CHURCH PLANT UPDATES Belton Church Plant

Like a tree rooting, the Belton Church Plant steadily grew in late 2022.

The church plant held its first service Aug. 21 as the Rev. Rachel Harber transitioned from part time to full time at the beginning of the month.

The congregants began worshiping under leadership of Harber mid-September with a core of six, at the Bell Fine Arts Center. By October, they moved to Nolan Creek and worshiped underneath a tree, symbolic of the growth spurt the Belton Plant experienced through year’s end.

The gospel text, Prayers of the People and Communion were cornerstones services, but congregants kept how-key as they met people in the park and handed out coffee and dog bones.

In November, the congregation began moving into a physical location. Harber settled into the office and began figuring out a system and rhythm to gather in the new space Sunday mornings. The initial service in the new space attracted 19. The month brought new partnerships. A contingent of progressive, open, and affirming church leaders in the area met each first Thursday of the month to collaborate, to encourage one another, and to begin planning ways to bring all communities together for events.

By December, leaders had begun implementing Sunday service teams and testing out new processes for welcoming new guests and getting newcomers oriented. Nametags became official and the children’s ministry launched, beginning with one on Advent one to nine by Advent three. The congregation hosted a holiday open house during Christmas on the Chisholm Trail and had seven newcomers visit after connecting with them through the event.

December also brought student visitors from Temple College to their church community as the reverend worked over the course of the past year to build trust with students and show there is space in the church for them. After months of outreach and relationship building, the first official Bible study group met in the Arnold Student Center to study the annunciation of Jesus' birth to Mary. The group begins a weekly meeting schedule in 2023.

Community outreach projects and partnerships thrive in the congregation. The following are projects implemented in 2022:

Partnered with Foster Love in Belton to prepare a meal for 40 foster families.

Continued partnership with Temple College Leopard Food Pantry to help fill the shelves on a monthly basis as an extension of our campus ministry.

Campus Ministry has developed at Temple College with students attending services and a Bible study group that began gathering in December.

Harber has forged ecumenical partnerships between other progressive clergy in the area. They meet once a month for support in ministry and make plans for gathering their communities together for a quarterly ecumenical worship service.

As they tweak their systems and determine a good flow for Sunday mornings, Harber and the Deacon Glennda Hardin schedule one-onones with newcomers. In 2023 they put into place plans for community conversations about identity and a church name.

It has truly been a miraculous year at the Belton Church Plant, and the last three months in 2022 were a time of exponential growth.