We planted a church

It’s been over four months since I wrote a new blog post, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you why for almost as long.

Here’s the short version: God called us to plant a new church, in the midst of a pandemic. He provided the idea, the structure, the people, and the building. We literally planned none of it.

Here’s the slightly longer version: On May 26th I woke up at about 2 a.m., my mind racing with thoughts. It feels like God is trying to tell me something…like it’s time to move, after a season where He had most definitely told me to slow down and stop for a bit. At first I think it’s about this blog, my writing and speaking ministry. But then I keep hearing the words, “It’s time to get back to church.” (our church had not been meeting for over two months at this point).

I read some scripture and pray a bit for clarity and next thing I know I feel God laying out for me a vision for what He wants church to look like…everything from the ministry structure (time to let go of rock star Pastors who try and do it all), to what each Sunday should look like (why aren’t we teaching people that the Word is accessible to all, and not just those called into ministry). I write it all down, as fast as my hands can move. I realize when He said “it’s time to get back to church” He wasn’t just talking about physically being in church. God is asking us to get back to basics. Back to His original design for the church, for His bride.

By the time I finish, I look at my phone and it’s 6:30 a.m. I’m exhausted. But before I go to sleep, I text my friend Sherri, my spiritual mentor and prayer warrior, and write the words that have been riding on the edge of my heart for the past four hours, but I’m afraid to speak out loud: “I think God is calling us to plant a church.”

A few hours later, I wake up and share with David all that God has spoken to me and ask if he’s heard anything similar. No, is his answer, but he wants to pray about it. I also see about 8 missed text messages from Sherri. She has prayed and believes God is calling us to plant a church. She also tells me about a church building in the next town over that she heard is about to be available…maybe that’s where God is leading us she says.

What?! I can’t imagine this is where He’s leading. Surely God would have us start small. A basement home church, or living room fellowship to begin. Nobody just starts out in a building, right?

The next few days are a whirlwind. David and I both pray a lot. We ask our friends Melissa and Joe to come over and share with them what God has revealed. When I mention the possibility of a building in the little town 20 minutes away, Melissa begins to cry. They both work at the middle school in the town. Melissa had been looking for other jobs, but just weeks earlier she feels God calling her to stay, telling her that He has a very specific ministry for her and Joe to do in that town.

We all keep praying. None of us are trained in ministry. We all work in education and have full-time jobs and families. We are in the middle of a pandemic. We have no capital or financial backing. None of this makes any sense on paper.

One week goes by and I reach out to the organization that owns the building. Another week, and I get a phone call. A representative from the organization wanting to know more about us. He wants to arrange an in-person meeting.

In the meantime, the four of us feel like God is confirming this call and we set a date — August 30th. We believe God will provide a location.

A few weeks later we meet at the building. They give us a tour — it’s huge. So much potential. It’s filled with every chair, table, and piece of technology we would need to start hosting worship services. There’s an existing active clothing closet ministry we could partner with.

Afterward we all gather together in the fellowship hall and I ask the question that’s on all of our minds: “What is it you want to do with this building? Are you looking to sell it or rent it, or…?”

The answer stuns us all. They offer it up to us, including everything in the building, rent free. We will only be responsible for utilities.

I cry.

It’s not supposed to be this easy, I think.

Our friends Mike and Sherri (the same one who I texted all those weeks before), come along side us and help round-out our leadership team. Team-led ministry is one of our core tenets.

We spend the next month of Saturdays cleaning and preparing the building, filing paperwork with the state, opening bank accounts, and planning our kick-off event — a back-to-school service event and community block-party. Donations for school supplies roll in. A friend’s brother lends us snow cone and cotton candy machines. On August 30th we welcome nearly 60 people and give out school supplies to over 40 children.

On Sunday, September 6th we host our first worship service.

And so it begins.

In the weeks since we’ve seen COVID cases rise. The clothing closet has temporarily closed its doors, and we’ve put on hold plans for a weekly meal. But we’ve still been able to gather every Sunday for worship, to study God’s word, to pray, and to serve the community.

Planting a church in the middle of a pandemic is not something I recommend, but we’ve seen how God’s unusual timing has unfolded perfectly and Living Waters of Capon Bridge has quickly become an outreach ministry to this small community that’s been hit hard by COVID. Some days it truly feels like the loaves and the fishes with how God continues to provide.

In the midst of all the hard this year, it has kept my faith strong and stretched it to new depths.

I don’t know what God has planned for the coming months. But I know that I’ll never forget 2020 because it was the year God woke me up in the middle of the night and said, “it’s time to get back”.

It was the year we planted a church.