Heritage

I didn’t grow up in the church, but rather started going as a young teenager. I remember the fear of walking into church alone, I remember not understanding how to find a book in the Bible, and I remember feeling very small in this big world of church. I also vividly remember feeling like everyone in my church was related to someone else and they all had stories about their grandparents building the building or their aunt becoming the church’s first missionary…and I had no connection. I was the first Christian in my family and therefore I came with no Godly heritage forged before me. I was the beginning of what I hope to be a long line of Christ followers.

That is probably why I am excited about merging a church plant with a church with some heritage behind it. I have loved hearing the stories of years past and meeting the people that have been in Battle Ground since the beginning. I love feeling like we are not just the start of a story, but now intertwined into a longer history of impacting a community. I look forward to building on a foundation that has been long-since laid for us, rather than pouring our own fresh cement.

We are changing a lot of esthetics and some of the systems, but it doesn’t change the story. The story is rich with many prayers said, offerings given, work done, and tears shed. I am appreciative of all of that because I am keenly aware that God destined a partnership of two different churches to do what He wants to do in His community. As we “launch” this Easter Sunday and look forward to a new start, I wanted to take a moment to look back and say thank you to all of you who have sacrificed in the past with eyes always on the future. Our method is different, but our mission remains the same. When the doors open on Sunday morning and new faces look into your own, I hope you know that they are here because of you.

And I hope if you see a young teenage girl who feels very much alone in this big church world, that you will tell her she will someday feel like a part of a family that is rooted in the love of Christ. See you Sunday!