February Highlights!
As I’ve reflected on all that has happened in February, it’s hard to believe it was only 28 days! I am so excited about what God has been doing and hope I’ve done an adequate job sharing the highlights below 😬👇
Look at this fun bunch! And they all ride Harleys 🏍
Divine Appointments
Have you ever felt like God puts people in your path in unexplainable ways? If not, plant a church. We are continually amazed at the people God allows us to meet and the encouragement they bring. The group above is just one example. Meet the HOGS (Harleys of Grace). We bumped into Gena while getting coffee at Grace at the beginning of February and we immediately connected. Before long we met for an afternoon to share stories and get to know each other. Soon after that, we were invited to share our story during a fun evening with this group! We are so thankful for Gena and all of our other friends who God is using to push us along on our journey. We are looking forward to meeting with 4 other groups at Grace later this month!
More than ever, Michael and I find ourselves blown away by the life we get to live, the people we get to know, and the ways God continues to show us that He is for us!
Snowed in! Amigo didn’t mind at all. ❄️
No lake trip for us...
Unfortunately, we were unable to make it back to Lake of the Ozarks in February as we had planned. We got slammed with a major snowstorm and were pretty much homebound for that entire week. As I’m sitting outside on my balcony today with 75-degree weather, it’s hard to believe just 3 weeks ago it was below 0! 🥶Thankfully, it looks like winter is behind us. Thank you to everyone who was still able to meet with us via zoom! We loved getting to connect that way and are looking forward to when we can get back down for a visit.
Would you like to meet and hear about the vision God has given us for a new church on Long Island?
CLICK HERE to schedule a virtual meeting!
Local Church, Inc!
On February 23rd, we officially met to incorporate Local Church! Meet our board members, Edie and Nate. Both them and their spouses have been huge supporters of Local Church since the moment they heard about it! Edie and her husband Bruce are dear friends of ours from Lake of the Ozarks. Nate and his wife Roxanna are in residency with us here at Grace Church as they prepare to move to Brazil as full-time missionaries with Ray of Hope. (You can learn about their journey here!)
We met to sign the official paperwork but also took time to celebrate as this was the first official meeting of our board. The meeting included some of our close friends and family, a time of prayer and worship, and of course a delicious lunch!
Are you interested in giving to Local Church?
We can not do this without the generosity of so many of you who faithfully give. This month we are praying for 5 new monthly supporters to join our team! Not sure what it looks like to support a Church Plant? Give us a call. We’d love to tell you more! Or click the link below.
20 hours both ways in the van and we all still like each other…I think 🤷♀️
Road Trip!
Last month, we introduced you to Nick and Sarah, the first members of Local Church. These guys decided to move to Long Island before ever even visiting! So we decided to take a vision trip with them and one of our friends from Grace, Kylene. Here are some of the highlights from our trip.
We met for breakfast with one of the pastors in the area where we will be planting. He encouraged us and shared with our team what it is like being the church on Long Island.
One afternoon, we served the community with Lighthouse Mission.
Our good friends Mike and Caitlin came over the first night to encourage our team with their story and experience with ministry and church planting on Long Island.
We had two fun nights reconnecting with friends and sharing our plans with them.
Nick and Sarah toured apartments and feel even more confident about the move!
We visited 3 different churches on Sunday! We are thankful to the teams at each church for being so welcoming. Shout out to Pastor Roger Blackmore for allowing us to share a bit of our story with Genesis Church.
All 5 of us came back refreshed and excited about how God is moving on Long Island!
Prayer Team
Did you know we have a goal to cover Local Church in 1000 hours of prayer before we launch? We can’t do that alone. So if you think of it, would you CLICK HERE to let us know how many minutes you spent talking to God about us, Long Island, and this new church?
Here are some specific things you can pray about:
- We have an intensive church planting assessment the week of March 22nd. Please pray for our energy, our minds, and our unity through the assessment!
- We are praying God will open doors for a house and a car for us when we get to Long Island.
- For those who will join Local Church in the coming year!
- Grace Church is planning 2 service trips to Long Island - one is September and one next spring! Please pray for us as we plan and for those who will be going on these trips.
- Would you pray about how God is leading you to get involved with Local Church?
Answered prayers:
- Our trip to NY was a great success!
- On a personal level, we are doing great. In fact, we have never been better! 😊 We know that is not without the constant prayer and support of so many of you!
- We are approx. 20% funded for our low-impact budget and we currently have 17 monthly partners! 🙌
Thank you for following us on our journey 🎉
Find previous newsletters by visiting our website at www.churchplantjourney.com
We are looking forward to all that God has for us, for you, and for Long Island! 🌱
