Healthy and Sending

On June 7th of 2015, Redemption Church was officially sent out to plant in Loveland, Colorado. That Sunday, our church family at Mountain View Community Church in Fort Collins prayed for those who were a part of that group, joyfully and faithfully sending us to follow God’s leading into a new community. 

Just six years later, Redemption Church had the privilege to be on the other side of sending. On Sunday, June 20th our church prayed over and joyfully sent two families from our body to participate in a Crossway Network church replant in Greeley, Colorado called “Living Water Fellowship.” By God’s grace we send Sean and Katelyn Hawley and Taylor and Natalie Buhl.

Sean and Katelyn, who will be involved in the leadership of Living Water Church, have been a significant part of the life of Redemption Church since its beginning. Sean shared with the Redemption family what led them to be part of this opportunity.  “Our lives belong to Jesus, for he has purchased them with his blood. To follow Him, for Katelyn and I and our family right now, is to walk by faith and be a part of this church Replant at Living Water Fellowship in Greeley. We do nothing more than follow Jesus to Greeley.” 

“It’s easy to put church planters on a pedestal. We can praise their faith and dedicate ourselves to prayer for them, but we often are too quick to dismiss the call ourselves. The invitation is open for all of us!” 

Sean Hawley

The process of sending faithful members to be a part of another work God is doing is bittersweet. It is sad to see dear brothers and sisters go, in addition to the loss of their gifting and leadership within the church. “Katelyn and I love this church,” Sean told the Redemption Church body. “We feel as if we are leaving our family. The past six years have been a tremendous adventure where we have grown in our faith together.” And yet, participating in going and sending is also a joy, because it so clearly is God’s work that we get to be a part of. And the exciting thing is, it’s a work that we all play a role in. 

Sean went on the encourage everyone, “It’s easy to put church planters on a pedestal. We can praise their faith and dedicate ourselves to prayer for them, but we often are too quick to dismiss the call ourselves. The invitation is open for all of us!” 

Please join us in praying for Living Water Fellowship in Greeley for a new season of leadership and ministry, and for many in east Greeley to come to know and follow Jesus.  And may we all be faithful to God’s call to participate in going and sending!