MISSIONS

Transform at The Village Church is in its third year, starting in the summer of 2006. It is focused on moving church members outside of the church walls to involve them in various community projects. The event has grown in the number of church members and regular attendees involved and in the number of communities where projects are held. This is one very visible way that the church tries to help members and regular attendees understand one of its five Core Values, Missional Living. Transform also helps participants understand the value of doing "Community on Purpose."

Missional Living and "Community on Purpose" are about living our lives as believers in Jesus Christ in intentional and meaningful ways. God has placed us in neighborhoods, work places, classrooms, gyms and coffee shops on purpose. Life is not a random accident; rather, God designed it with purpose. And so, we desire to live the way of Jesus in front of the audience God has given us. We love, serve and care for those that God has determined us to be around in hopes they will see Jesus in us, hear us speak of Him often and be drawn to Him.

In 2006, Transform focused on Cornerstone Church in Dallas and involved a period of six weekends during the summer. Members and attendees from The Village Church gathered those weekends and cleaned up church grounds, painted 15 houses in the neighborhood, helped feed lunch to residents in a nearby retirement home, built two Habitat for Humanity homes, and more importantly, developed friendships with members of the community. Roughly 600 volunteers from The Village participated in the six-weekend event. The inaugural event set the foundation for ensuing years to help Village members connect with the Cornerstone community beyond just a summer project.

In 2007, Transform expanded its scope, focusing on three communities: Denton, Lewisville and Dallas. For the first time, our efforts involved schools, especially in Denton where a relationship with Calhoun Middle School was born. The summer-long effort resulted in ongoing relationships with Calhoun school administrators and students. The event took most of the summer, involving 10 consecutive weeks - three in Denton, three in Lewisville and three in Dallas, and the number of volunteers grew to almost 1,300. In Lewisville, efforts were concentrated in trailer park where residents received help repairing their homes. Cornerstone Church was once again the focus in Dallas, where volunteers helped with construction efforts for a new sanctuary, painted homes and transformed a neighborhood home into a halfway home. Once again, ongoing relationships were birthed for our members and home groups.

While the 2008 version of Transform will once again be in Denton, Lewisville and Dallas, this year's focus will be slightly different. The projects will not be a means to themselves but rather, our hope and desire is that deep friendships and relationships will once again have their beginning at Transform. Three schools have been chosen: Calhoun Middle School in Denton, Hedrick Elementary School in Lewisville and Charles Rice Elementary School in Dallas. And for the first time, other churches will join The Village Church in this effort. Watermark Community Church in Dallas and Fe (Faith) in Denton are two churches who will also be participating in this summer's events. The projects will take place on three Saturdays, June 14, July 12 and August 2. A Back-to-School Celebration will be held at each school in September.

The type of projects at each school will be cleaning, painting, building shelves and creating outdoor learning environments.

Our hope is that by working side by side in these projects, mentoring relationships between students, church volunteers and other members of these communities will start and continue long-term.