And then there were 17…

The first meeting.

I marvel at what God has done in one year.

This week last year there were six adults and three children who were on board to plant Bloom - Luke and Amy, Rodney and Dawn, Stephanie and myself and our kids. I remember the excitement that was mounting for our first Bloom informational meeting. The whiteboard was ready, cookies and coffee were fresh and hot, and we had our presentation planned and on the tips of our tongues. We had invited some friends and let others who were interested to hear about the church plant know about the meeting that was to take place in our basement.

And we prayed. In fact, up until that first meeting, the bulk of what we had done was only pray. Months and months of praying… and now the meeting day.

Would they see the cause? Would we be able to unpack all the excitement that God had placed in us? Would others join the cause and help us plant? We were looking completely to Jesus to see this through.

For the most part, the meeting is still a blur in my memory. All I remember was the excitement in the room, the attentiveness of all who came, and the bustle of animated conversation that followed when we concluded. I remember going to bed that night with the biggest smile on my face. 17 of the 19 who attended were on board.

It was really going to happen.

God was really going to plant this church.

And He has.

He used a group of unlikely friends and amazing people to plant more life in St Paul. What an amazing memory this will always be for me.