I have some big news about our campus launch timeline. After speaking with the leadership of Vineyard Columbus,
we have made the difficult decision to postpone our campus launch.
The general plan is to wait to launch our new campus until our new building is ready, which will most likely be late December or early January. We are prayerfully considering how we should proceed.
There are three big factors that led to this decision:
- We learned last week that the construction will take even longer than we had anticipated, largely due to delays in acquiring supplies during the pandemic.
- The delay in construction means that we would have needed to use the Grand Event Center space beyond what we had tentatively reserved, but the space is already booked and not available.
- Hiring our children’s ministry coordinator and outreach coordinator is taking longer than we had expected.
Let me reassure you, we are launching the Grandview campus, it will just be later than we had hoped.
So what do we do now? What is our next step?
First, we are having a Grandview Community Gathering this Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Amelita Mirolo Barn from 2-4 pm. This will be an important time for us to come together to pray and worship Jesus, who holds all things in his hands. We will also share some of our thoughts on how our church family can stay connected and engaged until we can gather together in our new building.
Second, can I please ask you to pray? We are currently doing our 40-days of prayer campaign as a church family. We need everyone in our church family to step up and pray. We're asking everyone to sign up for a least one day when they will take at least 15 minutes to pray for our campus. There are still plenty of days that need filled – you can sign up here. Together, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus and follow his leading.
On a personal note, I could really use your prayers. I tested positive for COVID last week and have been feeling rather sick. I have been told that the symptoms should go away soon since I had been vaccinated and have been able to rest. But this also means that I won’t be able to join you in person on Sunday. I will be joining you all in prayer from my home.
I know this change is a lot to take in. I know you probably have lots of questions. This was a hard decision that has really affected me a lot. It has weighed on me heavily this last week, but as I have had a chance to step back and engage with the Lord about it all, I was comforted by the reminder from Matthew 16:18 that Jesus will build his church, and nothing can overcome it!
I am grateful to be on this journey of following Jesus with you!
