Down to the Wire

We are coming down to the time where the decision will be made regarding our location. At this time, both Leslie and I feel that the Bellevue/Redmond area is where we need to be. Several reasons. One, all of the resources and people that we know who would love to be a part of a new church live in this area. Two, there are few churches doing a good job reaching the younger generation in this area. Three, Bellevue is a dichotomy. While it contains some of the richest areas in the eastside, it is also filled with poverty. There are $500,000 to $1,000,000 homes within the same square mile as apartments filled with people living in poverty. We have found very little being done for those families. In other words, there are great needs in this community.

Our other option is Mill Creek/Silver Firs. It is a white suburban area where there are many young families living. We would fit right in. Our selfish nature tells us we would love to live there, but we're not sure it is right to follow those feelings. Our church planting organization tells us that Mill Creek is what they "know." In other words, they know how to plant in a new and emerging community, so they are comfortable with us going there. They have never planted in an established area like Bellevue before, so they are nervous about that possibility, but not against it. They are hiring a company to conduct an intense demographic study of Bellevue before they commit to a decision.

Keep praying for us, we are anxious to land.