GRACE is on the Move, Literally!

Dear People of Grace,

God often calls us to take extraordinary steps of faith. Abraham’s journey began with “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” Abraham was not afforded to an opportunity to count the cost of what he was leaving behind or the luxury of knowing where he was going. He was to get up and go. And this he did.

God’s calling on Grace in the same way. We are being called to pick up and go and that without an apparent destination.

Our days at China Grove are coming to a close. Christmas Eve (a joint service with Jesus Our Shepherd, our sponsoring church) will be our last service in our current location.

The Richardsons came here with the hope of building a neighborly neighborhood church. While we have been neighborly and many wonderful people have come through our doors, that dream has not come to pass in a way that leads to a sustainable future. Honestly, at the moment we cannot even cover the cost of our services on Sunday morning.

None of this negates our many blessings including all the lives that have been touched through Grace. We have had weddings. We have had baptisms. We’ve celebrated birthdays and anniversaries. We’ve grilled together investing in Lynwood Park and her people. We’ve walked the streets praying over invitations as we placed them upon mailboxes. We’ve shaped some for a season and sent them on to be agents of grace and transformation in other parts of the vineyard. To the surprise of all, we have watched a college outreach turn into a flourishing campus ministry. It has exceeded our wildest imaginations.

Mostly we have worshiped together exalting the name of Jesus. We have grown in grace. We have opened the Word of God and made our selves subject to the radical nature of the image into which we are being transformed. A pastor cannot ask for more than that. There are no regrets in that regard. The Richardsons have been blessed to watch the Kingdom advanced through Grace.

Where from here? We do not know. There has been talk of merging with another church. Perhaps a University Church is in our future. Conversations in this regard are underway. A devoted core team and Grace again in Peachtree Corners? Perhaps He will reveal, graciously we hope, that Grace has served its purpose even if unclear to us how. Still for the moment the destination is unknown. We had to take the first step away from our country of origin in order for God to reveal where He would have us go.

Our heart’s desire is for the people of Grace to go with us. Because we cannot say where, indulge me that I might say how. Pray for God to put it upon your heart how Grace is to serve this part of the vineyard. Begin those prayers now. And in the weeks ahead join us for one of two or three dinners we will announce soon. We would love to hear what the Lord is putting upon your heart.

So Grace is on the move. Where do we go from here? Again, we do not know. But we embark obediently and faithfully knowing our Maker has a destination in mind. As I have said many times, we do not know what the future holds but we know in whose hands that future rests. And they are good hands!

Love and Blessings,

John for all the Richardsons