We've Decided!!

We moved to Cincinnati at the end of January with the goal of planting a church in this area.  It has been just over 6 months and part of that goal is now realized.  In our coming to North Cincy we were not given a location in which to plant, that was left for us to decide.  We knew that we wanted to be in an area that at least had some families from the church attending.  To make a long story short (at least in this post), we decided on the Fairfield & Fairfield Township (F&FT) location.  There are over 70,000 people in this general area, as well as many more from the surrounding communities.  In our research there is a significant lack of gospel-centered churches in this area.

We have been meeting with numerous families from our church who live in F&FT and so far have met with excitement and enthusiasm in regard to starting this church.  In that process my excitement has continued to grow as well.  I long to see this church planted and to see people come to know the grace of God.  My desire is to proclaim the gospel and to see a culture of grace created through deep, heart-felt belief in God and His work on behalf of His people.  When you proclaim that message, worship is inevitable.  How can you not worship a God who saves you from your deepest problem?  And when a community is formed around and rooted in Christ there is beauty and joy.  Beyond that it is a community that seeks to serve because of what has been accomplished in their lives and because for believers it is the "love of Christ" which constrains us.

Besides all this, we truly like the area and are looking forward to moving there and getting settled.  However, that is one of our prayer requests...housing.  We have begun looking at houses, but at this point we have not been able to find what we are looking for and believe to be the best for our family and use in ministry.  The area is actually quite large and Fairfield is connected to Fairfield Township by about 5 miles of bypass.  It's a bit confusing unless you live here and we don't want to find a house we love that is inconvenient to ministry.  Our desire is for space to hold Bible studies, core group meetings, fellowship times and the like.  We want our house used for ministry as well as a place that feels like home.

There is much more to tell you and it will be forthcoming.  Thank you for your prayers and support.