We plan, anticipate getting away, then discover that even the best trip has a bad day or two. Highly acclaimed restaurants offer a fine dining experience but few go over the top. We learn quickly in childhood that our friendships will have both good and bad moments. The occasions in life which dramatically surprise us are so few that they should be savored.

We are experiencing one of those moments. After nearly five years of planning, three years of searching for property, eighteen months of giving and countless days of hard work, we are multi-site. We are one church in two locations and it far, FAR exceeds any expectations that we imagined for our first month.

Worship attendance for the first two weeks increased by 26%. Both campuses are welcoming new people. Our youth worship and youth groups are dramatically larger. The same can be said for FaithQuest. Our Weekday Ministry is filled at both campuses.  More than a dozen new small groups have launched.  My dreams for our church were small compared to the reality of what God imagined for us.

I am grateful and humbled. I am grateful for a congregation that has a “heart for God and a heart for people.” We are living out this mission and touching many, many lives. From the master plan committee, to the capital campaign workers to the building committee to the mission possible team to every person who has contributed time and resources to expand our reach, I am grateful. 

I am humbled by how God is using us. For twenty-three years we have faithfully served our community. Many can give testimony to how Geist Christian Church has made a difference in their lives and our community. Now God is using us to cast a wider net and touch a larger group of people. Many more will come to say, “My life has been changed.” 

I’m sure there are many surprises ahead. Some will be wonderful; others will be challenging. But for the moment, reality far exceeds our expectation.  Savor this moment with the knowledge that while we are surprised, God isn’t. God knew we had the capacity all along.