Man oh man it’s been almost 9 months since I’ve updated this
blog….can I get a YIKES!?!
Well to catch you up, a few snapshots of awesomeness that
has happened since my last update:
Gateway Church Old Brooklyn had it’s One Year Anniversary in
January….YAY! That might not sound like a big deal, but when you begin anything
especially a church plant you are not guaranteed to make it even to your one
year anniversary. So we’re super excited
to have met that milestone and to be continuing the church planting work in this
second year.
In May, we also got to see 3 of my favorite people
baptized….ok so everyone that goes to Gateway Church Old Brooklyn is my
favorite….it’s true…but these 3 are pretty special! Chris, on the right,
is the guy that’s always there early, stays late, and happily volunteers for
any work that needs to be done no matter the task. Curtis and Jessica, on the left, were one of the first families to come from a summer camp, check
out the church, and stay. That’s quite a commitment as we’re a new church plant
with limited programs for kids! They all faithfully serve and encourage our church body
on a weekly basis & it was such a blessing to see them follow in believer’s
baptism!
This summer the Lord allowed us to pull off a total of 4
kid’s camps, 2 block parties and 13 housing repair projects this summer!
The kids’ camps were a blast! We had a football/volleyball
camp, Frisbee camp, soccer camp, & arts & crafts camp. Each day we
would have a snack break & use that time to share the gospel with the kids.
You would really see these kids start to grasp what Jesus had done for them
& several were hearing this good news for the very first time.
The construction projects went fabulously this summer. They
are always a little nerve racking as to whether or not we’ll actually get
everything done, but praise the Lord for the 3rd year in a row, all
the projects were completed from painting 6 homes & 1 garage, demoing 5
garages, and rebuilding 1 porch….it all got done. There were definitely bumps
along the way but we got through it all. We had one incident where we needed to
use a neighbor’s driveway to paint the side of one of the homes. The neighbor
would say we could use his driveway but as soon as the group would set up
ladders, he would come out yelling at them to get off his property. We prayed
and prayed for this man and this situation as we couldn’t finish the project in
those conditions. And wouldn’t you know, the Lord did a mighty work and the man
all of the sudden became calm and peaceable the 2nd week of work.
Also the neighbor on the other side of the house came out due to the previous
ruckus and was very interested in the church. You never know what the Lord is
up to even when things don’t go according to “our” plan.
2016 has been a fun & interesting year so far, and we
are excited to see all the Lord has in store for the fall! Check out Gateway’s
Summer Outreach Video at the link below if you haven’t already! It brings a
smile to my face each time I watch at as I see all the Lord did this summer in
our community!
