May 27, 2005
Dear friends, family and co-laborers in the Kingdom of God,

	Never before has the world been so emotionally and spiritually needy.  It is impossible to watch the news, talk to family, or even attend church and not see the struggle between Christianity and culture. Our hearts must ache for the lost souls of the world and must be broken as we see the suffering that is all around us.
	Over the past 6 years the challenge for the church to continue to engage culture has been heavy on our hearts as we have tried to find our identity in Christ for ourselves, our families, and our churches.  In 1997, while sitting under the July stars in Hastings Michigan, God began to build a dream in us.  It was a dream of a church that was relevant to culture, engaged with the arts, broken for an un-churched society, authentic in its relationships, and thoroughly founded in the scriptures.
	Eight years later, that dream is becoming a reality.  Beginning July 1st, the Grate and Buck families (as well as a few others) will be moving to Eastown Grand Rapids, MI to start a brand new church named Greenhouse.  

	We hang out in a coffee shop in Eastown called The Kave House.  Among the people we have met there have been truckloads of college students, an ex-satanist, a Kabbalah master, and a mentally impaired Vietnamese guy who threatened to stab us. (no kidding!)   The impact of Christ (although certainly there) is very hard to see.  Religion isn't high on most of the people's radars.  It doesn't really matter what kind of church "service" that churches do, because most people aren't really concerned with going to church at all.  But yet most people really believe that they are very spiritual.
When we ask people what their view of the established church is, many times there is a reply of many colorful explicatives. People think the church is judgmental, irrelevant, power-hungry, and self-centered.  But many times when we share the vision that we have for Greenhouse people will say stuff like, "I'll come to that church and I don't even believe in Jesus.  If you are seriously about helping and loving the forgotten and underprivileged, I'll come."
	What will this church look like?  Well, we aren't completely sure of all the details yet, but what Greenhouse will look like is best explained in our core values. 

1. The Light- Holistic Worship and Learning
	2. The Vine- Communal Fellowship
	3. The Soil- Incarnational Love
	4. The Roots- Process Discipleship
	5. The Seed- Lifestyle Influence
	6. The Water- Missional Life 
	(there is a more in depth description of these values as www.greenhouseministries.org)

These values are tied together by the phrase "Seeing what God is doing in culture. Yearning 
to be its fulfillment"
We desire to live in and strive to understand culture in order to make a difference in it.  We want to love people who have no hope.  We want to engage young professionals who feel church has nothing to do with their lives.  We want to see older Christians and younger Christians living and learning together.  
	It has been said that the difference between an average Christian and a deeply committed Christian, is that when shown the heart of God or an area of deep spiritual need, the average Christian becomes emotional.  The deeply committed Christian becomes personally involved.  We are asking you to become personally involved in reaching the un-reached people in our culture. We are now in the fundraising / teambuilding stage of this project and our goal is to involve many people from many different walks of life in this work through prayer and/or financial support.

There are three ways that you can help Greenhouse....

1. Become a covenant prayer partner with us in seeing God move in Eastown

2. Give a one time financial gift to Greenhouse Ministries

3. Give a monthly financial gift to Greenhouse Ministries

Attached is a form that will help you in your decision to bless Greenhouse.  
Thank you so much for your time.  Please pray about how God would have you be a part of Greenhouse.


Love in Christ,

Pastor Jason Grate
Pastor Josh Buck
www.greenhouseministries.org




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Check all that apply


__ I commit to becoming a prayer partner for Greenhouse.
	I will pray every   m__  tu__ w__th__fr__sat__sun__

__I want to make a one time gift of $_________.___ to Greenhouse.

__I want to make a monthly gift of $_________.___ to Greenhouse starting in the month of_____.


Checks made out to "Greenhouse"			  
Address:	Greenhouse
P.O. Box 68004
Grand Rapids, MI 49516