I’m going to brag a little bit. Not about me but about the church I pastor. Even as I write that it sounds bad. But please hear me out before you write me off. 🙂

Yesterday was a big day in the life of Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. Perhaps I can give you a better perspective by giving you a shortened timeline of the history of OVCF.

• Started in October of 2004
• They met at several different places until they settled on the Owen Valley Sports Complex.
• The pastor who came with them left after just a few months, but they plugged away with guest speakers, some from the community.
• Jo & I came in November of 2005. Diana, the church secretary, and I started the same time.
• The complex was dirty and small but we made due.
• The flood of 2008 displaced us for 4 months (we met at the Owen Valley Middle School).
• In 2010 we purchased a previously abandoned Mormon church building and began immediately getting it ready for occupancy. September of 2010 was our first worship in the new building. It was small (we knew it ahead of time), but it was to become our home.
• In 2011 we found out we had been embezzled out of $200+k. We chose to forgive and move on.
• In 2012 we renovated and remodeled our inside space.
• In 2014 we hired Ryan East as our youth pastor.
• In 2018 we expanded by building a children’s wing.  That was a very, very wise choice.  We paid cash (another very wise choice).
• In 2020-2022 we lived through the COVID era but through the faithfulness of God on multiple fronts and the generosity of our people, we never had to cut anything. It was during this time that our live stream became a reality.
• Beginning with the dedication of the children’s wing in 2018, we started planning and preparing and saving for an addition to our building. We were determined to pay cash for it. Our people have been patient meeting in two services and faithful in their giving.

Yesterday, December 8th, we broke ground for that addition.  The weather, which had been frigid all week, turned beautiful. The sun was shining and it was in the 40s. I used Psalm 84:1-2,10-12 as we prayed and dedicated our new effort to God and several turned dirt.  The excavators are possibly starting this week. Our plan is to get the earth moved and let it sit through the winter and then in the spring pour concrete and put up the building. We will proceed as we have the money. God has been faithful. Why would He stop now? He won’t.

Thanks for listening to my “brag” this morning. But I never want it to sound as though “we did this.” We are extremely thankful to God for His abundant grace and faithfulness to us as a church family. My prayer is that we will never forget what God has done. My further prayer is that we will never lose sight of Who is in charge; that we will never get too big for our britches (and that God will make us bring our belts in a few notches if we do); and that OVCF will always feel like home.