Growth
As the service continued to grow and new songs continued to come, there were all kinds of new challenges that we faced as a team, and I faced as the leader. Doxa had become the thing that people from around the Fraser Valley wanted to see and some Christian leaders wanted to own. I recall what seemed like countless meetings with young and middle-aged men who felt that they had been called to speak at Doxa, play with their bands at Doxa, or lead Doxa. It was with a naive confidence that I was able to protect that which I knew belonged to God. I remember one person in particular saying to me: If it hadn't been you and your band doing this, God would have used someone else. That idea didn't seem to be consistent with the examples from the Bible.
When God asked Jonah to go to the people of Nineveh, he wanted Jonah, and waited for Jonah to obey that call. In fact, God went after Jonah and got him! It was as if Jonah had been prepared all his life to complete the task God placed before him. When God sent Moses to Pharaoh, Moses' response was to suggest that God ask someone else, yet God had prepared Moses for that task. If Joseph hadn't obeyed God's voice when he stood before Pharaoh, the people of Egypt and Canaan would have been destroyed by the famine that was to come. Instead, God had been preparing Joseph his whole life for that moment when Pharaoh asked Joseph if he could interpret his dream. Joseph's response? I cannot do it... but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires (Genesis 41:16). I had to learn quickly the idea that God had placed His hand on me and my team for a purpose that was of His own making, because He had chosen us; perhaps no one else would have.
(Doxa at South Abbotsford Church, 1997)
What was the call? As I understood it, to share the Gospel through music and give people an opportunity to hear about Jesus - overtly; not through brilliant programming or special effects, but through the thing we could do: sing and tell. As others came to me with their ideas of what Doxa should be or become, I had to ask God for strength to stand up to those who were older and more experienced in ministry than I and say No. It was not easy to tell people that we wouldn't invite a famous visiting speaker to Doxa even though they were world-renowned - Doxa had to stay true to the simple thing that it was: worship & the Word of God. When people argued that having 'big names' speak at Doxa would help promote the event, I had peace in my heart knowing that our growth was coming because of a move of the Holy Spirit; He didn't need our help.
By March of 1997 we had over 300 people attending the service regularly, and it seemed that each week we were adding hundreds of new people. It was shocking to learn that our regular attenders included people from Chilliwack, Hope, Agassiz, parts of Washington, USA, Mission, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Langley, Surrey, Vancouver, and Richmond. When youth groups visited the Fraser Valley for whatever reason, they would make Doxa one of their destinations so their youth could join hundreds of others in worship of the Lord. By that summer, we had completely maxed out the venue we were in and had to make some important decisions.
Following a brief summer break, the first two weeks in the fall saw over 1000 people packing into the 700-capacity sanctuary of South Abbotsford Church. Some suggestions coming my way included having two services each night, or giving out free tickets every Sunday morning allowing South Abbotsford Church people to have the first option of attending. I knew that this event belonged to the people of the Fraser Valley, and I couldn't make sense of accepting either of these suggestions.
(Doxa with Steve Berg at our Fall Retreat 1997 in Yarrow, BC)
It was during these times that I was very thankful for our new Senior Pastor, Steve Berg. He was a strong supporter of Doxa and had a good understanding of what Doxa was becoming and why it was needed for that time and place. Steve took many personal stands for Doxa and was a huge encouragement to me on both a personal and ministry level. I remember one particular afternoon when we met for, what had become regular coffees, Steve told me that my father had asked him if he would take care of me if anything happened to him. Pops was planning an extended ministry trip into India, and wanted to make sure I was taken care of in terms of my ministry. I was so blessed to know that Steve was willing to take that role in my life. I needed the wisdom of someone ahead of me in Christian leadership. He provided a listening ear, many great ideas, and unwavering support. I will always thank the Lord for Steve Berg.
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The Doxa Story // Beginnings / Growth / Major Moves / Events / A New Direction / Take It To The Streets / A Year Off / Doxa Begins Again / More Changes
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