by Ryan Montgomery | Jul 12, 2016 | 24/7 worship, ASL, house of prayer, jason, News Update
It was a warm Saturday afternoon, and the black gospel band on stage at David’s Tent was pumping praises to Jesus with exuberant energy and joy. I found myself irresistibly drawn to clap and sing along, and as I looked around I noticed dozens of people gathering to do the same. There was a group of Chinese tourists, a couple of DC locals on a bike ride, a Muslim family from somewhere in the middle-east, and many others. It was clear that most of the people at the tent were passers-by and not people who came to the National Mall with the intention of attending David’s Tent. But the sound of worship at the tent attracted them irresistibly and they stopped to listen, filled with curiosity and with smiles on their faces. Our staff warmly welcomed those who stopped by, and many stayed for long conversations about Jesus or received prayer. The good news of the gospel was shared over and over that afternoon, and I know that wouldn’t have happened without the draw of the worship. That afternoon sticks out in my mind as a perfect example of the power of public worship to present Jesus to the world.
In my last blog, (Why here? Part 1) I shared how we worship in Washington DC because it is the place of highest honor in our nation. I talked about the identity of a capital city as a center for worship, and how Jesus is worthy of a national offering of praise. Our desire above all things is to make Jesus central and bless His heart! Today, I’ll continue on this theme of “Why Here?” and share how making Jesus central is such a powerful avenue to sharing the gospel.
When you think of a city center you generally think of a bustling downtown filled with all kinds of people. Washington DC completely fits that description, and it’s not just filled with Americans. Every nation but four maintains an embassy in Washington DC (and two of those four still maintain diplomatic representation)—more than any other city on earth! Over 20 million visitors came to Washington in 2014, and almost 2 million of those were international. The nations truly gather in Washington, perhaps more so than anywhere else on earth.
In the midst of all this, David’s Tent proclaims the worth of Jesus round the clock in public song. Night and day, the sound of worship at David’s Tent never stops as we declare how beautiful, wonderful, and loving our Savior is. And this isn’t just to bless His heart, though that is the primary reason. Matthew 5:15-16 says:
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The worship at David’s Tent shines as a light pointing to Jesus, even as the worship draws His presence near. Jason Hershey says in his book: “This act of worship releases a Spirit of revelation so that even the lost get to see the beauty of Jesus.” And it’s true! The beauty of Jesus is captivating to every heart. And it’s not just who He is, but what He has done. Psalms 118:15 says: “Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” This is such an attractive sound! The sound of joy and victory stands in sharp contrast to the sound of hopelessness so prevalent in the world.
Often, people attracted to the tent ask questions: Why do we sing? Why is Jesus worthy of this lavish devotion? How do we have such hope and joy in the midst of turbulent times? Questions like these give us the perfect opportunity to share the gospel with people eager to hear. Surprisingly often this may be the first time someone has heard the good news of Jesus in their entire life! Many of the curious who are drawn to the tent come from other nations where the gospel is not allowed to be shared openly. We’ve had the opportunity to share the message of salvation through the blood of Jesus with visitors from Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Tibet, Somalia, and all over the world. And many have accepted Him as Savior and Lord!
Jesus says in John 12:32 “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” He was speaking of His resurrection from the dead, but I believe the principle applies to public worship as well. When Jesus is lifted up on our praises and we declare His resurrection from the dead, I know that He will draw the nations to the new life found in Him.
I can think of few places busier and more bustling with people from around the world than the National Mall in summer. And this is where we have the privilege to host David’s Tent! In this central place among the nations, our humble white tent stands as a shining light and public witness to Jesus, 24/7. This is what it means to make Jesus central. Not only to give Him the place of highest honor, but to present Him to the world in all of His glorious beauty. Jesus deserves to be central in our cities, our churches, our lives, and in every soul. Hallelujah!
I recognize that not all of us can come stand as a witness to Jesus on the National Mall. So my encouragement to you is to stand as a public witness to Jesus wherever you are, with the sound of joy and victory bursting from your life! He has made us new, and He has made us glad! Let us boldly declare His worth and His beauty in line at the grocery store, at the swimming pool, at our workplace, when we’re waiting at the DMV, and in every area of life. The message of Jesus is good news to a lost and broken world!
In part 3 of this blog I’ll explore the third primary reason I believe we hold David’s Tent on the National Mall in Washington DC: unity among the church. Once again, I also highly recommend checking out Jason Hershey’s book “David’s Tent: Jesus is Worthy of a Nation’s Praise” for further reading. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing with you again!
Ryan Montgomery
Sources:
Click to access 2014_Washington_DC_Visitor_Statistics.pdf
by Jason Hershey | Jul 9, 2016 | 24/7 worship, ASL, community, house of prayer, jason, News Update, Uncategorized
We are all grieved at th
e continuing deadly violence in our country. A nation is crying out! The other morning this Headline showed up on CNN, and very much grabbed my heart.
ONLY JESUS can heal America!
It won’t be the next President or even the hot evangelist. Nor the amazing mega church or innovative new inventions. Nor will it be the most popular worship band or strategy to reach our city. Though God does use and work through people, it will only be Jesus.
Jesus is the only One.
America, please please please turn to Him and be saved.
“If my people will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways and seek my face, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.
There must be more prayer meetings than protests. If we as a nation are going to cry out, may we cry out to the One who is Mighty to save. He alone can save us.
Heal us Jesus.
by Jason Hershey | Jul 5, 2016 | jason, 24/7 worship, community, house of prayer
Jason Hershey, Founder DavidsTentDC
We just celebrated July 4th, America’s birthday. 240 years! I’m grateful for this county and the liberty that we have to worship Jesus, even publicly, without persecution. Acts 17:26-27 tells us why God puts certain people in certain boundaries for particular times.
From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. Acts 17:26-27 NIV
Verse 27 tells us why God made America and put us in it. “That (we) should seek God.”
Hey! Did you catch that?
“That we should seek God!”
“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us.”
My Hershey family forefathers braved the seas to come to the “New World ” 299 years ago, in 1717. Their stated reason for the journey? They were fleeing persecution in Switzerland somewhat as religious refugees. It’s been passed down through the generations that they came to America so they could worship freely and express their love for Jesus as they desired. It’s my goal to keep that purpose of being here central in my generation. The first Hershey’s came to the New World for Jesus sake, not to make chocolate! That came later.
Hey family… If you’re a Hershey descendant… Let’s get together for a worship service next year for the 300th anniversary and renew our goal to seek Him and worship with all we got!
If your not a Hershey… Well… Let’s all seek God with all we got! One day every tribe and tongue will worship together.
For His glory, always,
Jason Hershey
(For the record, David’s Tent is not being funded by the chocolate- yet, at least!)
by Derek Packard | Jun 28, 2016 | ASL, 24/7 worship
Divine Appointments are the best! Hello, my name is Carole McClelland and my husband, Daniel, and I lead the American Sign Language (ASL) house for David’s Tent.
Even though neither of us are Deaf, God placed a passion in our hearts and a calling on our life to make Him known within the Deaf population. Our staff, a mixture of hearing and Deaf who share this vision, all live in one house in NE Washington DC. The unique thing about our house, and our watch when we are at the tent, is that our common language in conversation and worship is ASL. Every day we serve at the tent for 3.5 hours, worshipping in ASL, and if there is a guest praise team scheduled during our watch, we always have an interpreter signing along with that team.
When we are not at the tent, our focus is knowing God and making God known in the Deaf community here in DC. Since our staff house is near Gallaudet University, the only all Deaf university in the world, our team has many opportunities to make God known in the Deaf community.
We can be found having lunch with a college student from Gallaudet University, attending Deaf social activities, building relationships one-on- one, encouraging the youth at a young adult Bible study in MD, or sharing at a Deaf church in VA. No matter what the activity, our heart is to see the Deaf grow in their personal relationship with Jesus. What a joy it is when we have the opportunity to partner with God in this way through a David’s Tent encounter.
I would like to share just one story to illustrate how God delights in setting up divine appointments for us as we follow Him. If we plug into Him, His networking system is amazing!
For this story, it all started with a sweatshirt. I often wear my David’s Tent sweatshirt when out in the community, but only once in nine months has a stranger come up to me when I wore it to tell me they knew about the Tent. On this one particular day, it was a couple, Miriam and Aaron. It turns out this family knows the Hershey family from their homeschooling group and were familiar with the 24/7 worship occurring at David’s Tent. After we talked for ten minutes and met each other’s children, this couple and I went our separate ways.
Later that day I texted Kimberlee Hershey sharing that I met her friends, Miriam and Aaron. In response, Kimberlee texted back saying how awesome that was since their youngest son was born Deaf. She added that the family had decided to learn ASL but were overwhelmed with it all. “What!” I thought to myself, “Their son is deaf, and it never came up in our conversation!” I always talk about the Deaf community, yet, on this day, Miriam, Aaron and I did not discuss sign language. Bummer!
It felt like a missed opportunity. However, our heavenly Dad was not finished with His incredible, divine appointments. The following day at David’s Tent, Aaron, the husband, walked into the Tent to take a break from his jog. Of course, it was during our watch! He approached me and said hello. Without hesitating I said, “Kimberlee Hershey told me your son is deaf.” I went on to tell him that Dan and I both know ASL and led a ministry in DC for young, deaf adults to know Jesus more. We talked for a while about the Deaf community and language. Encouraged, he shared the signs he knew and asked me to teach him a few more.
Before leaving the Tent, we exchanged emails. Since that day, we have been over to their house twice for dinner, and Dan has played basketball with Aaron and a Deaf man that Aaron randomly met. God has brought us alongside Aaron and Miriam to encourage them that they are amazing parents to Jesse, their youngest son, and to give them hope through our stories that God is reaching the Deaf.
You see, their greatest desire is for Jesse to know Jesus in a real and personal way. However, as they did research on Christianity in the Deaf culture, they were disheartened to learn what a low percentage of Deaf follow Jesus.
Then they met us. We could give testimony to God’s living hope that through their actions and through living out their faith, Jesse will grow up knowing Jesus.
Our amazing Father, who understands their parents’ hearts, did not just leave it with our assurances though. Through our contacts, we were able to connect Miriam with another hearing, Christian mother who went through the exact same thing 25 years ago when she learned that her son was Deaf. That Deaf boy grew to be an amazing man of God who pursues Jesus with his whole heart.
We had this connection because this young man, Caleb, serves full-time with us here at David’s Tent. He is boldly proclaiming that Jesus is worthy of worship and all praise everyday in his nation’s capital through ASL worship!
I love having the opportunity to work with our Dad to bring his kingdom here in Washington DC, and I love his divine appointments!
by Jason Hershey | May 20, 2016 | 24/7 worship, community, house of prayer, jason, News Update
Yesterday was day 250 since we kicked off David’s Tent DC on September 11, 2015. It’s also day 250 of a community of staff that lived in communal housing growing up together in the love of Jesus. I want to draw this blogs attention to the latter.
I sense the Father’s watchful, hopeful eyes on this group of full-time staff that have created a backbone that the 350+ other worship teams could build upon in the last 250 days.
It’s been very clear from the beginning that our primary motivator for doing David’s Tent is simply the worthiness of Jesus, as an offering to Him. We have fought hard (sometimes losing) to mobilize without using the common candies of the “significance of thisone,” popularity of men, desperation of America, or promise of blessing as the reasons for mobilizing our nation to this perpetual gathering in DC. The driving question has been, “Will America respond to simply the worth of God?”
And yet, I do believe, that if our motives are right, 24/7 worship and prayer in our Capital will release a great spiritual breakthrough in the United States, a great blessing to give back to the Lord. America is in fact in need of that! Day and night worship and prayer is a spiritual weapon (bombs away!) that does in fact demolish strongholds that set themselves up against the knowledge of God.
Meanwhile, in the inner city of Washington, behind the scenes of David’s Tent DC, there is another spiritual uranium beginning to be enriched each day, radiating the authentic glory of Jesus. The full time staff live in 4 community houses of 8-10 staff in each house. Each house has a married couple as the house leaders, with a bunch of singles. The community/discipleship house model was adopted to house the staff primarily out of economic reasons. How do a bunch of unemployed full-time volunteer missionaries live in a city that’s so expensive?
What I’m finding, is that we unintentionally stumbled upon a treasure!
“Yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! What’s this?!”
The Kingdom is advancing in these united communities. I will dare to say that I’m witnessing a bond of friendship and love growing that few truly taste in the western church that so treasures our personal space at the expense of real heart connection. We bring in a teacher one week per month to impart into us to keep us from getting isolated as a whole community and keep us growing. We are all being fashioned into children worthy of the Father’s call. It’s been glorious!
I don’t want to make the impression that it’s all roses and no thorns though. Community living should not be over-romanticized, nor should it be avoided like the plague. Like any cross, it leads to true rewards. God is at work in the lives of our staff. I’m watching all of us being changed day by day, more into the likeness of Jesus. In the rubbings, testings and real workings out of personality conflicts is coming a community that is becoming truly one in real fellowship with one another that care deeply about each other’s heart status.
This stokes my jets equally as much at the 24/7 worship tent downtown. Let me tell you why.
Ephesians 3:10 says “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.”
When the true church arises in real fellowship with one another, as one unified body of Christ, having laid hold of the gift of an unoffendable heart, and loving one another with agape love birthed from The Holy Spirit… Look out! The church becomes the teacher and the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms become the students. We get to make known to them the manifold wisdom of God. That’s spiritual breakthrough!
So the song goes on.
But so does the community.
Love God.
Love your Brother.
Love your Neighbor.
Above all these things, put on love. (Col 3:14)
Love conquers all. Boom!
For His Glory, Always,
by Rebecca Montgomery | May 18, 2016 | 24/7 worship, community
One of my favorite parts of staffing David’s Tent is the opportunity to spend time with our incredible staff community. Each staff member has laid down their life to come and lift up the name of Jesus 24/7 in our capital city. They just might be the most surrendered, joy-filled and devoted people I know. Getting to know each of them truly is a joy and an honor! Right now we have about 40 full-time staff living in community houses all over the city and serving in shifts at David’s Tent. My husband Ryan and I have the privilege of leading one of these community houses–our house covers the 3 am-9:30 am watch. In our home we have a total of 11 people: 7 adult staff, our wild and joyful 18 month old son Jethro, our yet-to-be-born baby due in November, and Ryan and I.
The Montgomery family
As a mom, my role in staffing David’s Tent looks a little different from many of the other staff. Even though my son often puts me a nightwatch schedule of his own (if you know what I mean), my time is spent mostly at home, not at the tent. Having been heavily involved in David’s Tent since the kick-off in 2012, this transition into motherhood and staying at home was very different for me. Not bad, just different.
These days my role is focused more on building community within our home and smoothly running our house rather than leading worship and booking worship teams. Both are absolutely necessary and important! In this season of my life I’m gaining a new perspective on true fellowship and the beauty of community, even in day to day life and the seemingly mundane.
Acts 2:46-47 says “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (NIV).
What I love about this passage is that it paints a picture of what daily life looked life in the early church, but that picture isn’t just worship and seeing people get saved. A key part of the early church was spending time together in their homes and eating together. As David’s Tent staff I love that we gather and worship at the tent daily, but we also come back to our homes to fellowship and break bread together.
One of several Community houses at DavidsTentDC
Just as I know the Lord is pleased when he looks at David’s Tent and sees our offering of praise, I’m convinced that he is just as pleased when he looks down and sees the unity and love of our community houses. This isn’t to say that our community is perfect or glorious all the time. Not at all! Honestly, there’s a lot of messiness that comes along with living in Christian community. There’s a lot of “iron sharpening iron” and that’s not always pretty at the time. God is using our community to refine us, sharpen us, transform us more and more into his image, and teach us how to love. There is a real transformation happening in each and every one of our staff members, including myself and my family! Often this transformation occurs in the seemingly mundane parts of life. It happens at the lunch table as we share our stories and dreams with one another, as we are real and vulnerable with one another and ask for prayer, in those moments where someone gets on your nerves and you have to decide how to respond, or even as we serve through cooking and cleaning. It’s in moments like these where the rubber meets the road and God has a chance to move in our lives to heal, refine, redeem and transform. Although community life definitely has its challenges, it is also filled with beauty.
This season of staying at home and focusing on building community, being a mom and a wife, planning meals, and leading small groups has given me a new and beautiful perspective on just how valuable community is. I am thankful that every day we get to travel to a little white tent on the National Mall and sing our hearts out to Jesus day and night along with worshipers from all over the United States and the world. I’m also deeply thankful that in the midst of this God has placed us in community, in homes all over the city where every day He brings transformation and healing to our lives. Community is messy, community is glorious and community is beautiful. I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
Becca Montgomery
P.S. If you want to join our community of full-time staff, email staff@davidstentdc.org to apply!
