Thirteen years ago I got a voice mail telling us that the DC public school we were meeting in was closing because of fire code violations. It knocked the wind out of me. I didn’t feel like a pastor yet. The church didn’t feel like a church yet. We could have ceased to exist and only a couple dozen people would have known the difference. But those are the moments you need to hang in there so you can see what God is going to do! And God opened an amazing door of opportunity at Union Station. We initially met in the smallest theater and my big dream was that we would fill half of it so it didn’t feel awkward.
Last week I got a similar call, but this time I was informed that Union Station management is closing down the movie theaters. So Sunday I preached my last sermon @ Union. Hard to believe. We did the math and I’ve preached at least a thousand sermons at Union Station.
Still processing lots of mixed emotions. I’m sad because Union Station is the locus of so many amazing spiritual memories. But I’m also grateful. God took us from a ragtag group of fifty people and turned us into a multi-site church with five locations. We’ve seen hundreds and hundreds of people find Christ there. And we’ve touched thousands and thousands of lives. But a chapter ends. And a new chapter begins.
We’re exploring a variety of options. All of them would take a miracle! But who knows what God is up to. In the meantime, thank God we have a coffeehouse one block away.
On a interim basis, we’ll move our three Union Station services to Ebenezers Coffeehouse starting next weekend. Despite the sadness and craziness, I have a holy anticipation about what’s next. I’m sure of two things. I’ll grow as a leader through this. And I embrace that challenge. And we’ll grow as a congregation. It’s not the way I would have written the script, but it’s good for us. We’re gonna follow the cloud and the cloud is moving! One of our core values is expect the unexpected. And I’ve been praying, “God, surprise me.” This is part of God’s plan. That is the one thing I’m sure of.
“Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.”
Numbers 9:17
