Monday, March 5, 2012

a new adventure

I love my husband. I love that we dream big together and that we share a heart to live lives that make a difference. We have a huge heart for the city that we live in. The church association we are apart of has a vision/mission that every man, woman and child in greater Austin would get the chance to hear the gospel. That really resonates with us. When we think about what we want to give our lives to, we think of that.

So... this summer, we will be moving into the heart of our city to plant a church. This is not on a whim, but actually something God began working on 14 years ago and we are thrilled to get to be a part of it.

So, why plant a church? Why not just stay on staff at the church we are at?

Well, studies show that church planting is one of the most effective ways to get the gospel out and reach a city. Starting new churches that want to be in the community to serve and reach the lost, is effective.

Then why the city?

Research shows that if you want to reach a city, you have to reach the heart of that city. Currently, 76% of central Austin does not believe that Jesus is their savior. Because we want to give our lives to see that change, we are moving to where that 76% lives to become friends with them, serve them, love them and share the gospel with them. What greater thing could we possibly give our lives to?


We are so excited to see what God does with this. Please be praying for us as we get ready to sell our house, have a baby and gather a core team of like minded believers that want to live this adventure with us!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

How exciting! I LOVE that part of Austin! When we were going to move there, those are the exact areas we were looking to buy :) Praying for a smooth transition during a very busy (and exciting) time!

Krista said...

Thanks so much Ashlee! I so appreciate your prayers. We are so excited to see what this year holds for us. I feel like our adoption last year prepared us a lot of this coming adventure. Fun times!

Kara M said...

I'll be praying!

Unknown said...

Where are you looking to move to? Ryan and I go into Austin often to visit my family... and I would love to be able to meet Enoch and for you to meet my husband. I eventually want to move back to Austin because I just can't find the Community that we used to have with Hill Country and I miss it a lot. Hope everything works out well for y'all! Prayers going your way!