Cross Planting

Today was a big day for Christ Evangelical Church - we planted the cross from our old building on our new property!

To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect from the service, but I have to say that I was really moved by the event. There were a few songs, a few baptisms (always moving), and each family brought a container of dirt with us from our homes to symbolize the foundation we're laying, the church that Christ's growing, and the multiplication of dirt that we need (we need 1300 dump trucks full!). And, man, I am sure looking forward to having a permanent meeting place for the 800-odd folks who we worshiped with this morning - being a church on the move is hard work!

Praying with Steve and Sam and Ben for our little bucket of dirt from our garden just brought home how monumentally important Christ Evangelical Church is to me, to us. There's no other way to say it - Christ EV is our family here in Utah. When I picture our little girl coming home, I don't envision coming off of the plan in glorious Salt Lake International Airport. I don't imagine showing her into our home for the first time or her first night in her bed. When I think of bringing her home, I dwell on the images of Steve and I dedicating her to God before the family of Christ Evangelical Church, promising to raise her to the glory of God, and receiving our church family's pledge in return to support us in raising her for Christ. That's how important Christ EV is to me. Even reading over those last few sentences I tear up! Oh, man, I am such a mess.

Let's face it, Utah Valley can be a lonely place sometimes if you don't fit in. But this church is the family who welcomed us with open arms when we rolled into Utah seven years ago. It's the church that has supported and loved us through thick and thin - served us and accepted our service in return. Like any family, there are the folks who drive you crazy and that you're glad to only see on Christmas and Easter :) but it's a family that beats with the same heart, Christ's heart.

And there's so much more to it. This is the church that taught us that it's simply not about me - it's about Him. Life's not about our own security or comfort. Church doesn't exist to serve us. Christ created it to demonstrate his love to the whole world, to be a vehicle for his love. This is a church with mission and vision - to serve our community and give them a hint of Christ's truly unbelievable love.

So today was a big day. Today we broke ground on our new facility. But more importantly, today we recommitted ourselves and our church to sharing God's incredible love with our world. It was a good day.

ps - Jason just posted a comment with a great question - our new property is the 6 acres at 1580 South Sandhill Road, just south of Utah Valley University between I-15 and Sandhill Rd. We still own the property across from Orem High, but since it's too small for Sunday mornings we're renting the whole facility to a charter school with hopes of selling it soon.