Church

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another…” Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)

When we first moved to Pennsylvania, we hardly knew anybody. I had only passed through the state a couple of times, and Misha had never been to the state at all. The prospects of a great life in the rural town of Indiana weren’t particularly exciting. But God provided an amazing blessing right away. Despite hours of research developing a list of churches to visit, we ended up going to only one. It quickly became clear that Saving Grace Church (named differently at the time) was the right place for us. We experienced a comfortable atmosphere, meaningful worship, solid teaching, and hospitable people who weren’t throwing us a sales pitch but genuinely cared for us right from the beginning.

Now almost nine years have passed. It hasn’t been perfect sailing, but the friendships that have developed and experiences our family has had have been bountiful and priceless. For myself, I have walked through challenges while in community, and I’ve watched godly people (friends) in the church gracefully work through difficult obstacles, learning from them. I have had opportunities to lead and teach (e.g., mercy ministry, Sunday school), despite oftentimes feeling inadequate. I have found ways to serve that I would not have expected (e.g., photography). I have received a lot of encouragement through the journey of parenting, as well as foster care and adoption. A lot of good memories have been made – memories that I will cherish for a long time. And the support our family has sensed recently as we have been preparing to launch off to a new place with new ministry plans is invaluable.

Thank you, Saving Grace Church.