Boldness in 2024

In the last post, we updated you a bit on the past year.  In this post, we share about boldly looking ahead to missional parish-model church planting!

We experienced the opportunity for a stay-at-home-retreat in January when an ice storm delayed our Peace City Church BIC planning weekend at the Oregon coast and provided instead space to practice the discipline of being still in our home focused on praying for our relationships with God, with our kids, and with our local community.  With that weekend of concerted prayer fortifying us, we enjoyed an overnight at the coast in February to inquire how God is leading us to engage our neighborhood as Peace City Church BIC and our connections to the broader BIC denomination that offers accountability and encouragement as we serve.

These opportunities to rest, pray, listen, think and plan, exposed steps forward where God is leading us. They grew out of three words God gave us for our neighborhood: LIGHT, HOPE, and CONNECTION.  Our understanding of God’s intent is for us to join with Him and those He is guiding in our neighborhood to share GOD’S LIGHT by boldly speaking Truth and bringing opportunities for joy, praying over people and prayer-walking the neighborhood regularly.  We can join in the mission of sharing GOD’S HOPE by sharing about the love and freedom in Jesus Christ, helping new neighbors move in and other acts of service, financially supporting a bit of the work of the community garden, and offering growth opportunities to neighborhood teenagers.  We can support God’s mission of CONNECTION by continuing to offer neighbors large and small gatherings as well as fostering partnerships with other local churches, ministries, businesses, and organizations.

Jesus posed the invitation here on earth, “Come, follow Me!” And as His disciples, we seek His ways, thoughts, heart, and Kingdom on earth as it will be in heaven. And as His disciples, our mission is to point others to Jesus and walk with them in that journey. After praying about LIGHT, HOPE, and CONNECTION, we sensed clear direction to step forward in boldness in our invitations and to boldly move beyond our street to include more streets in our neighborhood.

1. We updated our prayer card that we share with Christ-following neighbors and local ministries to join us in prayer for our neighborhood.  If you would like, we can send you a prayer card or email you the digital version.

2. When we first arrived in our neighborhood as some of you might recall, we invited neighbors to several backyard events, but people didn't know us yet, and they didn't feel comfortable attending. But by being visible in the front yard and becoming known the past few years, we now sense it was time to invite neighbors to the backyard with hot cocoa and conversation around the fire pit.  On a clear night in February, we enjoyed an evening with 20 neighbors chatting and snacking into the night. To give you a bit of the context we live in, a new neighbor started the conversation asking us if we knew if their house was haunted which turned into an entire conversation about the paranormal on our street and the various ways neighbors have engaged or avoided it. This direct question allowed us to talk about the power of Jesus’ name to cleanse a home and a life! Due to a new foster placement at the beginning of March and consecutive weekends of rain, we didn’t host last month. However, we are planning another hot cocoa night for this Friday, so please pray for a clear night and for neighbors to feel Christ’s welcoming love!

3. We are currently pricing projectors that work outside with ambient city lights so that we can offer a couple backyard movie nights for neighborhood families in the summer and fall.

4. Drew reached out to a teenage neighbor who is considering the opportunity once a week to learn additional life skills using various tools. 

5. As our last blogpost first picture showed, we have a sign with an open invitation for anyone to seek Jesus with us on Sunday evenings. So far, not many have joined that conversation. However, in a couple months when we relaunch the front yard BBQs for the summer, we will end promptly at 7pm and invite our neighbors to join us in the backyard for a time of learning Jesus Christ’s ways together.

Friends, please join with us in praying God uses these steps of faith to bless West Salem’s Edgewater Neighborhood! We are grateful for you! Share with us how you ask the Lord for revelation in your lives where you're planted.