The past ten years have been an amazing Journey…..and this journey continues…but down a different road. When we started Calling Levi, one of the first things we were willing to do, consider, and pray diligently about, was relocate. It made sense to move to Nashville or Atlanta; or maybe even Jacksonville, FL. First of all, because most of our ministry opportunities are to, and through, the local church; one would think it would be a wise decision to move to an area where there are more churches to partner with (the Bible Belt). Secondly, from a financial standpoint, it would be “smart” to move to a place where there is a lower cost-of-living. The cost of living is much higher, comparatively, in the North East than it is in the South. However, despite our willingness to move, and the common sense it seemed to make, God clearly never “released” us from Delaware. So, through the years we’ve clung to the passage Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean NOT on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. For the past ten years, although we have been “on the road” and often away from home, we have been building strong relationships with our neighbors and people in our community. For the past ten years we have had a strong burden for these relationships. As a result, we have prayed for and longed to have a church in our community specifically like some of those we are so blessed to partner with across the country. INCREDIBLY, our prayers are being answered….and SURPRISINGLY, they are being answered through the ministry of Calling Levi. God is leading our team, and others, to plant a church in Townsend, DE; and with a humble and awe-filled heart, I have surrendered to God’s call on my life to be the pastor of that church. God’s perfect plan for all of this began over two years ago; and not knowing how or when, we felt led, as a first step, to start a Bible Study in our homes on Tuesday nights. We called it LifeHouse based off of John 10:10 where Jesus says, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Because Rob and Steph only live two doors down, we piled all the kids in their basement, and all the adults in our house. To the Glory of GOD, He continues to bless, as we have seen several of our friends and neighbors trust Jesus Christ for salvation as a result! (Some of whom we have been praying for by name, for over 5 years!!!) We stand in AWE and are so grateful for His faithfulness! FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS: In response to God’s leading, our families are stepping out in faith once again. Although LifeHouse currently meets weekly on Tuesday nights, we now hold services in the local Fire Station’s Banquet Hall; LifeHouse CHURCH will begin holding regular Sunday morning services on February 12th. Obviously….this is HUGE for our families and for Angela and Sheri…..and we need your help! PLEASE PRAY FOR US; for LifeHouse Church, Calling Levi, and our families!!!! WE are ASKING you to pray that the Lord of the Harvest ….will send workers/helpers, and we are asking that you pray for provision, and for protection, for wisdom, …..and for GOD TO SAVE SOULS in Delaware!!!
- Mark
So what does this mean for Calling Levi?
That’s the question everyone has been asking. It’s what we asked ourselves for months on end after Mark shared his heart about becoming a pastor. It’s the question we asked God almost daily in prayer as we felt Him leading us to step out in faith and begin this work in our home community…! The Calling Levi team is not “disbanding”. We are all rolling up our sleeves and getting busy in the work of LifeHouse. While Mark has embraced the call of pastor, Rob has taken on the ministry of music in our new work. Stephanie has been partnering with Rob in leading worship and Tammy has taken on the ministry of hospitality working behind the scenes. Sheri and Angela have also been keeping busy with the many needs that go along with launching a church. We cannot say how God will continue to use Calling Levi. We don’t see ourselves necessarily as a singing group – simply ministers of the Gospel. However God should choose to have us do this, is alright with us. This may mean that the traveling schedule changes. Perhaps we will take only a handful of invitations in the coming year. Our main objective is to continue to be effective for Christ and the Kingdom by being obedient to what God is asking for today. Launching LifeHouse will not be easy. It is yet another opportunity to stretch and grow our faith. Traveling over 200 days a year provided the means to take care of our families. Cutting our travel schedule significantly requires us to trust God to provide for us in other ways, as He has faithfully done throughout the past 10 years of Calling Levi. We trust God to prove His faithfulness to His servants. Please be praying for us and this new endeavor. Much of our time will be invested in this new outreach. However, we will continue to prayerfully consider invitations to sing and expect to minister in 1-3 concerts each month. We covet your prayers and support as we step out to be a light for Christ in our community.
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