As God grows our church, so does the importance of staying aligned with His purpose for us. That is why our leadership began a year-long strategic planning process centered on prayer, listening, and discernment together as a church family.

As we align each day to the mission of Jesus, the Spirit changes lives, multiplies communities, and forms new churches. That is what we are celebrating with the launch of Nations Church, our second church plant. Glory to God!

After sharing the gospel, Ruinan committed to follow Jesus in Spring 2023. Two years later he’s baptized. God has been beautifully at work in his life, which Ruinan shared in his baptism testimony.

Our church launched a new sports outreach program called, Game On! We seek to meet a need in our community by creating a fun space for children to play while parents connect.

This summer reminded us why God planted us here on the Eastside. Week after week, we’ve seen God drawing people to himself, deepening relationships, and sending us out to reach our neighbors.

I recently attended the Lead the Way Tour with Ed Stetzer, who offered valuable insights into the current state of the church. Amidst the “doom and gloom” statistics, God is doing an incredible work in and through Anthem Church.

“Last night another lady accepted the Lord!” Alvin & Juana texted me this update last week, which has become a regular occurrence for us. God is working powerfully as they prepare to launch our next church plant in Auburn, Washington.

Storms stir up a lot of problems. Yet, earlier this year God used an ice storm to stir up a solution for our church. And because of this, we have a better location for our church to gather at Eastside Christian School.

Our youth are growing up in a complex world. This is why we significantly invested in our Youth Outreach Ministry, which is called, 'Casa Monarca,' so that the youth in our community could find a safe place to grow and thrive with us.

“You have been instrumental in helping to turn my life direction back to Jesus. I can’t thank you enough for not giving up on me!” Receiving a text like this reminds me that God is transforming lives through our church.

Isaac and his family joined our church in 2021. I still remember when he asked his public school teacher to visit our church, and how after multiple invitations she felt that God was prompting her to pursue Jesus through our church.

God is working beyond what we can ask or imagine through Anthem Church. One way is through Alvin & Juana, who joined our church last fall to be prepared to plant a future church in the northwest.

“Kids need to be kids in our busy, and complex world.” Vaughan shared this with me as he reflected on his motivation for ministry. When he was a kid, he did not feel safe at home, and needed a place to grow, which he found at a church.

Tracy moved here from China, and quickly fell in love with our church. She gave her life to Jesus so on September 3rd we celebrated her baptism. God has done an incredible work in her life, and so we wanted to share her testimony with you.

Last May I sensed God was changing our church. In response, our church body and some ministry partners came together to begin seeking the Lord in prayer, which leads me to this update.

Earlier this month 57 members of our church family spent a weekend together. Similar to a family vacation, this intentional and extended time did so much to create shared memories and to deepen relationships.

This note changed my view of success. In today’s fast-paced world of text messages and emails, just receiving a handwritten letter is extraordinary. What caught my attention was the author’s perspective of our church.

“When I looked around the room, I saw a bunch of outsiders like me.” A guest visiting our church plant in Upton, Wyoming shared this quote with our church planters to explain how needed this new church was in their community.

Just before Christmas, Grace told me that over 100 foreign-born residents were interested to learn more about our Adult ESL Outreach. For such a small church, God is accomplishing so much more than I could have ever imagined for our new church.

As a pastor of a new church, I can feel pressure to create the “perfect gift.” In other words, I want people to come on Sunday, and find their perfect church experience. While my intentions are good, the true gift of our church is not found in the programming, but in the people.