Brentwood Church,
There’s a story from my growing up that might help you understand my sentiments about tomorrow’s big step for our church.

But first, in case you forgot, we’re changing everything by becoming a multi-site church (one church in multiple locations). Tomorrow morning at 5:30a.m., about 20 men and women will prep Jefferson Forest High School, with prayer and portable equipment, to make it a gathering space for Gospel proclamation. Then, hundreds more will fill the space and join the mission to grow a prevailing church in that community. Simultaneously, others in our church will relaunch our original site on English Tavern Road and breathe new momentum into the sails of an equally growing community.

So here’s that story I mentioned: When I was twelve, I came across a hidden Christmas present in our walk-up attic–yes, it was a creepy, old attic. There, beneath a couple grandma quilts, was a Schwinn 10-speed bike that I requested for Christmas, but believed was an impossible delivery for my parents financially. And yet, somehow it was there and ready for Christmas Day. Honestly, the surprise would’ve stayed in tact if I hadn’t seen the back tire barely peaking from the cloth, an undeniable hint. Everything in me wanted to remove the almost adequate covering and see it entirely, to study every detail and test all the gears, but I did not. Instead, I did the unthinkable, walked back down the staircase and closed the door. Something in me, despite raging curiosity, still wanted the moment to be ripe and the Christmas reveal to be genuine. A couple weeks later, after unwrapping a box of jeans and socks, my dad submerged from the upper floors carrying that bicycle and a mountainous smile. He seemed elated when my face beamed with surprise, because, although I knew it was a bike beforehand, the time had not been right for me to see its fullness. And then, I saw how magnificent it truly was in the perfectly designed moment.

So, here we are on the eve before Brentwood Church is revealed a new horizon and accepts a gift we saw hints of beforehand, but never imagined its full potential, and I can’t describe my excitement. Honestly, I’ve seen hints of this day for a couple years, but I picture tomorrow somewhat like that Christmas Day at twelve, only exponentially more significant. For me, it will be an audacious step into more of God’s trust and opportunity to grow His Church and transform people through it. And it will be exactly the moment when our church is ready.

Tomorrow is only a beginning, but one I think God has prepared us for. So, let the gift overwhelm you as we together unwrap an amazing surprise.

Go Change the World!
Jon