Launching A Faithful Presence
If you’ve been following our journey, you know we are on the cusp of a major transition. Soon, we’ll be living intentionally in a master-planned tiny home community working alongside other missional residents who desire to support the more than 200 previously homeless neighbors. There are currently about 30 missionals at CFV. Their ages and gift sets vary greatly, but their purpose remains the same - be a good neighbor in response to being called to live at CFV. This takes place in myriad ways - through sharing meals, offering listening ears, working alongside other neighbors, intervening in moments of tension and conflict, providing spiritual and emotional support, creating spaces for authentic community, and responding to in-the moment needs. We see this as an opportunity to provide a faithful presence.
This idea of a faithful presence has been a compelling, driving force in my life over the last several years. It's driven me to lean into difficult spaces, to make room in my schedule for silence and solitude, while also aiming to be responsive to the Spirit's leading in specific moments. It means showing up and staying. Listening. Asking questions. Waiting. Wondering. Looking for God moving right in the middle of the everyday moments. Aiming to be a conduit of God's love and goodness.
This is a simple calling, both a vocation and a posture. It's through this posture that I'm stepping into the next season of ministry. One that feels like the next right step for our family. Some have asked how this calling coincides with or diverges from the pastoral calling that I've lived into this last decade through ministry in local churches. I see it being a continuation of that calling - a new location, a new people, a new community, but the same me - living a little more fully into the gifts and passions that God has placed inside of me.
Through these last ten years of ministry with people in the church context, I've learned countless lessons in faithfulness - how to stay when it's hard, how to navigate tough situations and conflict, how to provide comfort and care to those who are experiencing great pain, loss, and trauma. I've also learned so much about myself. I've seen God continue to call me forward into spaces of reflection, contemplation, and prayer. I've always found my deepest sense of joy and purpose when caring for people in small groups and one-on-one settings, and I've learned new skills and practices that have helped me to feel even more confident in God's unique calling on my life.
When we first toured Community First! Village and felt a pull that seemed strong enough to explore, we knew this community was special. We could see ourselves living there, but we knew that it would mean a pretty different understanding of what our daily lives would look like. We began reimagining work, ministry, and family life. We began reimagining what our home could be like, what our friendships could look like.
As we continued to walk through the discernment process over the following months, we began to see more ways that our family's unique gifts and experiences could be woven into the fabric that is CFV. So we are committed to cultivating a life that is reoriented around this unique community, full of opportunities to connect and grow, to love and be loved. The needs in all of us are so deep, and for those who spent years being chronically homeless, the level of support and healing needed is profound.
Specifically, Christina and I feel strongly that pursuing a full-time job outside of the Village would divert my attention from what drew us here. So, we’re taking a leap, believing that God is calling me into a unique season of intentional ministry with my soon-to-be neighbors as my “church”. We feel strongly that my gifts and passions line up with this work, and we’re inviting our friends and family to partner with us financially in this next season of ministry.
We believe that through sustained relationships built on mutual trust and support, people flourish.
A Faithful Presence brings:
-connection instead of isolation
-security instead of fear
-peace instead of chaos
-hope instead of despair
I’ll adapt my efforts as we put down roots and plan to initially focus on:
-connecting deeply with our 230 neighbors
-providing opportunities for the community to engage spiritual practices
-offering spiritual direction and deep friendship
-caring for and supporting other missional residents
-organizing retreats and ways to anchor our work in the Spirit
-affirming God’s handiwork in each person’s life
If you’d like to learn more about this adventure, I’d love to set up a time to talk. Send me an email!