church: the people & where they gather


hello, friends! grab a cup of coffee & sit down with me for a bit. i want to chat with you about something that is dear to my heart & part of my life that sometimes goes unshared.


i first want to begin by sharing my intentional choice to rarely speak openly about my faith & personal beliefs. i do this not because it isn't a huge part of my life, but because i firmly believe this is an inclusive space where we can all learn & grow from one another.

often times i feel like we get so caught up in the details of other's personal beliefs that we unintentionally build walls to separate us from the "other." friends, i want to break down those walls! let's use this space to encourage one another along our own unique journeys & live out the truth that ultimately, love wins.


now that i've gotten all jesus on ya, i wan't to share some big news - our little church is moving to a new home! 

you & i both know that church isn't a building; it's the people.

it's the people that sit down with you, love you through your ugliest, encourage & stretch you. 

these are the very people who have become our friends, our mentors, our family & our tribe. i get all weepy just thinking about the mad love i have for this crazy bunch! 


these are the people i share coffee & cinnamon rolls with every thursday morning. 


these are the people who let us steal their amazing kiddos for cheesy fries & christmas lights!


these are the people who lay down their to do lists & stop everything that they're doing to help me with my little business when i am a helpless puddle of stress. 

& although church isn't a building, a building is where these people whom i dearly love gather. 

almost two years ago, we lost our church building & we've been adamantly searching for another meeting space since. after a long & extensive search for a new place to meet, we finally found a new church home! and on easter sunday, we're going to celebrate by having our first worship gathering in our new space!


simply put, we're no mega church & there's a lot of work to be done.

with a shoe string budget, we need to literally raise the roof. we also hope to install a small kitchen & we must tear down walls to make the space more functional. we will also create an inspiring space for our littles to gather & our plan is to decorate with secondhand finds to make the space a little more inviting.



can you help make this happen? can you help us grow?

can you chip in $5, $10 or $15 to help us cover labor, supplies & equipment for our new gathering space?


thank you so much, dear friends! every dollar really does add up!

& just a heads up - 15% of my shop proceeds in february will go to our church fundraiser. mark your calendars for february 19th when my shop will reopen with some cute goods just in time for spring!

love,
natalie

5 comments:

Katie said...

How much would it take to move y'all to upstate South Carolina, because this is EXACTLY the kind of church I've been looking for and having a hard time finding here.... sigh.

Fingers crossed for that whole 20k! ANd maybe then a little bit more leftover for one heck of a coffee and doughnuts reception :)

harknessangels said...

Congrats on the new church home! Here's to the goal being meet exceedingly abundantly more than you can imagine!

Anonymous said...

My church lost their building officially just 2ish years ago. Be encouraged. The Lord showed up and provided exactly when we needed Him to the most. We are now in a donated building that has been reworked to fit our needs with money from a woman who saved her funds for years. The exact amount that we needed to make the space our main building (down to the dollar!) was given to the church after she passed away. There are so many little stories of provision throughout our journey. All the best to your congregation. Through Him all things are possible :)

Jenny said...

Thank you for sharing about your church. I think that sharing your beliefs should not make anyone feel excluded at all - our beliefs make us who we are.

It's been fun reading about your little church. I'm actually not that far from you - in Gentry - though I hadn't heard of Vintage before. I hope you'll share more about it.

Kerry said...

He will be faithful to fulfill His plans for your church fam!! Best!

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