My dear friend, Patrick Thompson, led well in student ministry in Georgia for years. When we first met, he was serving a church in Marietta. I was pleasantly surprised to hear of God’s call on his life to leave his hometown and uproot the only community his children had ever known to move to Long Island City, New York. With no guarantees of success and many unanswered questions, he and his wife obeyed God one step at a time.
Fast forward several years, New City Church is now a healthy fellowship in the most diverse county in the United States. They are now actively planting their third church, and through Covid were able to tangibly meet the physical needs of their neighbors through their LIC Relief campaign.
All that being said, Patrick had no idea he would be on national news during the COVID-19 pandemic and able to tell their story and point to God’s faithfulness. Had he known almost a decade ago what he would be navigating, the response may have been one of fear instead of faith.
There are many Patricks in our world, and in fact, God may be calling you to be another similar story. We are given examples in Scripture, like Abraham, to motivate us to find our second wind and remain faithful to follow God when we face uncertainty and unanswered questions.
Abraham seemingly obeyed God without hesitation in Genesis 12 and lived out his days as a sojourner in a foreign land and ultimately trusting his hope on God’s call. The power of Genesis 12 or Hebrews 11:8-10 is not to be amazed at Abraham. The power of New City Church is not to elevate Patrick Thompson. If we fall into that trap we miss the point.
Ultimately we see the story of a faithful God who has a plan to redeem humanity and He graciously invites us into His story. If we are willing to follow and obey, each step of trust will one day reveal a journey of faith that points others to Him, proclaims the Gospel, and celebrates a legacy of faith. Who’s ready to pack up and go?