We are pleased to announce Mac Shirley will be joining our staff as Student Minister for our campus in East Arlington.  Many of you will meet him Sunday at the preview service.  As a preview to the preview, we had Mac answer a few questions so you can learn a little about who he is...

Q: Where did you grow up and how did it shape you?
A: I grew up in the Arlington area. My family however has always done ministry in the Dallas projects. Seeing the two very different ways of life has allowed Christ to mold my heart to many different types of people; my upbringing has given me the eyes of Christ for many, many different people groups.

Q: What are the best and worst things about you?
A: The worst thing about me is anything apart from Christ. The best thing about me is that Christ uses me for eternal purposes! AND ...on July 21st my beautiful fiance′, Liseth, will become my better half!

Q: What drives you to work with students?
A: I love seeing Christ change the priorities of young people who are on fire for Christ. The Lord has given me a passion for young people that is like a broken sprinkler head in the front yard, it uncontrollably shoots water all over the place!

Q: If you weren't called to work with students what would your dream job be?
A: I would play in the NBA with Matt Hunter.

Q: What excites you most about East Arlington?
A: I love the team and the leadership at Fielder and I am excited to make a difference in our city! It has greatly encouraged our spirits to see how God has already been opening doors, let us remain humble as the Lord exalts us for His glory. Liseth and I have a passion for Arlington and we are excited to be a part of how God is using Fielder Church to help make life change happen!
 

We are pleased to announce that we have a new temporary home in East Arlington! All currently planned services will be held at Hutcheson Jr. High. The facility is exactly what we needed out of a "portable" location and we are very excited about building relationships within the school. They are very excited for us to use their facility and have been much more than accommodating in meeting our needs as we have explored options over the past few weeks. We couldn't be more anxious to see it temporarily transformed into a Fielder Church building on June 10th!

We'd been talking, thinking and praying about it for a long time now. We had seen God prepare the way for something special.  We'd seen an incredible spirit of unity amongst the people of Fielder.  We sensed excitement even in the grunt work as equipment was setup on Friday.  We got a glimpse of what was coming during musical rehearsals on Saturday.  However, nothing could have prepared us for what we experienced on Sunday.

Sunday, May 6, 2012 will go down as a milestone in the life of Fielder Church.  For over 50 years, God has used our church to change people's lives in Central Arlington, and while that has not and will not change, May 6 was the day He started using us in the lives of the people of East Arlington as well.

The 400+ worshipers were able to experience the presence of God in a very real way as He exceeded expectations of what these uncharted waters would be like.  With potential barriers in facilities, technology and culture, He reminded us that we are merely along for the ride and that He is supremely prepared even though we’re unsure of what to expect.

As Campus Pastor, Ender Palencia, said, “Sunday was an amazing day! God is definitely moving in East Arlington and it is humbling to know that He has called our church to be a part of what He is doing. Jesus used five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5,000 men plus women and children; a little boy was willing to give those five loaves of bread for Jesus to do the miracle. We are excited to offer what we have for Him to work a miracle in East Arlington.”

Our church, and more importantly, our God were well represented by a gathering that demonstrated unity through Christ regardless of background.  We would like to thank all of those who have made commitments to see this venture through.  We would also like to thank the people of Highland Baptist Church for giving us a home for the day.

We can't wait until our next meeting in East Arlington on June 10 at Hutcheson Jr. High!
 

The first Core Group Meeting took place Sunday, April 15.  There were over 180 in attendance to hear details about being a part of the core group.  For the first time the feel and sight of this new campus was reality…here sat the East Arlington Campus congregation ready to embark on an amazing adventure.    Jason Paredes likened the scene to an approaching tidal wave of God’s movement into East Arlington, “…you could feel the energy all around and almost smell the salty water;  it was beautiful to see a room full of people waxing their boards and ready to ride!”

The first preview service for Fielder’s East Arlington Campus is scheduled for Sunday, May 6.   God is continuing to show His providence through Fielder as well as others in the community as Highland Baptist Church is extending the use of their facilities for this preview service.  While we are still seeking and waiting upon where God will lead us for the permanent location of the East Arlington Campus, we are thankful for the privilege in worshiping God corporately at the Highland location. The Core Group and new volunteers will be in attendance this day.

April 1, marked a day of commitment for the East Arlington Campus as well as evidence in the moving of God’s hand.
 
During March we came before the body of Fielder asking for a time of personal reflection and prayer.  Specifically, we were seeking 125 people who would commit to one year of service and leadership at the East Arlington Campus, as well as financial support above normal tithes for one year and/or a one-time cash offering.
 
God poured out His blessings on this endeavor, exceeding all expectations.  Through the commitments of so many at Fielder this new campus will open its doors with a body of about 300 people who will open their hearts and arms to East Arlington residents.  Additionally, the pledged amount of $642,377 is within 1% of what was originally outlined ($650,000) as needed for the first year’s operating budget.  God is good…all the time.
 
Commitment Sunday Totals
 

Core Group: 188 Adults, 300 Total with Children
 
New Volunteers for Central Campus:  280
 
Total Gifts & Pledges:   $642,377
 
One Day Offering:     $347,909
 

We are thrilled to announce that Fielder Church will soon introduce it's new Campus Pastor for the East Arlington Campus.  After everything is finalized, we will all hear his story in services on March 25th.  Although we cannot yet tell you who he is, we can say that he is an incredible young man with an unbelievable story.  We couldn't be more excited to introduce him and more importantly, get him on the ground working toward making our dream in East Arlington a reality!

Campus Pastor – We have narrowed the field of candidates to four men and will be having follow-up interviews during the second week of February. Pray for Michael Wierick and Jason Paredes as they conduct the interviews and pray that God would make evident the man He has chosen to be the East Arlington Campus Pastor.

Facility – Curtis Boozer is leading the search for the new campus facility. We have secured the services of a commercial real estate broker and have looked at numerous locations. No permanent location has been secured at present but we are praying and hoping to find the right location by March 1st. Pray for Curtis Boozer to have great wisdom and for God to lead us to the perfect location.

The East Campus Core – We are asking God to call out at least 125 people who would give one year of their lives to serving and leading at the new East Arlington campus. A commitment service has been scheduled for Sunday, April 1st. Please be in prayer and ask God if He is calling you to be part of the launch team and core for the new East Arlington campus.

Funding For The East Arlington Campus - During the month of March we will be casting a vision for the miraculous things we believe God wants to do through Fielder Church and the new East Arlington Campus. We will also be asking our members to make a commitment to give above and beyond their normal tithes to support this exciting adventure. On Sunday April 1st many will be led to make a one time cash offering, others will make a one year pledge to give monthly to the new campus, while some will be led to do both. We believe God will bless our faith and give us the resources necessary to complete this outreach to an often-neglected part of our community. Pray about what God would have you give.

Timeline – We are currently in the prayer and preparation phase of this project. We have an exhaustive launch plan that we are working from and things are moving along at a rapid pace. We hope to begin the pre-launch phase on April 8th with once-a-month preview services, training of the core and advance marketing. The launch for the new campus is scheduled for September 16th. There are many dominoes that must fall just at the right time but we are trusting in God for direction and for the wisdom to move according to His plan.