Partnerships lead to progress

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-4)

I love this verse from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Paul was known as the great missionary who took the gospel throughout the known world at the time. Yet, in these verses, God reminds us that Paul didn’t go alone; he had partners—those who supported him financially, prayed for him, sent him care packages, and shared the gospel themselves. Paul’s stories were their stories. Ministry is all about partnerships in the gospel.

I can still hear President Schroeder on assignment day in May 2015: “Stephen Apt. New mission start. Liberty Hill, Texas. South Central District.” I was so excited to be going to Texas, starting a mission church and telling people about Jesus. I quickly found out that we had one other family in our core group: Jerry, Laura, and their second-grade son, Christian. That made five of us. We rented space in a commercial storefront property where our nearest neighbors were a gas station, a survivalist store, and a BBQ restaurant. It seemed like a daunting task to start a church with just the five of us, but we had big dreams and an even bigger God.

Fast forward nine years, and our church now worships an average of 153 souls each Sunday. We have 83 adults growing in the Word during the week, whether in Sunday morning Bible study or in our small groups, along with 50 youth and teens in our teen ministries and 56 in our children’s ministries. In addition to our church, we have a school with an enrollment of 370 students, and we’ve completed two building projects. How did all of this happen? Through partnerships.

We have the amazing opportunity to share the gospel with many people from diverse backgrounds—some who didn’t know Jesus at all and others who have been away from the church for a long time. We’ve had the privilege to share Jesus with people who haven’t had a good walk with the Lord in the past, including Terri and her husband, Todd.

If you were to ask Terri and Todd about their walk with God prior to our church, they would say it wasn’t very good. But one day, they decided to give our church a try. They attended our Starting Point class and learned all about Jesus and what he has done for them. Four years later, Todd and Terri are now partners in our ministry. Todd serves as our church’s head usher, and Terri is currently taking classes to become synod certified to teach in our school. Terri recently said, “I feel so much closer to God than I ever have in my entire life.”

As I type this from my desk in Liberty Hill, Texas, I can’t help but feel thankful—not only for all that God has done but also for our partners in the gospel. These stories are not just my story, nor are they solely Divine Savior’s stories; they are your stories as well. The ministry and the gospel work here have only been possible because of the partnership of WELS supporting our mission in Texas. I am grateful for your partnership as you support the spread of the gospel ministry through the Board of Home Missions with your prayers, service, and offerings. Ministry is best accomplished through partnerships. Thank you for your partnership from the first day until now.

Written by Rev. Stephen Apt, home missionary at Divine Savior Church in Liberty Hill, Texas.

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