Where do you need a little resurrection? Are you longing for God to make that which is dead or seems dead or is just really struggling come to life? Do you believe he can do it?
I recently officiated at a funeral for a dear and faithful member of Christ Community, Ron Pittinger. Ron and his wife Judy attended the Olathe Campus at the very start of it in 2006, but very soon moved across town and in 2007 began attending the Leawood Campus. I first met Ron and Judy, however, not at Christ Community, but at a small country church on the very edge of Olathe.
Heritage Community Church
Ron and Judy helped plant that church—Heritage Community Church— in the early 1990’s. They worked tirelessly to start that church community along with Pastor Dana Halstead, his wife MaryKay, and a handful of others. They gave generously to purchase the land and eventually build the building. This small group of pioneers even did much of the work on the building themselves. Their first Easter was held on the foundation slab, seated on hay bales.
Even after the building was completed, they continued to do much of the work of the church themselves. Ron became an elder and they cleaned the bathrooms, worked with the kids, and put the cassette tape in to lead worship. Ron mowed the 10-acre property weekly throughout the summer.
A Beautiful Mission
They did just about everything, for they believed the mission of the church was worth it. Jesus’ Bride, the church, is worth our time, our money, our blood, sweat, and tears. They gave all of that and more, with the hopes that one day they’d see a flourishing community of people meeting Jesus, growing in their faith, proclaiming the good news, working for the common good, and multiplying the gospel throughout Kansas City.
By the early 2000’s, however, they’d grown tired and discouraged. Their church was struggling, and had dwindled down to about a dozen people. They had worked so faithfully and invested so fully, but they were at a place where they simply didn’t know what to do. The church they loved was dying.
A Heart for Church Planting
At the same time, unbeknownst to both parties, Christ Community began to talk about what it would mean to become a church in multiple locations. We’ve always been passionate about church planting and have been involved in several plants, but we wondered what it would look like to do the important work of church planting, bringing the church into different neighborhoods, while remaining one church.
We explored that idea for many months and eventually suggested to the elders that we strongly consider it for the future. We recommended taking two years to plan, pray, find a location, and the right leaders. We also recommended that if we were to plant a Christ Community campus, we do so first in northwest Olathe.
A New Partnership
At the same time Christ Community began praying, Ron and Judy, Dana and MaryKay, and others from Heritage also began praying. Through a series of seemingly “random coincidences” God brought us together. They approached our denomination, who then approached us, and even though we thought it’d be two years or so, it was closer to two months later that we held our first Christ Community service in the building of Heritage Community Church.
We hit it off right away with Ron, Judy, Dana, and MaryKay. It was clear we were all passionate about the same things and a partnership quickly formed. They gave us their beautiful 10,000 square foot church building and 10 ½ acres right there in northwest Olathe and the rest, as they say, is history.
Death and Resurrection
My first Sunday there, in the fall of 2006, I preached on the yoke of Jesus. There were about 10-15 people plus my wife Kelly (who was expecting our son David) and me. In October we were joined by about 120 people who attended our Leawood Campus, but lived closer to Olathe, and had a heart to see God at work in their community. On December 3, 2006, we officially launched the Olathe Campus.
God used the heritage of Heritage Community Church and this new group of Christ Community pioneers to provide an amazing rebirth of hope and joy into this community. The Olathe Campus has continued to grow and multiply over the years, impacting countless lives, as a result of their faithfulness and generosity. What a heritage!
Our City-Wide Mission
Not only did this impact the City of Olathe, but this catapulted us into the church we are today, with five campuses across Kansas City. I’ve wondered at times, if Heritage hadn’t given us this incredible, initial boost, would we have ever ended up in Olathe, Downtown, Brookside, or Shawnee? I don’t know the answer to that, but I praise God for them, and if you are one of the thousands of people who have joined us in these additional locations, I hope you’ll praise God for them, too.
For Your Personal Reflection
Do you believe God works through us?
God clearly worked through these families at Heritage. At the time it may have seemed small or insignificant, and some of them may have never witnessed these results. But look at what God has done! Do you believe that God’s mission through his church is worth it—worth our time, our money, our blood, sweat, and tears? How will he use your acts of faithfulness, service, and generosity to build his Kingdom?
Do you trust God with your failures?
God used what felt like failure to create something beautiful—more beautiful than they or we could have even imagined. Can God do that with your failures and mistakes? Can he do that with mine? I sure hope so, and as I look at what God has done, I have to say a resounding yes!
Do you hope in God for resurrection?
We have a God who doesn’t just take our failures, but takes even death itself, which feels like the greatest failure, and turns it into life. He can resurrect churches and relationships, our heartaches and disappointments, even death itself. Are you hoping in Jesus for the same?
Praise God for the heritage of Heritage Community Church! I praise God for Ron and Judy Pitinger and Dana and MaryKay Halstead. Ron and Dana are now with Jesus—for we believe in resurrection! Judy has been a faithful member of our Leawood Campus and MaryKay serves faithfully at our Shawnee Campus, continuing this incredible work of redemption.
I also praise God for the people who stepped out in faith to plant each of our congregations, and for their hard work and sacrificial generosity. Many of us are the recipients of their faithfulness. Finally, I praise God for you, continuing the important work God has called us to as a local church, striving to be …a caring family of multiplying disciples, influencing our community and world for Jesus Christ.
