The Opportunity for Renewal: Corey Widmer

Finishing What We’ve Begun

The years since 2020 have been full of twists and turns, disappointments and surprises. Not much has been expected or routine. The same has been true for the Renew campaign—it has hardly been anything we anticipated!

Yet, I believe, it is in this unprecedented space that God works. These past few years have called us into a deeper trust in the Lord’s sovereignty and a more careful listening to his Spirit. To be clear, the dependence we’ve learned has not been easily won, but God has continued to show us his mercy and his faithfulness again and again.

Our church today is vibrant and growing, building on the legacy of hundreds of saints before us. Our move to Regency, instead of diminishing our congregation, united us around a common vision and has brought new life and energy to our community. Our people have shown themselves to be a people marked by generosity—giving sacrificially and abundantly of their time, talent, and resources. And all of this is animated by a sustained conviction to continue to reach outside ourselves to bring in neighbors, refugees, and those in need of God’s healing.

While it’s been an unexpected and winding path that led us here to today, it has never been a path outside of God’s goodness and provision.

Now, as we approach the next chapter of this campaign, we are being called to finish what we started. And here’s the thing: we aren’t finishing it as the same people of 2020. Today, we are a church of greater faith, deeper trust, and increased unity after we have been carried through these past four years.

So as we look now to pray and give, we have an opportunity before us—an opportunity for God to continue this work in us, and for us to witness how he is forming us, changing us, and providing for us. I hope that you join us in this work of renewal.