The First Order of Business

One of the first things Will and I did when we moved back to Greenville was make a list. You know my love of the list. Well, this list was important. It contained the churches that we wanted to visit upon coming back to Greenville.

We loved our church (Buckhead Church) and our small group that we got plugged into in Atlanta. We knew that no church in the Greenville area would be quite as big or technically impressive as Buckhead. But, multiple times while attending Newspring or Buckhead, Will and I had talked about how cool it must be for people that were on the front lines of the growth of those churches. It must have been so exciting to watch a small, committed group of believers blossom into a congregation of thousands.

Over the first few months, we visited 4-5 churches on our lists. We wanted to move toward a more contemporary church that incorporated the use of small groups. We got recommendations from friends as well.

Ultimately, we began visiting Renewal Church consistently. Will and I prayed and felt the Lord was leading us to join there. After visiting, trying a few small groups, going through a membership class, and talking with a pastor, we were ready to become a partner (Renewal Member).

Two weekends ago, we had a couples retreat with the church. We enjoyed fellowship and teaching, as well as participated in practical conversations about the goals of our marriage.

And of course, we played games.

And of course, our team won! These minute to win it games were so fun and everyone was awesome at their game! Special props go to the Kemp's, for racking up points on this broom-launching-marshmallow-catching game. 

Lyndsey and Nick rocked this strange pencil M&M elevator game.

Tyler and Jen's ping pong backboard game that they dominated. 

And Hugh and Hollie rounded out the team by playing a ping pong soccer type game.

Will should also get a honorable mention for winning our game. He had to stack blocks on my head and I had to stand still enough for it to balence for 3 seconds. 

We ended the retreat with a dinner date and headed back down to Greenville. The next day, Will and I, along with 19 other people, were presented as Renewal partners. We look forward to growing in Christ and  growing with our church body. If anyone is looking for a church home, we would love to introduce you to Renewal. I am certain it will be a blessing for our family. This was our first goal on my 2012 list and I couldn't be happier that it is complete!