Everyone with experience (who also feels the need to give free advice) has told me how much hard work church planting is. It’s true: long hours, late nights, big meetings, laboring in prayer, making connections, planning, designing, preparing, negotiating… it really is tons of work (and our senior pastor at the Bridge, Rick, does a great job of not only coordinating a lot of the work but also getting out and doing it).
Now, after hosting another mission team this summer (a group of teens who did a great job helping us make important connections), I’m reminded of how physically hard the work can be. Sore feet, knees, and back remind me: this ain’t no office job. After all of our canvassing (in a place called “Penn Hills” which gives you an idea of the terrain), connecting with businesses and a couple of service projects, it’s time for a new pair of shoes and some icy hot. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
This was part of our push toward our ‘big event’ of the Summer: a totally free Family Fun Day for the community. We went door-to-door inviting people and hanging doorhangers, the team put up about 140 flyers, posted yard signs, and hosted a free carwash (which facilitated the opening of some amazing doors of opportunity with people of influence in the community); cookies were baked and platters of them given to local businesses; giveaways from area businesses were received which will help keep Family Fun Day free for the people who take part.
God is moving in very real ways and I’m excited to see what the results will be of God’s undeniable activity and our obedient effort.
