RLC first began as a movement to find community when people didn’t have it anywhere else... and were desperate for it. In the Spring of 2020, while Washington state’s COVID-19 lockdown began to lift and shift to a phased reopening, the nation faced a spreading wildfire of chaos, division, and unrest. With church doors still closed, a few close families began to meet in our home. We began to learn what it is to embrace vulnerability; each of us bringing our anxieties, fears of uncertainty, and discouragement.
Through the common bond of faith, we began to meet each other in our brokenness through relationships and by focusing on the ONE who remains unshifted – Jesus Christ our great hope! He came for the lost, sick, and broken. He brought hope, healing, and new life. We resonated with that and imagined, others did as well. So, we encouraged people to bring their doubts, anxieties, fears, uncertainty, and anything else that left them feeling broken. They were in good company! That’s how we got our humble start.
We can’t wait to see God continue to work in the lives of those in RLC, and to meet those God will send us!
A MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR
Erin and I have been married for more than ten years. We have had some wonderful highs and survived some life-shaking lows. We brought so many destructive habits into our marriage that almost ripped our relationship apart. Because of the redemptive nature of God and His relentless love, our story has become His story.
When we met, Erin was a community corrections officer for the Washington State Department of Corrections and I was a cop who spent most of my law enforcement days in the world of narcotic investigations. God grabbed a hold of our marriage after a few years in and began to transform us. Jesus freed us – mostly me – from the addictive power of so many areas of bondage. We began to fall in love with Him all over again as He covered us with His love. Our life together became about an unwavering pursuit of getting back to the radical requirements of following Jesus!
Our four kiddos, Glorianna, Abigail, Elijah, and Graham, were on the front row of every dramatic turn of events. They have watched God gently take what was broken and put it back together. Our family poured into doing ministry together. We looked for every opportunity to serve in our local church. Erin found her way into children’s ministry and became the Childcare Coordinator on staff. I joined the worship team as a vocalist and gave much of my energy to men’s ministry. I was able to give back in the Pure Desire ministry and work towards helping men break free from the same addictions that once held me in bondage. Our kids joined the ranks of the typical church kids who think they own the building. You know the ones I’m talking about…those kids who run and jump and cause commotion wherever they roam through the familiar setting of our church home (insert smile emoji here). We all fell in love with pursuing Jesus and doing ministry together…or at least in close proximity.
The desire of my heart became leaving life as a detective sergeant for full-time ministry. I just didn’t know how or when. In February of 2020, we realized a call to church planting. Laughable at first but undeniable now. Admittedly this was never a consideration. As a kid, I was a part of a church plant. Being a church planter’s kid was enough to scare me away! God’s sense of humor is never-ending.
After attending church planting assessment through Converge, Erin and I were affirmed in our calling and prayed that God would allow us to be a part of church planting for as long as we could physically manage. The passion for seeing His kingdom expanded was contagious. The chance to be a part of seeing the lost, sick, and broken find hope, healing, and new life is amazingly humbling. God restored us, our marriage, our lives to Him. Out of every moment of brokenness, God placed the vision for Renewed Life Church on our hearts.