Update From Boston/2012!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Year. I'm sure everyone has made their resolutions for the upcoming weeks and months, and I pray they are God-centered, Christ-exalting goals. I have some of my own resolutions for this year as well, but that is not what I want to write about in this post. I want to give you guys an update on how things are going in Boston and I want to take a brief look at the upcoming year. But before we do that there is something extremely important I cannot go without doing, and that is to say a huge thank you to everyone who has donated to the ministry in the last 6 months. I will not list any names, but you know who you are, and you are more of a blessing than you know. Every gift helps, even right down to all the $5 donations. We do not take any gift for granted and I want you to know you are appreciated and God is using your gift for His kingdom and for the fame of His Son Jesus. So thank you!

Now for a brief update! The first update is this, it's cold!!!! It was 3 degrees yesterday morning and it is currently snowing as I write this. No worries though, we were expecting cold, and it has been a really mild winter (according to everyone who has lived here for years). We have been in MA for almost 5 months now. Most of you know this, but when I say "we" I am talking about Ruthie (my wife), Michael (bass player) and myself. We are here following a calling to see a movement for Jesus among students in the Northeast. It has been fast and furious since we arrived. God provided all of us with paying jobs at First Baptist Church in Sudbury, MA which is a suburb just West of Boston. What a blessing that has been! I am the part-time youth pastor, Ruthie is the Children's ministry intern, and Michael is the College ministry intern. To be plugged in to a local body from day 1 of being here has been more of a blessing than we probably even realize at this point. We are so thankful.

As far as God Is Bigger Ministries goes, we are in the process of networking with college pastors/college ministry leaders, etc... That has gone great. The pastor at our church has set up multiple meetings for us with some amazing contacts for college ministry in Boston and the surrounding areas. We are currently at Framingham State University on Tuesday nights, meeting with and ministering to their Christian Fellowship group. We had the privilege of leading worship for them on campus for their praise night this past December where about 70 people or so showed up to worship! We are really looking forward to getting back with those students as the semester starts back up in the next week.

As far as actual "on-the-ground" ministry, it is a different world up here, which again, we expected coming in. Skepticism is very much the norm. There is not much trust for "religious" groups, especially churches. There is not much trust that we just sincerely love people. Everyone is looking for the "hidden agenda" that they have seen so often. The Bible is not just accepted as being truth, even by young students. A lot of foundational work has to be done in hearts and minds before they will take something serious because it's "in the Bible."

So what does this mean? It means extremely relational, personal, patient ministry. We are seeing God do some amazing things in people's lives, but it is coming through the avenue of walking through life with them. It is getting in the trenches and letting them see real people with real issues and problems live out faith in Christ. This is not a very popular way to do ministry in our day and time and culture. We battle the idea that events and programs (which are great and needed) will be how we see a great movement of God. Please here me say that events and programs are a big part of seeing an awakening! As a worship leader who is writing and recording music, I am all for events and programs, but those things alone will not produce the fruit we are longing and praying for. We are just tipping the iceberg here, having only been here for 5 months, but even in our short time we are already seeing God do incredible things in peoples hearts and lives. We are incredibly encouraged and excited to see what happens in the coming months!

Yes, it is a new year, but instead of spouting off a list of resolutions to you I just want to let you know some things we are doing and wanting to do as a ministry in 2012.

- We are leading worship on January 18th for about 25 college pastors/ministers. That is a lot of campuses represented that we could potentially get connected with to partner in ministry.
- We are leading worship on February 2nd in a suburb called Worcester. It will be a night of worship, celebration, and the word with students from multiple campuses in the area.
- We are doing our 2nd ever God Is Bigger Conference in February! The conference is at FBC Humble, TX. We are excited to be back in Texas. We will be there playing different places for about 2 1/2 weeks. We could not be more pumped for that trip!

Here are some things we vision doing in 2012 that you all can be in prayer about. 1.) A God Is Bigger Conference here in MA. Actually 2 of them. One for Jr. High and High School students and one for College Students. 2.)We would like to put on a night of worship at a venue in Downtown Boston. We need a venue that is cheap or free to use! 3.) The completion of our album. I want to say that we are almost there financially! A lot of you have given to help get the album mixed and mastered, and we are almost there! Be looking for updates as I am sure the rest of the money will come in soon. My plan/expectation is to be writing a February blog about all the money being in and the mixing/mastering phase beginning. God Is Big enough!

There is more I could say, but I will save some for a later post. For now I want to sincerely thank everyone who is praying for our ministry up here. I cannot say enough how needed your prayers are, and how much they are felt. Keep checking the blog to stay updated with what is going on (as one of my resolutions is to post much more than I ever have)!

Chris Allen
Proverbs 3:5-6

God Is Bigger Launch Party!

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing this letter to update you on what God has been doing in and through the ministry and to share the vision God has given us for future endeavors.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support. So much has happened in the past three months and it would not have been possible without your sacrificial giving. Your support provided confirmation for us as we moved forward in faith, believing God would continue to confirm our steps all along the way.

We live in a suburb of Boston called Marlborough, and are serving at the First Baptist Church, Sudbury. God has provided paid positions for Ruthie, myself and Michael (bass guitarist). This helps tremendously to meet our living expenses. We not only minister to the people in this church, but a door has also opened on the campus of Framingham State University to minister to college students on Tuesday nights. It's been amazing to see how God prepared the way for us in advance. Since my first contact with this college ministry God has opened up an opportunity to lead worship in December. I am thrilled to lead the students in worship and share about the love of God through Jesus!

We have made several connections already with people that are over whole regions of the Northeast in collegiate ministry, and are very excited about the possibility of being on multiple campuses by the end of the semester, or at least by next semester. The college students are encouraged and excited to know that we are also launching a weekly college service to minister and lead worship. This will provide another opportunity for their friends to hear about the love of God. It has been absolutely amazing and humbling to see how God has gone before us in every way imaginable.

This past August we held our first ever God Is Bigger Conference. This has been a dream forming and taking shape in my heart for over 5 years now, and to see it become a reality was overwhelming. I think one of the main purposes of this first conference was so that God could teach me lessons that I would have never learned otherwise. I jumped in with both feet and God absolutely rocked my world in the process. I trust that God rocked the world of the students in attendance as well. God really taught me what is required to lead this ministry with strength and courage, not withstanding lessons related to marketing and promoting God is Bigger Conferences in the future. It was a time of growth; a time when I was on my face before the Lord. I am so very thankful for the experience, and the Godly counsel he provided along the way.

As far as the conference, we had about 40-50 students who attended. We had 5 different speakers and enjoyed good worship throughout. I have attached testimonies to this so you can hear what God did in the lives a of student and a youth pastor during that time.

I am thrilled to tell you that 2 months after our first conference in Baytown, TX we got a call from a church in Humble, TX wanting us to come hold the God Is Bigger Conference at their church! This is exciting news because this is not just a church “letting” us come, but a church “asking” us to come. I am amazed! God is definitely doing something and definitely opening doors.

Our vision for future ministry opportunities for the God Is Bigger Ministry depends on your prayers and financial support. Please read the list that follows and ask God how he wants you to be involved.

・ God Is Bigger Conferences in Namibia, Africa and here in Boston. (I mention these because significant financial backing is needed).
・ As we consider future conferences, and because we are a worship ministry, we need to upgrade our sound equipment so we can hold concerts or conferences anywhere, regardless of the resources of the venue. (i.e., monitors, digital board, interface, mic stands, mics, etc...).
・ We want to start a weekly service/event that God Is Bigger Ministries would hold for college students. This would be an event every week to spark a passion for Jesus that would spread to their campuses.


I am intentionally ending with the last project we are trying finish because this is, I believe, the most important thing for us to get done in a timely manner. We must get the next Chris Allen Band CD released!! This is so important in moving the ministry forward.

The album is only about halfway completed at this time. By that I mean that all instrumental and lead vocal tracking is finished. The only thing left to record is some background vocals. That takes no time at all once we have the money for it. The initial recording went well. I could not be any more excited about this set of songs! We have stalled in the area of getting the album mixed and mastered. This part of the project does not require more work on our end, it just requires finances that we do not currently have. There will be 11 songs; it will be a full album with each and every song meant to lead people into the presence of God in worship. The album is written to be used in corporate worship settings as in the church. It will take another $400 per song to get them mixed and mastered. That leaves us needing $4,400 to complete the album.

The encouraging part of all of this is that we have already invested in a promotion/marketing group to promote the album to retail stores, radio stations nationwide, iTunes, and promoting the Chris Allen Band to help us get bookings. Tate Music/Publishing Group works very hard at promoting, and we've never had any help in the promotion of our music in the past. We are excited to see what a difference professional marketing and promotion could make if we can get the album completed.

This is the bottom line – We need to raise $5,000. This would provide $4,400 for the recording, and another $600 to make sure we get all the background vocals finished and done well. I am asking each of you to prayerfully consider helping us with this. Again, I feel so passionately about these songs. I believe that when this album is finished it could put us in a position where we could pursue the other visions and dreams that God has put on our hearts. Even more important than that, I have watched as these songs have already ministered to people as we have played them over the past several months. I cannot tell you how excited I am to see how God uses them!!

I believe whole-heartedly in the ministry we are doing for the Kingdom of God. To see a generation unite in worship to express their love for God compels me to write this letter and ask for support. My heart's desire is to see Jesus Christ lifted up and honored through worship. He has put me in this place to follow this calling, to lead the body of Christ in worship.

As we approach the Christmas season please consider the ministry of the Chris Allen Band and God Is Bigger Ministries. What can you give to further the ministry that God has placed in my heart? Your gift is an investment in the Kingdom of God. To give your tax-deductible donation use the envelope enclosed or go online to www.godisbigger356.blogspot.com and click on the donate button. If you cannot help financially, please pray for us as we pursue God’s call and leading in our lives.

Thank you all for your love and support.

Chris Allen
God Is Bigger Ministries

God Is Bigger Conference Schedule!!

God Is Bigger Conference – 2011

August 11 – 13

Schedule

Day 1: Thursday

4pm – 7pm: Registration/Sign-in

7:30 – 9:15: MAIN SESSION 1

9:30 – 10:00: Small Groups (optional)

Day 2: Friday

8:45 – 9:15: Prayer Stations Open (optional)

9:30 – 11:00: MAIN SESSION 2

11:00 – 11:30: Break

11:30 – 12:15: Focus Groups

12:15: Break for lunch/free time

-Campus will be open all day to come and go as you need to

1:00 – 2:00: Student Worship Team Session (optional) – led by Chris Allen

6:30 – 8:30: MAIN SESSION 3

8:30 – 10:00: Prayer Stations Open and/or Small Group Meeting Time

**At the end of Main Session 3, your group can stay up until 10 and have small group time, take advantage of the prayer stations, have quiet time, or your group can leave for the night.

Day 3: Saturday

8:45 – 9:15: Prayer Stations Open (optional)

9:30 – 11:00: MAIN SESSION 4

11:00 – 11:30: Break

11:30 – 12:15: Focus Groups

12:15: Break for lunch/free time

2:00 – 3:30: MAIN SESSION 5

3:30 – 4:00: Celebration

4:00: CONFERENCE OVER

Hunger for God

Well,

I wanted to just put a quick post to share some thoughts that have been on my heart today. This is not a ministry update, or request for money, just what has been going on in my heart tonight. The title is called "Hunger For God" because that is exactly what I want to talk about.

There will not be much heartfelt obedience to God, if any, without a Hunger for God. When I say heartfelt obedience I am meaning an obedience that honors God. Yes, that does mean that you can follow the "rules" and "do the right things" and not honor God. The Pharisees did it all throughout the New Testament and Jesus rebuked them over and over again for it. You see, that can happen when the Hunger of our souls, what satisfies us, what makes us tick, is not God or His glory. There are hundreds of wrong motivations for doing the right things. And yes, I do believe with all of my heart that this does matter to Jesus. Jesus is not after behavioral change, He is after Hearts. I wish I had time to go through every scripture reference, but I will just hit some highlights to prove this. This is evident in the sermon on the mount when Jesus talks about how we pray, how we fast, and how we give to the needy. In all three cases He says that there are ways to do these things that do NOT honor God! Also in Matthew Jesus quotes a prophesy from Isaiah about the Pharisees, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me..." Look at the "things" Jesus is talking about. Praying, fasting, giving to the needy, and honoring God with their lips. These are all great things!!! But Jesus rebukes doing them with the wrong motives!

My point here is that the number one goal of our life is not to get our behavior changed, but to have our taste buds changed. Or we could say that the first and highest goal for humans is to have a hunger for God. I would even venture to say that the most important thing about me and you is how strong or weak our hunger for God is. That needs to be addressed first and foremost everyday of our lives. When God's glory tastes sweeter to us than our own glory, or fame, or wealth, or comfort, or status, etc... everything else will fall into place. The hunger for God and His glory is where it all starts. It's in the heart.

I want to encourage and exhort you to fight (harder than you've ever fought for anything) to have a hunger for God. Saturate yourself with His word and His presence through prayer. Don't be o.k. with living life with little or no appetite for God. Don't be o.k. with even one day of little or no appetite for God. If it is not there, repent, beg God for it, fight for it, chase it, with all your energy and resources. If it is there, cultivate it, keep fighting for it, and thank God for the grace granted you to desire Him. Don't ever take it for granted or think that because it is there today, it will be tomorrow. Whether we have a hunger for God right now or not, we are all in the same fight. I'm just exhorting you to be in the fight. It's worth it.

Praying for Big Things

Well,

You may have seen the new "donate" button at the bottom right hand of this page. Yes, finally, you can donate to the ministry on-line without the hassle of sending a check! It takes about 2 minutes, and it is a simple process. I want to say here that if there is one thing that I hate doing, it is raising money. I just don't like having to ask people for money! But here I am, in constant situations where that is exactly what I have to do. The title of this blog is "Praying for Big Things." That is because that is exactly what we are praying for. God has not given me a small vision for God Is Bigger Ministries. The vision He has placed on my heart that I have wrestled with for 5 years is bigger than anything I could have ever imagined, almost overwhelming at times. That being said, the funny thing about big dreams is that they require (most of the time), big resources. Well, as I have started looking at finances and financial needs for the first 2 years of God Is Bigger Ministries, and started visioning for things that God has called us to do AND things we need to do to get our business really up-and-running on it's own two feet, I am overwhelmed at the money that will be needed to do all of it. I am not going to give you a budget break-down, but I will tell you the number I am looking at in front of me, and then tell you some of the things that are going on that we desperately need finances for.

The number that I keep coming back to is $125,000. Yes, I can almost hear some of the laughter, and in fact, I can't help but chuckle even as I write it! It looks unbelievable. And it is unbelievable. But I stick to the truth that guides my heart and this ministry. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" God is much, much, much bigger than $125,000. So, in light of who God is, and having confidence in Him, not us, we are going for it.

Here are just a few things we are needing this much money for. Let me start by saying that is not my predicted salary. lol. So know that very little of that money would go to us personally.

1.) Conference Costs: You cannot imagine what it costs to put on a conference, even one like we are doing in February. If you want to do it with excellence, it is going to cost money. Bottom line. So, we are going for it

2.) We would love to be able to put on a conference for the people of Namibia. Enough said. Thats a lot of money. God has put our team together with them for a reason.

3.) We are trying to pay off our current album, and would like to have it completely paid off before we start production of our next album, which we will start recording in May.

4.) I would like to be able to make promotional trips around the country and "sell" or "promote" God Is Bigger Ministries and our conference to Youth/College pastors. I would love to just be able to get a bunch of them in a room, feed them lunch and share our vision.

5.) If we had enough money, we could set up some strategic "free" promotional events.

6.) We are moving to Boston on faith that God has called us to give our lives to that city. We are in need of money to help make that happen and to help us do the ministry that God has called us to up there.

7.) I would like to pay off our van

8.) I would love to be able to record a live album next year. A professional live album. This would serve as a great ministry, but also a great thing for us to have for marketing and promotion.

9.) Would also love to be able to record a live DVD, with professional audio and visual quality.

Anyway, those are just a few of the things we are looking to do. There are a ton of "small" logistical things that are week to week or month to month that pop up as well. Please don't see this as a pity-party for our ministry. I am just trying to be honest and transparent about our needs, as I ask you all to help provide them. Remember, your gift to the ministry, through the donation button, IS a tax write-off!!! We are a 501(c)(3). Alright, hope you all have a great night! God bless.

chris allen

It's Starting!!

Well, we just got done meeting/hanging with some great friends, some of whom are praying about moving with us to Boston to be a part of God Is Bigger Ministries. First of all, I am humbled by the fact that God would put it on peoples hearts to even seriously pray about moving there with us, just to do life and ministry there. I can hardly believe it. Make no mistake about it, they will not be getting paychecks from the ministry (i'm not even sure I will be yet, lol) but they are praying about just relocating and planting there lives, finding jobs, and just making life their ministry. It is 12:45 am and I am nowhere close to being tired. My heart is overwhelmed with excitement. That is partly due to the fact that we just spent a couple hours meditating on/talking about God's word. And it is also due to how excited I am to see how God is putting this whole thing together. He is so faithful to provide and take care of His children.

Tonight was our 2nd time getting together to pray and dig in God's word. I am pumped about where God is taking us in our study. We started the Sermon on the Mount tonight, Matthew 5,6,and 7. It is blowing my mind. It should not be a surprise that the sermon Jesus preached has an unstoppable, anointed, life-changing effect on us. (Every time we read it!!) Tonight was an overview, but starting next Sunday night we will be going verse by verse through the whole sermon until August, when we move. No doubt that I will definitely be sharing thoughts as we go through these amazing passages and teachings. Anyway, just wanted to share the excitement with you all. Please keep praying for our team as we are still in need of a ton of financial provision, and for the people who are seeking the Lord's will on moving with us or not. We/they just want to walk where God opens doors for us to walk, and nowhere else. Have a great night!

God Is Bigger Conference scheduled for August!!

Well, again, God has answered a prayer and opened a door!! We have a God Is Bigger Conference on the calendar! Yes, it was exciting to announce to everyone when God Is Bigger Ministries was finally officially launching last month, but I have to say that this may be, in some ways, even more exciting! It would be near impossible to explain to you all how unbelievable this is, so I will refrain from trying, but it is an answer to prayers that started over 5 years ago. We have an amazing God who works on perfect timing. The conference will be held at FBC Baytown, TX, which is just south of Houston. The dates are August 11th - 13th. ALL STUDENTS ARE INVITED!!! This is not a FBC Baytown event, they are just being kind enough to allow us to hold the conference there. So if you are a student, come on!!!! I cannot give any details yet, but I can say that for a 3 day event, it is going to be dirt cheap. So money will not be an excuse, especially if you live close! So start making plans, and keep checking for details and registration. I can tell you that official registration will start in March, so you have about a month. Later!!!

chris allen