Slow and Steady (Like Usual)

“What happened to that couple?”

It’s a question that seems to come up more often than we’d like to admit. You meet someone, you feel like you were having some great conversations; They even came back a few times. And the last thing you hear from them is, “We’ll see you next week.” 

And then… they’re not there next week. Nor the week after. But just as you were about to fade into a mellow lament, someone else new shows up and your excitement perks up again.

If you’ve ever been a part of starting something from scratch, you probably know the feeling. The excitement. The momentum. The glimpses of “what could be”... But then you’re hit with the slow, steady, reality of what actually is. That’s a big part of what this season has been like for us.

A new rhythm

Since January, we’ve been gathering every Sunday morning at the Belmead Community Hall. What once felt like a big step of faith has now started to feel like a rhythm.

We show up early. We set everything up, we pray, we sing, we preach, and we tear everything down. And then we do it all again the next week. It’s simple, but the simplicity of it all has its benefits.

When we first started, we had about 25 people gathering with us. These days, we’re typically seeing anywhere from 30 to 40 people on a Sunday morning. It’s not explosive growth, by any means, but it’s steady. And more importantly, it’s meaningful.

People are getting connected. Conversations are happening. Relationships are forming. And that’s what we’re really after.

A growing sense of home

One of the things we’ve been especially thankful for is how God has provided for us in very practical ways. Finances have been slowly increasing. Not in any dramatic way (though, that’s still an option we’re open to if anyone is feeling excited to do so), but in a consistent, daily-bread kind of way. Enough to move forward. Enough to keep trusting.

The support that many of you who read this newsletter have demonstrated, whether through prayer or financially, has played a huge part in that. Some of the gifts from a few of our partner churches in the Acts 29 Network, for example, have gone a long way in helping us purchase the sound equipment we needed to actually function well on Sundays. And now because of that, our setup has become smooth and efficient.

We’re able to get into the building and set everything up by 9:00am, just in time for morning prayer, and still have time for the band to run through a quick practice before the service begins at 10:00am.

It might sound like a small thing, but those kinds of details matter. They help create a space where people can come in, feel welcomed, and not get (too) distracted by chaos. Though, truth be told, there’s always going to be at least some level of chaos in any church plant.

Building real community

Another step we’ve taken recently has been starting monthly potlucks.

We figured that if we want to be a church that actually feels like a family, we should probably eat together on a regular basis. So we’ve made a plan to gather for a meal on the first Sunday of each month after the service. 

Our first potluck in March was great. Simple, but really encouraging. People stuck around, conversations lingered, and kids ran around. No one seemed in a rush to leave. 

It felt like church. Not just a service, but a people.

The slow work of planting

If we’re being honest, there are still plenty of moments where we wonder why things don’t move faster.

Why didn’t that couple come back? Why did that gal leave the service in tears? 

 How do we reach more people? What else should we be doing?

The questions don’t really go away. 

But recently, I watched a video of a guy trying to start a Bible study in one of the most atheistic cities in the U.S. He spent days inviting people. Lots of “yeah, I’ll come.” Lots of conversations.

And when the day came? 

10 minutes after his proposed start time, there were crickets. But then a few minutes later, one non-Christian showed up. And 3 Christians who had already been loosely connected joined a while later.

It was almost painfully familiar. But strangely, it was also encouraging.

Because it reminded me that this is just what it looks like. This right there… This is the work. This is the pace. This is the kind of soil we’re in too. There are times it feels like nothing is happening, and yet, God is still at work.

Faithfulness over speed

One of the most encouraging things for us right now is not just that people are coming, but how they’re responding. 

There’s a genuine thankfulness from those who are now a part of Grace Edmonton. People are expressing that they’re hearing the Scriptures opened up in a way that helps them actually rest in what Jesus has done for them. 

To us, that matters more than numbers. Obviously, we want the number of people who know, love, and worship Jesus in this city to increase. But we don’t want to build something quickly that doesn’t last. We want to build something rooted. Something that moves those God has called in this city to love Jesus, love people, and help people love Jesus.

As we’ve said before, this kind of work often feels slow from the outside (and it’s something we have to remind ourselves often). But that’s not actually a flaw. That’s a part of how God forms people.

What’s next

We’re just a few weeks away from finishing our first series through Colossians. It’s been such a rich time walking through what it means to be rooted in Christ and to find our identity in Him. If you’d like to follow along with the series or catch up, you’re welcome to listen to the sermons on our website.

And coming up on April 19, we’ll be starting a brand new series working through the book of 1 Peter. 

We’re excited for it. It feels like the right next step for our church. Learning what it means to live as sojourners and exiles. Learning how to stand firm in hope.

How you can pray

We’d love it if you could be praying for continued steady growth, both spiritually and numerically. In this season, we’re also specifically praying for God to provide a few more seasoned couples with enduring marriages to join us and help demonstrate what a long-lived steadfast endurance in the direction of Jesus looks like. (I believe the Bible uses the phrase, “advanced in years”)

Additionally, pray for deeper community and meaningful relationships to form. Pray for Gospel conversations and opportunities for us to share the Gospel clearly with those who don’t yet know Jesus. And pray for wisdom and endurance as we continue this work.

And if you’ve been supporting us financially, thank you. It truly does make a difference. With the regular rhythm of studying, preaching, teaching, and trying to develop tools and methods of discipleship and leadership training, if we’re honest, there are many weeks that it feels a bit heavy to do all this while also juggling near full-time co-vocational (read: outside-the-church) work to continue to pay the bills. 

We’re trying to discern when we might be at a good place for either myself or Jared to “make the leap” to be able to lock-in closer to full-time, devoting ourselves to serving and leading Grace Edmonton. We’re not yet at that place financially, but we are thankful for the funds that are currently in place that, at the very least, allow us to devote as much time as we currently have to the mission.

Thank you again for praying for us. Thank you for supporting us. We’re encouraged and we’re tired, but we’re hopeful. Jesus is building his church, and we’re grateful to be able to be a small part in what he’s doing.

If you want to continue to play a part or you know of others who would like to be a part of this mission to Edmonton, head over to https://graceyeg.com.

On behalf of our families, 

Clay & Jared