First Journey Lorena Gathering

Well, I promised a detailed description of how our first Journey Lorena gathering went...so...I will deliver!

First of all, I want to take a moment to say a huge "Thank You" to Mark and Cassie Williams for opening up their home as we begin our church plant in Lorena, Tx. Their generosity is overwhelming, and it is a blessing to have them share in this experience.

So, we met in a home for our first official meeting. We asked everyone to be there at 6:00pm, and the fellowship began immediately as everyone began to trickle in. From what I could tell, everyone seemed to connect with one another from the beginning. I saw hugs, handshakes, and many conversations taking place. It didn't take long to notice that we had 30 people gathered together for our first meeting, because the living room was shrinking as people continued to arrive. Out of those 30 people, there must have been about 10-12 kids - looks like a healthy future for Journey Lorena!

We began the evening by letting the kids go outside for some activities, while the adults remained inside. "Thanks" to Gloria and Leslie for volunteering to take care of the kids for the first evening together. The adults discussed the Mission/Vision and Core Values of Journey Lorena. We talked about what kind of church we sought to be, who we sought to reach, and how we hoped to get there. We also discussed John 4:27-42, asking God to give us the eyes of Jesus.

Following our study, we invited the kids back in for our time of worship! David Middlebrook, our Worship Pastor, did a wonderful job leading us in our time of worship. With his guitar on his knee, he lead us in some wonderful songs which helped us focus on Jesus, the one who loves us unconditionally. Great job, David! When the time came, Leslie led us in our thoughts for the Lord's Supper. She fittingly discussed the unity and fellowship of the first century church, focused on a resurrected Christ. A great way to start off Journey Lorena!

As we wound up the evening, it was awesome to see how no one was in a hurry to leave. There was still a lot of fellowship and relationship building taking place. I feel so blessed to be a part of this experience, and I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for Journey Lorena. Thanks to all of our financial partners, and thanks to all of those who are covering Journey Lorena in prayer!

New Beginnings

Well...to say it has been a while since my last post would be huge understatement. However, I believe that it is time to try and get back into this whole blogging thing. Why? Well, Leslie and I have recently accepted the call to plant a church in Lorena, Tx just south of Waco. This is just as good a place as any to share stories from our journey in church planting. So, I hope you might enjoy keeping up with us and what God is doing in and through our family.

To begin, we moved the first weekend of June to China Spring, Tx to live (temporarily) with my in-laws while we are trying to close on a house in Lorena, Tx. I will spare you the details of our experience in buying a house - for I do not want to bore you, nor do I desire to relive the frustration. In short, after many headaches we should be closing on Friday morning on our first house!

We have spent the last month making contact with several families, sharing the mission/vision of Journey Lorena, hoping they will become a part of the Launch Team. We also have spent a great deal of time incorporating Journey Lorena and non-profit, obtaining a Federal Employer Identification Number, and have now begun the process of securing Tax Exemption Status.

Leslie has begun her new teacher training for her new job at La Vega Junior High within Waco ISD. She found out she has 13 days of training before she begins her new job the second week of August. She feels like school has already started for her!

We are excited about what God is already doing...the doors he has already opened...the contacts we have made...and the blessings we have already received.

Stay tuned, I will share very soon how our first official gathering went in detail. It was amazing!