I envisioned the churches throughout Flint banding together in love, prayer and service to our community. I imagined how the city could change if we stepped out as Christ called us to, humbling ourselves, sacrificing, loving beyond the walls of our individual buildings. Unfortunately, at the time I was young and overwhelmed with the enormity of such an undertaking. I didn’t feel like I was equipped or had enough influence to take on the huge task of uniting thousands of believers in one of the most economically depressed, violent, broken cities in America.

In the ten years since then I’ve gotten married, had a baby, and moved – to another one of the most economically depressed, violent, broken cities in America. And now I’m a pastor. And I’m planting a church. To be honest, most days I don’t feel any more equipped than I was ten years ago. The task of shepherding God’s people still seems incredibly overwhelming. (If it didn’t, our vision would be too small and my pride would need some serious humbling.) But, it no longer seems impossible, because throughout this church planting journey I’ve discovered that we are anything but alone.

First and foremost, God is with us. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Act2 Community Church is HIS church and HIS plan for us. I can see all of the ministries and experiences He’s given us along the way to prepare us for this moment and this task. I can see how He’s moved to place us in positions I never would have considered on my own, but they’re a perfect fit for what He’s called us to and what He’s already led us through. And I see the people He’s placed in our lives to help us lay the foundations of the church.

We’ve been blessed by an incredible network of church planters and churches with a vision to plant and grow other churches. Men like Pastor Rob King and Pastor Jim Wiegand have wholeheartedly supported our vision and calling to Acts2 Community Church. The Michigan District (Pastor Jeff Hlavin, Pastor Curt Dalaba and Pastor Tom Forgo) have encouraged us, trained us, and put a whole lot of faith in us. And there’s been a great team of fellow church planters, from within our denomination and from other churches and denominations, who have answered countless questions, prayed innumerable prayers and offered advice and encouragement along the way. Where would we be without these people?

We were also honored when the Church of Saginaw invited Jason to be a part of their organization. This is a group of pastors and church leaders throughout Saginaw who meet monthly to pray for each other and our city, to build each other up and to embrace new ways of reaching the people of Saginaw. They cross denominational lines, cultural lines, socioeconomic and racial lines in recognition of one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. They embody the unity that God calls us to as believers.

My heart is filled with hope that there are others out there who share the vision of growing the Body of Christ through our love for Him and our passion to see lives changed by the gospel. I’m not naive enough to think that we’ll ever overcome all of the differences that challenge the church, but I do believe the hand and the foot and the eyebrow and the ear and the kneecap and the elbow can still work together to serve His people with humility and grace. And I’m so excited to see how He will use me (I think I’m a bone inside the pinky finger), and Acts2 Community Church to love the people of Saginaw into His kingdom, and I pray that some day we can be “One Kingdom, under God, with grace and mercy for all.”

If you’re passionate about Jesus, if you’re passionate about people, if you’re passionate about growing the Kingdom of God, please consider partnering with us on this journey. Your prayers have sustained us, your gifts give us hope, and your participation makes it all possible. Thank you to everyone who has already joined us on the journey, and to everyone who will join us in the coming days. We couldn’t do this without you!

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But then something happened. I got married, and suddenly every-weekend bike rides became once-in-a-while bike rides. And then I got pregnant and even those once-in-a-while bike rides slipped away and I didn’t touch my bike for two years.  And then this summer Jason surprised me with a trip to my favorite place to go biking – Mackinac Island. I was so excited. We dusted off our bikes, inflated the tires, oiled the chains, and headed to the island.

Now, I knew I was rusty. And after having a baby I even knew I was out of shape. I expected it. What I didn’t expect as we started our trek through the island (I highly recommend riding up inside the island instead of just around it), was that hills that once posed no problem were suddenly mountains that I was struggling to ride up. I’m ashamed to admit that more than once I had to hop off Sir Walter and walk him to the crest of a hill as my thighs burned and my knees protested pushing the pedal even one more time.

I was embarrassed. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself get so far out of shape. But I was determined not to let it defeat me. So as the day wore on, and some level of muscle memory kicked in, when Jason (who still works out) would ask me if I needed to walk my bike, I’d insist I was fine and push my way up the hill in spite of the fact that I was huffing, puffing, pushing and praying with all of my might to make it.

It was on one such hill that I developed a refrain that carried me through the rest of the afternoon. I found that if I kept my eyes focused on the top of the hill, the goal seemed too far away, the climb too steep, and the effort too much. But if I looked down and focused instead on the very next inch of road I had to cover, the hill (or even some of the flat stretches) became much less daunting. So every time we rode up a hill I repeated to myself “the next inch” and just pushed for each inch of ground I had to cover. And by the end of the day, we’d covered approximately 18 miles.

“The next inch…” has become my motto for church planting as well. The sheer volume of tasks that we have to accomplish before February can seem insurmountable, but if we focus instead on the next task ahead of us, suddenly the insurmountable becomes possible.

Is there a hill or a mountain or even a valley in your own life that seems insurmountable? Maybe you need to just focus on the “next inch” to conquer the task ahead of you. And never forget that we can do all things through His strength, not our own.

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I’ve discovered that church planting is a whole lot like taking a road trip. You see, when I was a kid, I knew what our final destination was, but I didn’t know the exact roads we’d take to get there. I was never responsible for driving the car, I didn’t know which gas stations we’d stop at, which restaurants we’d eat in or which hotels we’d stay in along the way. I didn’t even have to save up any money to pay for the trip. My role wasn’t passive by any means. I had the responsibility of packing my bag – a few dozen books, my stuffed ALF, a toothbrush, and a few clothes if I had any room left – getting in the car at the right time, and participating in the journey. But Dad took care of the rest.

He mapped out the route we’d take. He watched the gas gauge and stopped at the right gas station before our tank got too low. He paid attention to when we’d be hungry or need to stop for a break, and he’d make sure our every need was taken care of. He even selected a few surprise roadside attractions to stop at, just to watch us stare in awe at a giant rocket or “oooh” and “aaaah” as we explored a cave. These attractions were a surprise to us, but not to Dad.

The same appears to be true of church planting. As church planters, we know what our final destination is – the launch of Acts2 Community Church. But sometimes we’re still surprised by the details of the journey. God isn’t. When he placed this passion in Jason’s heart over 20 years ago, He knew that the vision for planting churches would lead us to an unlikely venue. He even placed Jason in that venue twelve years ago to begin laying the groundwork for our ministry. He brought the two of us together and the right time. He placed us in the right home on the right street in the township of Saginaw at just the right time. He placed me in ministries over the years that seemed disjointed and sometimes meaningless, all to prepare me for the call of church planting that I never knew was mine.

I’m a details person. With less than 6 months until our launch date, I’m struggling with not having control over every detail of the church planting, with having to wait for certain pieces to fall into place before we can move to the next step and tackle the next goal. I want to take the wheel.

But I’m not the one mapping out the route. Our Father is. My responsibility is to pack my bags, get in the car, and participate in the journey and trust my Father to know the route and all the stops along the way. And whether you’re praying for Acts2 Community Church, donating to the ministry, or joining our launch team, I just want to say: Welcome to the Road Trip. We’re happy to have you on board.

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