I don’t know a lot about construction. I don’t have any family members that are contractors or subcontractors and so, like many things, the ins and outs of “building buildings” is unfamiliar. However, I do know one thing: a strong foundation is key. This isn’t an “optional step” in the building process. If you don’t have the right amount of concrete poured or footings in place, your building could be at risk of falling. Everything must be right. If you want to have a great structure, you start at the foundation.
In my estimation, the last year has been like building the foundation of a house. There’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes work to get people and structures in place for the future. Even though the “walls aren’t all the way up” to our ministry programs, we’ve been doing the necessary work of getting things prepared for what God has next. This has taken many shapes in the past 12 months. First, we’ve solidified our staffing by hiring Teresa Cobb as our Associate Pastor of family ministries and Ruth Koenen who began working in the front office this spring. Further, we added to our creative team by hiring Callie Brown as our Worship Coordinator and Colin Anderson as our full-time Tech Director. Each one of these individuals plays a critical role in leading our ministries on a regular basis and they represent the foundation of where we’re going in the future at Gateway.
But, this year wasn’t only about building the foundation. We also were privileged to see God move in some incredible ways! We had unbelievable success with several of our ministry initiatives including completing our new kids area, hosting a successful Harvest Festival, sending several students to Trout Lake Camp in the late fall, blowing through our expectations for attendance at Christmas Eve and Easter, beginning a new life group model on Sunday afternoons, and hosting our first Youth mission trip in many years. It was a big year at Gateway!
In addition, we worked hard at trying to solidify what we’re about at Gateway Church. More than anything, we’re about following Jesus and helping other people do the same. This mission statement drives everything we do and is another key element to our foundation going forward.
Yes, the foundation of a home isn’t the most exciting part. Sometimes it’s hard to see the progress that’s being made. But there’s nothing more important than that. At the heart of our philosophy of ministry is keeping God at the center of what we do. He’s the ultimate foundation at Gateway. With his guidance and leadership, I expect an incredible year at Gateway!!!
