Gypsy Church No More

Have you had to relocate?

We moved every year or two for over 20 years!  Think of that!  Many of those moves were local as leases came to an end or new home purchases became available.  But regardless of reason, every year or two, we would pack everything up and relocate to a new house or apartment to unpack and call it home.

We laugh sometimes about feeling like gypsys, packing up and deciding what was necessary to keep or get rid of.  It was always in the back of our minds, the need to move it all.  At some point we stopped decorating, donated the wall art, and just settled for something a little more generic.

I guess God was preparing us to be a portable church.  Moving and packing up all the sound equipment, signage, marketing, and food each week has never felt impossible as other veteran portable church leaders described it would.  We just did the work and streamlined as much as we could to make it easier.  

Interestingly, as we live into what having a space of our own, a home for the church is going to feel like and how our work habits will change, I was most struck by the vast difference in how we communicate identity, values, personality than the school building we rent.  Now let me clear, we LOVE the schools that have hosted us so kindly. Concrete block, painted school colors, communicates institutional identity and efficiency to an ever-growing and changing student body.  If we were describing Big Life Community Church and a public school, I doubt there would be many of the same words or phrases used. We are simply aiming for very different targets.

Just like our personal homes communicate our identity, beliefs, taste, and comfort levels, our church environment does as well.  We are so looking forward to describing our creativity, warm personal welcome, passionate belief in redemption, and authentic faith in Jesus through the walls, floors, seating, etc. We are ready to welcome, encourage, and share Jesus in a way that is truly our perspective and that does not need to be tossed on a cart, and packed up in 15 minutes or less!

As Geoff described in his message Sunday, communicating authentically goes to the heart of what church is called to do.  Communicating warmth, safety, and our redemptive faith as a congregation is vital. We are getting really good at doing that one on one and in the portable setting.  Every person you greet and welcome or serve alongside feels that.  However, we believe it is going to be feel radically different - uniquely US - when we are able to do it in our church home as well as person to person!  

Huge progress on the building fund this week!  We are SO excited to get in and get to it!  It's getting closer!!!  Check out the donations rolling in below! Way to go church!!!

See you Sunday at 10!  We believe this one hour a week will change every other hour of our lives.  Invite a friend - you may never know the difference it will make in their life.

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