Get ready, Bernie. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is coming to Burlington!
I fondly remember the chilly October day in 2019 when we announced to the Save New England Conference that God was on the move in Vermont. The previous night, we told the precious folks at our sending church that the Lord led us to step out in faith and start a new church in the Burlington, Vermont region. The plan from the very beginning was to launch this new ministry in the fall of 2021.
At the time, this seemed like a far distant point on the horizon. And yet, here we are.
We traveled many countless hours of deputation miles We shed many tears, and have offered many prayers of desperation. Trials tested our faith giving us a new understanding of the sustaining grace of Jesus. We thank God for His goodness, as well as the generosity of His people who have been such a blessing to us along this journey.
So much has happened!
Initially, COVID-19 threw a major wrench into our deputation plans. We finally launched out on full- time deputation in June 2020. God blessed us with 100% support by May 2021!
In the middle of all that, God gave us a special Christmas gift. Nicholas Alan Potter entered our lives on December 25th. He has been a source of bountiful joy! (During the day, at least. Not so much at night when we are trying to sleep.)
One unexpected blessing from deputation is that people would regularly approach us after services to provide us with contact information for family and friends who lived in the greater Burlington area. These encounters did not just happen in New England – this happened everywhere, from Florida to Oregon to North Carolina to Illinois. Sometimes these contacts were saved and looking for a church; other times, they were lost and needed the hope of the Gospel. Nevertheless, as we shift gears from deputation and prepare to launch the church, God has already given us a long list of contacts.
The next few months will be busy!
June.
At 1:00 PM on Sunday, June 6th, we will begin Bible studies with our core group. While this will not be the “official” start of the church, these meetings will serve several purposes.
First, they will be a time of Bible study and prayer for those in the group who do not have a church home.
Second, these meetings will give us a chance to cast the vision that God has given us for the church.
Third, they will allow us to get organized and prepare several outreach events leading up to the church launch.
We are also planning to start door-to- door outreach in June. In Burlington, Vermont, COVID restrictions are being relaxed significantly, giving us an excellent opportunity to start tract distribution.
July.
We are moving! We spent the last month fruitlessly searching for an apartment. The market was unforgiving. In a series of remarkable miracles, God opened the door for us to find the perfect home. On July 1st (our fourth wedding anniversary!), we will officially become Vermonters.
August.
August will be an important month. Lord willing, we are hoping to find a building for the church to meet by then. God may redirect our plans, but our desire is to find a storefront that we can settle into for the next year or more.
Also, we would like to start Thursday night Bible studies that we will heavily promote. We will introduce our church to the community, and these meetings will eventually become the Midweek service for the church.
We are planning our biggest outreach event for this month also. August 27-September 5 are the dates for the Champlain Valley Fair.
This festival attracts Vermonters from all over the greater Burlington region. Our goal is to set up a booth at the fair. While there are limitations on what we can do, we would like to pass out water bottles with the Gospel and an invitation to our first official service.
We are also planning to have a station at the booth where people can submit prayer requests for us to pray over.
Throughout the last year, many churches have offered to send a team to help us get started.
This would be the ideal week to come help. If you would like to be involved… (1) Let me know which dates you would be available to come. (2) We will plan out times for your group to help at the booth. (3) When your group is not working the booth, we will distribute door hangers across the county. We expect several churches to be simultaneously joining us (which is great!), and we will juggle all the groups’ schedules accordingly.
I know that these dates are near the beginning of school and may not work for every church.
If helping at the fair does not work for you, then we would still be ecstatic if you are able to bring a group to help at an alternate time of the year. Just let me know!
September.
September 26th is designated as the official launch date of the Champlain Valley Baptist Church. Only God knows the impact that this church will have for eternity. Much prayer and labor have been spent to reach this point. “The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul…”
It could go without saying that God may change any part of this plan, but we are
following as He seems to be leading. We have no doubt that there will be many pressing needs and expenses these next few months, but God has always shown Himself faithful.
Although we are supported 100%, we are still praying for start-up funds. Please pray that God would provide the following needs. If you would like to help, let me know.
- Start-up Costs
- Banners – $500
- Backdrop for Platform – $300
- Digital Piano – $1,000
- Tracts/Door Hangers – $1,500
- Campus Outreach – $1,500
Champlain Valley Baptist Church is God’s church for Burlington. As with any more established ministry, it is easy to get wrapped up in all the planning, scheduling, details, and machinery of this church while forgetting what this is all about. This church is being launched to bring glory to our Lord’s name and see broken, lost Vermonters come to know Jesus. We cannot wait to share with you the stories of lives being changed through Champlain Valley Baptist Church.
Thank you so much for your prayers thus far.
The work has only just begun.