Your Obstacles to Moving to Allendale

For almost a year, we have been communicating that we would be leaving Allendale. Many people have asked us, “Is anyone going to come and take your place?” The short answer is, “No.”

We have been praying for someone to move to Allendale, particularly someone from Grace Church. One of the biggest ways that we got to support Grace Church’s work in Allendale is by being “feet on the ground.” The biggest impact we had here isn’t what we’ve done ourselves, but how we were able to connect and support others.

While we would have loved someone to have moved here this summer (and we did talk with a few individuals), I think it could be a good thing that no one else is coming here immediately. Some of the benefits of not having someone move here as we transition are:

The Big Announcement

image courtesy of FlashInPan via everystockphoto

Here we are. After months and months of questions, we finally know what we’ll be doing next.

Actually, we’ve known for a few weeks, but finally the timing is right for us to communicate.

Are you ready for this?

But before I say more, I want to just say “Thank you” again for all your support, prayers, and encouragements. We have had an amazing adventure over the past 3.5 years, and we could not have done this with the people that have gone ahead of us, walked alongside us, and spurred us on.

Questions, Questions, Questions . . .

We are finishing up two weeks of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Camp in Allendale. I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of this, through my job at USC-Salkehatchie.

With over 40-50 children signed up each week, we had our hands full. We had great teachers and student workers, but I was still exhausted at the end of the day. I’m getting old!

Nonetheless, I was excited to see these children learn and enjoy themselves every day!

What else has been going on? I’m glad you asked . . .

FAQ: What Will Be the Impact When You Leave Allendale?

As we are coming to the end of our season in Allendale, it encourages us to hear that we will be missed in this community. Not a week goes by that we don’t hear, “We are going to miss you!” or “Are you sure that God wants you to leave?”

It’s nice to feel loved.

But this question (“What will be the impact of you leaving?”) also burdens us. Because when people ask that, they usually mean:

• Who is going to come in and continue your work?
• Did you finish what you wanted to accomplish?
• What’s going to happen with all the things you’ve started?

While we don’t think we’ve done anything too amazing by living in Allendale, we are glad that we’ve been able to do some positive things here. We have not come up with any novel ideas. We just saw needs and opportunities, and jumped in.

The Surprisingly Simple Way You Can Start Living on Mission for God

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the story of Elevate Spring Break camp – how it came to be and what we’ve done with it. I hope that you see that this event may have originated from us with a simple thought and question, but that it was made a reality by a larger community.

A few months ago, as we were reflecting on our 3+ years in Allendale, my wife remarked, “We really haven’t done anything too difficult here.”

She’s right. For all the times when people try to give us credit or praise, or when people ask us what legacies (programs, initiatives, leaders) we are leaving behind, we have to remember why we moved here:

• To be a part of the community
• To work with kids
• To be “feet on the ground” to help others get connected

And we have to remember how all of this started. It started in January 2010, when my wife and I went away to discuss the life adventure that God had for us. We left that weekend knowing our mission from God:

FAQ: How Does Grace Church’s Relationship With Allendale Change When You Leave?

Throughout our 3+ years of living and working in Allendale, we have had dozens of conversations regarding our relationship with Grace Church (Greenville, SC). And this topic has come up even more as we are nearing our departure from Allendale. Most specifically, many are wondering if and how Grace Church’s work in Allendale will change after we leave.

(We have had these clarifying conversations with friends and acquaintances in Allendale, Greenville, and all over. We love having these discussions, since they help others understand what we’re doing. Additionally, these conversations help us become clear ourselves about our purpose and ministry.)

Ask Yourself: “Why Am I Not Poor?”

Thanks to Nate Livesay (over at A Dangerous Question), who shared this article earlier this year. It’s worth mulling over . . .

(Note: Nate also wrote a great guest post for me last year, titled Living the Gospel Requires More Than Good Intentions and Random Acts of Kindness.)

A Dangerous Question

Instead of wondering why others are poor, perhaps we need to examine why many of us are not. Has God chosen to bless us in special ways? Have we worked harder or been more determined? Or were we born in a country and zip code that gave us so much more than we ever acknowledge? My own shift in understanding about poverty came when I finally understood why I am not poor—and how easily I could be.

This is an excerpt from an article in Christianity Today by Dale Hanson Bourke entitled “Why Am I not Poor”  She lists and explains 8 reasons why she isn’t poor.  Click here to read the whole article.  I would encourage you to click the link and read the short article.

1. I had access to good education
2. I am healthy.
3. As a woman, I am protected by the law and society.
4. Insurance protects me…

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FAQ: Why Are You Leaving Allendale? — Part 2

In the first part of my answer to the question, “Why are you leaving Allendale?”, I retraced the last 40 months of our journey. I explained that we never intended to be here for the long-term. We aimed for 2-3 years, and then we would see how it goes. And by the time we leave this summer (2014), we’d have been here for 3-and-a-half years.

Likewise, we didn’t come to Allendale to plant a church or to start new programs. We came . . .

1. to be a part of the community,
2. to work with kids, and
3. to be “feet on the ground” for people and groups that wanted to be involved in Allendale.

If we are accomplishing all these things, the question remains, Why would we want to leave? Why is God calling us to move?

FAQ: Why Are You Leaving Allendale? — Part 1

When I communicated where we going next, I had an insightful and challenging question in the comments,

“We watched your video and are somewhat confused. Our question is not where, or when, or what, but why. Why would you leave Allendale when clearly God is working through your family there. Why, when you have no apprentice groomed to fill your void?

Try to imagine Paul leaving the churches he planted without a capable protégé, and you may understand our confusion.”

(I had similar questions in the comments section when I communicated when we plan to move.)

Before I answer that question (“Why?”), let’s rewind the tape to give an overview of how we’ve felt and thought along this journey.

FAQ: When Are You Leaving?

I’ve heard this several times in Allendale over the past two months:  “I thought you were gone already.”

I guess this reaction is a combination of us:

• communicating in waaayyyy back in October that we would be moving,
• being out-of-town for almost half of December, (including travelling almost 2000 miles in 30 days), and
• not having many programs going on in the community during these cold winter months (besides Robotics and the upcoming spring break camp)

I’d like to think that people are pleasantly surprised to find out that we are still in Allendale, instead of them thinking, “I was hoping you’d be gone already.”

(I’m sure there are people in both camps, and that’s fine.)

So, the question remains: When exactly are we leaving Allendale? Just like the issues of where we are going and what we will do, we don’t know the exact answer.