A Lot of Leaving To Do, A Killy Series. Part 2

If you missed part 1. You can start here.

A year ago we wouldn't have dreamt of church planting but when you are put in a waiting place your mind starts to wonder all kinds of things that God may be showing you. So when we had the opportunity to get some insight and fresh perspective we jumped. We attended our denomination's Church Planter Assessment in November.

We learned about our personality styles including our strengths, our weaknesses, our blindspots, and the opposite, our hidden strengths. I learned I don't give myself enough credit. I think less of myself than others do. I learned I am a "high I" which is "influencer" so be careful of me. I'm armed and dangerous. I may ask you to do some crazy things now that I know my power (insert creepy laugh as I wring my hands together mwahahaha)!

During our time there we learned of Amazing Grace Church in Watseka, IL. This church was started by a man who was becoming a pastor but died tragically in a car accident before he finished training. The church dwindled after his death but because of their determination and grit and I don't want to omit the obvious: the work of God's hand, the church continues to exist despite predictions by denomination leaders of the probability that it would close. In April it will be 3 years since their beloved pastor's death.

The people at Amazing Grace continue to meet. We learned of their desire to grow, to do outreach, and to be a loving body who will accept people with messy stuff going on and teach them about Jesus and His amazing grace. But they have one problem. They need a pastor. Enter: Scott "Big Love" Killy and family. We were invited to visit the church and see… See if it might be a fit for us--they were waiting. We were waiting.

The church meets in a historic train depot in downtown Watseka, IL. We eagerly pressed our faces up on the windows to get a peak at what might be our future. A bunch of tiny chairs neatly ordered waiting for something stared back at us. We weekended with an elderly couple everyone lovingly calls "grandma and grandpa." Most of the church gathered Saturday night for a pizza party and we started getting to know each other.

As I write this we have visited there twice and our friends and family are curious about the people, the place but how do you describe it in a short conversation? You don't. But a blog post? Yes.

(For my new Amazing Grace friends, I hope you'll forgive me if you don't feel accurately represented. In my mind, this is what I remember.)

Grandma and grandpa grew up attending church. They are around the ripe young age of 80. They followed Bobby (the pastor) to Watseka and have been with Amazing Grace all along.

Another couple (I feel like I shouldn't put everyone's business up here so I'll try to be discreet) I'll call them Singer and the Babe were helpful and excited to meet the "preacher man." They have teenagers and older age kiddos and Singer is from Christian roots. Singer is country. Jeans, cowboy boots, a polite drawl. He has a great voice and I think he even played in Nashville a teensy bit. Babe has taken a shine to us. She told me I could ask her anything and that she'd help me do anything. She invited me to coffee. She will be a fast friend I trust.

There are three ladies who are in the senior years of life. Two of them live in a retirement community near each other. The third gal has lived a rough life and has changed, has become a Christian and she lives with grandma and grandpa.

Another man is retired and helps play guitar for worship. He is the resident tech-guru which is a wonderful compliment to Scott and me who are a bit on the tech-challenged side of things. If we can't talk to it we aren't sure what to do with it.

We've met a couple visitors too. One visitor we met grew up in Toledo and we have a mutual friend here. Another gal visited with her children. They've visited, they've met us. We plan to love them and infect them with our passion for Jesus so they'll become part of the body.

And the final couple is full of life and passion. I have to give them names because I'm not sure the the church would continue to meet without their leadership. I'll call her Poppins. She is very unlike me in that she cares about the details. She finds great satisfaction in cleaning her house. She is less vocal than the rest of us. She faithfully sets up a spread of donuts and coffee for worship each week. His name is Rock. Short for Rock 'n Roll. He is well spoken, he is a manager at a large greenhouse operation. He is humble and full of passion for the future of Amazing Grace. He is from the south and grew up going to church.

These are the people. They are a work in progress. Pretty fitting because so are we.