If you are in Raleigh, you may be interested: We confirmed last night that I (Hugh) will be speaking at a conference in Raleigh this September, called Big Tent Christianity: Being and Becoming the Church.

Among the other speakers are:

Philip Clayton, Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle, Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Bill Leonard, Keith Ward, Tripp Fuller, Gareth Higgins, Anthony Smith, Tim Conder, Terence Fretheim, Jo-Ann Badley, Jay Bakker, Brian Ammons, Tim King, Spencer Burke, and Tom Oord.

That is some impressive company!

So what is this conference about? The event planners explain it this way:

Numerous battles in the past produced the large number of denominations and separate churches within American Christianity today. Some of these battles were important. But many of the old battlelines no longer speak to Christians today, especially to the youth. Indeed, our divisions are driving some folks away from the church altogether.

In the old days revival tents were set up outside towns and cities across the South. The people of God would join together for celebration, community, and revival. The revival tent was a sign of Christian unity and Christian renewal — the ongoing and active work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.

What would happen if Christians came together from across the South to proclaim what unites us as followers of Jesus Christ and as His disciples in this modern world? Some two dozen leading Christian speakers from around the country will be assembling in Raleigh for this event. They will share with you new and innovative forms of church-based ministry and renewal — new ways of being and becoming the church. And they will inspire you with their vision for how we can speak even more powerfully in and to the world of the 21st century.

So there you have it. If this is your sort of thing, I hope you will plan to be there. If you do, make sure you come up and say hi to me, would ya?

(NB: We always post our email newsletter on the website about a week after we send it to our subscribers. The newsletter was delayed last month, which is why the August newsletter is posted here in September…)

Dear Friends,

The astute among you will note that the August newsletter almost ended up being the September newsletter. The letter this month has been hard to write, not because I don’t have things to tell you but because I have so much to tell you and I try to keep these letters to a reasonable length. Finally I was forced to give up any literary aspirations and just dump it all before you. In no particular order, here are a few things that are going on:

• Last month I told you that we were looking for a place to hold regular meetings, and we found a place that is practically tailor-made to what we are trying to do. Starting sometime in September we will be meeting weekly at the Tarboro Road Community Center, located at Tarboro Rd and New Bern Avenue. It is a perfect location for us, with room for growth, kitchen facilities and in a neighborhood that we would love to minister to and have the opportunity to serve. Watch the blog for more information as to time and dates.

• With that in mind, we are working on ways to impact the poor and homeless in that neighborhood, as well as maintaining our efforts around Moore Square. Over the next few weeks we will be rolling out opportunities for you to help us actively love our new neighbors.

• Recently I have been speaking in churches, spreading the word about what we are doing and trying to raise awareness and support. Last Sunday I spoke at Visio Dei and HomeStar Fellowship, both located near Downtown Raleigh and in both places had people decide to join our efforts. If your church or small group needs a speaker, I would be delighted to come speak at your event. Shoot me an email (or respond to this one) and we will work out the details.

• For a while now, we have been wrestling with the next step as far as our organizational structure. It is expensive (at least relative to our budget) to set up a whole non-profit entity from scratch. We are investigating that, as well as considering partnering with an existing ministry or church, at least organizationally, to make all that easier and, frankly, cheaper. All of this means that I have been in meetings, phone calls, researching online and at the library and generally getting headaches from all this reading because I often forget my glasses.

• We are partnering with other ministries that have similar goals so we can act as a resource for each other. One ministry I am particularly proud to be part of is Jubilee, a faith based organization that works to bring awareness to the problem of human trafficking. In September I will be speaking for them on the subject of building relationships and ‘missionality’. Please watch the blog for announcements as to time and location.

Looking over that, it looks like a full plate, and it is. But add to that the day-to-day work of standing in line, taking people to the grocery store, negotiating with landlords, helping people move, praying with people who have no hope, standing in the rain in the soup kitchen line, visiting those in jail, throwing parties for those who got out of jail and what you end up with is one very tired, very drained, but very happy, Hugh.

I am so happy to be out here, working for His glory, to His purpose. That you allow me to be out here, supporting me and our work with your financial gifts and your prayers means so very much. That there is so much to do only serves to emphasize the necessity of what we are doing and the need for your help to accomplish it.

Together, we get to be hope to those who have no hope, to speak for those who have no voice and to love those who thought the world had given up on them. Being out here is never easy, but there is good in this world, and it is worth fighting for. Thanks for helping me fight.

Love Wins. Always.

Hugh Hollowell

Yesterday morning, I was interviewed by Jeff Ramsey, pastor of Visio Dei. He basically took me through my upbringing, through my walk with Christ and how my understanding of being a follower of Jesus has moved from a consumer model to a discipleship model. It was really good, although I was VERY nervous, much more so than normal. A general rule for me is, the more I make the audience laugh, the more nervous I am. Yesterday, they laughed a LOT.

Overall, it was a blast. Visio Dei has been awesome to me, coming alongside and helping out with our work, in both financial and practical ways. It was great to be able to talk in front of this group of Jesus followers who have worked so hard to love me, even when it sometimes pushes them beyond their comfort zones.

After the service, several individuals came up to me and we spoke about ways they could help with our ministry. Even nicer was that several people asked if I could speak to their small group. The answer is Yes!

Guys, I will speak to pretty much anybody, anywhere. I don’t care if it is two people over lunch or 2000 in an auditorium, I would be delighted to be a part of it. If you are part of a group of Jesus followers who think you might want to hear what I have to say, shoot me an email.

I will be “interviewed” by Jeff Ramsey at Visio Dei church on August 24th at 10am. It is part of a series they are doing, involving interviews with people whose faith has affected their life.  Most of the people interviewed have been through horrible experiences… the loss of a brother, a cancer diagnosis, etc. I think I am the happy story in the bunch.  On the 24th, my interview will be the whole sermon, so if you want to hear more about me and how I got here, this would be a good place to do it.

Also on the 24th, I will be speaking at HomeStar Fellowship at 5pm. HomeStar is a small group of spiritual seekers that meets in downtown Raleigh and is moderated by my friend Jan Cartledge. Jan graciously invited me to talk to the group that day, so I am now booked both morning and afternoon on the 24th.

You are more than welcome to come hear me at either location. Directions to each place are on their respective websites. If you do come, please make sure you say hi and introduce yourself afterward. I love meeting you guys!

If your church, Sunday School class or small group would like to have me come and speak, please shoot me an email and we can work out the details.