Another Step Of Fatih...

We like to talk about our lives with God as a journey. The language fits for a number of reasons, but that's probably another blog post. Suffice it to say, as a community we believe we are doing more than making plans, setting goals and making things happen. We believe that the God of the Universe is leading our little tribe, often in unexpected directions without lots of advance notice. (Sounds like the God of the Bible to me.)

What do I mean? Here's a recent example, our leadership came to the decision that we'll be moving at the end of August. Not to our new space- although we're hoping to be there by December. Instead, we'll be moving for a few months to a temporary space just a mile down the road from where we meet now. Why would we move twice? I've been asking that question too. The best and honest answer is: God seems to be leading us in that direction.

While we don't claim to have any special ability to decode the movement of God, this time it seems pretty clear. In case it helps, here's a recap of how we reached this decision:

• Our architects told us that we probably won't be able to occupy our new space until sometime near the end of 2008- roughly 5 months.
  
• We're in jeopardy of losing two of the spaces we use for our kids and teens each Sunday. Losing these spaces would put a serious dent in the great stuff happening for these age groups.
  
• Our adult gatherings have been consistently full over the summer. Even with people gone each week on vacation. With the fall looming, we have no room for growth. The most troubling thing with this is that God keeps sending us new people on a weekly basis. Example: A few weeks back 19 of our 66 adults had been around CNX less than a month.
• Our leaders filtered the above info and concluded that we couldn't stay status quo for the next 5 months. We pro/conned both adding a second service and moving to a new, larger space temporarily until we finish renovations at the Buck Jones bldg. For several reasons, the temporary space seemed like the best option.
• Then we got picky- asking God for the ideal space (w/in 2 miles of our current spot, with great spaces for kids, amenable to a short term lease, etc.). After praying this, I fully expected to find nothing of the sort and to start planning for the less ideal "two services" approach.
• Then we talked with Anne Caspar, the owner of a daycare and events hall that just happen to share the same building about 1 mile from where we currently meet. And you guessed it, she agreed to lease both facilities to us until our building is ready. We get tons of room to grow, first class facilities for kids- and a significant financial savings. Wow!
• God seemed to be leading clearly. After our leaders conferred, we found that we were on the same page: God was leading. We needed to follow.
  
• Announcing this news to our community this weekend confirmed what we had been sensing. We need to get moving!

So, there you have it. Two moves in 5 months. No big deal. As long as God is leading. And everyone is pitching in.

We'll need help getting the word out to everyone who is a part of the CNX community- including the folks we only get to see occasionally. We'll also need help moving things out of our current space and into storage by the end of August. Not to mention setting up and tearing down each week while we're in the new space. Good news- there's room for everyone!