We have arrived!!
NLCF’s church plant Storehouse has officially landed in State College, PA. We are SO pumped to be here at Penn State. For those who dont know – we are planning to be a campus-focused church that will function mostly like a campus ministry at first. We are doing a missional model of church planting. As many know, this method often moves at a slower pace because it’s centrally focused around building in-depth relationships and making disciples. So instead of starting with a Sunday service and forming bible studies out of the people that attend, we focus on pouring into the people around us, hosting weekly community dinners, and starting small groups. When we have enough people, we’ll start a Sunday service. This has been our plan all along and this model adjusts well to a world in which large gatherings are discouraged!
Over the past month, Storehouse has begun establishing weekly rhythms as a staff team. We have been having weekly management meetings, finding places around town & campus to be present, getting together frequently as a team to get dive into scripture & worship, encourage one another, as well as breaking into sub-teams to focus more specifically on tasks.
We may not be sure what this year will look like, but we are confident that the most powerful way to prepare is through prayer. We go on prayer walks 5 times a week (individually and together) – either on campus, around town, or in our neighborhood. Our hope is to bathe the area in prayer, trusting that God will reveal the needs of our new home and guide us into how to lovingly serve those around us.
As a staff team we have been faithfully praying Hosea 2:14-20 over campus and our apartment complex. Here is the beginning of the passage:
“But then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.”
Students start moving in on August 17 and classes start the 24th. In Pennsylvania there is a 25 person limit for indoor gatherings so many classes will be online. From what we are hearing, a large number of students will still be coming back for the start of the school year! So if you could pray with us for protection over campus, the students returning & our engagement with them as we strive to be safe during this season.
