New Life launch

Wow! What a day yesterday was. We planned and prepared and prayed, and in the end we knew it was completely up to the Lord to do whatever He intended to do.

By yesterday morning, I was quite confident that He had brought together the team of people who were the "launch team"--they are a team like I've never seen before! I was even pretty confident that we could pull off a pretty good worship service--all the pieces were in place and there was enough excitement built up that we were ready to burst! The thing I didn't know was whether He would bring people to us. I knew that some would come--my sweet family (Thank you!), the Halsteads friends and family, and some GCR people, but it was hard for me to imagine that people would respond to our invitations--flyers, personal invitations, radio ads. I prayed that they would, but I couldn't imagine it!

Let me describe the morning just a little bit.

When I arrived at the church just after 8:00, it was bustling with "our people" setting up (although we got to do most of our set-up on Friday evening). The praise team was practicing. Cookies were baking. Coffee was percolating. Tim and Melinda were hanging the stage curtains that had arrived Saturday, thanks to her mom in Houston and her sewing friends! I had a few things left to do--put signs on the bathrooms, check on all our children's ministry people. One was having a melt-down because she was worried it wasn't going to be good enough, but got "prayed" through it. At 8:30 our children's ministry team gathered in the "worship center" to share communion as the praise team led us in worship. It was a very sweet moment. And then it seemed to be calm and peaceful as everyone went to their stations and waited to see who might show up.


And people started coming. God brought them. Lots of them, actually! Some looked a little apprehensive as they walked in, but they were greeted by little girls with baskets of cookies and lots of other friendly faces.

267 people came to New Life Church yesterday. Of course some of those were "our people"--GCR folks, friends, family:). But lots were from the community. Some of them wrote on their registration cards that they want to be members of our church, some want personal Bible study, some want to help, several want to be part of the youth group. We had more than 60 children. People came--certainly because God is moving in their hearts, and because they are looking for something to fill the God-sized hole in their hearts.

It was one of the most exhilirating experiences of my life so far--to see God moving right before my very eyes.

As one man left early, I happened to be in the hall. We talked for a moment, and he ended up filling out a registration card and saying he wanted to be on the praise team. He said he'll bring his grandkids next week.

One teen (who looked very uncomfortable when he walked in) spotted his football coach--one of our members--and lit up! His coach happens to be planning to help with our youth.

A young mom named Michelle had a baby in the nursery who cried and cried. She finally took her back to worship and had a rough time. My striving self tried to think of how I could get her to come back after such a difficult experience, although I reminded myself that was God's business and not mine. Then I went into the preschool class to visit with the children there. I had a great visit with a beautiful little girl named Courtney. She can't wait to come back, and Michelle's her mom. I'm praying.

Gary and Sharon Gaines (of Friday Night Lights fame) came. I'd been praying for them for months--since I heard they were coming back to Odessa. Tim had met with him as recently as last week and gotten no commitment at all. Gary approached me and said his wife wanted to talk to me because she wanted to be on my team. She told me she thinks God may have brought them back here just to be part of this--New Life.

Donnie and Carol Rivas came to help their unchurched friends who live in Odessa get connected. Ryan Hernandez' dad and family came because Ryan is on our praise team. There are lots more stories of other people--stories I don't know and stories that have not yet been written. We pray that this is just the beginning of what God will do.

One more--Tamarie. After we arrived in Odessa in July, it didn't take long to get coordinators for preschool and elementary, but I had not found a coordinator for Cradle Roll. Tamarie had volunteered to help, but she'd never even been in a CR class. Not having another option, I asked her if she'd like to coordinate it. She was thrilled and has proceeded to do an excellent job of leading her team. She is a young newlywed, and her team is made up of several women much older than her. But I've watched her lead them so beautifully--in every way. She taught her first Cradle Roll class Sunday, captivating her 5 students. As we finished putting everything away and I was sending Elijah with Grandma to eat at the Barn Door, I found a beautiful handmade card in his diaper bag. She had written a personal note to Ben and me, thanking us for blessing her with Elijah and telling us how well he did in class. She did the same for each child in her class. Her team of workers missed out on the corporate worship altogether because they were with the babies. But they were some of the most excited when it was all over. I think they got it. They understood that yesterday was not about them, but about the Kingdom. And they were as thrilled as I was to see God use them.

Is that not the coolest thing ever? God did it. I just love Him. He made it so very clear that He was the One! In May when we said yes to moving to Odessa, I felt a kind of exhiliration I couldn't explain--except that I felt like I was joining God in some big God-sized adventure where He was going to show His glory in ways I could never experience otherwise. Yesterday I saw His glory. It was beautiful! It was so fun! He is astounding!

Thank you, dear family, for your part in it. You have encouraged, prayed and helped in so many ways! It was so fun sharing the day with my family who got to come. I missed the rest of you--because you would have enjoyed watching God in motion, too. I wrote a lot because I want you to have some sense of the experience. I'd love for others who were there to share from their perspective as well. And I may have to add more as the days go by. Church planting sure is fun so far!

We praise God, the Giver of Life. He is so good, so very good.