Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who started this?
A. No one person. It has been suggested by many people in many churches of many different denominations for many years. There are, however, certain people who will accept the call as stewards of this vision depending on how the Lord leads. When James Carvin moved back to Tallahassee in May 2014, he was led to seek the Lord's will by contacting each of the church pastors in the area to determine each congregation's needs and mission and to create a united prayer list and calendar for the region so that each church's voice could be heard by all.
Q. How do I add my church's events to the calendar?
A. To access the calendar, click on the "schedule" link at the top of the page.
Q. What Church organization is the All Hours Church affiliated with?
A. The All Hours Church is a proposed platform for communication between any and all organizations. Its only organization is that of the Kingdom of God itself. It also serves as a common outreach for each of the churches in the Tallahassee area who wish to participate. It's own legal format and incorporation as a possible Non Profit Organization or 501(c)3 entity is yet to be determined. It will be necessary to communicate with each of the pastors in the area of every denomination (and non-denomination) before making that decision. Such communication is taking place in the summer and fall of 2014 through scheduled appointments.
Q. I am a church pastor or have spoken to my pastor and we would like to pray with you. How do I schedule an appointment?
A. Click or tap on the "schedule" link at the top of the page. You will find an appointment calendar there.
Q. Is the All Hours Church in the Reformed Tradition?
A. To the extent that those who ultimately participate are in the Reformed Tradition, so shall it be. Not everyone may like this, but as a platform for the Kingdom of God, rather than an organization, there is no person telling us what we must believe. The All Hours Church provides common resources. The All Hours Church is a church only in the non-institutional sense. It is "the" church. It's only creed is "the" Truth. We believe confidently that whoever seeks the truth will find it. We are currently in listening mode and asking each of the 400 churches in Tallahassee what the Lord is saying to them about where, when and how to provide a facility with resources for everyone to use that will help people to discover the truth. Whether your church is within the Reformed tradition or not, you are welcome to participate.
Q. What "common resources" will the All Hours Church provide?
A. We are asking the Lord for an answer to this question at this time. The most prominent promptings and suggestions so far have been for computer stations loaded with Bible study software applications such as Bible Works that cost money. Essentially any useful book or reference work that cannot be obtained for free on the Internet is a candidate for consideration. Academic works are particularly expensive and many of the churches cannot afford them. Material that is copyrighted and for which royalties must be paid to authors are proposed to be donated or purchased based on request and any such material available in electronic format may be purchased for use through the desktop computer stations the 24/7 Scrolls Reference Hall will provide. Other resources suggested include facilities. Shall there be a banquet hall? A social hall? A wedding chapel? A place for wakes and funerals? A practice hall for musicians? A recording studio for those producing YouTube or music videos? Shall there be a large or small or multiple places to worship? Shall there be one location in Tallahassee or several? Shall there be day care offered at any given time? We do not yet know the answer to these questions. That is why we are seeking to communicate with all of the churches in the area at this time. If the Lord does not build a house, in vane do the builders labor. We are listening to what the Holy Spirit of the Lord says concerning this and deeply desire to pray with you about it.
Q. Are Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics participating?
A. We don't know yet. We are asking the Lord for wisdom. As a platform rather than an organization there is no creed. Antagonists to the truth, including atheists and agnostics are welcome to come and read the books and magazines that are provided and use the computers and dialog with those who are present at any given time. If you agree or disagree with any of their beliefs, their presence provides an opportunity to speak the truth in love. It has been suggested that if any disagreements are sharp that they be moderated and taken to a place where communication is respectful. How this will be managed will depend on what facilities and moderators are available, which is yet to be determined. A core component to the mission is to provide a light of unity for unbelievers to discern that they may taste and see the goodness and kindness of the Lord. Let's pray about this.
Q. Does the All Hours Church have a mission statement?
A. A mission statement will be drafted once all churches in the Tallahassee region have had a chance to meet to pray and speak. Please contact your pastor and urge them to meet to pray concerning this mission at their earliest convenience and invite as many as possible to attend these meetings when scheduled. Several obvious components of our mission have long been apparent so we can at least answer this question imprecisely at this time.- 1) To provide common resources and facilities for worship and discovery of the truth.
- 2) To keep the doors of the church open at all times.
- 3) To communicate with and assist each of the local churches in the area of any size.
- 4) To assist ministries, missions, missionaries and seminarians through facilities and incubation.
- 5) To be the church and to present the church in the world in unity for the benefit of all.
Q. How will this mission be funded?
A. It is our goal to contribute to local churches rather than to ask for donations or volunteers. Believe in the continuing multiplication of loaves and fishes by the Lord. On the question of funding, there have been several excellent thoughts proposed and these are part of what we should pray about when we meet, asking for wisdom and discerment. Be aware that we are not asking for donations at this time nor offering any specific manner or proposal of funding. We are listening and asking the Lord what He wants us to do both with respect to financing and with respect to what resources and facilities should be provided, with respect to where these shall be located and in regard to what time and in what stages these shall be made available.
Q. I would like help with my ministry or new idea. Will you assist me?
A. Very possibly in the Lord's time, yes. While we are being very patient about hearing from the Lord and we are diligent to meet with every pastor in Tallahassee before acting, we are also listening at this time. We are very interested in your ministry and your ideas and would like to know how and what the Lord is speaking to you. Part of our core mission as we have been hearing the Lord with increasing clarity over the past twenty years has been the incubation of ministries and missions through the All Hours Church facilities, not just in Tallahassee, but anywhere in the world. If you have a ministry or any ideas, please contact us. Click or tap on the contact link at the top of this page.
Q. What is "incubation"?
A. "Incubation" is the care of those who are new and not yet capable of sustaining themselves. Not every local church has the financial ability or resources to prepare you for ministry or help you build an organization. Each does their part. One of the core components of the All Hours Church mission, as we have discerned it through the years, is to provide support for new ministers, ministries, missions and churches. One way to reduce the cost of starting new missions is through shared facilities. For example, a typical church ministry begins in a store front property. Rent in these facilities runs anywhere from $3000/month to $10,000/month or more, depending on how much space, location, etc. To raise $5,000/month requires 50 or more regular members tithing $100 on average. Many such ministries fail because they are unable to raise up enough contributing members before the rent is due. What if 50 small ministries shared a single facility at the same cost? That would mean that the rent could be paid at an average cost of just $100/month per ministry rather than $5,000/month. Not only is the rate of failure reduced, but all those who believe they are called to start ministries are able to do so.