Team Spotlight: Guest Central by Marni Arnold

In having the privilege to sit down with Patty MacManamy, it was evident her heart is for connecting with people to help foster an atmosphere that encourages people to grow into their God-gifted potential. Declaring her heart, she expressed, “I love seeing people connect and develop.”

What better place for to serve than in Guest Central–Freedom House’s new connection hub for newcomers. With our church’s focus on “equipping people to experience Christ’s freedom in their everyday lives,” it’s no wonder leadership honed in on Patty’s strength: connection.
Though Guest Central is fairly new to the scene (it kicked off during the fall of 2013), the concept of this team truly reflects the heart of Freedom House. With a emphasis on connection with people, and a heart focused on “loving people and wanting to give people and opportunity to learn about Freedom House,” Guest Central’s success is being found through the high-touch approach: Not only intentional connection at our church’s entrance, but also through personal contact outside of Sunday mornings with new people.

This high-touch approach, focused on a mindset of excellence, emanates from Patty’s heart to truly serve others and help them feel warmly welcomed. She focuses on two intentional questions: “What do we want others to take when they first come in [to Freedom House]? How do we host them?”

In her own words, her desire and that of the Guest Central team is to, “make people feel important.” It’s evident Patty sees people as God does: important. She truly wants to see the mission and vision of Freedom House lived out through Guest Central, with a consistent focus on not only connecting people with other people, but above all, with God.
As a wife of 32 years along with her husband John (and serving in ministry for this length of time as well), Patty has enjoyed living out the vision for connecting with God’s people–all while raising five children who are also very active in ministry locally and around the world. Along with leading Guest Central’s team, she’s also a full-time nursing student, relishing in being a grandmother to two, and serving in other areas of Freedom House such as the events, production and creative teams, and she also hosts guest speakers.

Interested in connecting with first-time guests? Learn more about volunteering!

New Faces: Haley Johnson (By Michelle Houts)

Say hello to Haley, a new face at Freedom House. You will find her on Sunday mornings sitting in the front row with a headset on, or helping out as a stage hand. Even though she’s new to Freedom House, she has already become a volunteer on the production team!

Born and raised in Charlotte, God has smiled on Haley since the beginning. Born with health problems, the prognosis was that she would be paralyzed. Her grandmother called a local radio station for prayer. After two and half weeks of therapy, the threat of paralysis was gone.
She has four younger brothers on her mom’s side, and two older sisters and a younger sister and brother on her father’s side. Even though she didn’t meet her father until she was seven, Haley grew up feeling like part of “one big happy family.” Her relationship with her father was off again, on again. Growing up she heard derogatory things about her father, leaving her with mixed feelings towards her him. She said a sermon by Pastor Troy Maxwell about forgiveness at an Encounter that led her down the path to forgiving her father.

Haley was involved in a different ministry when she discovered Freedom House. She was becoming discouraged because she felt that church members behaved one way Sunday and differently the rest of the week. At Freedom House, she feels everyone is trying their best to improve themselves spiritually every day. She had gone with members of her former church to the Music Factory where Freedom House was doing a live recording. She vividly remembers Lesley singing “Won Me Over,” and she was won over. Haley says, “Freedom House makes me feel at home. They are there for me.” She feels many of the pastor’s messages talk directly to her. Many messages have helped her to make positive decisions for her life.

For instance, at an Encounter, Pastor Clint Pugh was talking about forgiving yourself for something that was done to you and is not your fault. She knew this message was for her. The following Sunday at church, she wanted to be prayed over with other individuals with physical ailments. Haley wanted to be prayed over for her TMJ. But when Pastor Troy got to her, he called over Pastor Penny Maxwell who prayed over her for healing in a relationship. Haley had been in an abusive relationship for the past couple months. The prayers gave her the strength to forgive herself and end the relationship.

Haley is passionate about helping people. This was the reason she started a career in nursing. However, she was unhappy with the fact that patient symptoms were eased by medications instead of the root of the illness being sought. So she switched her major and colleges. She started helping people improve their health before they get sick. Haley’s enthusiasm will lead her to success while helping people improve their physical well-being.

Haley’s favorite quote is: “You will never find happiness if you do not conquer your own doubt,” and she is certainly succeeding in finding her happiness. She feels the love at Freedom House where everyone, including Pastors Troy and Penny, are honest and upfront about going through rough times and having faults. “One of the main things I love about Freedom House and the leaders is they all celebrate where you are and where you are going instead of dwelling on where you have been.”

What’s your story? Is Freedom House making a difference? Let us know.

Freedom House Church Partners with Joel Osteen

Freedom House Church has partnered with Joel Osteen to bring hope and encouragement to the Charlotte area. 

Pastors Troy and Penny Maxwell are excited to team up with Joel Osteen again as he releases his latest book. Through Sunday, November 3, 2013, every guest who attends any of Freedom House Church’s weekend services for the first time will receive a free copy of Osteen’s new book, Break Out! The book will also be available to regular attenders at a great discount.

Osteen recognizes that more than half of his 40 million weekly viewers don’t have a church to call home. That’s why he started the Champions Network, partnering with churches around the country and encouraging his viewers to find a church community where they can connect and grow. Freedom House Church has been part of Champions Network since 2011.

“My good friends Troy and Penny Maxwell pastor a great church in Charlotte,” says Osteen. “I hope you’ll stop by, I know you’ll be encouraged.”

As always, Freedom House Church’s doors are open to everyone. The senior pastors, staff and members look forward to meeting each and every new person this weekend.

Freedom House Church

Freedom House Church is a neighborhood of friendly individuals who are learning to possess healthy relationships with God and each other. We're all searching for encouragement and hope, for sincere answers to difficult questions, and for people who each accept us and push us to grow. Freedom House Church is really a church that these issues can and do occur. Our vision at Freedom House Church is to equip individuals to encounter Christ's freedom in their everyday lives.

How we started. In early 2002, God asked Troy and Penny Maxwell to do some thing crazy: He asked them to leave all they knew in Richmond, Virginia, and begin a church in a city they'd never even visited. At the moment they arrived in Charlotte, the Maxwells (along with a small band of merry helpers) hit the ground running! Freedom House Church's doors opened in September 2002, and since then has turn out to be a fixture in North Charlotte.

Troy and Penny have been married since 1992. They are committed to one another and their 3 kids: son Colby, and daughters Cabell and Cassidy. Their passion is to see you live up to God's fullest potential in you, and they are committed to encouraging vision and purpose in each person they meet. The Maxwells are excited about all God's doing in our fantastic city, and they're excited to keep performing God's superb function in Charlotte and around the globe.

About Pastor Troy Maxwell. Troy is engaging, personable and adventurous, both on the platform and in his everyday life. He's passionate about God, teaching in the Bible with a way that applies to our lives today. Troy is a strong leader, and he enjoys drawing out and developing the leader in other people whilst challenging them to trust God. He's also a visionary, and he's not intimidated by the unknown.

About Pastor Penny Maxwell. Penny leads Freedom House Church alongside her husband Troy, partnering with him to serve in a balanced yet dynamic way. Penny is outgoing, animated and fun-loving, infusing power and fresh viewpoint wherever she goes. With an eye for detail and a flair for the creative, Penny pours excellence into every thing she does. Her heartbeat is encouragement, and she enjoys building individuals in their identity in Christ.

Understanding Jesus. No matter what you might have heard or believed, God loves and values each and every person. He's for you personally. That is why God created a way for all of us to have a close, one-on-one relationship with him. That has been his desire since the starting of time.
Our failures and shortcomings--whether accidental or on purpose, little or huge--kept us away from God. (The Bible calls our failures and shortcomings "sin.") No matter how much we strive, we can't make up for our them. The punishment for sin is death.

Rather than leaving us to live and die with out him, God made a perfect method to reconnect with us: He sent his 1 and only son Jesus to rescue us. Jesus was God in human flesh, but in contrast to the rest of us, he by no means sinned. When Jesus hung on the cross and died, he willingly traded his own perfect life as payment for our sinful ones. When he was buried, our sins were buried with him. Jesus became the one and only doorway to God; he restored our ability to connect with God.
3 days later, Jesus rose out of the grave. His return from death showed us three things:

1. We can trust Jesus. When he rose from the grave, he proved he was all he said he was: God's son, with the power and authority of God.

2. We'll have life after death. If God can resurrect Jesus, He can resurrect us as well.

3. We're free to hope. God must deeply love us to have given his son to suffer and die for us--especially when we do not deserve it.

It is great to know what Jesus did and to understand just how much God loves us. But understanding isn't enough. Do you think Jesus is the Son of God--that He lived, died, and came back from death to save you from your sins? Do you realize you've sinned and that you need him to forgive you of these sins? Do you know you need his power to continue to live totally free from sin for the rest of your life? You must believe it enough to act on it.

God has already taken the very first step toward you. He desires to forgive you and help you live life his way. Now it is your turn to take a step toward him.

If you believe God and are prepared to act on this belief, you can start by saying these simple words to God:

God, I know I have sinned and I know my sins have separated us. I've learned about how you sent Jesus to bridge the gap between us, and I do not want to be apart from you anymore. The Bible says that if I put my trust in Jesus, and show that trust with my words and with my life, I'll be forgiven and my relationship with you will be restored. I believe this. So please forgive me for my sins, and give me the strength to walk away from them. God, please help me to fall in love with you and to trust you much more each day. My past life is behind me, and I am going forward as a brand new individual. Thank you. 

We cannot wait to meet you! Please join us this weekend at any of our four services (Saturdays at 5 PM, and Sundays at 9 AM, 10:30 AM and 12 noon).