Greetings Well Partners and Friends, There is a lot going on this time of year at home and in our community. We live in a small town and it didn’t take long for the news to get out of a new church being planted. There are always assumptions and that is why Pastor Joseph sent out the FAQ for reference (let us know if you didn't receive it and would like a copy). Many conversations this week have taken place to help with the questions that are being asked. I can say many questions are about the future and less about the catalyst. That is exciting!! So, what does WCC look like? If I had to put it in one sentence: A Gospel centered, discipleship driven group dedicated to an outward focused mission. You are still probably saying it’s still a bit ambiguous. Honestly, I tend to paint with broad strokes and try to surround myself with those that can see a vision and begin to extrapolate in detail what it looks like. I can remember when a little band from Virginia received an email from a pastor in Poland, asking us to come and minister in their country. By the way, we were still in the early stages of dial up. We felt the call and, as a team, we watched God provide a way. We began to raise money through dinners, concerts and of course t-shirt sales. What band doesn’t sell t-shirts? I remember being a week out from leaving and Chris (friend, road manager, guitar player) said we are $400 short. My response was, “it will work out”. He gave me an easy for you to say expression and he was right. Chris handled the money and the spending, so it was easy for me to say. Two days before we depart a check came in for $800. There is more to that $800 for another time. When we left, we had ideas in our head of what this was going to be like. We flew into Berlin, Germany and headed to the gate, hoping someone would be there to greet us. We rounded the corner and there was a man standing there with a sign that read Doug Farris & Company. He spoke little English and I am sure we were all hoping that this didn’t end in a special report about a bunch of 20 something musicians that were now nowhere to be found. While I am poking fun at some of the circumstances, the reality is that we stepped out in faith and we experienced something that is hard to put into words. We developed relationships, broke bread with some amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. We played our music, shared our story, and God moved. I remember so much from those ten days. It changed my life. To say it was an easy road getting there would be glamorizing it. The fact is people tried to talk us out of going. They told us we didn’t have the experience. We shared their fear that this could be a bait-and-switch type of trap. I am so thankful we didn’t listen. I told you that story because we had an idea of how things were going to look, but we didn’t have any reference points. We just let God lead and we watched people come to know Jesus. The language barrier wasn’t such an obstacle and the Gospel changed hearts. Even one of our translators became a believer. In talking about The Well, we have used phrases like "grass roots", "different", "not committee led" and other things that are kind of broad stroke terms. We know what the vision is and we also realize that the journey getting there may not be glamorous, but it will be worth it. The early church followed the example that Jesus laid out in how he did ministry; relational ministry, meeting people where they are. Yes, we will meet in a building... eventually. We will hold corporate worship and I am thinking it will have some familiarity to what we have now in the contemporary worship service at BGBC. But, the focus will be on discipleship and outward mission, intently reaching those in our backyard, abroad, and wherever the Lord sees fit to send us. To say I am "excited" is an understatement. I feel like that twenty something young man that stepped out and knew in his heart that God is going to do some amazing things. May you all have a Merry Christmas, Pastor Doug
DEVOTIONAL PRAYER
A Prayer for Exciting New Opportunities
Lord, even in the midst of conflict, you show your faithful love. We thank you for this exciting opportunity we have to bring others closer to you. Be with us in heart and mind as we continue planting this church so that we can ensure all our steps and decisions are made with you at the center. We love and thank you for everything you have blessed us with so far and pray blessings for all of those who are with us now and will be with us in the future on this journey. In your name we pray, amen.
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