February Update

Well, we’ve been back in Denver for almost two months now and we have no regrets. It feels like things are really coming together.

We’re getting settled into our new house and loving it. We live in a part of Denver called University Hills. That’s on the south side of Denver, but we’re still in the city limits and it doesn’t really feel like the suburbs yet. We’re about 15 minutes from downtown, 5 minutes from the University of Denver, and literally within walking distance of a local library, two grocery stores, a movie theater, Starbuck’s, a big park for the kids to play in, and a light rail station. We really like our neighborhood. It’s a bit of a transitional neighborhood.  Most of the houses were built in the early 1950s and are on the smaller side (two or three bedrooms). But, it’s a popular area for “scrapes” – where people have purchased an old house, torn it down (hence the name “scrape”), and rebuilt a huge new house. On our block alone, about 6 of the 20 houses are scrapes that have sold for close to a million dollars each. That adds to quite a bit of diversity in our neighborhood: us (the middle class church planters), the two older ladies that live across the street who have been in their houses since the 50s, the wealthier young couples and families who live in the scrapes because they like the neighborhood, and then even some “working class” families and minorities (the elementary school 4 blocks away is only 50% white).

We also really like our house. It’s cute, but nothing too special to look at. It’s just the right size – no bigger than it needs to be. In fact, it’s smaller than our Atlanta house which is challenging now that we have three children. But we like the cozy feel: it forces us to not keep so much stuff around and not get spoiled with extra rooms and closets and bathrooms and furniture we don’t really need.

The weather in Denver has been amazing, as it typically is: chilly at night with a little bit of snow every now and then, bright and sunny each day. The kids have enjoyed playing outside even if they have to bundle up a bit more, and Janis has taken them to the zoo and a local butterfly pavilion. Norton has done a little bit of hiking with the other team members and hopes to go mountain biking later this week.

The kids have adjusted really well.  We weren’t sure how they would do in a new city, new climate, new house, and new routine, but they’ve been great. We haven’t noticed any changes or issues with them at all. We do miss the preschool that they attended two days a week at North Point which gave Janis a little bit of a break. All the preschools here in Denver are full for the rest of this school year. But we’ve signed Townsend and Ellory up at a preschool 3 blocks from our house which starts in the fall. For more on the kids, check out our family blog.

Lastly, work is going well getting the new church off the ground. I spend most of my time on emails, administrative work (I oversee all the finances, human resources, insurance, and legal work that needs to be done), and simply networking with other leaders in the area and people who are interested in our church. It’s been good to meet with others who are looking for the kind of church we dream about, and it feels like we are slowly developing a core group of about twenty people or so.  We’ve had a couple of events that have gone well; you can read more about those here. Church planting is slow going, but we know that it’s better to take the time to build a strong foundation that will last. We’re also trusting that everything will happen in God’s timing.

As always, thanks for praying for us and supporting us financially. Don’t hesitate to call or email and tell us how you’re doing.