Church Plants and Baby Showers
It takes THE church to plant A church
New seasons require new stuff.
I remember when Jenny was pregnant with Aiden, our oldest. We were the first among our group of friends to have a baby (that tends to happen when you get married young to your high school sweetheart), and so we didn’t really know all of what was involved in parenting.
At the time, I was a seminarian serving part-time as a youth and young adults pastor at a lovely little Presbyterian church, and I had a special relationship with several of our churches “seasoned saints.” It was these experienced grandmothers who began to open my eyes to all of the accoutrements that would be necessary for this next season. And there were a LOT of them.
We were going to need a pack-n-play. And a stroller. A car seat, a base for the car seat, an extra base for the OTHER car for the car seat. We were going to need a changing pad and a diaper bag and a portable changing pad, and just short of a million burp cloths. We would need blankets and clothing and more clothing and more clothing (because — blowouts). We’d need a breast pump and nursing cover and well over a million diapers.
And then I made the mistake of asking the internet what we would need to care for a tiny human. The internet told us we needed a bottle warmer and a special garbage can for dirty diapers (turns out, we didn’t really need either of these things), and on and on and on.
We were broke. I was a part timer on church staff, paying for seminary out of pocket. Jenny was in campus ministry with InterVarsity, fundraising her entire meager salary and ministry budget. We couldn’t afford any of it.
But our friends and family and the church came through, throwing us baby showers and gifting us everything we would need and more to survive that first year. We didn’t have to worry about where the money would come from to survive in that first season, because people gifted everything we needed and more.
Starting a new church is a bit like having a baby. There’s all sorts of stuff that is needed to gather a group of people for public worship, and it all costs money that a new baby church doesn’t have. So we’ve pulled together a “registry” so that friends and family and the church can give towards specific, tangible items needed to help us move into this next season.
Some of what is needed is fun (like baby clothes): communion vessels, for example. Some of what is needed is cheap and super practical (like burp cloths and diapers): microphone cables, for example. And some of what is needed are expensive necessities (like a stroller): a sound board and speakers, for example.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve asked church planters and pastor friends and sound engineers (thank you, Robbie!!) and others for input as to the necessities when it comes to starting a church and initiating public worship, and we’ve come up with a list. A “registry,” if you will. You can see it here (thank you to my friend Elizabeth for helping pull it together!!):
We’ve also pulled together a form where you can give towards a specific gift (thank you to my friend Molly for helping with the giving form!!). All the giving goes through our sending church, Truro Anglican, which means it is totally tax deductible and we have financial accountability, which is always a good idea.
Dear readers: would you consider giving towards one or more of these items? As I mentioned earlier, all gifts are tax deductible, and will go towards the items selected. Any gifts that don’t get covered via this online “shower” will have to come out of our general budget, which will be tight enough as it is. Any extra donations will go towards anything that doesn’t get “chosen” and then (if everything gets covered) into our general budget for the first year.
It’s awfully hard to parent alone, and I am so thankful for the friends and family and church who have helped get us this far in the raising of our boys.
I’m learning it is just as impossible to start a new church alone, and I am so thankful for the friends and family and church that are encouraging us and praying for us and supporting us financially and going with us on this grand adventure.
Coming in the next newsletter: Summer Calendar!
Thank you!!
In Christ,
Rev. Mike Seawright