Our vision is to see the Gospel transform everything – ourselves as individuals, our church, our city, and the world.
By 2020, we desire to see that vision expressed in our church as a body of thousands of people, gathering in locations throughout the Louisville area, and planting churches all over the world that draw many more un-churched people into a relationship with God.
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
—Revelation 21:5
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19 NLT)
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5 ESV)
This project took place in winter/spring 2010 and remains an inspiring visual for Sojourn and for churches around the world. It is all about capturing our desire to see God fulfill his promise to make all things new – prophesied long ago and promised to be made complete some day. As you imagine God making things new around you, what do you think of? What would be different? As you go about your daily life in this city, what do you long to see restored? The heart of this project was to capture those longings.
We called for photographers to take an I Want New placard and go out in the city to picture exactly what they wanted “new.” We asked them to imagine the back of a busy restaurant kitchen full of people sweating over dirty dishes while one person holds up the sign – I Want New. We asked them to imagine standing in the bottom of the closed-down Shelby Park swimming pool holding the sign – I Want New. We asked them to imagine a kid in a smartly pressed school uniform standing in front of a high-performing school holding up the sign – I Want New. Imagine a baby holding the sign – I Want New.
Imagine urban renewal, suburban renewal, spiritual renewal, relational renewal, education renewal, artistic renewal, family renewal, racial renewal, and any kind of renewal they could think of.
Behold, Christ is making all things new.