We started North Creek Church with 20 children and 19 adults almost 10 years ago.  As those children turn 18, I write a blog just to honor them.  We had the privilege of not only reading this blog to Kylie on Sunday, but also presenting her with a college scholarship.  Enjoy!

Dear Kylie-

You were 7 years old when we started our church, but just a toddler when we met.  I remember your pig tails and freckled cheeks staring up at me from about the height of my knees.

And now, not only are you turning 18, but as I write this you have one Sunday left at North Creek Church.  This week you will head to Northwest University to pursue a ministry degree. It’s the last Sunday at a church we started with the hope that our children would be molded and shaped by God in extraordinary ways.

If you are the product of those dreams, God delivered on every prayer.

As you walk towards college and your future you are holding every character quality I would have wanted for you.  Congrats on taking this opportunity for all it was.  God has been faithful to you.

In Year One of North Creek I saw Jesus give you FAITH.  Faith that God would establish us, grow us, and allow us to be useful for Him.  I watched as that small seed grew up in you to be a mighty and unshakeable faith.  A faith that is fierce, unwavering and non-negotiable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Two I saw Jesus give you COURAGE.  That was the year He called you to tell the world about Jesus in full time ministry. Even that young you simply said, “God is with me wherever I go, so what should I fear?”  You have courageously taken every step since that day in the same direction with His plan at the forefront of your agenda.

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Three I saw Jesus give you INFLUENCE.  That was the year you made a public declaration for Jesus through your water baptism.  You stood up for Christ and in that posture you were given a spiritual platform. People look to you as an example of what it is like to lead a life of surrender.  You have held that mantel of influence with grace beyond your years.

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Four I saw Jesus give you HUMILITY.  That was the year you started the youth ministry where your mother was the youth pastor.  That is no small task to be asked to do, but you gave respect to your leader despite the fact that she was “Mom”.  You humbled yourself to God’s plan and allowed yourself to be shaped within those confines.  He honored, and will continue to honor, your humble heart.

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Five I saw Jesus give you GENEROSITY.  That is the year you began giving your money to missions. Kylie, I know that you understand how profound it is to give your money to fund the work of Jesus.  As you go to the mission field, you will rely completely on people sacrificing their money so that you can tell people about Jesus.  You have sown what you could and my prayer will be that others will do the same for you.

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Six I saw Jesus give you SELF CONTROL.  In the thick of junior high, the temptation to conform to the world was all around you and we watched with baited breath as you chose, over and over again, not to fit in, not to gossip, not to tear down, not to fall into sin…Every decision trained you to behave in such a way that brought glory to God.

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Seven I saw Jesus give you COMPASSION.  That was the year you took your first oversees missions trip the Dominican Republic.  I watched as you kept giving, loving, and pouring out despite how tired, hungry, or hot you were. You brought a deeper love for humanity home with you and Jesus has continued to grow your compassion for His people.

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Eight I saw Jesus give you RESPONSIBILITY.  You got your driver’s license and I think the whole staff decided it was time to put you to work!  This was the year you took on greater roles in our church.  You invested in our children, served at every event, and proved yourself to be a reliable and loyal servant to Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Nine I saw Jesus give you GRATITUDE.  You went on another missions trip to El Salvador.  You came home with a new depth of love for Jesus and a gratitude for your life and calling.  You weren’t resentful for the calling and training that God had for you, but you embraced it with a grateful heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Year Ten I saw Jesus give you PERSEVERANCE.  This was the year you were tested beyond measure. As your leaders, we couldn’t protect you from the realities of life.  We couldn’t shield you and we couldn’t tell you how to respond  You had to sort out the pieces with Jesus and decide what to do with your future. You were faced with the fact that Satan doesn’t play fair and people can hurt you.

And then I watched as you lifted your head, stared into the eyes of darkness and made a decision.  You didn’t allow discouragement to cloud your mission, but instead said, “People may let me down, but my God, my God will never fail me. So, I will give my life for PEOPLE anyway.”

 

And for that, my dearest Kylie, we will all get to watch as Jesus gives you the NATIONS.

 

Go change the world.  I have no doubt you are quite prepared to do just that.  Thank you for allowing us all to be a part of your story.

 

All my love and prayers, Kylie.

Stacy

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t written in a bit because we’ve been on vacation and enjoying our summer!  We took a wonderful trip to Montana with a stop at Glacier National Park.  Truly one of my favorite places on the planet!!!  We enjoyed ourselves very much, but are also glad to be back at North Creek and with the people I love!

It is always nice to go on vacation, get away and reset for the fall.  We could not be more excited to put the last season behind us and look ahead to what God has in store for us.  He is good and faithful!  After selling two buildings and moving a TON of stuff all over the place, we are excited to be in a position to move from Prairie when the right building comes along.  In the meantime, we are doing great and enjoying this season without any building maintenance!

Currently, we are in a series called A Way Out, which is focused on temptation.  It has been a good look at how to resist the things in our lives that may get us sidetracked.  Anything that keeps you from a righteous life needs to be kicked to the curb.  Living for Jesus with a grateful heart is where you will find freedom!

Also on Sunday we hosted Latin Night at our house.  SO FUN!!!!  Thank you to the Brizuela family for making fresh papusas for us!  They are originally from El Salvador, so they bring the authentic goodness of Latin food.  And thank you to everyone for bringing dishes to share.  My back yard was full of people and AMAZING food, so what could be better?

We are gearing up for our 10 Year Anniversary celebration in September.  We’re taking the whole month to look back at all that God has done while running toward His future for us with abandon!  It has been an absolute privilege to get to start a church and go on a journey like this.  I feel blessed beyond measure at the growth that God has allowed through this life and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

So, this baby shirt may be coming for fall. Let me know what you think!  I’m actually considering having another baby just to have them wear this.  OK, not really. That’s not even a funny joke at this point… 😉  But I do love this little onesie and think all babies should have as much of the Coffee Church as they want!

Don’t worry…we are also rolling out adult shirts as well, so stay tuned.  Lots of fun coming our way for our 10 year!  The BIG day is September 25th, but every Sunday in September will be a party!

How can you help us?  We want you to volunteer!  It’s the BEST way to feel like a part of something bigger than yourself and meet some new people.  Fill out the form at www.coffeechurch.com.

Also, we want you to tithe!  Giving 10% of your income is God’s way of funding His dreams.  We want to be a generous church and see what God can do through our obedience.  You can give on our website as well at www.coffeechurch.com.  You can also set up a Pushpay account to make giving simple for you.  No more checks!

We want you to invite a friend!  We have a great church.  If your friends are looking for a church, let ’em know about North Creek.

So, bottom line…Jesus is incredible.  He changes lives, He sets us free, He shapes our hearts, and He guides our church.  It is such a joyful journey to serve Him.  Let’s keep that as the forefront as we set out to change the world!!!

Be blessed!

 

 

Happy Independence Day!  I am so thankful to live in a country where we can openly hold our beliefs and express our opinions.  What a gift!  I hope you had a safe and memorable holiday weekend with family or friends.

We had CRAZY fun Sunday!

We started the morning with a nice drizzle to set up our OUTDOOR baptism service!  Everything was wet, but it dried off in time to set up…and then it started drizzling just in time for our brunch.  We scrambled to move the food inside, but then we started service in the rain anyway.  ‘Cause we are a church in Washington and that’s what we do!  We worshipped a couple of songs with the rain spitting on our heads, but then the clouds parted just in time for baptisms.

As usual, baptisms at the Coffee Church means an entire audience full of people crying.  We love to hear the stories of changed lives and God NEVER ceases to amaze me!  Congrats to Izzy, Addy, Adam, Alex, Savannah, and Sarah on your declaration of serving Jesus with your whole hearts.  We look forward to seeing all that God does through each of you!  Thank you so much for sharing your commitment with us.  It is by your words that we are all encouraged to stay on mission for Jesus.  Baptism is a public declaration of the fact that God is STILL CHANGING LIVES.

We have pictures up on our Facebook page – North Creek  – The Coffee Church.  Thank you to Rick Donovan and Meghan Hoss for capturing these important moments!

Right after service, we loaded up an entire church full of stuff in preparation for the building closing and moved it to storage.  It is always INCREDIBLE to watch how fast things happen with 100+ hands working.  It was a mixed bag of emotions seeing that building empty.  Another chapter closing always brings both sadness and anticipation of what God has for us.

I did find it interesting that out of our six baptism candidates, one girl was with us from the bar we renovated on Hwy 99, one was from our Battle Ground campus, one was from our Hazel Dell campus, and three were from our services at Prairie High School/Youth Group at the Link Church building.  As we have moved, we have taken pieces of Clark County with us.  There is a purpose to it all!  That being said, I’m pretty excited to find a permanent home and stay put!  My back is too old for this!!! 😉

Our teenagers made it back from camp with truly deep stories of God working on areas in their hearts and lives.  He broke them free from grief, anger, bitterness, jealousy…and on and on.  He taught them how to worship, how to seek Him, and how to surrender.  Thank you to all of you who helped our teenagers get there with work opportunities, scholarships, and prayer!

A little side note to those of you who bounce around from church to church….You will never be all that God wants you to be until you commit to a group of Christian people and decide to walk alongside of them through thick and thin.  Even I have wanted to leave in the midst of conflict or challenge, but since that option is complicated for us, we stay and work through what God wants us to learn.  It is with that mentality that I have found myself flocked with people who love me inspite of my shortcomings.  People will only really be real with you when they trust that you’re in it for the long haul.  That right there is the greatest gift in the world.  Stay put and fight for relationships.  It’s a beautiful war that you need to fight with yourself.

See you Sunday!