Greetings from the Church in Franklin TN to Northridge Church in Michigan
We are growing and God is blessing us immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Over 13 years ago I took that verse to mind as Bell Creek Church in Livonia MI was forming and I still bring it to mind regularly as I look around at all which God brings to us and our city. I laugh at the similarities of what we were a part of here in our current city and what we are becoming. God is in the details and I am in awe of how He allows me to see glimpses of His big picture.
By taking the time to reflect on my past I am able to see God weave into my life everyday miracles. Some as big as the stars and some as small as a mustard seed. By taking the time to look and in stillness pause I can see the tapestry of life they are creating. I can see the details of how a mustard seed is just as meaningful as a star and how they are a beautiful picture of lives connected and one.
I want to encourage you as part of the church you are part of something that is significant. You move and the winds of Gods change in your city and they may only seem like the momentum of a flapping butterfly wing. Butterfly wings are powerful because your sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state... Simply put a flapping butterfly wing can create a hurricane on the other side of the world one day or in you city in another. I pray that you have the privileged of seeing your city changed in your day and that God's deeds are made know to your city.
Habakkuk 3:2 Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
In Augusts of 2013 our family started attending small church plant in Franklin, TN called Church of the City. When we began there were about 250 attendance over 2 campuses. In Mid May of 2015 our church attendance was about 700 between 2 campuses which had 3 services at rented facilities. Beginning in July that church plant most likely had over 3000 attend 9 weekend services at 3 campuses. As of November 2015 we have 2 campuses in permanent facilities and we continue to rapidly grow.
In March of 2015 our church was asked if we would prayerfully consider to let another church join us. It was a 180 year old "mega" church that was well established and well populated. Over the next few months we all agreed to fuse churches and now we have become one Church of the City. NorthRidge Church in Michigan, is a big part in our blessing and miracle of our church story. Thank you for attending a church who encourages other churches to attain God's miracles. You and your church will be blessed through your actions. What is happening here in Tennessee is amazing, exciting, and miraculous. Amazing that we are part of the the bride of Christ coming together in unity when we were both growing churches that weren't dead and withered. Exciting because God is doing great things and we, in obedience, answered His call. Exciting because the things set in motion many years before are coming together in a miraculous ways and we have the privileged of seeing it. Exciting because revival is coming and has come and we are privileged to see the beginning sparks start to ignite. We are blowing it and wont stop until we see a blazing flame of the Holy Spirits presence in our city. It is a miracle that two churches have come together. The larger joining the smaller. The smaller fuzing with the larger. There wasn't a small dwindling church starving to survive asking a bigger church to rescue them from destruction. It was a larger, well established church that is asking the younger growing church if they could join their mission, vision and values to ignite our people to change ourselves and our city. I am in awe of what God is doing and has done.
Although I try to give words to what is happening, I can't fully explain the experience of being part of His story and it is exciting to see the ending and beginning all at the same time. We are a church that is changing this city and we are a people of God that are listening to His plan to become one. We are His bride and the Groom has come to marry these churches in our day, In my day. He isn't done, but only beginning. It is beautiful and it is happening now.
=Kristen York
