At the Starting Line

It's been a while. Things have certainly picked up pace around here! To give just a quick update, this past Sunday we held our second of four preview services and saw sixty people from the community join us for worship -- twice as many as our first service! Many of our friends that we've now been getting to know for a few months returned for the second time, and two new people expressed a desire to know more about a relationship with Christ. We were so encouraged to see God's love through us bearing first fruits! It has been amazing to watch a community beginning to form of people from different walks of life.

Sergei and I (Sarah) have been spending the majority of our time building friendships with people God brings into our life. Relationships are what we thrive on, and we believe that is what the Body of Christ is made up of -- people joined together in love. Several people near us have reached out to us, too, and so we're beginning to feel like Loveland is home. Transitions have always been hard for me, but Sergei's persistent knack at finding and deepening friendships has begun to make this transition much easier; what a gift from God that man is!

The Mandolin Cafe

We're also falling in love with our little downtown. 4th Street is fabulous! We often spend our afternoons at The Mandolin Cafe, a locally-owned coffee shop with an eclectic personality. A couple blocks down is Anthology Books, a veritable Shop Around The Corner. On another of our downtown streets is a ministry called House of Neighborly Service, providing resources for low-income families. We plan to serve there frequently as a church and as a family. On the other side of town, they've put up an ice rink that will stay up most of the winter. We've already been twice, and we're hoping that this and other hotspots in our city can become places for ministry (as well as places to just have fun!).

One of our greatest needs right now is for a children's ministry in our church, and I've been praying about heading that up. Please pray for me as I consider taking on this responsibility, and as Angus and I talk out the details. Continue to pray for Sergei and Angus as they seek to move the church in a direction most glorifying to God. Pray for Jack and Tracy Ryan and Renee Mesplay who are trying to sell their homes in Kentucky to move out here and help the church.

Thanks for your encouragements and prayers! God has used our friends and family to keep our spirits energized, and we couldn't be more thankful.