Change is A Comin'
Life as we know it is about to change
As many of you know Erik and I are in the final stages of becoming adoptive parents to the children the Lord leads to us. Once we complete our home study (which we hope to be completed by the end of this month by the grace of God) we will could potentially welcoming our children in our home as soon the end of July.
Most parents have 9 months to prepare for a baby, while we may only have weeks left to finalize preparations. So as you can imagine we had to take a step back and evaluate areas of our lives, we quickly realized that we needed to take a step back from our many responsibilities outside of our home, and focus all our attention on preparing for our future family.
In the midst of this, our church was in the process of merging with another church in February, however Erik and I were committed to stay for the interim to assist those we serve alongside with the transition.
We believe for us, the Lord was bringing us to a crossroad in our lives. I am a strong, proponent for change because it challenges us to the core and allows for things to get refined in the process. It is so easy to get stuck in a holding pattern and life can become a doldrums of repetitive motions until the Lord begins to totally transform and rearrange everything familiar or the constants you thought would always be there.
When God starts to shake things up, and in our case it appeared things were shaking in our hearts and he putting inside of us a strong urgency that now is the time to pursue adoption. He was pulling us out of our comfort zones and asking us to seek him and reexamine our lives in order for us to seriously refocus our attention.
Parenthood is one of the greatest ministry God could ever give a person. And for us He is asking us to become adoptive parents and take care of the ones closest to his heart orphan children.
We eagerly sought the the Lord, received counsel from those we were submitted to and those we trust. After a series of encounters with The Lord, words of wisdom, and some pretty crazy dreams and confirmations we sensed The Lord was indeed moving us in an entirely different direction, he was bringing focus and season.
For Erik and I, being part of a church community like Shady Grove Church (Now Gateway Grand Prairie) for the past 5 years has been an absolutely phenomenal experience for us. It is largely due to the amazing friends we have been blessed with along the way. We have so many fond memories that we will always carry with us:
The amazing Holy Ghost Encounters with The Lord at ANHOP during Watch's, Nights of Worship, the Gathering and Sunday Services
Hanging out and getting to know some of the most humble and compassionate people of God in each others homes or local restaurants to break bread and fellowship with one another till the wee hours of the morning
Traveling the world and do the Cupid shuffle 50 times a day for 10 days
Being apart of a worship team that could instantly enter into the presence of God and linger in the sweet spot
lead along side servant leaders in the Gathering and the Zoe Group
Help plan events like the Zoe Banquet, Young Marrieds Night, Nacho Average Christmas Party, The Gathy's, Gatherings Got Talent, and the Wreck'd Conference
Spontaneous Times of worship and prayer
Attending and participating in the yearly Prophetic Conference and Missions conference
This list could go on forever... Literally
The Challenge of Change
We are incredibly grateful to all the many people who we have encountered since we made Shady Grove Church our home in 2008. We have been marked and branded and will never be the same again. We are thankful for everything we have learned by being a part of Shady Grove and recently Gateway Church.
So with that said, last Sunday was our last official Sunday at Gateway and Tuesday was our last official Tuesday as Gathering Leaders and today will be my last official day as Pastor Josh Briscoe's Assistant at Gateway Grand Prairie.
We are excited about what the future holds and the divine appointments along the way. We have some idea as to where we are headed, we just don't know as to the specifics like who, what, when, where, or how. In this journey of faith, we trust that The Lord will guide and direct us as he as always done. We are hungry to see God move in miraculous ways in our marriage, our future children, and in the next church community God calls us to be a part of.
Just so there isn't any room for misinterpretation, let me clarify that our leaving is based on how we sense the Lord is leading us. We are leaving with the full support of those we have been submitted to all though they are sad to see us go. While our decision to step out in faith and leave the church family we love so much it is somewhat bittersweet. We are confident that where ever He takes us next won't ever compare to where we have been in the last five years, but it will be exactly where he has called us to so we can grow, be stretched, and empowered to fulfill his purposes for us individually and us as a family.
We absolutely love the good kingdom work Gateway is doing all around the world and around the corner. Our prayer is that The Lord will continue to bless the leaders and ministry and the work of their hands as he increased their God anointed influence in the communities they are connected to.
Family Seeking Church
We would appreciate your continued prayers and support as we look for a new church. If you have any recommendations the following are specific things we are looking for in a church no particular order ;)
An multiculturally diverse church that has LARGE cross sections of different cultures and ethnicities that come together to worship the One true God on a regular basis and is welcoming to all walks of life. {It's what heavens gonna be like}
A praying church that has a body of believers who are committed to praying for Israel, the lost, the sick, the city, the nation, the world, the ending of abortion, and revival fire to come to the earth! {We Gotsta Pray just to make it today}
A missional church that enlists and sends out missionaries around the corner and into all the world to minister to every tribe and every nation {Jesus Said Go!}
A justice-driven church that has deep burden to see the hand of God heal, restore and change the ones deemed " the forgotten" or"untouchable" like the prostitutes, the homosexual, the mentally ill, the homeless, the immigrant, the poor, the widows, the unwed mothers, the orphan, the disabled and the elderly. {Pure religion}
A radical spirit-led church that Lets God be God and isn't held back by the traditions of men or isn't timid about the fact that they believe the gifts of the Spirit are active and available today or aren't apprehensive about the truth of God's word that says: {'nuf said}
These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. Mark 16:15-18
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.
He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 2 Corinthians 12:4-11
So here’s what I want you to do. When you gather for worship, each one of you be prepared with something that will be useful for all: Sing a hymn, teach a lesson, tell a story, lead a prayer, provide an insight. 1 Corinthians 14:26
A giving church that greatly values equipping every man, woman and child in their God-anointed giftings to go do the work of the kingdom by serving the surrounding community and reaching and loving the lost above anything that may be a current church trend {Can you imagine if all churches were like this what the world would look like?}
A worshiping church that savors in the presence of the Lord willing to go deeper, longer and wider while entering boldly into the throne room to just to linger until God is done {If we could worship in a corporate church setting all day long we would}
A biblical church that loves and lives by every word written in the scripture from the old to new testament. They interpret the Word of God to be infallible, unchangeable and immutable. They lead and govern their church with a holistic biblical worldview approach to every decision {The Word of God is what fuels the church to do what its called to do}
A life-affirming church that fights for the unborn, does what ever it takes to restore broken marriages, rescue those in need and confirms that all who come to Christ with a repentant heart turn from their worldly ways no matter what they may have done in the past are saved! {These are areas that we are really passionate about}
A creative church that enables and releases creativity to be incorporated in all aspects of church life to reveal the multifaceted Creator God. {Just look up and around you and see his handy work}
An influential church that collaborates with other like-minded churches and communities of faith to be co-laborers in kingdom business to intentionally make God's name Great and not their own. {The essence of Revival}
I know this list may seem pretty lofty but The Lord would not have planted these in our heart to be a part of a church like this if it wasn't out there for us to find!
It's Not Goodbye, it's Until We Meet Again
Finally, to those we consider family and have been part of our lives for the past 5 years at SGC, know that we are always here. We aren't going to far, so if you need anything or just want to hang out and catch up lets make it happen!
Even though we may not see each other on a weekly basis, technology has made it so easy for us to stay connected and still be in each others lives. Now we just have to be deliberate about our get-togethers and it will make those time so much more special and priceless.
We love you all. We will keep you updated as to the progress of adoption and finding a church home!
Love, Blessings and everything in between,
Erik & Estreitta Kluetz
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