Point of Change

Change.  It can be painful, exciting, emotional, confusing, happy, scary, sad...and so many other things.  God is leading our family through some pretty big changes right now.

Recently, Jeremy interviewed for a different job after 7 years in his current area.  He learned this week that he got the job.   He won't be leaving the company, but moving to the main corporate building as an analyst.  It will bring changes in this work duties, coworkers, building/office, work hours, bosses, and certainly his career.  It was time for a change, and we trust that it will be a good change.  We thank God for the opportunities Jeremy has through his work.

As I wrote about here, we have recently been called to go from our church home to help plant a new church in Bloomington.  This weekend has been the official start of that process, and it has been incredibly emotional.  Much of this week I felt I was in mourning while thinking about the "lasts" of this week--the last time I would minister as part of the worship team at Bloomington 1st, the last time the kids would be in RECESS (children's worship) with this church family, the last time we would have a potluck meal together as a church family...and on and on the list went.  These people have very much been our family over the past 10+ years, and our lives would be drastically different without this church.  We are so incredibly grateful.

Last night, we had the first official meeting of the new church launch team.  Dr. Larry McKain, an expert on church planting, spoke to us about the adventure we have ahead of us.  He gave good advice and answered our questions and concerns.  Most of all, we were affirmed in the knowledge that in this process we need to NOT control or try to fix things, but to trust God and reflect on His plan.  

This morning, much like most of the Sunday mornings in the past 10 years, we drove up to this building and worshipped with our church family.  It was an emotional but wonderful day.

The most wonderful part of the day was this moment.  The launch team knelt at the altar and the board  members and congregation of Bloomington 1st gathered around us as our pastors and District Superintendent prayed for God's anointing on our new church, sending us out with their blessing and God's blessing on us!  It was powerful.  Even though it is difficult to leave this church home, we will always be a family in Christ.  And, most of all, it is very exciting to obey the will of God!  There are great things to come for both of these churches!

After the worship service, we had an all-church potluck together in the gym.  When the launch team left, members of 1st Naz moved to the sanctuary to elect a new church board.  The launch team headed out to the building it seems God may be calling us to use as our church facility.

This is a building in town that God quite literally showed Pastor Todd in a vision during prayer last year.  He had seen the building, but didn't know what it was, or why God was giving him the image.  So, he visited the building and learned that it is the local Electrical Workers' Union.  They have been very receptive to the idea of sharing the building with a church, and are trying to negotiate a way to make it happen.

The building is very, very nice!  The handful of people who had been there before gave the rest of us tours.

(Sammy and Caeden were up to their usual business.)

This is the main meeting place that we would use for a sanctuary space.

a long hallway of classrooms and meeting rooms

As we looked into the various rooms and parts of the building, we tried to think about how we could set up portable ministry spaces.

The other large space is the workshop area.

There is also a lot of land that could be used for outside activities or future building expansion.

Pastor Todd has even been allowed to bring his office here.

After touring the building we met in the main area and circled up for prayer.

We thanked God for giving us this opportunity to follow His plan.

We praised Him, and asked his help bringing people of Bloomington closer to Jesus!

We gathered around our Pastor and his family and asked God's protection and blessing on them.

We have a very large launch team for a church plant--already almost 50 adults.  We are ready!

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

- Matthew 28:19-20