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September Newsletter

 Friends of Shalom,

Just like life has many phases, so does church planting. Recently I was reflecting on this for Shalom as I believe we are heading into a new phase. Here's where we've been and what's next.

  • Phase 1: Is anyone going to come? When we began at the end of October of 2023 this was the question we were asking. We wondered if this new church plant would even work. This was evident in the fact that we only reserved the church we were meeting in for 1-2 months. We started with Evening Prayer on Saturday night and began slowly seeing folks join with us and begin to explore Anglicanism and starting a new church in Kitsap. This phase lasted through the end of March.
  • Phase 2: What will happen when we actually start the church? As we began Sunday morning services this past Easter followed by my ordination to the priesthood, this was our next question. It was interesting to see how some folks dropped out once we began Sunday morning and others joined us. Overall beginning Sunday services created more consistent attendance and allowed us to see new visitors join in. This phase lasted through the summer to where we are today and it has been a really fun season of growth and momentum. Some highlights include seeing our first lay preacher begin serving Shalom through her gifts of preaching. Also, running two book groups through the summer for men and women enabled us to grow together in community. 
  • Phase 3: How will we continue to grow and lay the foundation for the future? As we head into the fall I'm so thankful that we have a solid core group of just over 30. We have a diversity of ages and life stages. We also have an infant, some adults, and potentially some children in the pipeline for baptism! Lots to be excited about! However, in our next phase we need to grow in two ways. First, we need to grow numerically. Will you pray that the Lord would double our numbers by the end of the year? Second, we also need to grow in depth. So, in a few weeks we'll begin our 12 week catechism class which you can learn more about here. 

Updates
  • We had our first all church potluck lunch followed by a work party to clean up the exterior of the school. One member of Shalom also came back the next week and power washed the steps. This was a simple way to serve and build community. 
  • We completed our second book study through Mere Christianity! 
  • I was able to take a Sunday off for a short vacation with all my kids, spouses, and granddaughter. It's truly a blessing to have folks willing to serve! 
  • I was able to have several pastoral meetings with folks around a whole variety of spiritual needs. I'm so grateful to be a pastor to the people of Shalom. 
  • One answer to last month's prayer request for administrative help - I was able to hire a part time book keeper to serve our church! This is a huge help to me. 
Prayer Requests
  • Please pray for the launch of our first catechism class at Shalom.
  • Please pray for the Lord to bring those he is drawing to be a part of our church.
For the Shalom of Kitsap,

Rob and Beth

Work party included removing a stump, weeding, painting our metal sign, mowing, and planting flowers. 

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