Shiloh Lohmann's family and neighbors gather around a shared picnic table in their cul-de-sac after collecting Easter eggs this year. Fifteen children from six families live in this concentrated area.
They wanted to know how to be more effective in sharing Jesus with those around them. So they went to Shiloh.
Shiloh Lohmann developed Fellowship Project after learning about international church planting through his family’s time as missionaries in East Africa. When they returned to the United States and saw the status of the Protestant Church, they recognized their new mission field.
Shiloh developed 2×2 Training to lead people through a deconstruction or disorientation process–similar to what his family experienced before going overseas–of how they view the purpose of the church and what it means to be a follower of Christ. The goal is to teach how to “Love God, Love Others, and Live Sent.”
“It is about redeeming the opportunities we already have and listening for God’s voice in our everyday situations,” Shiloh said. “In John 20:21, Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ We believe He meant that for every person who chooses to follow Him. Fellowship Project is our attempt to live that in front of others and then invite them to live it wherever they are.”
Former roommates Cassi Carr and Kim Monday were looking for ideas on how to begin a Bible study for their friends who wouldn’t step into a church, but would come to their home. When the two women heard about Fellowship Project’s 2×2 Training, they wanted in. Since going through the four-month course, however, plans have changed–Kim married and is now preparing to move overseas with her husband.
“Since I am no longer going to be able to do a Bible study in my home here in the States, I see now that God may have planned all along that I do this training so I am equipped to lead a study in my home on base, in Japan, as a ministry to military wives,” she said. “God always has a bigger plan!”
Cassi also sees how the deconstruction process of the course has made its mark on her.
“This training has called a whirlwind of changes in my life. I have left a very unhealthy church … my personal walk with the Lord has gotten stronger, (and) I am more aware of listening to (God’s) will.”
Cassi is looking for a new church home with a “healthy DNA, meaning that they preach the divine truth from the Bible, they are able to build nurturing relationships and … they don’t just preach about mission, they are out there doing it in the community.”
Dan Harris said he is always looking for effective ways to witness, evangelize and church plant. When he heard about 2×2 Training, he knew “this was something (he) had to do.”
The course allowed Dan to connect with others passionate about sharing the Gospel and diving into Scripture. Through this new network he has been able to witness on a broader scale.
“2×2 can be exciting and challenging,” he said. “I am working with family units in several areas of Central Florida that I would not have had a chance to before.”
While Dan believes everyone should go through the training, Kim said it especially is for individuals looking for a missional study that will challenge them to evangelize and grow in their faith.
“I have gotten a lot of good information from the training–a world missions perspective, and other ways to do missions and evangelism,” she said. “Missions is relational, definitely not a canned program. People who are sick of complacency would benefit greatly from this training.”
In addition to leading the 2×2 course, Shiloh, a home inspector by occupation, and his family demonstrate the impact of “living sent” in their own lives through their interactions with neighbors in their cul-de-sac. The spiritual fruit is evident.
After hosting their annual community Easter devotional, Shiloh’s family saw a neighbor ask if they could have another family Bible study, which turned out to be a success. Another neighbor voiced her desire for it to be a bi-weekly event.
“I am so excited,” Shiloh said. “Fellowship Project is my passion. God is raising up believers all across Florida and the United States to ‘Live Sent’ and plant His kingdom.”
Written by Natalie Bunch. Natalie is a freelance writer for The Upstream Collective and lives in North Carolina. She served as a missionary writer based out of Prague, Czech Republic, from 2007-2009, and plans to return to full-time international mission work with her husband in a few years.
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