Who Says You Can't Go Home?

We have been praying since April 2011 about what would be next for us.  With Clint being in Seminary full-time and our desire that I stay at home with the kiddos, we had to figure out how those kiddos were going to be fed!  In May, we thought the answer was clear.  A big, awesome church initiated to Clint about becoming a campus pastor close to the Seminary.  Perfect scenario.  But as the summer went on, it seemed less and less ideal.  So, the prayers continued, and we mentioned our situation to a pastor of a supporting church who had teased Clint about coming on his church staff in the next 5 years.  He agreed to pray and help us think of job options.  A few weeks later that pastor went on vacation, and when he came home his elders called an unscheduled meeting.  With no information about his conversation with Clint, the elders pressed the pastor that they needed another pastor on the church staff.  The pastor mentioned Clint's name and the rest has been the logistics of getting us there!

As we have prayed about church ministry we have dreamed about having a church in a building downtown somewhere.  We never knew what city that might be.  One day it was Philadelphia, others Monroe, Greensboro, anywhere.  But, no matter what city we dreamed about, it was always in a downtown building.  The Lord is mysterious.  He gives us desires and dreams that seem like silly preferences and then, later, you look up and realize he was preparing you for something.

So, this is it.  Freedom Church.  Located on Main Street in downtown Lincolnton, NC.  When I left Lincolnton to go to college I swore I would never come back.  I wanted to go to a big city, live in a loft apartment and have a Rottweiler (for security :)).  I left my life and (less than ideal) high school days there and moved on.  But the Lord knows better than I do, and He has made it clear this is where we will call home for an indefinite amount of time.  We are excited, thrilled even.  There is so much new, so much to learn, so much to adjust to.  A new normal, a new home, a new job, a new city, a new team.  But the mission is still the same, to make much of Christ.  And that is what we will do, Lord willing.

Its Official!

We are still praying for our house to sell.  It's a bitter sweet kind of praying.  I love this house.

So, why are we moving?  About 10 months ago, Campus Outreach Charlotte began growing like crazy.  Until that point, Clint was the only area director on the team.  In March, 3 others joined the Directors Table.  Which made...a lot of directors.  Too many actually.

We love our job.  We love having students in and out of our house, we love living 2 blocks from a university, we love teaching new believers how to walk with God, we love seeing the rapid growth at the Summer Beach Project.  We are so thankful for CO and for all we have learned here.  We believe in this ministry more now than we ever have.  So, we are leaving.  We believe the Lord has raised up leaders to take our place, and we believe he has lead our hearts elsewhere in the midst.  And no one wants to do the Brett Favre thing.....

My hubby is a heck of a preacher.  If you are surprised to hear that, you clearly haven't heard him from the pulpit.  Our long term goal has always been the Church.  Church planting, church revitalization, something "church".  The Lord has made it clear over the past year, those dreams are just coming to fruition a little quicker than we imagined!

So whats next?  Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary !  Clint will be a full time graduate student for the next few years!  We are excited for this, and for the ways this (awesome) education will feed and fuel our ministry in the years to come!

There is still much to unveil, but for now, theres a teaser.  :)  We believe the Lord has some great things in store for us in the near (and distant) future!