aqua

In 2007 NewPointe is launching a new gig for college/singles called Aqua. The name comes from John 7:37-38:

...Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to
me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of
living water will flow from within him."

That's what we want to be about. We want to be a people so full of Christ, so in tune with his Spirit that streams of living water (aqua) flow from within us.

There isn't much available to college/singles (ages 21-30) in our area. Nothing they can claim is uniquely theirs. We think Aqua can be such a thing. Our goal is to create an environment that offers bibical truth and meaningful worship. And ultimately, we want to impact a generation for Christ. We want to transform the culture, our families...the world.

The overarching idea is that Aqua is a foyer environment--the first step toward small group participation for 18-30somethings, because we're convinced that life-change happens best within the conext of authentic biblical community.

So as I've been preparing to launch this deal, I've been meeting with about 15 college/single people for insight, advice, and buy-in. It's been going great. I've also been reading quite a bit in an effort to better understand their culture, postmodernism, post-Christianity, etc. In my reading today I came across this quote (relating the the kind of worship experience we want to create):

"If you can't go to church (or Aqua) and at least for a moment be given transcendence, if you can't pass briefly from this life to the next, then I can't see why anyone should go. Just a brief moment of transcendence causes you to come out of a church a changed person." Garrison Keillor

That's huge! Here's what I hope Aqua looks like: I envision a worship experience that doesn't reek of the contemporary evangelical form of Christianity...no gimmicks, no hype, no cheerleading...just a flat-out, unapologetic, Christ-focused event that young people can copmpletely connect with.

Aqua. Thirst no more.