Posts by Rich Barrett

A visitor to Access this weekend marveled at our volunteers and asked how we found such individuals. “God,” is the very serious, not-at-all-trite answer. Ringo and Brenda Robles are just one more example of how God has put together this amazing group of people we call Access Church. Ringo and Brenda Robles met in the…

Wow, what a week! Three days in Atlanta for Catalyst, then back in Jacksonville just in time to set up for church on Sunday. Catalyst ’07 was amazing, and several of us already registered for Catalyst ’08! I strongly encourage anyone who is a Christian leader to attend next year, whether you are leading in…

GroupLink is a two-hour event where you will connect with others and form a community group. Community groups are small groups of six married couples or eight individuals of the same gender that meet weekly in someone’s home for fellowship, Bible study and prayer. If you would like to take the next step toward joining…

Posts might be a little light this week, as the Access gang is heading to Catalyst for a couple of days. If you aren’t familiar with Catalyst, you’re missing out. It began seven years ago as a leadership conference that Andy Stanley and John Maxwell wanted to provide at North Point for young leaders. Stir…

Lately I’ve been writing here about the three vital relationships we believe are essential for a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Besides intimacy with God, and community with insiders, we really believe our purpose in this world is to wield influence with outsiders. We aren’t called to be separate from the world, but to relate…

With four children under ten, there’s a lot of pretending in our family. Whenever we hike or drive through the woods, we pretend to be on the lookout for “Hopenots.” Hopenots are characters in the wonderful children’s book by Max Lucado, The Song of the King. They lurk in the woods, hoping to distract and…

I recently was asked to write a letter to my friend, Drew, who I’ve known for 21 years. He’s going on a retreat, and the idea is that family and friends write letters that tell of his influence in their lives. Why would this matter, I wonder? I mean, really—why would he care if he’s…

Baptism is an incredible step in the life of a believer. It’s a symbolic time to identify with Jesus Christ and publicly proclaim that we place all of our hope in him alone. Some are intimidated by the idea. Maybe it’s the thought of being in front of a group of people dripping wet. Maybe…

What is the goal of Access Church? Well, we exist to lead people into growing relationships with Jesus Christ. But, what is a growing relationship? We believe that a person who is growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ is someone who is pursuing intimacy with God, community with insiders, and influence with outsiders.Intimacy with…

A few months ago we had some tornadoes tear through Florida not too far from here. Among other structures destroyed was Lady Lake Church of God. A TV reporter asked one of the church members where he would worship on Sunday, “since your church has been demolished.” The man cocked his head sideways and gave…