Though Eric and I are church planters, what we really pray for and strive to foster in Lowry is community. When we visited Lowry many times, before becoming residents, we were told repeatedly by people of all ages, stages, and ethnicities that a main reason they moved to and stayed in Lowry is because of the strong sense of community. Yet, upon spending more time there and eventually becoming residents of Lowry ourselves, neighbors met in our home for the first time and neighbors said no one gets together regularly. We have begun to question how Lowry residents, our neighbors, would define community and we are praying and pleading with God to redeem the definition as only He can. I read this quote this week and I can’t get it off my mind…”Because of our idols and the habits of our heart, church events simply become places that individuals focus on themselves in the presence of others. It takes deep reflection and costly commitment to live in community!” We believe, without doubt, that God has called us to Lowry and intends to redeem the definition of community there, but it’s gonna require deep reflection and costly commitment from us, and our neighbors whom God prompts to join us. Will you join us in praying that God will be glorified and honored and raise up His church in Lowry, as a result of community building?
We are praying and hearing from God that now is the time to begin a small group weekly Bible study and shared meal in our home. Our relationships are deepening with several neighbors and we are praying God will prompt several to come and hear His Word and be free to ask questions and have meaningful time with believers! Pray for lives to be saved and forever changed and for community redemption to begin and continue!
Slow but Good
The past few months have gone quickly. We look back over them and see that God is working in us and through us in a slow but good way. We have built relationships, engaged the neighborhood and have made a house a home and a base of ministry. Relationships take time, energy, and intentionality. Engaging the neighbors takes persistence, love, flexibility, energy and time. Establishing a home takes time, energy, and love. Adapting a home to a basis of ministry calls for intentionality, flexibility, and love.
Do you see the tensions and themes that we have immersed ourselves in over the past few weeks? Time, energy, intentionality, persistence, flexibility, and love are all necessary and needed things in our life as we seek to live missionally and point others to Jesus. So if you were to ask me how things are going? I would sum it all up by saying slow, but good.
Partners
Partners in the Gospel fill my heart with joy! No words can describe what a blessing it is to have prayer partners in many states lifting us up before The Lord daily, and at least one person praying for every single street in Lowry! Wow! It leaves me speechless (which we all know is rare, HA). What’s cool is how reciprocal it is, too. Many of our prayer partners share personal prayer needs and praises with us as well! What a privilege to intercede on their behalf. I often take that for granted, but God is deepening my intimacy with Him through prayer!
Another huge blessing for us is having several church partnerships, not only financially, but Gospel ministry partnership! We were privileged to have the new youth minister from Fairhaven Baptist Church, where we were privileged to serve 8 years before answering the call to plant, here with us last weekend. We were so encouraged to hear how God continues to move at Fairhaven and in “our” students. Having them choose to support us by sending a mission team this summer is huge! It excites me! Loved hosting Tyler and seeing him see Lowry and feel burdened for the lostness of our neighborhood and all of Denver metro. Statistics are alarming and real, but being here is sobering and heart breaking, yet exciting. Pray for this team of youth, college students, and adults from Fairhaven. Pray God will use them mightily, praise God for how exponentially our time and Gospel influence will be multiplied that week, pray for lives to be changed and disciples to be made.
I am overwhelmed when I read these verses now, though I’ve read them before. I am truly thankful for all of our Gospel partners and praying God continues to bring laborers into His harvest!
Philippians 1:3-11
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[d] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Thank you, partners! Thank you!