Greetings loved ones! We\u2019re so excited about this new year
and new season we\u2019re stepping into. The Lord has been speaking to us in
so many ways, confirming, supporting, encouraging, and directing us. As
He reveals the next step in the greater vision He\u2019s put on our hearts, we
eagerly plan and pray for those He\u2019s called us to reach. At the beginning
of this process, the Lord put on our hearts a list of 41 people. These were
people we\u2019ve built relationships over the years who are unchurched, and
in most cases very distant from God. However, the relationship is there,
and when we\u2019ve talked about our vision of the future, they\u2019ve all expressed
a desire to be a part of \u201cthat type of church.\u201d Most of these are younger
folks. A handful of them are actually children of the elders of GCF who
have distanced themselves from the church as a whole. We know their
parents have been praying for them to come to know the Lord, and there
is certainly favor there.<\/p>\n
We began meeting with the first of our 41. After praying about
who we should meet with first, the Lord put one person at the top of my
list. His name is Michael, brother to the girl Larena has been ministering
to (Aine). He is an elder\u2019s son, used to play the drums, led worship on the
keyboard, and was part of our young adults ministry years ago. I shared a
lunch with him and caught up a bit. It had been a couple of years since we
had chatted, and I knew he hadn\u2019t been going to church for some time. So,
I asked him about that, whether something had happened, or what. He said
it was just \u201cphilosophical differences.\u201d I didn\u2019t feel led in that moment to
go deeper into it, so I kept it light and shared what our plans were for the
church plant. He was actually very excited for what we are doing. Without
even asking, he told me he\u2019d love to be a part of the church, and if we ever
need a drummer, he\u2019d be willing! Praise God.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve seen Michael grow over the 8 years we were running youth
and young adults at GCF. When we first started he was a youth on the
fringe. He didn\u2019t fit in with the others and barely came to youth, but over
time his heart softened. He began coming to young adults small group at
our place, then helped us lead worship in youth and young adults, and
eventually gave his heart to the Lord. He even led worship on rotation for
Sunday services at GCF! However, he started to fade away again at a time
when we were transitioning out of young adults ministry. In his case, I
think the community he began surrounding himself around gradually led
him away from God. There is hope for him though. I see it.<\/p>\n
As I said, when Michael was younger, he\u2019d barely come to
youth ministry. What was funny was that anytime he DID show up, there
happened to be another youth who rarely came but just so happened to be
there when he was\u2026 every time. It was like a running joke that they
subconsciously coordinated. This other lad\u2019s name was David. He is also
the son of one of the elders at GCF, eventually served on the youth leadership team, attended young adults at our house, and played keyboard
for worship as well. Like Michael, David was one of our favorites. We
loved him like one of our sons. His family often invited us over for
holidays and we became very close. He never gave his heart to the Lord,
but I have a sense that he\u2019s on a journey and God is working on his heart.
We had David and his girlfriend Egle over for dinner a few days after I
met with Michael. It was great to be able to catch up with him as well.
David and Egle both loved what we shared with them about the church
plant. They\u2019re both extremely creative, and offered to help me create a
vision casting video we could send to churches in the States. Please keep
David, Egle, and Michael in your prayers, that they might come to know
the Lord and be a positive influence on those who are around them.<\/p>\n
I had one other very important meeting with a gentleman who
I have known for many years. His name is Jim, and he\u2019s an accountant.
Jim used to attend GCF as well, and has helped other churches set up their
charitable status. Jim helped me wrap my head around the steps needed
to work towards setting up the church as a non-profit and offered his
assistance in each step! What an amazing connection there!<\/p>\n
One of the main reasons we\u2019ve been able to really get the ball
rolling at the end of this month was because we have a special visitor who
has come to assist us. Madisen is the daughter of our pastor at Living
Hope Church, and she has graciously decided to come and serve here for
8 weeks! She is fantastic with kids, and being that we have two high
energy children with no real support for them, she\u2019s been such a Godsend.
Madisen has been helping with Liam and Anora, which in turn has freed
up Larena and I to get caught up on non-profit paperwork, projects around
the house, and of course given us the ability to meet with more people
than we otherwise would\u2019ve been able to! What a huge answer to prayer!
She\u2019s such a joy as well. When she first walked into the house, it was like
there was a peace that came with her. We\u2019re so thankful for her.<\/p>\n
The church plant planning and preparations are underway. I\u2019ve
been able to get into town, chat with letting agents, identify our need for
the first phase of the city center location, and create a budget for it. The
space we are looking for will be used as an office and a place of meeting
for small groups and alpha courses. We\u2019re also hoping to use it as a
launching point for other outreaches we plan. The project will cost about
$33,000 to set up and start. Please be in prayer for that amount, that we
can make some connections with churches in the States who might be
willing to partner with us. Ultimately we know that God will bring
together the funds to cover exactly what He\u2019s called us to do. Thank you
for continuing to pray for our efforts, our protection, and provisions.
You\u2019re truly an army of prayer warriors interceding on our behalf and we
cherish you for it! God bless you all. <\/p>\n
Chris (Larena, Anora, & Liam)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Greetings loved ones! We\u2019re so excited about this new yearand new season we\u2019re stepping into. The Lord has been speaking to us inso many ways, confirming, supporting, encouraging, and directing us. AsHe reveals the next step in the greater vision He\u2019s put on our hearts, weeagerly plan and pray for those He\u2019s called us to … <\/p>\n