Well it’s been a while since I’ve blogged so I wanted to bring everyone up to date on the life of the Lopers and share a few things that Andrea & I are so thankful for.
Even with times that are challenging financially as I search for full-time employment God keeps providing. Andrea & I have so much to be thankful for. We are thankful that God has provided freelance hours for me during these past several months while I’m looking for employment and Andrea is out on maternity leave.
I am so thankful for the way God is moving at C3 Church. We have so many people coming to know and depend on Christ during these trying times. I am so thankful to be a part of the Management Team that God is using to impact the community.
And last but certainly not least we are so thankful for our new little son Dallas. Obviously with Dallas celebrating his 10 week birthday today he has been keeping Mom & Dad pretty busy but he has been the bright spot in our challenging year. At 10 weeks he is wearing 6 month old clothing. As of last Wednesday he is 14 lbs, 10 oz and 25.3 (over 2 ft tall!) inches long. Dallas is totally off the charts for height & weight. It could be that his grandfather (Andrea’s Dad) is 6.5′ and his great grandfather was close to 7′ tall so we think he might have the tall gene.
So a mixed bag of good and challenging but God has been very good to us and as long as we have Him and family we will be fine!
Now consider yourself updated!
Filed under: Church, Connections, Friends, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Diversity, Orange County, Orlando
One thing that I love about C3 Church that I don’t think that I have ever really talked about on my blog is the diversity that God has blessed us with. When I say diversity you might think I am only talking about race but you would be mistaken. Race is only one aspect of the diversity found at C3 Church. We not only have diversity in race but diversity in age. We have diversity in socio-economic levels. We have diversity in religious denominations or no religious affiliation at all. God has blessed C3 with just an incredible melting pot of different people with one desire to “love God and love others!”
I really believe that C3 church is truly a microcosm of Orlando. Orlando is a very diverse metropolitan area where many different races and cultures combine. I think that every church should reflect their culture through diversity. If you take an honest look at your church congregation and 98 percent of your congregation is representing only one race or culture then I think you are missing the boat. In fact Orange county is now so diverse that minorities are now the majority of the population in our county. C3 Church is in fact very close in mirroring this trend in the Central Florida area. It is truly a blessing to see our racial diversity at C3 Church.
I also heard it said that as we transitioned C3 Church to a more contemporary model that the older generations would not come. Well to be honest with you that could not be a more incorrect statement. Yes we had a lot of “churched” senior adults move to other churches in our transition but God has brought in a lot of older un-churched folks who have found Christ and some older Christ-followers that love others so much that they enjoy C3 Church and the work that is being done. So diversity in age, young and old!
We have people that speak English and second languages such as Spanish, French, German, Korean and the list goes on and on which represents a diversity of cultures. We also have Catholics, Methodist, Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, non-denominational, etc. and most of all un-churched religious backgrounds. Diversity is part of C3 Church.
I am so proud how God has given C3 Church the platform and ability to speak the truth of the love of Christ not only to a select few but to ALL people here in Orlando. Loving God and loving others, that’s what it’s about at C3! Love Wins!
To my beautiful wife. You are the most beautiful woman in the world! You are the glue that holds our house together. You will be the best mom ever. You will be the hottest mom ever. I love waking up beside you in the morning and I love going to sleep next to you at night. Even though life gets tough at times I know we can make it through together. Thanks for letting me lean on you many times. Thank you for loving my mom unconditionally. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. You are the best friend that I could ever have. I really do love you beyond what my feable attempts to put into words allows me to communicate. I love you Andrea, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Filed under: Family, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Memorial Day, Remembering, USS Atlanta, WW2 Memorial
Today is a truly special day for me. It is not only Memorial Day but it is also the day that my Dad was born. My Dad, Dallas Burnell Loper, would have turned 84 today. My dad also fought courageously in WW 2 in the US Navy and the US Army.
My dad never really talked about WW2 too much but I know that he served on the USS Atlanta (Destroyer) and that he served proudly in the Army. So I don’t know much but I do know the important part. He loved his country so much that he fought in the war to end all wars so I can live free in the greatest country on the planet, The United States of America. So to my Dad who left his life here and now resides in Heaven I want to say thank you! I also want to wish you a happy birthday Dad. I am so proud that your grandson will bear your name when he comes into this world on September. I love you Dad and I miss you so much!
The WW2 Destroyer, USS Atlanta my Dad served on.
WW2 Memorial in Washington DC.
We had an incredible afternoon where we baptized more than 25 people at the Blanchard Park YMCA! It is just incredible to see how God is changing lives at C3 Church!
People in line to get baptized in their C3 shirts!
More people in line waiting to get dunked!
Some friends & family watching Pastor Byron & Pastor Barry Baptizing C3ers!
The incredible “C3 Church baptism celebration”, vanilla cake with buttercream frosting and strawberry filling made by Davis Bakery in Avalon Park. The cake was unbelievable!
Another all around great day at C3 Church!
Filed under: Andrea, Family, LOVE, Personal, Pop Culture | Tags: Andrea Loper, Darrell Loper
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Filed under: Church, Connections, LOVE | Tags: C3 Church, First Time Guests, Opportunity
I was talking with Barry Leathers this morning and he told me that we had a total of 32 first time guests on last Sunday! What? That is really incredible. God is really moving in the hearts of people and it is incredible to see what God is doing at C3 Church. I was so excited when I heard this that I immediately emailed everyone on the Connections Team and told them to keep up the good work of making people feel welcome because we are only going to see more and more people walk through the doors at C3! In these times of uncertainty we have a huge opportunity to reach people with the message of Christ! So keep investing and inviting C3ers and give God the praise for what He is doing in our Church! Love Wins!
YOU HAVE GOT TO READ THIS! (click here for link)
Filed under: Family, LOVE, Personal, Pop Culture | Tags: Circus, Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey
What a great family night at the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus. The most fun was watching Hayden (my nephew) and his reactions.
Filed under: Christmas Project, Church, Family, LOVE, Personal, Uncategorized | Tags: C3 Feed the Families, Christmas, Feed the Families
Alright I know I haven’t blogged forever. Well it’s only been a week and a half but it seems like forever. I have been a busy man joining my wife and helping out her company with the holiday season. It’s been fun and totally different, plus a few extra bucks in the old bank account is an added bonus. Let me start out with the week in review, starting with church last Sunday.
Last Sunday we wrapped up the “Feed the Families” Christmas initiative and it was an incredible success. We had so many of the families come to C3 to visit and we were blessed beyond measure. I believe that the families enriched our lives more than we ever expected. We had almost 800 people in attendance and the atmosphere was just electric. We had more than 20 decisions to become Christ-Followers and a ton of first-time guests. I thank God that I am part of a movement that has a desire to really reach out to the community and in turn change people’s lives.
Secondly it is Christmas. This time of the year is my favorite just like most people. This year has had its challenges but it’s been rewarding nonetheless. Usually my family loves to give presents to each other and enjoy the whole spirit of giving. This year it is even more meaningful because our family wanted to do more than just give gifts to each other. This year as an entire family we made the choice to give to charity what we would have spent on each other. Obviously this is what we as a family felt we wanted to do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving presents to each other but we were just blessed this year in such hard times to give to others. This has made this Christmas especially meaningful and fulfilling for us.
As 2008 rapidly comes to a close I thank God for the many things He has done in my life, our family and our church. He has truly moved and enriched our lives. I look forward to 2009 and the great things God has in store for us in the coming year.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Filed under: Church, Connections, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Bloodwater Mission, C3 Church, House of Hope, Orlando Rescue Mission
Can you believe that we are rapidly approaching the end of 2008? Just a few days ago I was talking with my friends on the C3 management team as we took a few moments to reminiscence about where we have been and where we are going in the movement we call C3 Church. Over the past few years we have had some true challenges and obstacles that we have had to overcome in order to realize our dream of reaching an un-Christian, un-churched demographic here in East Orlando. We were all very thankful for 2008 because we are really starting to see the vision that God had burned in Pastor Byron’s heart and then, in our hearts start to come to fruition. This year we have seen so many un-Christian and un-churched start a meaningful relationship with Christ that it just blows our minds.
We have also seen C3 Church really starting to make an impact on this community. This year alone we have done two food drive initiatives as we partnered with Feed The Children to help make an impact in Orlando. (In fact right now C3 is feeding 100 families in East Orlando for an entire month) C3 partnered with Bloodwater Mission during the summer and raised enough money to drill a well in Africa. Our Community Groups have been doing community service projects throughout the fall helping organizations like: House of Hope, Orlando Union Rescue Mission, Palm Garden Nursing Home and the list goes on. As C3 Church goes on from here I believe that we will continue to make a huge impact on Orlando and will continue to “Connect the Community with Christ”. Sometimes it’s great to look back and see where we have been and then to look forward to where we are going.
loveworshiplovelife 