It is hard to believe that just one year ago God was beginning to stir in our hearts the idea of moving to Phoenix to plant a church. He has shown us that we are a small piece of the grand puzzle he is putting together in Phoenix that we believe will be a picture of His mighty power and glory. Our desire is stay close to Him so that we may fully cooperate with what He is doing. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland,” (Isaiah 43:19).
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We are thankful to our sending church First Baptist McKinney, Texas, and our hosting church North Phoenix Baptist Church. We are also thankful to Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, and the friends, family and partners who are giving support. God has provided a strong leadership team, place for us to meet, name, iconic logo, musicians, sound system, and so much more.
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Following are a few photos of what has transpired since we moved here 7 months ago:
We have handed out over 1,600 of these invitations over the last 6 weeks, directing people to wellspring church.com. A big thank you to Jeff Simpson of Day6 for creating a great logo, and to Mark Presley for the graphic design of that logo for cards and signs.These postcard invitations went out to homes within a 6-mile radius of the school where we meet.Mabel Padgett Elementary School – 15430 W. Turney Ave., Goodyear: Our front doorWelcome to Wellspring!God provided two great used trucks to hold our 300 chairs, AV equipment, pipe and drape, rugs, and supplies. Our set-up team has been unloading the trucks and getting the worship center set up in only 35 minutes! The rare rainy day provided a cool reflection.Thankful to HEB Printing in Dallas, TX, for the super signs, which are used on site and on street corners.
We set up 300 chairs and had 277 people for our launch service on Feb. 9! Since then we have set up about 140 chairs and had between 110-135 on a weekly basis.Worship leader Derek Stull is doing a great job leading music, along with a number of talented musicians God has brought our way.Wellspring’s Core Values: Seeking, Connecting, Giving, GrowingPastor Chris Stull preaching about our Savior Jesus Christ, the Wellspring – a refreshing source of life.Wellspring KIDS MinistryWellspring Preschool MinistryPost-service connectionsWe are enjoying the courtyard at the school for fellowship after services. After the launch service, Doug Johnston of All Aboard Barbecue served 300 barbecue sandwiches and hotdogs. Thank you, Doug!Courtyard fellowship – God blessed us with a 72-degree sunny day for our launch.Heart & Home Bible study launched in November and has been meeting since then. It meets in our home and we have the privilege of being taught by amazing Bible teacher Jill Rhodes. “I have been in Bible studies before that were informational, but this has been transformational from day one,” said Jeri. “This has been the best thing that happened to me since I moved to Arizona,” said Lindsay.
Incorporated in the Heart & Home Bible Study each meeting is a practical take-home item.Wellspring Women: Share and prayer time around the fire pit
Wellspring’s first DiscipleNow weekend: Feb. 27-March 2. Twenty-four youth attended, and a number of them have expressed a desire for baptism. (The hand sign is a “W” for “Wellspring”.)
The Youth at DNow weekend collected 1,600 items for a local church’s pantry. The high school girls won the contest for the most items.
Youth shared in the worship service how the Lord impacted their lives at DNow weekend.Chris preaching about how we as followers of Christ are empowered to change the world.
A big thank you to the team from Lake Pointe Church that came to serve over launch weekend. They hosted a luncheon for the teachers and administrators at Mabel Padgett Elementary. They also helped make and pass out 1,500 water invites, host a “date night” for military couples at Luke AFB, load and unload trucks for the service, and work in preschool and children’s ministries. (As you can imagine, they also greatly encouraged us!)…and lastly, all of the above pictures would not be if it were not for the dedicated launch team members. They have met in our home at least twice a month for potlucks/planning since August. They are selfless servants who just want the Lord to be lifted up and God’s Kingdom to be increased. We thank God for them!
The Youth at DNow weekend collected 1,600 items for a local church’s pantry. The high school girls won the contest for the most items.
