One More
Have you ever felt stuck in your relationship with God? Have you felt like you were called to do more, reach out, not just serve the needs of the community you are in? This was my situation and the situation of my family and a few close friends.
I came to have a relationship with the Lord through a long journey that I didn’t at the time know I was on. I was 33 and through friends of my wife Susan we ended up with our two children at a church in our neighborhood. While listening to the sermons and going to classes and being challenged by some members, I realized my relationship with God was not as real as I thought it was. I had never really trusted in Him. Trusting in God changed my life, my priorities, my future.
Serving in this church, building new friendships, listening to the teaching and going to Bible studies I grew in my faith a ton. After about 10 years in this church, I felt a nudge from the Lord that church should be more than just serving the needs of the members. I was getting fed like crazy, but I felt God wanted me to reach out and have an impact on others outside our church. There were other people in our church feeling the same way. We asked the church leadership to consider how we might be able to accomplish this at our church. We didn’t make much progress and this brought feeling of frustration.
In 2002 a group of five families got together in a basement and talked about what kind of church we thought God was placing on our hearts to form. It was a big decision. Leaving a church was uncomfortable. It meant leaving relationships we had had for a while. It meant pulling our children away from relationships they had. It meant moving into an unknown journey that we didn’t know exactly what it looked like or if it was going to be a success or what success even looked like.
In 2022, 20 years later, I can tell you God used this new journey to bring me and my family closer to Him. We have experienced much joy, much pain, much questioning along the way. I saw God work in the lives of my children. I saw him work in our community and around the world. It’s amazing to see the number of people he continues to impact in this church that started with His nudge on a few families.
I am so grateful for all God has done and allowed me to be a part in. I look forward to all the things God is going to do in the future.
The best is yet to come!
Jay Belt