What a whirlwind of a month! Many exciting and encouraging things have happened in the 5 months since we moved back to Virginia to plant Providence Presbyterian Church, but March has been especially full of big developments and updates in the life of this new church.

Over the past month we wrapped up our Vision Gatherings, nailed down a meeting space, have been busily preparing for our first worship service on Easter Sunday, and continued to exceed our Year One support goal. Praise the Lord!

We have a location!

The Lord has provided the American Legion in Salem, VA as a place for us to worship Him on Sunday mornings.

This location is an answer to prayer in many ways:

The American Legion is in a great area of Salem that accommodates the majority of people who have committed to being a part of Providence.
It sits off of a busy road with great visibility.
Their ballroom space has the capacity to seat up to 250 people.
There is also space for a nursery that is both close enough and far enough away from the sanctuary.
They are providing space for us to store our belongings on site.
The rent is very affordable.
Chairs and sound equipment are provided.
They have a lot of property with a pavilion and a kitchen, providing space for kids to run around after worship and an opportunity to have picnics and fellowship outside in the warmer months.
People in the area are familiar with the location, which makes it easier when inviting people to join us.

The one downside: I’m sorry to inform you that absolutely, under no conditions, is anyone allowed to climb on the large green battle tank sitting out front. (I think our 4-year-old son might be the one who is most disappointed by this news!)

In all seriousness, I’m grateful for the Lord’s provision and I think the American Legion will work out really well for our church.

We’re having our first worship service on Easter Sunday!

Our first public worship service is quickly approaching in a little over two weeks. The timing worked out to where we are able to start worship on Easter Sunday, and we’re thrilled!

If you or someone you know is in the Salem/Roanoke area, make plans to worship with us on Easter Sunday (April 17th) at the American Legion at 10:00am!

Also be sure to invite your friends, family, and neighbors.

We’ve created a Facebook event for our first service and you can also find the details on our website here.

In the meantime, we’ve been busily:

Creating serving schedules for volunteers
Organizing musicians
Finding a piano
Purchasing toys and other items for the nursery
Ordering supplies for the Lord’s Supper
Designing signage, the bulletin/Worship Guide, and other materials
Spreading the word about our first service
Choosing and preparing the elements of worship for our first few services

This upcoming Sunday (April 3rd) we’re having an Open House for our core group at the American Legion, where we’ll be figuring out how we’ll set up the space each Sunday morning.

Then the following Sunday (April 10th) we’ll have a preview service for our core group. This will be a “dry run” of the worship service but also of our set up and tear down, which will hopefully allow us to work out any kinks before Easter Sunday.

Support Update

The Lord has provided for us in so many ways, including financial support. By God’s grace, we continue to exceed our Year One budget goal!

Thank you so much to all who have financially supported Providence Presbyterian Church. Your generosity is allowing us to purchase many needed items for the church as we prepare to begin worship.

If you’re interested in supporting Providence Presbyterian Church, you can give online by clicking the button below.

Give

Prayer Requests

We are also grateful for all of you who support us in prayer. There are many prayer requests this month! Please pray for:

All the preparations that are taking place over these next couple weeks. There are many moving parts and we have many plates spinning. Please pray that all the details will come together!
A great turnout for our first service. Pray that the Lord will bring many people to hear the good news of the Gospel on Easter Sunday!
Favor and a great relationship with the American Legion. We are grateful for the folks at the American Legion and their willingness to let us rent their space. Please pray that the Lord would continue to give us favor with them and maintain our good relationship.
Our congregation. Church plants require many people serving and volunteering their time. Please pray that the Lord will sustain and encourage those who have committed to being a part of Providence. Pray for unity and excitement among those whom the Lord has brought to be a part of this new work.

Thank you again for supporting and following along with our new church. We’re excited to see what God has in store!

-Jake

We have a location!