Movin on Up...

... up north, that is!  Yes, we're moving again.  At least this move is just a five minute drive from where we are now.  I'm hoping that this moving once a year thing won't become a trend, and in light of where we're moving and why; I think we'll be able to settle in for a little while.

When we moved to Kansas City a year ago, we thought we'd just be here two years and chose a place in Midtown/Old Hyde Park so that we were close to the heart of downtown while still not paying a ton in rent and could be close enough to the highway so Gabe could drive out to Leawood everyday.  Now that Gabe is the campus pastor for our downtown campus at Christ Community, we've felt the need to move in to the heart of downtown closer to where the church campus would be.

We started looking in the Crossroads District of KC, which is where we're looking at permanent locations for the campus, but quickly realized this meant our rent would double.  We began to pray about our options...  A few weeks later, a couple from Christ Community approached us about an opportunity.  They had been wanting to buy a condo in the Crossroads for some time as a place to move after retirement.  Since the market has been so great for buyers, they knew that buying now would be a smart decision.  They asked us if we would want to rent from them if they bought a condo in the Crossroads, and this gracious couple offered it at about what we're paying now!

We were beyond excited!  This was such a huge answer to prayer and gave us the opportunity to live in this community where we could get to know neighbors, local business owners... and give them the option of having a church right in their community!

Since before we got married, almost 2 years ago, this has been a passion in both of our hearts.  We saw ourselves in an urban environment, serving at a church, and getting involved in the community through relationships, volunteering and offering a place for people to interact with the gospel.  We feel so content that we're right where we should be!

I was thinking the other day about the journey God has brought us on this past year... it's been a non stop roller coaster.  Here's a quick overview:

- Gabe graduated from seminary
- We moved from Chicago to Kansas City
- We dropped off our stuff and flew to Italy for a once in a lifetime trip with Gabe's parents
- Gabe started the Fellowship program at Christ Community
- I started working from home as a freelance writer and pursuing my photography
- We got pregnant
- We had endless events and dinners throughout the summer and fall as part of the fellowship program
- We traveled home for Thanksgiving
- Found out we were having a boy
- Were in and out of the hospital for two weeks
- Lost our precious Judah on December 23
- Grieved through Christmas and New Years
- Had a Memorial for Judah
- Gabe accepted the position as downtown campus pastor
- We attended two training retreats for church planters
- Began focusing on serving full time at the downtown campus
- Gabe took over heading up the search for our campus space
- We found out we would be moving to the Crossroads
- We had our first Sunday at the Screenland Theaters in the Crossroads for the summer
- Gabe is continuing to work with the building team to secure a permanent location in the Crossroads
- We are starting to pack up
- Gabe is performing his first wedding this weekend
- I'll be shooting a different wedding the same day
- We'll have our 2 year anniversary on June 4
- We'll move into the Crossroads!

Whew!  It's been a full year!  All that to say, looking back it's been so neat to see how God has been orchestrating our lives.  We wouldn't have chosen some of the things we went through this past year, but we continually trust in God's ultimate plan.

The next month is going to be busy, but we're keeping the finish line of being settled in our new home at the forefront of our mind.  We are so excited for this next step in our lives... not so excited about packing.  :)

Thanks, as always, for your prayers and support in our lives!  We know that without our friends and family we never would've gotten through this past year!

Love,
The Coyles

Exciting Changes

Well, it's been a while since we've posted simply because the last few months have been extremely busy.  There have been some exciting changes that have made our schedule a little more hectic in January and February, but we are so thrilled to see where God is leading us.

As many of you know, Gabe graduated from seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and was accepted into the Fellowship program at Christ Community Church.  This two year program is an intensive mentorship, hands-on ministry opportunity (much like a doctor's residency) that allows you to determine where you see yourself in full time ministry while gaining practical wisdom and guidance from seasoned pastors.  Christ Community consisted of three campuses: Leawood, Olathe and Downtown.

We moved to Kansas City last May and knew we wanted to help out at the downtown campus, since urban ministry is where we saw ourselves long term.  We knew that by being a part of that community, we'd get a good idea of what urban ministry was like, as well as seeing the ins and outs of starting a new campus.  We even moved to the outskirts of downtown, even though the main campus, where Gabe would spend most of his time, was about a half hour away from our apartment.  We both love the city, and we really fell in love with Kansas City almost immediately.

Since May, we enjoyed getting to know people at Christ Community and began feeling that it was our church home.  We also loved experiencing downtown KC and found it's really a very vibrant city!  Knowing that our time would be up in two years was something we knew would be hard since we felt that everything about being here just clicked.

As you know, the Christmas season was heartbreaking for us with losing Judah, but we felt our family, friends, church family and neighbors come around us in such an amazing way.  We had a memorial for Judah at the beginning of January, which Christ Community beautifully coordinated for us, and it was a great way to bring a sense of closure to everything that happened.  We still are saddened when we think of Judah, and there are days we truly miss him, but God has given us such tremendous peace and hope.

In the middle of January, Gabe came home and told me that Bill, the downtown campus pastor, felt God moving him to be a part of the newest church campus of Christ Community which is located in an area called Brookside.  I was excited for Bill and Rachel in this new opportunity for them, but asked Gabe what would happen with the downtown campus.  He then told me that he had been offered the position of the downtown campus pastor, and I broke into tears.  We were both so excited because we loved being a part of the downtown campus for the past eight months and knew that, ultimately, we felt God calling us to be a part of urban ministry; this seemed to be a perfect fit!

We prayed about this decision over the weekend to be sure we weren't going off our emotions, and that we also had time to think through all that being a part of a church plant entailed.  We knew it would be a lot of work, but we also saw how God had worked in our hearts and mapped our steps to be a part of the downtown campus long before we knew what would happen.

As we started realizing what this meant, we were thrilled to know that we wouldn't be moving after two years and will be in Kansas City indefinitely... as long as God has us here!  It meant we could continue to build relationships with everyone at the downtown campus and really focus in on that community... which we love.  It also meant I wouldn't have to change doctors, which was a huge relief since these doctors know us and my situation, and the hospital specializes in high risk pregnancies.  We continue to see the amazing ways God has planned out even the smallest details in this change in our lives, and we feel so humbled at His love and how He wants to use us here.

In February, we attended a church planting pastors retreat and also a church planters assessment weekend.  These were great tools in helping us understand more about church planting and getting to know our strengths and areas of growth.  We know we have a lot to learn, but we are excited to see what God has in store for the downtown campus!

Currently, we're in search for a building for the campus since we've been meeting in an apartment building community room.  There are some really awesome options available in downtown's Crossroads District, which is also considered the art district.  We're excited to see how God works in the space's location and how we can have a positive impact in that community.

Well, this is a long post but we just wanted to let you know what's been going on and about Gabe's new position as downtown campus pastor.  We'd love your continued prayers for our future and ask that you join us in praying for the downtown campus, a space where we can meet, and for downtown KC.

The verse that keeps coming to mind is Psalm 126:3 "The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy!"

Love,
The Coyles