Fans of Chris Joyner Message

2009-04-09T09:59:18Z

Friends,

It has been a while since we’ve sent an email out to you. If you can, please take a few minutes to read this note!

The reason I am writing is to let you know of a big change in our lives. After nearly eleven years in ministry at Fairfax Community Church, I am leaving the staff. May 2&3 will be my last weekend leading worship at FCC. At this point we do not know what our next step is going to be (wow…typing that kind of makes it sound crazy). My hope is to spend the summer guest worship leading and preaching at churches in and around the Washington D.C. area. I am looking to find a worship and pastoral ministry position at a church (hopefully here in Northern Virginia!) by this Fall.

You might be asking, “How can we help?” ;-)! There are a few things that we covet from you during this time of transition. First, we hope that you will think of us when you offer prayers of thanksgiving and petition to our God. FCC is all that Rachel and I have known for the last eleven years and it is all our kids have known their entire lives! So, please pray for peace and joy to permeate our family. We believe that God is sovereign and that He is preparing us for whatever it is that He is calling us to next.

Specifically, we have a few prayer requests.

1. Please pray that I can be a father and a husband who will love and hold up his family as we walk through this transition. I want to be a picture of Christ to Rachel, Grace and Drew. Pray that I continue to hear God’s voice through all of this. I know my heart can stray very easily and begin to pursue self-sufficiency instead of being grounded in the hope and the humility of the Gospel. Pray for Rachel to have confidence in God’s plan for our family and that she would recognize that she is a wonderful mother and spouse (and a great chemistry tutor as well…). God brought us together so we can support each other when the other is discouraged and anxious.

2. Please continue to pray for the restoration of my voice. Many of you know that we have walked through a three-year period in which I have struggled with my voice. It has been very slow but we have seen great progress over the last 6 months (God has chosen to stretch this out a little). Realistically, my voice is at about 80%. But, given that I was at 30-40% for 2 years, we are greatly encouraged! Pray specifically for my time with my voice instructor. In order to be wise financially, I am going to reduce the frequency of my lessons from two times per week to one. Much of my progress began to take root when I went to two lessons a week. But, I am in a better place now so I feel like this will be okay. To be honest, though, it does cause me to be a little apprehensive.

3. Personally, as a spiritual leader at FCC, I have poured my heart into the community there. We’ve been privileged to watch a group of 200 grow to 2000. We have rejoiced with the community in times of joy and we have wept alongside many in times of hardship and darkness. But that is not the whole story. The community at FCC has rejoiced with us, wept with us and upheld us! For that we are grateful. Change in life is inevitable, and some changes are weightier than others; therefore, more difficult to navigate. While we may never fully understand the reason for the changes that God allows in our life, we must never underestimate the purposes of God that come wrapped in unusual packages. We know that God can transform and renew us through the valley. Of this we are certain. Of this we are confident.

Secondly, we will be relying on you to be our net workers. Most of you are connected to churches and ministries all over the country. If you know of a church that is looking for a pastor of congregational worship then please toss our name into the hat. If you know of an opportunity to lead worship or preach as a guest please pass our info to those churches.

Finally, remember this….please. God is pursuing you. He is calling you to stand in amazement and wonder at the beautiful, life-giving fountain that flows from the cross of our Savior. Respond to Him and His pursuit. You will not regret it.

Grace and peace – chris j.
chris@chrisjoyner.com

Ps. Would an email to a fan list be complete without plugging cds and downloads? LOL!! Most of you know that in ’07 I joined with Ben Lashey to record an entire cd of hymns. We’ve heard some cool stories from many of you how God has used those songs to draw you deeper into communion with Him! Keep those stories coming – they are a great encouragement to us!

If you don’t have a copy of Hymns (or Live Worship: The Great Room; A Song of Praise; Left with only You) I encourage you to order if from my site: http://www.chrisjoyner.com. From there you can use paypal or you can download it from iTunes! I’ve also heard a rumor that you can send us a check through this old organization called the U.S. Postal Service ;-).

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Fans of Chris Joyner Message

2008-12-23T14:14:48Z

Its been a while since we sent out some news on Chris Joyner. If you haven't already heard, Chris released a new CD called Hymns with his good friend Ben Lashey. All of Chris' CD's can be downloaded on Itunes or purchased from the website, http://www.chrisjoyner.com

Some exciting news! One of Chris Joyner and Ben Lashey's songs has been nominated for Independent Artist Song of the Year by Worship Leader Magazine. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please Vote for Alleluja Sing to Jesus by clicking here: http://www.worshipleader.com/praise-awards

We hope you and your family have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

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Fans of Chris Joyner Message

2008-12-23T10:32:11Z

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