Paul, not an apostle but your fellow brother in the Lord, partaker together with you in the unrelenting grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, set apart for the pastoral ministry by God’s good mercy, and appointed by the elders to pastor Trinity Church—
To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters of Faith Bible Church:
Grace to you and peace in the name of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
First, we give thanks for you and your commitment to God’s mission to make Him known through His Son in all the nations. This passion in you is evidence of His effectual grace in your lives. He is worthy of your entire lives which is why you live as you do: sacrificially, generously, joyfully, and lovingly. God is glorified in your midst, in your community, in your region, and even throughout the world because of your testimony in the grace of Jesus Christ.
It is because of this commitment to the Lord Jesus that I know you are all rejoicing at the opportunity provided through establishing Trinity Church in Spokane Valley. You have been praying for us and are ready to give anything that is asked to help the church be established in the Valley. Because of this investment I wanted to write you concerning the current plans and happenings so that you would know how to pray and what is needed.
Above all questions this has been most frequently asked so I will answer it first. Trinity Church does not currently have a building. We do, however, have a couple of leads and a realtor who specializes in commercial properties working for us. The plan is to lease initially. My confidence is that the Lord will provide exactly what we need when we need it. While we have some preferences geographically, we remain open to any location that has the valley as its address.
Jeremy Kuhn and his family have already made the commitment to come to the new church. Jeremy will be one of the elders along with me. The plan is to appoint more elders after the church starts. We believe it is important to involve the church in the affirmation of those elders and so we will wait until after the church has formed to affirm those men. The plan is to appoint more elders within the first year.
The first and most desperate need Trinity Church has is for God’s people to pray.
As of the writing of this update we have almost 50 committed members of Trinity Church. This of course does not include any children. This number only represents those that I have spoken with and that have confirmed their commitment with me. We have a few families still considering their decision. We also have some who I have heard might be going but have not yet had a conversation with me. Everyone who decides to go to the new church will be asked to have an exit interview with one of the elders of Faith Bible Church. This process will help both churches in the shepherding of God’s flock. Membership classes for those going to the new church will take place this Fall.
The plan is to begin meeting weekly on the 16th of January in 2022. We will have a commissioning service on January 9th here at Faith. However, the financial giving to the new church will begin in September. We will also start meeting in distinct small groups for Trinity Church and have a few official church gatherings throughout the fall. Anyone who has decided to go to the new church will be asked to start transitioning out of their place of service through the fall semester as they help others come in to take their place.
This question has been asked quite a bit as well. The simple answer is, yes, the Funchess family will be moving to the Valley. As most of you know this is the worst possible time to move. We are a growing family of 10 and have no idea at this point where the church will be located. Finding a place that I believe will both love my family the best and serve the church most effectively will take some time. We will begin looking in earnest this Fall as our building plans take better shape.
1. Pray for Us
The first and most desperate need Trinity Church has is for God’s people to pray. Pray that God would provide a place for Trinity Church to gather and not just any place but the place where we can be most effective for His glory. Pray that God would give wisdom to the leadership of both churches in decision making. Pray for unity. Pray for God to provide financially for all the needs Trinity Church will have for the first three years. Pray for men, women, boys, and girls to be converted under the sound of the gospel. Pray for cooperation with other like-minded churches in the area. Pray for the families going that God would encourage them, sustain them, and cause them to see His goodness and grace.
2. Help at Faith
You can also help by stepping into the places of service voided by those going to Trinity Church. There are multiple roles here at Faith that will need to be filled once Trinity starts. This moment in Faith’s history is what is referred to as an “all hands-on deck” moment. In other words, everyone is needed to make Faith a church planting church. Please consider stepping up to the challenge and volunteering to carry the load as several members go to plant this new church.
3. Give
You can also give financially. Now, the truth is that by sending members to the new church from Faith you are already giving financially. Along with their membership goes their giving. Faith will be impacted financially by sending these members to plant this church. Starting in September you can also give to Trinity Church by going into Faith’s online giving platform and designating your gift for Trinity Church.
Paul is Pastor of Trinity Church in Spokane Valley, planted by Faith Bible Church in 2022. He studied at Shepherd's Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Christie, have eight children: six girls, and two boys!
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