Every time I run by Target or the grocery store at Potomac Yard, I wish that my church — National Community Church — had a location there. Since the mission of NCC is to meet at places of business in the DC area, it’s the perfect location.

A few weeks ago, my prayers were answered. Pastor Mark announced that the movie theater at Potomac Yard would be the sixth NCC location!

To help promote the initial meeting about the launch, Pastor Kurtis, the campus pastor for the new site, made a rap video. Pastor Kurtis is an extremely talented musician, but I had my qualms when I heard about it. However, it became an instant NCC classic, and people requested that they put it on YouTube to promote the new location. It may even replace my favorite NCC bumper of all time.

As soon as I heard the news, I knew that I had to be involved. I’ve served on the Hospitality Team at the Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse location for a couple of years, and I helped out at Embrace Church when I lived in Chattanooga. Over the next month, I’ll be transitioning from co-leader on the Hospitality Team at Ebz, to Hospitality Leader at Potomac Yard. (Hence the new church responsibilities.)

If you are in the area and looking for a church or just want to give church a try, stop by the movie theaters on September 12. If you are a Believer, we would appreciate prayers for this launch. A large percentage of NCCers were previously de-churched, meaning they grew up in the church and stopped going for a year or more. There’s huge potential here. Just consider the neighborhoods surrounding Potomac Yard: Crystal City, Del Ray, Arlandria, Rosemont, Old Town, Pentagon City and Four Mile Run. So many people live in this small area of Northern Virginia.

Generally, I shy away from blogging about church because I don’t want people to think that NCC is only filled with other right-wing crazies like me. As I’ve said before, NCC does an awesome job of staying above the political fray. In fact, I appreciate the refuge from the political world. Without taking a few hours a week to leave partisanship at the door and just focus on God with fellow Believers, I don’t think I could survive life in the Beltway.

Mark your calendars for the Potomac Yard launch on September 12!

While reading Letters to an American Lady by C.S. Lewis, which is part of the April reading list, I came across this passage. Like much of Lewis’ work, it hits you in the gut with the truth of walking with Christ.

From the letter dated 6/12/55:

For it is a dreadful truth that the state of (as you say) “having to depend solely on God” is what we all dread most. And of course that just shows how very much, how almost exclusively, we have been depending on things. But trouble goes so far back in our lives and is now so deeply ingrained, we’ll will not turn to Him as long as He leaves us anything else to turn to. I suppose all one can say is that it was bound to come. In the hour of death and the day of judgment, what else shall we have? Perhaps when those moments come, they will feel happiest who have been forced (however unwittingly) to begin practicing it here on earth. It is good of Him to force us; but dear me, how hard to feel that it is good at the time.

This isn’t in relation to anything nor is there a political or cultural angle. This passage just struck me as the honest truth about how difficult it is to be a Christian. It’s not always praise music and warm fuzzies, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The darkest moments, the ones when we want to do anything but trust in God, are the ones that teach us the most.

During CPAC, I had the privilege of meeting Patricia Sullivan, a strong conservative woman running for Alan Grayson’s seat in Florida.

Yes, that Alan Grayson.

Mrs. Sullivan is exactly the type of woman that I’m always hoping will run for office. She’s a staunch conservative, a Christian and a homeschooling mother of four.

Calling herself a “defending mother,” Mrs. Sullivan said, “We need conservative women in congress who can multitask with common sense. We need watchmen to say no. Moms are good at saying no.”

If the treatment of Jim Bunning is any sign, we definitely need more men and women who can say no in Congress.

Going into 2010, it’s exciting to see a groundswell of grassroots candidates running. They’re distinctly different than the typical people who run for office. After working in DC for a number of years now, it is almost strange to encounter them. While talking with Mrs. Sullivan, I asked how fundraising was going. She replied that, “DC people always ask about fundraising, but is that the most important thing?”

I had to admit that I was taken aback. As hard as I try to stay un-Beltway, it creeps into your soul. That’s another reason why we need more candidates like Mrs. Sullivan. Even people who purposely try to avoid becoming part of the system end up doing so.

As we chatted, Mrs. Sullivan shared that she had made the decision to run only dif her entire family was on board. After discussing it, her 14-year-old son was reluctant. They decided to take additional time for consideration, and the son went on a missions trip. When he returned, he started reading a book that a friend had recommended. By that time, the family was once again sitting down to decide if an election was in their future.

Mrs. Sullivan shared that the book completely changed her son’s outlook. After praying about it, he knew that it wasn’t right for his mom to miss this opportunity if God was opening the door. She started to tear up while telling me this.

As I sat on Blogger’s Row typing, Mrs. Sullivan’s story took on a personal turn. I asked what the book was. I’ve worked with teen boys. Not many books change their lives.

“In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day,” she replied.

My jaw dropped, and I stopped talking. In shock, I looked up and said, “My pastor wrote that book!”

Surprised, she asked a few details about it. I told her that I attend National Community Church and Pastor Mark Batterson wrote that book several years ago.

The interview went from talking about her race to sharing how much this book had influenced her son. I told her a little about NCC and promised to share the story with Pastor Mark. She was excited and said something that only Believers can understand, “It wasn’t a coincidence that God brought us here to talk about the race.”

That evening, I excitedly got to church. As a hospitality co-leader, it is my job to make sure that everyone is welcome and has bulletins, chairs set up, information available and tithe collected. I serve on the team that makes sure that the service goes smoothly, and I love it. Working in the background to make sure that everything gets done has always been my major gift.

Normally, the evening flies by, and I’m running like crazy. (Church also doubles as a cardio session for me.) Normally, I don’t get a chance to talk to Pastor Mark except to wave and say hi. That Saturday, he walked up while I was discussing something with Pastor Ross, the campus pastor at Ebenezer’s. I seized the opportunity to share the afternoon’s experiences with him and saw him light up with the story that his book had helped a 14-year-old boy. He asked for the family’s information so that he could follow up.

To be perfectly clear, NCC stays apolitical. As a church that meets on Capitol Hill, you have to. I may be a staunch conservative, but I do believe that Democrats can be godly Christians. I know Democrats who are better Christians than many Republicans.*  Pastor Mark and the church leadership do an amazing job staying above the fray on political issues. NCC is a refreshing escape from the polarizing and often depressing issues we deal with each day. (I’m not sure what I would do if my church were political. I need a break from it all.) He was excited to hear that his book had helped a 14-year-old boy, not that In a Pit is influencing conservative politics (although both sides could probably benefit from reading his books).

I write this to 1) highlight an awesome candidate like Mrs. Sullivan. 2) encourage other women to run for office and 3) share how God orchestrates strange meetings. Out of the 10,000 people at CPAC, what are the odds that Mrs. Sullivan would meet someone who knew the author of the book that helped her decide to run for public office?

Take a few minutes to learn more about Patricia Sullivan. We need more people like her in Congress. Moe Lane at Red State did an interview with her during CPAC.

Also Smart Girl Nation interviewed Mrs. Sullivan last year.

*Sometimes I wonder what the New Testament would have looked like if Jesus had come to DC and not Israel. Hypocrisy and evil exist on both sides of the political aisle. Political systems are designed by humans and are therefore imperfect, but I do believe capitalism and democracy are the best systems that help the most people at once.)

One thing I appreciate about National Community Church is how the leadership pushes us as Believers. Pastor Mark and the staff don’t use gimmicks or popular books like “40 Days of Purpose” or whatever trend is current in churches. Rather, they find new and creative ways we can grow in our personal lives and small groups.

Last year, NCC started A18, which is based on Acts 1:8, to put a special focus on missions around the world, in the US and in the District. (DC alone has so much need.)

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I was back in Chattanooga serving at Embrace Church when they came out with the first catalogue, but I was at church last week for the new one.

According to Pastor Mark’s blog, Evotional:

We handed out our annual A18 Christmas Catalogue this past weekend. Amazing magazine that is designed to tell mission stories and give people an opportunity to invest in missions as a Christmas gift. We’ll take ten trips to ten countries this next year. And the catalog focuses on four of those countries: Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Thailand.We handed out our annual A18 Christmas Catalogue this past weekend. Amazing magazine that is designed to tell mission stories and give people an opportunity to invest in missions as a Christmas gift. We’ll take ten trips to ten countries this next year. And the catalog focuses on four of those countries: Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Bolivia, and Thailand.

Having grown up in the church, it’s not unusual to give to missions. We always had mission conferences once a year and frequently heard missionaries speak in chapel at school. However, you wrote a check or put pennies in the offering plate to go to “missions.” Sometimes, you’d get a photo of the missionary family to hang on your refrigerator, but it was difficult to grasp where your money was exactly going.

The A18 Christmas Catalogue gives you options of how you can give your money. You can provide a month-scholarship for a hearing-impaired student in Nicaragua for $34, or a gift of $20 provides one person with clean drinking water for life in Ethiopia.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about faith and Bill Colrus, another Chattanooga blogger,  encouraged me to write more frequently on it. I’m writing this A18 post not only to show how cool giving to missions can be but to hold myself accountable. Recently, I’ve felt led to make an extra gift each pay check to help one of the programs in this catalogue.

Now I can give more some pay checks, and others hit when every single bill is due and my car needs repairs. (We all have those months!) However, I can always spare $10. I’m hoping that by leaving the catalogue in a prominent location (my coffee table) and writing this post, I’ll be accountable to this.

Of course, you can always buy coffee at Ebenezer’s on the Hill. Since all the profits go directly to missions, I have difficulty turning down that $5 cup of coffee. Unlike Starbucks, it’s hard to be frugal and save money when Ebz delicious coffee helps people.