying for the city, discussing our different views of the Church, talking through the mission and vision of The Exchange, and breaking open God's Word.

Some key things we heard at the meeting:
- We all have many different views of church but God is calling us to be a new expression of church in this city to reach people
- The #1 way to reach people far from God is through launching new churches, and our #1 priority is to reach people far from God
- 3,500 churches in America close their doors every year, so our question shouldn't be "Why plant a new church?" but "Why not plant a new church?"
- 1/4th of the city of Pearl is under the age of 18, so we want to be intentional about investing in the next generation through the schools
- An estimated 70% of the over 25,000 people in the growing city of Pearl are unchurched. However, we asked the question: How many more people are not walking in a daily life-giving relationship with Jesus?
- 2 Corinthians 5:14 (part of the foundational passage for The Exchange) tells us that Jesus loves us with an overwhelming, unconditional love that compels or motivates us to serve others, tell others what Jesus can do for them, and celebrate changed lives

God is doing some incredibly exciting things as He continues to put this team together to love and serve this city with His message of grace and love. Mark your calendars to be a part of the next interest meeting Sunday, February 19th at 6:00pm at the Community Room in Pearl.

Why Plant a New Church?

2012-01-11T14:09:00.000-08:00

You may be asking why plant a new church? Aren't there enough churches already? Statistics show the most effective way to reach the un-churched is through new church plants, which is clearly a part of scripture and God's heart. Here are some things that you might not have known about the mission of the local church in the United States:

195 million Americans are un-churched

The U.S. is the 3rd largest un-churched nation

Only 15% of American churches reproduce themselves

80-85% of ALL churches in America are plateaued or declining

Of the 15% of churches that are growing,

14% are growing as a result of transfer

rather than conversion growth

3,500 churches in America close their doors every year

North America is now the only continent

in which Christianity is not growing

As we see these staggering numbers our main question moved from "why plant a new church?" to why NOT plant a new church?" If you walked up to a couple of people struggling to pull a person out of a pool that was drowning, would you just watch them or walk by and think you don't need to jump in because there are already two people helping? I imagine you would jump in and do everything you could to help keep the person from drowning! At The Exchange we believe this picture is much like what is happening with the mission of the local church in the world. We see tons of people around us drowning without the hope of life in Christ, and we are simply aiming to jump in and do all we can to help. We would love to have you partner with The Exchange to help us through God's power make a dent in the staggering numbers you just read, please check out our website www.TheExchange.cc

All statistics from Planting Growing Churches in the 21st century
and from the Center of Church Planting at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Exchange First Public Interest Meeting

2012-01-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

We are excited to announce that the first public interest meeting for The Exchange will take place Sunday, January 15th at 6:00pm at the Pearl Community Room. The Community Room is located at 2420 Old Brandon Road between the Pearl Library and City Hall. Whether you are interested in praying for, giving to, or just hearing more information about what God is doing through this brand new church, come by and join us for a time of fellowship, worship, teaching, and prayer and bring a friend. Everyone is welcome! For more information check out our website TheExchange.cc

The Exchange Video

2011-11-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

Check out the calling, vision, and how you can be a part of The Exchange through this video

THE EXCHANGE VIDEO (click here)

You can be a part of The Exchange!

2011-11-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

God is doing incredible things in our team as He continues to send more leaders, in the city of Pearl as He continues to give us influence and connections, and in our individual lives as He continues to grow our faith and view of His love and His vision for the city of Pearl. We are so excited as the time grows near for the launch of The Exchange. We would be honored if you would consider being a part of The Exchange. Here are 3 ways YOU can be a part of what God is doing and going to do through The Exchange:

Exchange your words through praying

Pray for:

- God's direction for and presence in The Exchange

- Continued influence and connections in the city of Pearl

- Salvation for those God is putting in our path

- A building for us to meet in

- God's provision financially and physically for those who are a part of The Exchange

Exchange your resources through giving

Not only does it take PEOPLE to launch a new expression of God's body but it also takes FUNDS. We would love for you to be a part of The Exchange by making an investment in what God is doing through giving of your resources. Whether it is becoming a monthly investor or by just making a one-time gift, YOU can be a part of seeing people exchange their old life for new life in Christ.

To give online:
Click the DONATE button on the right side of this page.

Send gifts/donations to:

The Exchange

P.O. Box 54525

Pearl, MS 39288

*All gifts are tax deductible

Exchange your life through going

We are continually looking for more people who are passionate about sharing God's hope and truth with a city that needs to know about new life in Christ. If you think God might be leading you to be a part of what God is doing through The Exchange, or if you would just like to know more about what we're about please contact us.

For more information about any of the areas listed above please email us at TheExchange.Pearl@gmail.com

The Vision

2011-10-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Vision. It's described in the dictionary as "the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be; stated aims or objectives." This small word holds a pretty big responsibility, in the sense that your vision determines what you will and will not do. If you're in college, your vision is to graduate with a certain degree. This vision will dictate the classes you will and won't take, how much study and social time you will have, and usually how long you can expect to receive student status. A vision helps point you in a certain direction in order to achieve certain results.

In the same way, we believe God has given us as a church a very clear vision that will determine what we spend our time, energy, and resources to accomplish.

The vision God has given us at The Exchange is:

To see people exchange their old life for new life in Christ and live out their purpose

Our greatest desire is that people will realize and understand the opportunity that is theirs to exchange their old, dead life for new life in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." We believe the choice to choose life in Christ is the greatest and most life-changing decision a person can make! When a person begins to walk in new life in Christ, they will find their purpose as God directs them to share this life with others.

This can be summed up in the simple statement:

GET LIFE. GIVE LIFE.

We believe that God wants us to experience this new life in Christ, not just so we can feel better about ourselves and live our same, normal lives until we die, but so we can share it with others!

God has called us to be life-giving people that are continually sharing the hope and life we have in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 says, "And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." We believe that if we can be people that find life in Christ, faithfully walk in that life, and share that life with others that God's kingdom will be expanded and that He will receive all the glory!

Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be posting The Exchange core values. These values will describe the things we feel like God wants us to be about in order to see this vision come to life!

Reasons We Are & Are Not Planting

2011-08-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Reason we ARE NOT planting...

1. Because we think it will be easy, comfortable, & the cool thing to do
We fully believe this is and will be the biggest faith test of our lives but we believe God is faithful.

2. Because we are mad at people or the place where we are
We believe Pinelake is an incredible church that is doing a great job reaching the communities where they have local bodies planted. They have been incredibly supportive of God's leading in us and want this to be a healthy journey together.

3. Because we have been done wrong
Many times churches are planted because someone has been done wrong, and they think creating their own church is the only way to heal that hurt or make things better.

4. Because we hate the church
We believe God created the church and has an incredible plan for it. We believe church is an essential part of the life of a believer and is an avenue for people to discover the love of God.

5. Because we believe we can do church better than anybody else
We do not believe for a second that we have all of the answers and can pull this thing off on our own. We welcome Godly counsel and wisdom from other churches and leaders. We want to partner with other churches to be the full expression of the "big C" Church rather than to be the best little c church.

Reasons we ARE planting...

1. Because we believe people in the city of Pearl need the love and hope of Jesus
We believe church planting is the number one way to reach lost people, and we believe God has given us His message of love and hope to take to the city of Pearl.

2. Because we are convinced that God purposed the local church to help convey the message that God wants to reconcile the world to Himself
As 2 Corinthians 5 states we are ambassadors to help God reconcile the world to Himself. We do not take this charge to be Christ's ambassadors or representatives lightly and want to be found obedient in sharing His truth with the lost and hopeless.

3. Because we believe the love of God through the church can help a city get a clearer picture of who God is
We think that when the church is really being the Church that not only are people attracted and moved by it but that they can see Jesus in it and meet Him through it.

4. Because we believe spiritual community is a must in the growth of every believer
We believe God designed us to feed off of and encourage one another in the faith, and we think church is a God-ordanined way to do that.

5. Because we have been called and we desire more than anything to be obedient
There is no one who can dispute God's calling on your life and if He has called you, you better be obedient!

The Exchange

2011-07-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

What’s behind this idea of The Exchange? We believe this is the message that God wants us to live as His church. It’s taken straight from 2 Corinthians 5:14-21:

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

The love of Christ has compelled us to no longer live for ourselves (v 14-15), to view people with the perspective of God’s love (v 16), to be ambassadors of Christ (v 20), and to carry the message of reconciliation to the city of Pearl and to the world. Jesus made the ultimate exchange for us by taking the punishment for our sin, although He was perfect and lived a perfect life, in order that we could become the righteousness of God. (v 21) We now have the opportunity to make the exchange of our old, sinful life for new life in Christ. (v 17)

It’s because of God’s grace that we have the chance to experience eternal life. We want The Exchange to lead people to experience the exchange Jesus made for them and in response, to exchange their old life for a greater life that God has in store for them.

As a community of believers, The Exchange is not just a place where people get life through Christ, but also a place where people give life to others through discipling and serving each other.

The Journey

2011-07-10T16:17:00.001-07:00

Church planting? That was exactly our question in the Fall of 2010 when God begin speaking to us about the possibility of being a part of planting a new church. God began to make it clear in His Word, through messages that we heard, through conversations, and through a number of other circumstances that He was calling us to plant a new expression of His body.

On November 9, 2010 we heard a message at Pinelake from Matthew 9 that we felt was completely directed at us. The pastor taught from Matthew 9:37-38 where Jesus says to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field." It was one of those moments where God's voice was undeniable and that night we finally surrendered to God's calling. We immediately begin asking ourselves 1,000 questions like, "What does this mean?" "Where would we go?" "How would this happen?" "Who would go with us?" and our flesh wanted to answer those questions with 1,000 excuses such as, "We're not old enough, smart enough, or experienced enough to do something like that." But God was always quick to reply to our doubts and excuses, "You're right, you're not, but I'm enough, and I am all you need." All of a sudden faith and the promises of God's Word became more real than they ever had before. We had no idea of the journey ahead, but there was no doubt that we served a faithful God who did know the journey and was more than able to lead us.

Obviously one of the biggest questions that comes with this journey is the where. We were prepared to move out of Mississippi and assumed that would be God's plan, but as we continued to pray and seek God's direction, He begin confirming more and more that He had put our roots in this area for a reason. There were a few local cities that God began to put on our hearts, and the day after coming back from a church planting assessment weekend in January 2011 we decided to spend the afternoon driving through one of those potential cities, Pearl, Mississippi. We figured we would be gone a couple of hours at the most and probably wouldn't come back with any answers, but again God had other plans. After driving around the city of Pearl praying, listening, making a list of churches, and experiencing God speak as only He can, 5 1/2 hours later we returned home convinced that God was calling two kids who grew up in Brandon chanting, "Eat dirt Pearl eat dirt," to plant a new church in the city of Pearl. Since then God has confirmed again and again that this is His plan and that we need only to be obedient.

As we surrendered to God's call, we mentally prepared ourselves to move away from what we had always known, including our family and friends. We assumed God would pack us up and move us our west, but we didn't know where He was sending us. As we prayed and sought God for direction, He let us know that this new church plant wouldn't be outside of Mississippi as we had assumed, but that it would be in a nearby city. He began confirming over and over again that He had put our roots in this area for a reason. There wee a few local cities we began to feel drawn to, so we spent time driving around those cities and praying for God's direction. On January 21. 2011, we felt led to drive through Pearl, Mississippi and pray. Frustrated that we still had no direction as to exactly where God was calling us, and having driven through other cities and prayed and returned home without direction, we completely expected this outing to be no different. To our surprise, God had other plans. What we thought would be a quick trip across the Brandon city limits turned into a 5 1/2 hour experience with God. He overwhelmed us with compassion for this city like we had never experience before. We returned home convinced that God was calling two Brandon kids who grew up chanting "Eat Dirt Pearl" at football games to go and serve this city like we had never served before.

Not long after we begin to share the news with small groups of people, God begin putting people in our path who had connections to Pearl, used to live in Pearl, or had a heart and passion to be a part of something new that God was doing. It has been overwhelming but incredibly exciting all at the same time. Over the past few months, we have met with different leaders, pastors, and people in Pearl to share with them what God is doing and to learn how we can partner with them to see God's name made famous in that city. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and supportive of this vision.

In June, we began meeting in our home with people who were interested in being a part of what we believe God is doing to reach the city of Pearl for His glory. It was another huge encouragement to hear what God was speaking to those that came, and it was only more confirmation that this is a God-breathed and God-sized mission. It's so much bigger than us. Through God's provision in June, we were also approved to be a part of the Launch Network training starting in August at Pinelake. We plan to continue to gather and pray together throughout the summer asking for God's presence and direction as we join Him in what He is already doing to reach the city of Pearl with His truth and love.