“The Lord GOD helps me; therefore, I have not been disgraced; therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame…”

Isaiah 50:7, NIV

Carpentry

Well, I never thought I’d be taking this path at 57, but this “carpenter—theologian” has taken up his tools again as a way to 1) support my family and 2) better accommodate the increasing pastoral needs of our growing church plant. (More on that below.) The transition has not been painless, but I’ve been surrounded by caring family and friends. Thankfully my body is getting conditioned and I’ve also been blessed to work for some great people. To keep things as simple as possible (unlike the LLC I discontinued in 2016), I’ve registered as a sole proprietorship and am only taking select work from people I know and trust. Also, to avoid a vehicle purchase, last week I pulled the trigger and got a small trailer that I can pull behind my Kia or leave at a job site. Here’s a pic of that as well as a couple of recent before and afters (the last is still in process):

Writing

As much of my energy and attention has been focused on positioning myself vocationally to move our church plant forward, I’ve struggled to get back into a rhythm of writing the blog weekly, as well as starting new projects. I am currently working on updates to the two Constructive Conversation booklets. Thankfully, one step forward, two steps back in this area is starting to feel like one step back, one and a quarter steps forward. 😊

Mantua Creek Church Plant

I set August as a final listening and testing month and, as the month draws to a close, God has opened and closed doors consistent with both continuing Mantua Creek and taking it into its next season. This is where I’ve settled personally: For the next 5-10 years, God has called me to plant an EPC church in Gloucester Country near Mantua Creek and Rowan University that prioritizes reaching deconverting and deconstructing Gen Xers and Millennials, and their children.

And here is our shared mission statement:

Overwhelmed by the gift of friendship with God, we are building a church community to enjoy the journey together, reconnect those who’ve been hurt or disillusioned by the church, and share the Good News with others.

This past Sunday was a “building an altar” moment for us and our parent church, Ashland EPC in Vorhees. We had another first—our biggest to date—celebrating our first baptismal at Ashland. Four from our fledgling congregation were baptized: Abbi (16) and Isaac (11) Vare, and two of my grandchildren, Theo (3) and Jude (1) Ginchereau. Needless to say, I got a little choked up when I went to baptize my grandsons.

Differing views on baptism aside, there’s no doubt that baptism was and is central to Jesus’ priorities for church planting. As I’ve written here:

“Why wouldn’t anyone—if they truly understood God’s heart—want to permanently attach themselves to His promises? More directly, why wouldn’t we want to publicly identify ourselves and our children with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection? … Without a doubt, baptism is one of the most important steps in identifying with Jesus and his promises—promises that, thank God, are “for us and for our children!” 

Baptism & Its Significance, 14.

As far as practical tasks:

• Our biggest priority (something that I had put on hold until the Fall—see here) is still identifying and securing a space to rent in Gloucester County somewhere near Mantua Creek and Rowan University.
• Our second is securing additional funding so that I can give two days a week consistently to the church plant (rather than a half day currently) and just three to carpentry.

I would be so grateful for your prayers for these things and, if interested, please contact me at gregausten7@gmail.com for more details. I’d love to connect and maybe set up a Zoom call with you. As always, if you want to support this work financially, you can continue to do so here at this secure link.

Thanks again for being a regular subscriber of this blog and caring about my journey. Please do drop me a note when you’re able. It’s always nice to know who’s reading, as well as how I can pray for you and yours. Blessings!