Capstone Dunk’d Service

This past Sunday we held our second baptism service (Dunk’d) at Capstone.  We knew that we wanted to do another dunk’d service in the summer after our intentional dunk’d service in February.  The thing is that we didn’t know if we would actually have anyone to baptize.  Sunday we saw 9 of our church family go through the waters of baptism.  It was an amazing blessing to be a part of the memoriable day as we continue to see lives transformed at Capstone.

Chris (Executive Pastor) and I were discussing the vision of Capstone revolved around freedom  to come as you are and diversity in who we reached.  Sunday was a perfect example of that vision.  We had grandparents who came on the invitation of their son.  We had the parents of six children, with their oldest daughter get dunk’d.  We had a rising sixth grader who grasped the sacrifice of Christ.  We had a mom who finally found a relationship after holding onto religion for so long.  We had a young man who in the last six months has seen God move in his life and transform his life in dramatic fashion.  We had a guy who came not knowing he would leave soaking wet after he felt like he needed to show that he was a new creation.

I am praying that we will have another Dunk’d service in the fall.  I really don’t know who else we will be making this outward expression of an inward decision. But I know that God is continuing to move and change lives at Capstone.  I look forward in a few months to listing a whole new group of people who will be following Christ example in baptism.

Capstone is FAMOUS.

Not really! We exist to make Christ FAMOUS- not us! But the Baptist Courier had an article about our PowerPlant Team who came and helped out. There is even a picture of our crew ripping out part of our new office. You can see it all here:

Summer Kamp Video

capstone church summer kamp from Capstone on Vimeo.

Busy week with PowerPlant

The North America Mission Board (NAMB) has a program called Powerplant that connects Student Ministries and Church Plants in hope to plant seeds of church planting in the next generation. This past week Greenville hosted the largest powerplant in the country with over 200 coming to the Upstate to help Church Plants.

The group that helped us was from Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Montergermy, Alabama. They were an amazing blessing to Capstone and Fountain Inn. The students and adults from Ridgecrest did an amazing job helping get some MAJOR work done at the building. They also planned and ran Capstone’s first Summer Kamp at Woodside Park.

I will be posting a highlight video next week. Thank you to Adam and his students for impacting the kingdom of Christ! Great Job.

Proverbs 30:7-8

Recently I have been spending time in Proverbs.  As a new pastor I need ALL the wisdom I can get.  So I have spent time looking at what the Wisdom Book has to say about life.  One of the sections that I haven’t been able to shake is Proverbs 30:7-9

“Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD ?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

Do we really want to ask for these two things?  Sure praying not to tell lies that is a simple one.  But to have neither poverty or riches is heavy towards one thing we want and another we want to stay away from.  This is a great “Christian” idea that most of us would amen at a church service.  How many of us would TRULY pray this.  That God would only provide enough for us to get by.  That we would live from pay check to pay check depending more on God than our ability.

Honestly we all want security.  We want to be able to do all by ourselves.  If we can’t pay a bill then we have failed.  Or is God looking for a chance to step into our lives in a tangible way?  Is God wanting to use someone else to bless us?

Now this doesn’t mean we blow all our cash on big toys and ask God to pay for them.  Proverbs talks much about wisdom and foolish with money.  So the question is are we suppose to have “emergency funds” or big retirement accounts?  Is that wisdom on our parts that God has blessed so that we have enough we hard times come or is it selfishness because we want security?  I am wrestling with this right now.  Is my faith of walking a tight rope supposed to have this saftey net under it or should I have true faith?  Just some I am currently thinking about.

I found this You Tube video from Francis Chan talking about his verse. Check it out.

Lack of Post & Tilling Ground

I am sure for the few people who check this blog they be asking why is Walt only blogging like once a month. Is he on some spiritual fast from technology or overseas saving orphans? The answer is no.

I really thought that this month with Capstone being apart of the One Prayer series and not teaching for 3 weeks I would be able to spend some more time getting my ducks in a row. WRONG.

We continue to pour into this plant. We are spending time working and tilling the ground for the fall. I continue to cast the vision that last Jan we spread the seed. At Easter we saw a great harvest. This summer we are preparing the ground for more seed and even a greater harvest.

What does tilling the ground consist of? It means looking at everything we have built in these first six months and making it better. Removing what isn’t working, asking what this ministry needs, and recruiting and training new volunteers. It means building MORE relationships in our community, and penetrating darkness with the gospel of Christ.  It means preparing the local church to live up to its FULLEST potential. If its broken we are fixing it, and if it isn’t broke we are breaking and making it better.

I have heard it said that you can’t create a movement, you can only be ready when it comes. We are strapping on our helmets and pulling up our boot straps for what God is sending our way.

Capstone turns six months old

Sunday Morning Capstone will be turning 6 months old.  That seems like a lifetime ago, but it also seems like just last week.  I have to remind folks that Capstone is still learning how to crawl.  Myself and many others would love for her to be up running with ministries and life change.  The reality is that in our short six month existence we have seen God move in ways that make our older counter parts jealous!  Has God completed His work this bride – Capstone?  Absolutely not!  I can only imagine what Capstone will be six months from now.  The only thing I do know is that we are enjoying the ride.

Back in Black

After taking a month off from the blog world. I am back ready to blog away. The Tanners are all settled into our new house in Fountain Inn. Capstone’s Buiding is to a place where we aren’t working on it 24-7. And I am trying to get back into a routine with LIFE!
This week I am committing to blogging everyday to get the 3 people who check the blog out caught up with what has been going on in the life of Walter and Capstone.
So this week make sure to stop by to hear stories, see pictures, and maybe even a video update.

Not Giving Up on Blogging

This past month (april) and into May has been the CRAZIEST and BUSIEST month of my life. Something had to give – the blog. Here are some of the things going on this past month:
- FI Community Egg Drop (awesome)
- Renovating New Building for Capstone (can’t believe)
- Easter Service (amazing – 8 salvations)
- Half Marathon (survived)
- Closed on New House (exciting)
- Renovation of new house (draining)
- THIS SATURDAY moving!

Once we are in the new house I hoping to get back into a routine of blogging again. Right now life has been a little chaotic. Apparently people are still checking out the CapstonePastor Blog – now that is CRAZY!

Fountain Inn Community Egg Drop

 One of the things we have been working on at Capstone is the Fountain Inn Community Egg Drop.  If you have been hanging out in “hip church world” then you know that the egg drop is the popular event for many churches to do to get the word out about Easter. We are taking a great idea, and twisting it a bit.

The Fountain inn Community Egg Drop doesn’t bare our name. We aren’t doing this event to get people to come to our Easter Service.  We are putting this together with two purposes on mind.  The first is to bring our community together. One of our missions at Capstone is provide environments of community.  We want to see all the ages, races, neighborhoods, and classes to come together.  What brings people together better than thousands of eggs being dropped from a hot air balloon.

The second purpose is to bring the churches of our community together.  We wanted to create something where the churches worked together with absolute no expectations from those who attend.  We had a great response from other churches in Fountain Inn who have wanted to jump on board.  

We believe that God has something BIG planned for Fountain Inn.  As we begin conversations and to build bridges Capstone prays that our community takes one step closer to better place to live and experience the gospel of Christ with the Fountain Inn Community Egg Drop.