jayhardwick.com: Pray Big

Easily the most difficult thing our family has ever had to do happened a few months ago when we moved from Greenville, SC to Columbia, SC. That move meant we had to say goodbye to a community of people that we love dearly and had been through so much with...that community is known as Catalyst Church.

A few years ago, 4 families came together with a dream. We had all come face to face with the reality that the vast majority of Greenville had decided that there were more valuable things than a relationship with Jesus and fulfilling their God-given potential. We came together with a holy discontent and a drive to do something about it. We prayed, fasted, planned, and began the journey that would become Catalyst Church.

We made a ton of mistakes. Stuff I'm embarrassed sometimes to even talk about. But, through it all God refined the vision and refined us as leaders, and as a launch team. Finally, in April 2006, the full dream became a reality - Catalyst Church launched and since then, we've seen some incredible things happen.

Stories of life change...repaired marriages, broken addictions, reconciled relationships, new Jesus-followers...are what kept our heads up when things got tough...and anybody who has ever planted a church knows that things get tough. And every time there was a need, God provided. Just in the spring of 2007, we hit a huge wall and God didn't just clear it...He smashed it to pieces. Now it's time for that to happen again.

Casey and Jake have laid out the situation on their blogs. If you haven't already, go there and check it out. And as soon as you read the story, PRAY BIG for Catalyst Church and for what God is doing in Greenville, SC. Even though God moved us here to Columbia, a big piece of us is still there...and we are believing that this season will be another amazing story of our great God providing so that the important, effective Kingdom work of Catalyst Church can continue and do so with momentum.

CCers...we love you and we stand with you!