Clay Pots ~ new direction

Mother and Daughter on Mother's Day

Over a decade ago, we chose the name "Clay Pots" when we first started out as missionaries and church planters because we knew that we were simply vessels... inadequate to accomplish anything apart from the grace of God. 13 years later that sense of inadequacy hasn't changed, but we believe that God has asked us, as his vessels, to go in a new direction. This direction is utterly impossible on our own, and yet we know our God is a God of impossibles!

Jason has seen the need for cross cultural church planting here in America. The world is coming to us and there is an amazing opportunity for our local churches to reach the world in our own communities! Our goal is to see individuals from these different ethnic groups become disciples of Jesus Christ here in, what is to them, a foreign land. Our prayer is that they could take this life giving message back to their own countries.

To facilitate this endeavor, we are making the name 'Clay Pots' into a ministry of its own whereby those who are interested can partner together with us to see these communities reached. It will also allow us to be funded to put in more of our time and energies into seeing this goal become a reality.

So where are we starting? With the approx. 16,000 Hispanics of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

What is our goal? To band together with local believers (Hispanic and non) to reach out and build relationships with the unsaved Hispanics in our town. Through relationships, we then hope to lead them to Christ and have in home Bible studies/ cell groups from which a Hispanic congregation could be birthed.

What are you doing now to reach that goal? Learning Spanish, learning culture, being a part of different community outreaches including volunteering at free English speaking sessions, and most importantly building relationships with the Hispanic community by bringing them into our home.

Why are we telling you this? We need you. Just like we couldn't go to PNG and plant a church among the Tobo people without a support group, we can't reach these people within the USA without you and your support. We greatly desire to give this our all in order to reach different ethnic groups (beginning with Hispanics) and disciple them to carry this on in their own ethnic context as they live here and/or travel back and forth. Would you consider partnering together with us in this endeavor?

If we support you, what will the $ be used for? The $ will be used to support our family and for all ministry costs.

What if you don't get enough support? Will you still do this? We want to say, "Yes, God has asked us to do this and we will do it regardless of support." But if Jason must work a full time job, then obviously he won't have the time to devote to this ministry. So the more we are supported the more we can give ourselves to this. At this present time, Jason is working part time for Kellie's dad 3 days of the week with www.ziebarthmasonryandchimneyservice.com while at the same time, moving forward with Clay Pots and making contacts the other 4 days with our current support level. If that level decreases too much, however, he will look for a full time job, and do this in his spare time.

Just Hispanics? No, we dream big because we have a BIG God:-). Our desire is to see all different kinds of ethnic groups reached in the years to come!!!

What about NTM? As of the end of May we will resign from New Tribes Mission as we have seen God direct us out of that ministry and into another. We have been involved with NTM for 15 years and are thankful for the many things God taught us during our time in the mission. We are eternally grateful for the experiences, the people we were able to meet and work with, the lives we were able to be a part of, and the privilege of planting a tribal church by the grace of God. Not a day goes by that we don't pray for our dear Tobo brothers and sisters in Christ. The space they contain in our hearts will never go away. We are resting in God's faithful guidance and sanctification in their lives as they continue to grow in his grace. We are confident that he who began a good work in them will be faithful to bring it to completion. We have come to understand some of Paul's heart and love for the churches he was privileged to plant. It is difficult to be away from them.

Obviously this e-mail cannot contain all the details and if you would like more information on Clay Pots we have a brochure, information, etc that explain this ministry and all of the ins and outs of it (i.e. vision statement, goals, etc) please don't hesitate to contact us or our home church (Waukesha Bible Church).

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp

Checks can be made out to Clay Pots and you will be sent a quarterly tax deductible receipt:
Our new business address is:
Clay Pots
S53 W24079 Glendale Rd.
Waukesha, WI. 53189

Our Home Address:
1352 Dopp St.
Waukesha, WI. 53188

Phone #'s
Jason 262-501-8487
Kellie 262-501-8206

NEW e-mail address:
jason@claypots.org
kellie@claypots.org

Clay Pots ~ Identity

My Oldest Boy

Identity. We will do anything to gain it, sell our souls to maintain it, and suffer greatly to secure it. And yet we are often rarely satisfied with the identity we possess. Since my family and I have come home, I have had to struggle through this topic in my head. What is my identity? Who is Jason Knapp? Am I a missionary? Is that what I really am? Am I a member of a certain organization? Is that where my worth comes from? Am I a citizen of a certain country? Is that where I find my security? What are my accomplishments? Do I find my fulfillment and maintain my reputation by accomplishing those? What happens if all of that is changed or stripped away? Then what?

God has been revealing to me, in ever increasing clarity, what it really means to be a follower of Jesus Christ... what it means to be a Christian. I know, that sounds so basic and simple. But we humans really are a simple and base people, we often just pretend that we are more than we really are. The Apostle Paul learned this, a man who thought he had found his identity in his nationality, his title, his accomplishments, his reputation... he learned that all of this was but a pile of stinking dung in comparison with his true identity: "Being found in him (Jesus Christ), not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ..." (Phil 3:8-9) And in Galatians, Paul makes it even more clear when he says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..." His identity was Jesus.

The answer to the identity question is simple yet profound: I am in Christ. He is my identity. I am a Christian. It does not matter what I do, where I am from, who I associate with, what my accomplishments are, what organizations I am a part of, or what I own. What matters is that I am a believer in the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ, and that in him is found freedom, life, security, fulfillment, and acceptance. I will not labor for a position, I will not work to maintain a reputation, I will not struggle for a title, and I will not fight for security because all of this is given to me freely by grace through faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am a Christian, and nothing else! I will only labor to serve HIM, work to praise HIM, struggle to give HIM glory, and fight for faith in HIM! The alternative is not just worthless, but repulsive.

May we truly "know HIM and the power of his resurrection, and may we share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…"

His Clay Pots by Grace,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

Clay Pots ~ Settling

We know that it has been many weeks since we last sent out an update and for that we apologize. We desire to keep you all "in the loop" as to what is happening in our lives and yet we ourselves have felt very "out of the loop"… thus we have not had much to say. We have been back in the States for about 8 weeks now after our sudden departure from Papua New Guinea. I believe that we are still in a process of grieving this departure, and yet we are resting in God's immeasurable love and care for both us and the Tobo church. I am not too sure if this hole in our heart will ever be filled until we get to be reunited with are precious friends and fellow believers in heaven! Without internet, phone, or mail, it will be very difficult to communicate with them, but when we do hear from them (or about them) we will be sure to pass it on to you so you can be in prayer on their behalf.

We figure we still have a few good years left here on this earth, and we don’t want to waste them… so we have been earnestly seeking God as to where and how He would like to use these Clay Pots again. We are confident that it was His direction that brought us as a family back home to settle in Waukesha, WI where our families and home church are located. Even though it should feel normal to be here, I think we are still going through some aspects of culture shock and the frustration of transition. We hope that in time it will feel normal to be a permanent American in America again. Kellie is homeschooling the kids (5th grade, 3rd grade, and Kindergarten) to finish out the school year and we hope by the time the next school year starts, we will know where we are living, and they will be able to attend a school. For now we are renting but are dreaming that some day we might own a small home of our own.

As we seek to move forward we have watched God close some doors and yet, ever so slightly, crack open a few other ones. We have timidly walked through one of those doors and at this point in time are carefully pursuing something that we are passionate about: Cross cultural church planting! The foreign population in Waukesha is very substantial. We believe that with evangelism, discipleship and teaching, God could raise up more disciples of Jesus Christ from within different ethnic groups which are living in our own cities and towns. And then, if God so directed, they could in turn take the gospel back to their home countries. I have been asked to "survey” this need as the missions elder for our home church and the more I look into it, the more I am convinced of this need, and the more Kellie and I are drawn to it. Everything is still very much in the "survey" stage and at this time, I have been having many meetings in order to evaluate from all angles what is best and what is needed. We ask that you pray about this with us. That God would give us clear direction as to whether or not this is the direction he wants us to pursue full time. As we see it, like the Tobo people, there are many foreigners who need people to build relationships with them and love on them with the love of Christ.

To be honest it would be nice and not as ‘unknown’ if I were to apply for a full-time job, be given a paycheck, and know where my family was headed in the weeks to come. But as we seek to follow God's will for our lives He has given us a peace to wait on His perfect timing in regards to this new adventure and direction He may be guiding us into. To live and walk by faith is a most rewarding but often ‘unsettling’ place to be! Thank you for living and walking with us on this journey. Thank you for your prayers.

Until He closes the door,
His Clay Pots by grace,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, and Malachi Knapp

ClayPots ~ Transition

Yes, we have made it safe and sound to the cold and wintery land of Wisconsin. It was a bit of a shock to our systems to go from 100 degree humid weather to 15 degrees and extremely dry, but it is good to be home. What an encouragement it was to us to be greeted at the airport by a loving group of family and friends. We were a little groggy from the flight and overwhelmed to see so many faces, but we were very thankful for the demonstration of grace and love. Thank you to all of you who braved the cold weather and snowy conditions to come and make our return special and memorable. It meant more to us than you will know, and it was exactly what our children needed… they felt right at home as they saw their friends and were able to connect again. Thank you!

Also, when we got back to the same rental house we had last time, there was food in the pantry and fridge, “new” sofas in the living room, beds for all the kids, 2 television sets, desks, dressers, lamps, closets full of clothes for all our kids, and a tree propped up by gifts in the basement which our children opened and found to their surprise that the gifts replaced all the toys they had to leave behind or sell in New Guinea. Not only that, but two days later, we were given a vehicle! How does one show gratitude and say “Thank you” for all of that? Words are not sufficient. Thank you to all the family, friends, and church body who gave of your time and energy and money to help us in this transition. We are truly overwhelmed with your generosity and humbled by your service to us. May God continue to richly bless each of you.

Many of you have asked what our plans are. We ask that you pray for us as we seek the Lord’s will in this transition. Our hearts are to continue to serve our Lord and Savior and to reach the lost. We also still have an undeniable desire to plant churches and see true disciples of Jesus Christ raised up. I am sure you all have experienced this at one time or another, but I told someone the other day that there is no experience on planet earth that compares with watching God save a hopeless sinner and raise him to new life in Jesus. Then to watch the Spirit mature that believer in seemingly no time at all is a blessing beyond compare. It is all to the praise of His glory!

So please pray for us as we wait on the Lord’s direction in our lives. I believe that it is God’s will that we settle here in WI and establish a ‘home base’ for our family. We are encouraged that God is still at work in us and he still desires to work through us. So even in settling here, the sky is the limit at this point as far as ministry opportunities, so be in prayer that God would open and close doors appropriately. We are anticipating that we will be able to share with you what God has for us within the next month or so. In case you were wondering, we are still members of NTM so the financial aspect still remains the same as it was… we are just not in PNG. We greatly appreciate your patience with us during this time.

His Clay Pots,
Jason, Kellie, Micah, Sophia, & Malachi Knapp