Thankfulness for the Handke Family Center

In the early days of Glory of Christ, when we were preparing to transition from being a small group to being a church plant, I met with a local church planter who has been serving in this area for seven or eight years now. Among other things, he told me that every school in the area that was available to rent already had a church in it, and that other rental options were essentially non-existent. He was not trying to discourage or dissuade us, he was being gracious and honest and helping us to count the cost of starting a church in this area. He said, “Out here it’s been the survival of the fittest, and many churches haven’t made it.”

Not too long afterwards, I met with another local church planter who had just opened the doors of his church to the public (last October). He also told me that they had searched high and low and were not able to find much of anything available for rent. They finally settled for a less than ideal facility, and with the search being fresh on his heart and mind, he said to me essentially what the other pastor had said: good luck and God bless!

One or two weeks later, I met with a man named Craig Howse to talk a little bit about Glory of Christ, although we didn’t even have a name at that time. In the course of our conversation, he offered the use of his “barn” at no charge, and so by the grace of God, we found a way where there was no way.

When the time came for us to find a more permanent facility, Kevin and I searched high and low and found what the other pastors had found: not much of anything! But then one day, Kevin felt led to visit the Elk River Chamber of Commerce. At first, they were very welcoming but also honest in saying that they didn’t know of any place available for rent. Then one of their staff said, “Wait a minute, what about the Handke Center?” By the end of that day, though there were still details to be worked out, God had provided for us the facility in which you now sit. “In your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy” (Ps. 68:10). Thanks and praise be to the Name of the Lord our God!

With much thanks and praise to God,
Pastor Charlie