That post I have wanted to write for a long time...

I rarely blog period anymore, and when I do it is usually a recap of what we have been up to. Most of the time I just do not have the mental capacity at the end of the day to write anything of much weight, but I do miss blogging about things I am learning or thinking. Over the last year and a half, there has been a major development in the Pate family that I have wanted to share but could not. It's now finally time!

Mr.Pate and I are planting a new church in the Warren East area!

Pretty big news really. For those that don't know tons about us other than my family posts here, let me give you a brief history. We have been serving at our present church in Smiths Grove for 6 & 1/2 years. Mr.Pate started as the youth pastor and then became the Education and Discipleship Pastor (which covered children, youth, college, community groups and outreach events). It has been a true blessing and home for us.

He got the call to interview the night of my thyroid surgery, and went to interview the day I got out of the hospital! For the first 6 months we were there, I could barely speak (after my surgery I lost my voice for quite awhile) so the youth thought I was very shy an low key. Haha. Once I got my voice back, one of the girls commented I was way more outspoken than she thought. Haha.

We had just come out of a very very hurtful church experience, one of the ones where most people leave the church and don't come back. Smiths Grove ministered to our souls and loved us through it. They are great at loving :-)

We have watched children who were in our k-2 classes come into our youth group. We have graduated many of the youth on into "adulthood". And we have loved serving them.

About a year and a half ago, an opportunity presented itself to pursue planting a church in an area of town close to Smiths Grove where we had already seen a great need. We began praying then, not sure what The Lord would do with it....

(More soon...)


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