Things are heating up here
in Spokane. We have finally hit the high 60’s. Praise the Lord! The sun is out,
people are becoming more active, and spirits are rising. We are having a blast
continuing to develop many relationships. When I take a step back and look at
all that has taken place since moving here there has been much that has been
accomplished in laying a foundation for an alive and active community.
When
I share with others that we are planting/starting a new church the number one
question I get asked is, “How do you do that?” That my friends is a great
question. There are many models to plant a church and all are very valid. In
this last 9 months, I have come to the realization that I have no idea what I
am doing. What I do know, is that my heart is to build a community of people
that lives life given to being transformed from the pursuit of Jesus, together.
In this understanding of church planting, I would say that we are definitely on
our way to fulfilling the vision God has given me for Vineyard 509.
When
we first moved to Spokane to plant Vineyard 509 our heart was to reach a
college/young adult generation but with the intent to grow from infants to the
90 years young as well. Vineyard 509 can only become what it is meant to be if
we have people from every walk of life and from every generation currently
living. In other words we desire to be a “full” community in every aspect. We
currently have an age range of 4 to 59! Praise the LORD!
We
continue to look to God for his heart to reach more people. The city of Spokane
is broken up into 29 different neighborhoods, each with its own distinct
culture, flavor, and needs. I thought that God would have open the doors to
develop more of this community adjacent to the Gonzaga campus but for whatever
reason that has not happened. There are a few other neighborhoods that God has
put on our hearts to be a blessing in. We pray that we would be a church that
is intimately involved in a neighborhood and partners with the great city.
On
a personal note, Amber and I just want to thank all of you that have prayed for
us, financially blessed us, and stayed connected with us. It has been hard to
leave our home to start something anew in a place that we don’t know for the
sole purpose of developing something we already had in Redding. Good news, I
did get a job. It is only part time right now. Today, I start at Bonneville
Power Administration. They are a part of the Department of Energy and I will
work as a Property Specialist contractor for David Evans and Associates. So,
for those of you that didn’t catch it, I am working for the DEA. HA HA!
Unfortunately,
the job is only part time to start and when Amber’s child care job ends at the
end of May, it won’t be enough to cover all our bills. So, God continues to
stretch us and develop an ever-increasing faith and dependency in Him. Luckily,
I have an amazing wife who continues to remind me of the bigger picture and all
the times that God has shown up and provided for us.
Ways to pray and support…
Please pray that God gives
us wisdom as to the specifics of which neighborhood in Spokane we are to come
along side.
How to be the most
effective with our outreaches.
Protection over the lives
of our children and my marriage.
Continued financial
support since we do not know how the bills will get paid past May 31.
Please contact us
sporadically. It is always great to hear from you all.
Feel free to come visit!
We have a few visitors that are coming over the summer. We would be ecstatic to
have you.
No comments:
Post a Comment