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From Indianapolis to Perth through Brussels
Serving in a Church Planting Movement in Australia
From Indianapolis
When we moved to Indianapolis in January of 1999 we never anticipated where God was moving us. We moved here because we had dear friends that lived in the city and we knew we liked it. After working in a large non-denominational church for 3 years I transition to selling homes for a local builder and Shannon found our new church, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in downtown Indianapolis. After a few years of attending we approach the session of Redeemer to help us transition back into full-time ministry and transfer of my ordination. This process leads us on a six year journey where we felt God was preparing us to plant a church from our congregation in the city we have grown to love. This included attending MNA’s (Mission to North America) Church Planting Assessment Center in April of 2013 and being recommended to plant churches.
To Perth
Two weeks before attending the Church Planting Assessment Center we met Steve and Berenice Rarig who are missionaries to Perth, AU. B is an artist and Steve is a team leader for church planting. We love missionaries (never thought we would be one) so we had them to our house a couple of times for dinner before our departure. Shannon spent many days with B as they both were working on their individual shows that would open on the First Friday in April. Before we left for the Assessment Center they asked us to consider church planting in Perth. We honestly thought this was God’s way of shaking us loose from Indianapolis but that Perth was never really a destination. But as we continued to pray and have conversations with the Rarigs after our return it became very clear that we would need to take a vision trip to Perth to confirm an ever increasing sense of God calling us to Perth. In December 2013 we spent 2 weeks in Perth and returned knowing that God was calling us to Perth. This started a journey were we saw God continue to strengthen our love for Australia and confirm our call through our home church, our presbytery, and MTW (Mission to the World).
Through Brussels
This confirmation took place as we attending Readiness Evaluation in January 2014, completed the transfer of my ordination and becoming a Teaching Elder in the PCA in February, attending LAUNCH in March and becoming official MTW missionaries. At LAUNCH we received our ministry and living budget for Perth. It became clear that if God really want us in Perth He would need to make it happen. Our budget is $16,500 a month. This is overwhelming and our desire to be in Perth by the summer of 2015 seemed impossible. But we wanted to try our hardest to make it to Cross Cultural Ministry Internship in Brussels during July 2014 so that we could have all of our required training completed in 2014 and we would be ready to go to the field when our budget was at 100% pledged and our visas where approved. MTW extended a deadline for us (originally April 15th to be at least 50% pledged) to June 1st. Then God did more than we could ever imagine. We became the first sent missionaries from our home church and they are supporting us at 25% of our monthly budget. God continued to add more churches and individuals to our team and by June 1st we were at 60% ($10,000) of our monthly budget pledged. God is amazing and I am writing this first newsletter from our room in Brussels at CCMI were we are training with 8 other missionary families. To God be the glory.
Final Thought:
In training today we were reminded of this great passage in Ephesians. “Now to Him who is able to do far more than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever (3:20-21)” God is able to do more than we think possible.
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