{"id":645,"date":"2013-03-29T21:13:21","date_gmt":"2013-03-30T03:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jonathanwilsonhartgrove\/?p=645"},"modified":"2013-03-29T21:13:21","modified_gmt":"2013-03-30T03:13:21","slug":"growing-smaller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jonathanwilsonhartgrove\/2013\/03\/growing-smaller\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Smaller"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a>I love the intimacy of Jesus\u2019 ministry on that first Easter\u2013with Mary in the garden, calling her by name. With Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, sitting down to break bread. The resurrection is BIG news, yes. But we know it now, even as people knew it in the beginning, through Jesus\u2019 little way of love.<\/p>\n

We know him in the breaking of the bread.<\/p>\n

When I was in college a mentor said to me, \u201calways remember: good things start small and get smaller.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is what we have seen, time and again. It is in relationships, in small mentoring groups with kids, in little classes inside of prisons, in small groups visiting little communities that we are being transformed. This is the heart of School for Conversion\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Even still, where there is life, there is growth. Where there is good news, there is the natural impulse to share it. Where God is at work, we want to invite others to come and be part of it.<\/p>\n

So we face the challenge of how to grow smaller.<\/p>\n

The past year at School for Conversion has been a year of expansion\u2013new course sites in prison, new initiatives with our youth, new community-based education opportunities. Hundreds more people have been exposed to SFC\u2019s message. But we have refused to package our message \u201cbigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

The only healthy growth we can imagine is growth that entails new people, new leadership, new communities. And the only way to sustain that growth is to have more relationships with people like you who believe in what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

So, in this Easter season when we celebrate God\u2019s Movement breaking out into the world, I\u2019m asking you to please introduce your friends to SFC\u2019s work and invite them to join us.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how you can do it.<\/p>\n\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

My friend Tony Campolo recently had me as a guest on his TV show Red Letter Christians<\/a>. I asked that we spend the entire 30 minutes talking about SFC\u2019s work. So now we have a concise introduction to SFC and what we\u2019re about that you can share with your friends.<\/p>\n

Would you commit to inviting 4-6 people over, watching this 30min episode, and having a conversation about what we\u2019re doing and why you\u2019ve been a friend of SFC\u2019s work?<\/p>\n

To meet the increased staff costs of our growing smaller, we need to raise an additional $30K this year. While I\u2019m deeply grateful for your generosity, I don\u2019t expect you to give more this year than you have in the past (unless you\u2019ve come into some new found wealth, in which case we\u2019d be glad to help you share it).<\/p>\n

What I would love to see is 1,000 new friends of SFC giving $30 each.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d love for us to keep growing smaller, one mustard seed at a time.<\/p>\n

You can view the episode of Red Letter Christians online at:
\nhttp:\/\/www.itbn.org\/index\/detail\/lib\/Networks\/sublib\/JC-TV\/ec\/dqNnhnYToHXk3eXVzQhHutbaLMI_nnGX<\/a><\/p>\n

Or, if you\u2019d like us to send you a DVD, just reply to this message with a mailing address.<\/p>\n

Donations to SFC can be mailed to:<\/p>\n

School for Conversion
\n917 Berkeley St.
\nDurham, NC 27705<\/p>\n

Folks can also give directly to our programs through our website <\/a>or online via PayPal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Thanks to each of you for continuing to walk with us on this journey. Easter blessings to you and yours.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love the intimacy of Jesus\u2019 ministry on that first Easter\u2013with Mary in the garden, calling her by name. With Cleopas on the road to Emmaus, sitting down to break bread. The resurrection is BIG news, yes. But we know it now, even as people knew it in the beginning, through Jesus\u2019 little way of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features"],"yoast_head":"\nGrowing Smaller<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I love the intimacy of Jesus' ministry on that first Easter--with Mary in the garden, calling her by name. 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