Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Decision

Well, we're moving to Wisconsin!

It's been awhile since I've mentioned our pending decision about leading a church plant in Kenosha. We and the core team there have spent the season of Lent waiting and listening.

On Sunday we met after the service, and we all believe that God has confirmed His call upon my husband to lead this new church. The core team officially invited him to assume its leadership as soon as we're able to move there. He will continue to work in his current job (which is closer to Kenosha than here, actually) for the short-term, but it is the church's intention to eventually support him as a full-time priest.

The church has yet to have a "grand opening" service; they've done no advertising or even put up a sign yet, but God has already drawn a couple of families to join the core team, and all feel confident, in the Lord, that it will grow quickly. Last night we informed the vestry of our current church; they are in agreement and are eager to support this effort as a daughter church.

We are excited! It feels right to us--like we will be cooperating with God on something He imagined long before we could ever imagine ourselves moving to Wisconsin. We aren't sure how our call to start a prayer community will work itself out, but it may begin with buying a house in the immediate neighborhood of the lovely space the church now rents on Sunday mornings. One couple on the core team already lives across the street, and if that property (a beautiful old Episcopal girls' school, right on Lake Michigan) were ever to become available to buy, it would be fabulous for what we have in mind. (It's owned by the park district now, but nothing is impossible for God!)

So we'll start looking in that neighborhood of older homes--and start getting this one ready to sell.

THAT topic is big enough for another post.... But I'm starting by clearing a couple shelves of homeschool curriculum that I'm not going to hang onto any longer. My homeschool group is having a big used curriculum sale on Friday...so I'm off to mull and pull and price!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeanne,

What exciting news!! You are in my prayers.

Jen in Seattle

TheNormalMiddle said...

Congratulations and how exciting! :) The first thought I had in my mind was cheese! (for some reason Wisconsin does that to me! )

Anonymous said...

This is such exciting news - what a wonderful confirmation of God's faithful guidance! I will be praying for you, your husband and your family as you step out in this new adventure with Him. It will be very interesting to watch it all unfold - I'm excited to be on your prayer support team!

Amy said...

I'm very excited for you guys. :)

We'll sure miss you, though. :(

Linds said...

This is wonderful news! I will have to go and look at the map to see where you will be. God has great plans for you in store, I am certain. Nothing is impossible!

tangle said...

!!!

Horrah! I'm so glad, and excited for you. Are there plans to set up a website as the community grows? Hmmm! That might be an interesting project in cyber-and-real community building, and a way to record how walking out this vision progresses. Also, I'm very curious if I know the families who'll be joining you ...

At A Hen's Pace said...

Thanks, all, for sharing our excitement--and especially for your prayers!

(Thanks for volunteering for prayer support, IslandSparrow! I am thrilled to know that.)

Jeanne

At A Hen's Pace said...

Maria--

We were posting at the same time!

A website--yes, eventually, I'm sure. But the cyber-community-building angle is one we've not discussed at all--sounds worth exploring. Great idea!

As of now, the families I referred to are all from Kenosha. But soon, we'll be inviting Rez's support--and I just have a feeling some folks will move with us. We'll see!

Jeanne

Hen Jen said...

wow Jeanne, how exciting! Always a thrill to be in the middle of God's move. I didn't realize it was in another state, your posts make it seem close by. Is it the next town over from you??

I will be praying for you guys.
Happy house hunting, and I will be praying that your new church community finds a home to buy.

Anonymous said...

How exciting!!! Wonderful news...and I have loved "walking" through this with you, watching from a distance as the Lord leads...very exciting.

Anonymous said...

Jeanne,
How exciting! We'll be praying. (We're former Rez folks, now in Colorado-- we're the other Anti-E family!)
Annie in CO
www.homeschoolblogger.com/momc3