David’s Dialogues

June- New Season, New Rhythms

Dear Friend,
This month we shifted gears into “summer” mode.  In early June, we finished up our “extended semester” where we continued our normal engage groups while people were still mostly quarantined at home.  After June 10^th, we shifted our rhythms and encouraged people to get connected to churches where they were spending the summer.  Since then, we have an online Sunday “gathering” at 10am that is combined with the community side of our church.  I have been coordinating and scheduling people to record the different aspects of the service.  We have also started a “Summer Family” that includes some socially-distanced in-person small groups for those remaining in Blacksburg, but also includes some online components.  Ally and I are leading the online small group for those not in the Blacksburg area, but want to remain connected with their NLCF community over the summer.

June has been busy with moving our church from the building we’ve called home for the last decade, 130 Jackson, to a new space on South Main Street.  It has been an “all hands on deck” type of summer as we clear out the old space and undertake some major renovations in the new space.  It was a sad day to turn in the keys to the building that has meant so much to us; but we are also excited for God’s provision in this new space.  The building we are currently renovating (1521 South Main St.) was originally built as a church building, but has been vacant for a while and is in desperate need of repair and upgrades.  We have been working closely with the owner to turn the outdated venue into a modern welcoming space.  Just as with our last space, we want to use the it for gathering and worship, but also allow the space to bless Blacksburg in a time where quality meeting/gathering/venue space is rare.  For the last month or so we have been busy tearing out drywall, sanding and cleaning walls, priming, and painting.  We are also replacing the flooring, and after that we will be close to being ready for in-person Sunday gatherings again!

While much of my time has been working on renovations in our new building, I have also been coaching a summer intern.  This has been a great chance to grow in my own leadership and managerial skills, but also has been a blessing to see someone genuinely pursuing the question if full-time vocational ministry is where God is calling him towards.

Lastly, I want to ask for your help!  With all the changes coming this fall to the normal ways we meet incoming freshman, we are taking time this summer to get a jumpstart on our Class of 2024 welcome.  For that, I need some help!  As a team of partners with me in ministry, I wanted to ask if you would help connect me to any incoming freshmen to Virginia Tech?  Do you know any students coming to Virginia Tech in the fall?  If so, I would love to welcome them to Blacksburg! The more personal connections we can make this summer, the stronger we will be going into the fall!

In Christ,
David