Today’s blog is written by April Meyer. Read as she shares how God called her family to Charlottesville and to be a part of the Point!
Our family started attending The Point in the fall of 2009, but the journey to the church began the year before. While living in Chesapeake, Virginia, God filled our lives with a wonderful community of family and friends, a church that encouraged spiritual growth, great jobs and a home we imagined growing our family in. Surprisingly, we started sensing God drawing us away from the area and after months of praying we knew God was calling us to Charlottesville. It felt like we were being exiled from everything that was secure.
During this time, I asked God, “Why” a lot. Thankfully, God responded through Jeremiah 29 especially verse 11. This didn’t change the extent of what He was asking but allowed us to see that it wasn’t for our discomfort but to build His future kingdom; and that we needed to walk through this move with hope.
As God was placing the move on our hearts, He was doing the same with our friends & church. We learned that a team was preparing to plant a church in Charlottesville, and we were thrilled! We wouldn’t have to look for friends or a church because we would move with our community. The team transitioned to Richmond, VA to begin training under a sister church.
During this time, Phillip and I started our own business which was another answer to prayer. God began sending us clients from Charlottesville that gave Phillip the opportunity to get to know the area and he was thrilled to be so close to the Mountains. We were at peace with the calling to help plant a church in Charlottesville.
Unfortunately, as we made plans to move to Charlottesville, we learned the church decided to send the team to Fredericksburg, VA. Again, I asked God, “Why?” Have we heard you wrong? Are we supposed to move to Fredericksburg? We continued praying and seeking direction.
They began regular meetings in Fredericksburg to build community with a group of locals. We joined a meeting and left feeling very sad. It was evident to us that we were no longer going to be part of this church plant. It felt as if the wind had been taken from our sails and we were drifting along wondering what we should do. Had we heard God wrong?
God made it clear that we were on the right path by bringing me back to Jeremiah 29:11. So we moved to Charlottesville in August of 2009. We understood the importance of having community and hungered for a church family. Therefore, we started the search with a well-established church but found it hard to plug in. After attending a few times, I was feeling very lonely and not sure what to do next. On one specific day, I was running errands and missing a girlfriend to shop with. During the ride home, I sought direction on the next church we should try. The loneliness and the need to be with God among his people was an overwhelming feeling. I needed community. I needed a church.
When I arrived home, there was a flyer hanging on the doorknob for a new church called The Point. We visited the very next Sunday and met Pastor Gabe. While the attendance was small, the people were friendly, and the teaching was insightful. When we went back the next week Pastor Gabe remembered our names and that sealed the deal, we were home. We jumped right in attending two community groups and learning where we could begin serving. We were supposed to move to Charlottesville to help plant a church, The Point!