The GRUENE UMC
FEBRUARY 2018
An update from Pastor Brock Gillman Hey Gruene, First and foremost, what a true joy and blessing it is to be one of your pastors. Thank you thank you for allowing me to walk alongside you as we grow together and travel along this incredible journey of faith we find ourselves on. I want to take this opportunity to update you on what’s been happening in the life of my ministry and what is on the horizon. As some of you may know, back in January 2017, Gruene was approached by Path1 (the United Methodist national organization who helps train and lift up leaders for new faith communities) to consider hosting and training a Path1 Resident for the next appointment year (June to June). After much prayer and discernment your church leadership decided to apply. At the same time we also prayed about whether or not I would be a good fit for that resident position…one who would one day go and plant a church. And so, we communicated with the SPRC that we were applying and that I might be our resident. In March 2017 we got the official word that Gruene and I had both been approved! So started a new and exciting chapter of this ministry journey I find myself on. Included with the Residency was grant money to help cover my salary and other expenses while I remain here at Gruene.
This allowed the church to hire a second associate pastor, and now we are so blessed to have Pastor Aaron with us. What does all this mean? Well…this residency and grant has allowed me to remain at Gruene in my associate pastor role as I study and learn about church planting. From June 2017 to present I have been traveling the country attending various church planting conferences, visiting churches that have recent planting history and learning from the pastors that started those communities of faith. And, all at the same time I have been able to continue the joy and blessing of being one of your pastors. During this time I have also been meeting with various folks from the Rio Texas Conference to study potential church planting locations and the timing of all of that. Throughout all of that study, prayer and discernment a location has been decided on. I will be planting a church, a new community of faith, in Austin. Now that that location has been decided on I will start spending time in that mission field, meeting people and building relationships. So from now thru Easter I will be spending a few days a week in this new mission field (new to me but not new to God of course). After Easter that time commitment will continue to ramp up through June. For me this is so exciting and scary, all at the same time. I frequently ask, “How can one experience these two extreme emotions at the same time?”
Well, by looking back on my life I have discovered that almost every time I have had those two feelings together God has been up to something, AND every time I have said “yes” to God in those situations beautiful things have happened. Of course there are and will be plenty of challenges and I will not be able to do any of this alone. I will need your help. How can you help? You are part of my story and I want to continue that. Moving forward I would love it if you would pray for me and how God is already moving in this new mission field. God has amazing limitless dreams for His creation that he chooses to manifest through each of us. Pray that I can fully and completely live into my part of the Story God has already written. I would love to answer any questions you may have about all of this, would love to continue the conversation of what God is up to in this season. Hit me up via email brock@grueneumc.org or flag me down on campus, let’s visit. Blessings, Pastor Brock