Unbelievable

About eleven years ago, God began to tug at our hearts regarding church planting. John was in seminary and I was working at a church that in its short lifetime, had already planted over a dozen new churches. I had always considered church planting to be something people did in Africa in huts. Though this can also be true, I was far from understanding all God was up to right in our backyard.

We finally decided this was what God had called us to and began the process of seeking a place to plant. This was not easy, knowing God could have sent us anywhere, and we were trying hard to be open to that. About that same time, our future sponsor church was praying about supporting its first church plant and the pastor happened to be one of John’s best friends. They began praying about whether this was the right place and partnership. I am so thankful it was.

I will never forget the last Sunday at our church in Texas. I remember standing near the back, probably because I was holding our first baby, who was only about five months old, and listening to the music and wondering how long it would be until we were able to stand in a room full of people and worship like that again. I felt in some ways that it would be forever.

Those first few months were not easy. John began knocking on every door in our neighborhood, then in surrounding neighborhoods, meeting people and developing relationships. It was hard for me, because I was home with a baby and knew no one.

A bible study started in our home in early July and by September we were able to move to an office building. We had about 40-50 people attending at that time. Those months were hard on me since I was now also pregnant again with our second child, a huge shock just after getting settled in our home. I was the only childcare worker for a short time and would barely make it through the morning service before I was sick again. But we knew even through the difficult days, God was up to something much bigger and better than ourselves.

A few months later, our public worship services began in an elementary school. Of course, we came into this whole thing with a vision and really big dreams. I believe those are two different things….we had a vision that God wanted to use us to reach our area, but our dreams maybe did not always line up with that. We thought we’d see a church birthed over night, with hundreds of people within the first few weeks. We soon realized we had to let go of some of those “dreams” and trust God with the vision He’d given us. The first few years seemed painstakingly slow at times, but God was truly changing lives and families. People came and went during that time. We grew deep relationships, some of which exist today and mourned over the loss of some of them.

After what seemed like an eternity, God blessed us with our current “permanent” location. We were thrilled to finally have a home base for ministry. God grew our character through difficult steps, through mistakes we’ve made, through things we’ve gotten sort of right along the way, and through the advice and teaching of so many Godly men and women. I can’t say it’s all been easy or that it’s always even been fun. I can say we’ve honestly NEVER thought about throwing in the towel. We’ve believed the vision God called us to since day one, trusting Him for every step along the journey. There were times we did not know where the next dime for ministry would come from. There have been huge faith steps along the way and at times, we’ve shuffled along in faith rather than taking big leaps.

It’s unbelievable to think it’s only been ten years. Sometimes, we feel as if we are just getting started. At other times, it feels like a lifetime. The only way it really becomes real to me is when I look at my almost eleven year old and remember how tiny she was when it all began.

Having grown up in a Baptist preacher’s home, I’ve known the joys and challenges of living in a minister’s family my whole life. And yes, around my senior year in high school, I believed God called me to be a pastor's wife long before I ever met John. As a kid, we were in some churches full of wonderful people who loved the Lord, and who often showed their love for us as their pastor and family. However, we were also in places full of darkness where there were few if any shows of gratitude. In fact, we were in some places all of us would love to forget.

That’s why I can never fully put into words how much it means to me to be in a place that really cares about its pastors. We’ve never looked for or expected any kind of "appreciation." In fact, based on my experiences growing up, I’ve been shocked to see that it can exist. But our sweet church body has blessed us tremendously time and time again just with sweet expressions of love all along the way. I have to admit it is a little hard to accept and we feel a bit undeserving, but it is deeply humbling. Most of us are used to receiving gifts only when we are in need or on a special occasion. This month, our church is digging deep in the way it shows love to us. We know it’s a sacrifice for them. But we are so honored by their love. Thank you North Point! We love all of you guys so much and can’t wait to see all God has for us as a church the next ten years.