prayer letter - 3.09

Feb. Recap:
Our poor car is not used to daily commutes, but that’s what it did in February as we had lots of on-site prayer in Bellingham neighborhoods and meetings w/ leaders in Bellingham. The neighborhood that kept coming up in these conversations and prayers was Happy Valley (found between Fairhaven and I-5). It’s a diverse “hood” w/ college students to seniors, and varying economic situations. Unlike the other “hoods” looked at, I found myself day dreaming about life and ministry there. These daydreams include thinking about what local clubs we could join, places we where could live and easily serve our literal neighbors, and daydreams on how we could reach the neighborhood through service & relationships. With this narrowing down, our focus has become to pray for God to raise up folks to serve w/ us for a season in launching the church. We have faith that He will show us who He is raising up.

March Forecast:
In March we hope that God will confirm the call to the Happy Valley neighborhood, and that He will bring folks to us who will join us for a season in starting the church. My hope is to start strategizing how we can grow in the Lord together, while we discern the best way to serve the neighborhood. Part of this strategy is to begin looking for a place to live in the neighborhood, a place where we can host our neighbors and ministry events. Before the move happens, we hope to engage Bellingham as much as possible while still living in Lynden. That means joining clubs and developing deeper relationships w/ our partnerships in Bellingham, including Mosaic and others. We also hope to have a couple prayer times this month, in both Bellingham and Lynden, that will focus on community and Kingdom growth in the County. Stayed tuned to times, places, and an invitation to join us.

please pray with us for…

People
• God would connect us w/ our support base, and Bellingham leaders
• God would rise leaders of prayer/ hospitality, administration/finances, community development/outreach, and children/youth, who will serve w/ us in launching the church plant, including a “person of peace” (Lk 10:1-7)
• God would give us a heart for, and eyes to see our neighborhood

Place
• God would confirm the Happy Valley neighborhood as our place of focus
• God would open the door for a place to live in the neighborhood, that’s conducive to ministry
• God would help us find those places in the neighborhood, where our lives can overlap with those in the community