God Working in Serendipitous Ways

Yesterday, I was killing some time with a friend in NYC between our visits of two churches, Mosaic Manhattan in the morning and Redeemer Presbyterian in the evening. After a great omlette a The Cupping Room on 5th Avenue, we walked a few miles north (so I could smoke a cigar), and then we jumped on the subway. We got off around 98th and walked south along the eastern border of Central Park. (Yes, we saw Christo's saffron "The Gates.")

We went into the Met to find a place to sit down and read for a couple hours until Redeemer started. Well, it turns out that yesterday was the last days of "The Gates," so the Met was the most crowded that it's been in years -- I mean it was crawling with thousands and thousands of people. Chris and I found our way to an atrium in the building, and, although there were people everywhere, a couple of chairs opened up just as we were walking around. So we sat down across from one another.

As I was getting out my book, I looked at the book laid across the lap of the guy next to me. It was The Search to Belong, an emergentYS book by Joe Myers. The guy looked like a Viking -- like the big guy with red hair who is Mel Gibson's right-hand-man in Braveheart. And he was asleep.

When he came to a couple moments later, I asked him, "How do you like that book?"

"I like it so far. It's really good. Why?" he asked.

"I'm actually on the editorial board that publishes that line of books," I told him.

"You're a part of Emergent?"

"Yeah, I'm on the Coordinating Group," I said.

"I love you guys!" he exclaimed.

Turns out his name is Jeff Kursonis, and he's feeling called by God to plant a church for artists (actors, musicians, visual artists, etc.) in NYC. He's a YWAM alumnus and moved to NYC a few years ago to be a professional songwriter/piano player. He's recently been involved in The Haven, a weekely parachurch ministry gathering of artists, and it's this experience that has led him to consider planting a church. He's been reading Emergent books, reading websites, and wondering how he could ever get connected to us.

And he wasn't sleeping. He was praying that God would give him a clear sign that he is on the right track in planting a church.

We talked for over an hour about Emergent, church planting, events, and connections. It was really great.

One of the things that talking with Jeff confirmed for me was that Emergent's role is likely a temporary one: to carve out a space in the institutional Christian church for artists, lovers, and mystics to take it the next step. We're using words, publishing, and logical arguments; they'll use dreams, art, and beauty.

So, join me in praying for Jeff and his dream of planting a church.

[UPDATE: Jeff came to our NJ Cohort last night and has commented below, and he's planning to start a blog. If anyone wants to email him, click here.]