J17 Ministries
in Collaboration with 4Tucson and
Tucson Ministries
8 January 2019



IN THIS ISSUE

Who is J17 Ministries?

How to use this newsletter

Harmony Hub

Collaboration Corner

Connections for Everyone

Connections for Pastors

John 17 Weekends

Church of the Week

Holy Land and Oberammergau
Greetings!

The answer is yes!

Is this newsletter brand new, or a continuation of something similar?

In fact, one of my epiphanies over the last eight years of aligning with Jesus' heartbeat in prayer, found in John 17, is that one of the biggest challenges to seeing Jesus' prayer fulfilled (that we might all become one) is that we tend to turn Biblical both/and's into either/or's.

Did Jesus pray for unity or truth? Yes. In fact, he prayed for truth in the middle of his prayer for unity! (John 17:17)

Do we make decisions by reason or revelation? Yes! Separating them can lead to disaster.

Are challenges we face the result of spiritual warfare or human sin? Yes! If not always, then far more often than not.

Was Jesus full of grace or truth? Yes! If only we as His followers could grow in our capacity to combine the two without either one cancelling out the other... Then the world could come to see the whole Jesus instead of just half-Jesus.

Dave Drum, Founder
J17 Ministries
WHO IS
J17 MINISTRIES?
As the name implies, J17 Ministries is all about aligning hearts with Jesus’ own as expressed in John 17.

For readers in the Tucson area, you’ll be particularly interested in the Tucson and John 17 Weekends tabs of the website .

For readers outside the Tucson area, may the Holy Spirit stir up fresh vision as you read through what God’s doing in our city! Be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our blog . You’ll also find the Collaboration Corner and Harmony Hub sections of the newsletter to be particularly applicable.

J17 Ministries has received approximately 50% of its needed funding. You can help us reach our goal by clicking HERE .
HOW TO USE
THIS NEWSLETTER
Glance through it when it first arrives for time-sensitive info!

Church secretaries, leaders, and communication staff, find something to emphasize to the whole congregation, and highlight other paragraphs to applicable people. Perhaps they’ll want to subscribe to receive the newsletter themselves.

Who are additional people and ministries who ought to know about this? Encourage them to subscribe !
Harmony Hub
Mark Harris and Bernadette Gruber of 4Tucson, Brian Goodall of City Psalms and I (Dave Drum) had the incredible privilege to travel to Washington DC for the 100 Cities Summit right after Thanksgiving. Leaders from 60 countries around the world formed the most international room I've ever been in. I went looking for other communities that are organizing around the priority of John 17 in one form or another. We can learn from one another.

Steve King of One Heart DC in Washington DC became an instant "kindred spirit." Here is an excerpt of what he has recently written (reproduced with permission):

Conviction
Conviction is absolutely essential if one is to effectively persuade pastors and ministry leaders to habitually come together for prayer, encouragement and ministry. A conviction is a core belief that does not change with pressure as opposed to a preference which fluctuates with circumstances. My biblically-based convictions have pushed me through dozens of quitting points for over 30 years and compelled me to persevere in bringing pastors and ministry leaders together.

Before you attempt to bring pastors and ministry leaders’ together, shore up your convictions!
  • Are you convinced that Jesus Christ established his church to advance his kingdom around the world (Matthew 16:18; Acts 1:8)?
  • Are you held by a conviction that gospel–centered local churches must work together to fulfill our biblical mandate to make disciples of all people (Matthew 28:18-20)?
  • Do you truly believe that gospel-centered local churches are not in competition with each other but are co-laborers together (Acts 15; Ephesians 3:20-21)?
  • Are you persuaded that part of God’s call on your life is to intentionally partner with other gospel-centered churches to seek the welfare of the city you are in ( Jeremiah 29:7; Matthew 5:16)?

(Read more from Steve King by clicking HERE .)
Collaboration Corner
TMA is an Alliance of Tucson Ministries!

Tucson Ministry Alliance began in January of 2012, so is now entering its eighth year under the theme of Kingdom Grit. See below for our inaugural luncheon of the year.

Back in 2011, Randy Reynolds of Community Renewal was holding a monthly breakfast for pastors, and Tucson Association of Evangelicals/Tucson Ministry Fellowship was holding a monthly luncheon for pastors. When I began with 4Tucson, I also was asked to start a monthly fellowship for pastors. So... TMA was born as a pooling of our strengths. And truly the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: our attendance increased by several hundred percent by combining efforts.

Now, new partners are joining, such as J17 Ministries. Elaine House is leading an administrative team with several new faces, and both Community Renewal and 4Tucson continue to provide critical logistical support.

Lessons learned:
  • Isn't it amazing how much we can accomplish when we don't care who gets the credit?
  • Fellowship (building relationships), networking, information, inspiration, and prayer are all vital parts of changing our city one issue at a time. None of those components are replaceable.
  • Every community has amazing godly leaders in it. Some are well-known, others are gems that only a collaborative effort can help identify.

Collaboration Corner Contributor:
Dave Drum, Founder J17 Ministries
Here are the latest opportunities to strengthen
your faith and connect with the community.
Connections For Everyone
TUCSON MINISTRY ALLIANCE
Thursday, January 10
11:30 am - 1 pm
Fountain of Life Lutheran Church
710 S. Kolb Rd.| Map

Join us as TMA enters its eighth year! As we've done the past seven years, our January gathering provides an overview and sets the stage for the entire year. We will explore together the topic of Kingdom Grit. It's a meeting you won't want to miss!
LOVE & LOGIC PARENTING
5-WEEK COURSE
Sundays, beginning January 13
10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Vail Christian Church
9455 E. Valencia Rd. | Map

Take the stress out of parenting! No more lectures, threats or fights – learn to let the consequences do the teaching – and have fun at the same time! Robin Blumenthal is a veteran Love and Logic facilitator. Cost is $16 per person; childcare is provided at no cost through the regular Sunday morning children's program.
IGNITE CHILDREN'S CONFERENCE
Saturday, February 2
8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Victory Worship Center
2561 Ruthrauff Rd. | Map

Whether you've been working in children's ministry for four months or forty years, you know that what you do is critically important to growing the Kingdom of God. All children's ministry volunteers and directors are invited to this one-day conference designed to equip and encourage you as you continue to serve God in His exciting ministry.

IFOC CHAPLAIN TRAINING
Monday-Friday, February 11-15
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Pantano Christian Church
1755 S. Houghton Rd.| Map

Become a Chaplain to serve our city! Training will be provided in providing support to schools, to pastors/churches, in hospitals, as a first responder, and more. The training includes stress management; depression/ suicidology; domestic violence; grief and loss; Critical Incident Stress management; Post Traumatic Stress injury; human trafficking; death notifications; and disaster preparedness. You can choose to use the training informally, or, you can become a licensed/ordained Chaplain. The course fee is $400; extra fees apply for the yearly licensing process.
W.H.E.A.T. (Women Helping, Encouraging, and Transforming)
Saturday, February 16
3 pm - 6 pm
Hope City Church
5729 E. 22nd St. | Map

The theme of this kick off event is "Healthy Relationships" with speaker Dr. Franki Appleby. For more information, contact Katie West-Ingold .
Click HERE for more upcoming events.
Connections for Pastors
PASTOR PARTNERS
Normally 3rd Tuesday of month
11:30 am - 12:45 pm

Instead of our January meeting, we're watching Black Panther together on Friday, January 11, and participating in MLK events the following weekend.

Pastors from a variety of backgrounds meet together to pursue racial reconciliation as brothers and sisters in Christ. If you would like to be part of this group and to confirm the meeting location , please contact Apostle Warren Anderson or Pastor Dan Johnson.
4TUCSON PLANTS
Wednesday, January 16
1:00 - 2:30 pm
GAP Ministries/4Tucson Offices
2861 N. Flowing Wells Rd. #161| Map

4Tucson Plants meets quarterly  and is a group of Tucson Valley pastors, churches, and support organizations uniting to plant churches and help existing churches grow and become more healthy. Pastor Greg Lavine from New Life Bible Fellowship is the speaker for this meeting.

Click HERE for more upcoming events.
If you are part of an area event promoting unity and collaboration among the citywide
Body of Christ and beyond and would like it included in an upcoming newsletter,
please click HERE to submit your request.
John 17 Weekends
Team and Participant applications are currently being accepted!
Men's weekend: July 18-21
Women's weekend: July 25-28

Submit your application now and be a part this year's Tucson area Christian discipleship weekend that emphasizes the essentials of the Christian life and walk.
Church of the Week

Vineyard City Church
Pray for the Body!

Pray for these specific requests .
Holy Land & Oberammergau
June 1-13, 2020
Enjoy 13 days in the Holy Land, Germany, and Austria with others from Tucson, including J17 Ministries' founder, Dave Drum.You'll walk in the footsteps of Jesus as you retrace his steps in the Galilee, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem. Then you'll fly to Germany for the Passion Play portion of your tour.Tickets to the Oberammergau Passion Play are included with time to explore the sites in southern Germany, such as Ettal. Contact Becki Kern for more information or questions.