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Fields Notes
Welcome to Fields Notes - a podcast where we'll take a deep dive into sermon texts, unpack Sunday mornings, and discuss questions of life and faith with fellow friends from The Fields Church in Westfield, IN.
Fields Notes
Interview With The Core Team || 4 Year Recap
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On this week's episode, the core team for The Fields Church plant comes together to reminisce on the past 4 years.
Welcome to this week's episode of Fields Notes, where we take a deeper dive into sermon text, discuss matters of life and faith, and enjoy conversations around the table with fellow friends from the Fields. All right, well, hey Fields Notes listeners. Welcome to a Fields Notes podcast episode that we are very excited about. This is not this is not your normal Fields Notes podcast. We actually are probably breaking some podcast rules today that sitting around me at our big table is not one or two or three people. We actually have 10 people sitting around this table because we are doing a Fields Notes podcast, in one sense, recapping the four years we've had as a Fields Church. And to do so, we actually are having our original core team, the original 10 people who kind of committed from the start to join the Fields Church with us today. So uh uh at the time of this recording, this coming Sunday is our four-year anniversary. And so we're very excited about that, and we just want to reflect on, in some sense, what it's been like since the very start. So you might know the people who are around this table, but I'm Joe House. I'm here with my wife Callie. The Stricklands are here. Yeah, we are you probably knew. The Mangleds are here, the Kings are here, and the Lions are here. And we are really excited to talk about uh our experience in a way, um, throughout our time as the Fields Church, all of the uh, in a sense, the blood and sweat and tears that have been put in that has been a joy and has been growing for us. Um and really for me, it's fun to just be around friends and family here uh in this time. So we're really excited for it. We hope it's a help to you listening of being like, man, what has the Fields Church been like for the whole time? So, what we're gonna do in one sense is kind of ask us how how do we become part of the Fields Church? And so we're actually gonna start with the Stricklands. Jeff and Steph, tell us a little bit from the very, very, very, very start. How did the Fields Church come to be?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's a great question. I feel like probably more simpler than you would think. Um, I was obviously on staff as a pastor at Rock Point Church. Uh, we were in the summer of 2020, so that is pretty much right in the middle of COVID. Uh, really had just started gathering back on Sundays, and um, we kind of knew uh for some things our lead pastor was transitioning out of uh Rock Point. Uh probably I wasn't gonna trans uh kind of move into that lead pastor position. And so we were thinking, man, what might the Lord have next for us? Sort of open-handed, talking about some different things. I was even telling, you know, you guys a little bit beforehand, I like I was putting out a couple resumes and some applications and some things like that, and then had a really good friend uh at a church in Brownsburg that had said met with him for lunch, and he was like, Hey, we want to plant a church in Speedway, and we think you should be the guy. And uh this is not Speedway. This is not Speedway. Amen, right, Steph? Amen. Yeah. We're so thankful for Harrison Beckman and Providence Church uh that is there. Uh the Lord's doing a great thing. Uh we did not feel like Speedway is probably the best uh fit for us in that season um of ministry and life. And so I went, I asked Steph what she thought about it, and she agreed that that probably wasn't the best fit. So I had actually gone back to those guys and be was like, I just I don't think this is gonna work. And so they said, actually, we don't care where in Indianapolis. Uh we would love to back you, support you. We need more churches in the Indianapolis area. So that was essentially, I went back to Steph, and Steph and I started talking and praying and thinking. I started having a lot of conversations with pastors in the Indianapolis area. A very early form of plant indie uh kind of was beginning to come apart or come about. And so they had actually kind of strategically looked at Westfield and Bargersville, and uh we started doing some date nights to Westfield. I think immediately we're like, yeah, Westfield is the place. It's growing like crazy. There weren't that many gospel preaching churches. Uh we just loved Westfield, the community, the people. We already had some connections here. Um, so that really was kind of how things began. Steph, I don't I don't know what it was.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, what's it like from Steph's perspective of this? My husband's gone crazy, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00Perhaps. Uh well, Jeff has always been a big picture, big dreamer. Um, so wasn't surprised when this sort of fell into our lap. And um, as we were talking and praying about it, um, there was just a big sense of peace knowing that um Rock Point was not gonna be our forever home and that God's had something else in store for us. Um, and I never felt anxious or nervous. It was just a big sense of overwhelming peace from the Lord. And just one of the verses that kind of always stuck with me through that time of like praying and meeting people and driving through Westfield was just the word abide um from John 15. And so just really trusting in him through it all, because there was a lot of unknowns. We were leaving family, we were leaving two good jobs. I was working um as a nurse practitioner. He obviously had his job at Rock Point. Um, and so just leaving sort of the community that we had always known. Um, and so just really trusting the Lord in that and just had an overwhelming sense of peace, knowing that this is what the Lord had called us to and that he would provide. Um, and he's done that every step of the way. So it's been good.
SPEAKER_03I have a follow-up question. Uh I so you guys don't know this, but I had called her before we got married uh when I was in seminary and told her we're gonna plant a church in New York, uh, NYC. And she started looking up jobs and apartments and things like that. And then like two weeks later, I called her and was like, no, we're not. Um, I don't think I'm the right guy to go there. Probably a year or two after that, or maybe longer, we uh me and another buddy, good friends uh of ours from college, uh, we were like, we're gonna plant in Ireland. Um, and so then Steph got really excited about the possibility of Ireland, came down. That was like maybe a couple months that we talked about that. That didn't happen. When did you actually believe that we were gonna plant in Westfield? Like we were gonna actually do this thing, and it wasn't just a crazy idea that I had.
SPEAKER_00I think once we had driven here a couple of times for date nights, and I honestly think it was once you had figured out the roundabouts and you felt comfortable driving.
SPEAKER_04Hamilton County roundabouts, they'll get you there.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say, once he felt confident with that, it was like, okay, we can do this, we can live here.
SPEAKER_03Guys, I have been converted to the the wonders of the roundabout. Now, when I go to the south side of Indy and they have these four-way stops or those lights, I'm like, what are we doing? Have you heard of the roundabout? It's wonderful, it's wonderful.
SPEAKER_04Well, thanks, Stricklands. Let's hear from the as the people come on the board. So, as my I have my little notes page of who the order that people have come on. Jeff, you can tell a little bit about who's first to kind of commit. Well you're like, hey, my name's Jeff. I guess I'm planning a church. Who's gonna come come with me here? Who is the first to come with? Yeah, I guess I know the answer to the first one. First to commit.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. First, who is like, I'm in. I do think you should just pause the podcast for a second and guess. No, not really. Not you, Joe. If you're listening, you should pause the podcast. I had to buy. I was like, I was like, whatever you need to do, but I'll do it. I'm in. I'm in, I got it. No, no, no. If you're listening, you should pause for a second and go, who I'm just gonna talk, and then you'll have plenty of time to guess who the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and down the road. Uh, I told our staff at Rock Point in probably late October and uh end of the day, last part of the staff I talked to, because they were doing work, which was great. Not that the other staff wasn't doing work, but they were like in rehearsals. So now you have an idea. Um I I told our staff, uh, our worship team that we were gonna be moving to plant a church in Westfield, Indiana. And then I'll let Grace take it from there.
SPEAKER_08Yeah. So Jeff, yeah, shared the vision of what he and Steph were doing and where they were gonna be. And I literally followed up after Jeff told me and was like, hey, if you uh need a worship leader, I would love for you to consider me. And I think it was locked in a few, like I don't know when, after. Then, okay, then I said yes.
SPEAKER_03Steph and I actually had a conversation the night before. I don't know if we told you this, but the night before we were just trying to think about people that might come with us, and or maybe a couple days before, and we were like, I mean, if Grace could come, if she she would be the perfect person to like lead music and worship at the fields. Uh so when you said that, that was the Lord just uh answering another prayer of ours, uh affirming that. So I Grace, you and Stephanie know each other from a little while back, even more so. So there's a lot of stories there.
unknownYes.
SPEAKER_03Yes, we do. Many stories of the fact Steph used to babysit.
SPEAKER_08Yes, she often said that she changed my diapers. So we go way back.
SPEAKER_04What's fun is on my little my little cheat sheet here of of names, Grace is the first on the on this name. Dylan is not though the second though with Grace. You guys were not married at the time. Maybe had just started dating, not dating.
SPEAKER_08So when I when we was locked in that I was coming, a few months later, that's when Dylan and I started dating.
SPEAKER_04Ah Dylan's like, oh, this church plant, maybe I can go there.
SPEAKER_08And so on our first date, like I it wasn't shared that we that I was coming to be a part of this plant. And so we were sitting there on our way home from a restaurant in the car, and he was like, Man, I love what Jeff and Steph are doing. I've always wanted to be a part of a church plant. And in my head, I'm like, oh my goodness, if this whole dating thing works out, if this whole dating thing works out and we get married, like this is so gonna be the Lord.
unknownWow.
SPEAKER_08And here we are.
SPEAKER_04Here we are. Praise the Lord. We'll hear more from Dylan later. But next on my list of people to join the Fields Church from the start, I have Ian and Holly line. So maybe I we could talk about how Jeff has been.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so early that same day when I was telling the staff I had uh I obviously Holly, that was uh our kids team was under my area of ministry at uh the fields. And so Holly and I worked together for a long time. The lines, were you always in our small group? At least from when we were at the church. I feel like you were with us from the beginning of us starting a group almost.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, I mean, I think we I think we moved in slightly after you started because we were part of a different group.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_10But it was pretty, I'm pretty sure it was still when your guys' group was still pretty young.
SPEAKER_03So it had to have been, and we started the group from like before like day one almost of us being so probably four or five years we had been in group together. So I had told Holly, and then I think I I told the whole kids team, but then I think I brought Holly aside and said, Hey, we'd love for you to come with us. And then I'll let you take it away.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um and I went home that evening and I told Ian, I was like, Hey, Jeff and Steph were thinking about planting a church, maybe over in Westfield. And I think Ian's exact words were yes, let's do it. And so then we had a small group, I think, either like that night or the next day. Um, and we like told you guys when we were leaving, and yeah.
SPEAKER_03I'm pretty sure I was like, if you guys need a week or so, or so you know, something like when they it was like the next we're I was like, amazing, this is incredible.
SPEAKER_10Yeah, so like uh it for a couple years, like I I used to be a teacher on and off struggling with being a teacher, it's really great. And then I look for 30 jobs and I didn't get a job, and then next year is really great, and then it wasn't great, and then it's great. And uh and coming into COVID, I actually had a pretty decent year, even considering COVID. And then so I was like, okay, we're setting our roots down, we're getting a house, we're this is where we're at. We're gonna be in Crawfordsville, this is what we're doing. And then so we started looking for houses over the summer, and then that next year I thought was gonna be great. It was it was tough. The year after COVID was tough teaching. We put in an offer on a house, went through the inspection, failed at inspection, counter-offered, gave us a bed. It just everything was just falling through. And uh then Holly, you know, approached uh, you know, talk we talked about it that night, and and that's why I was so quick. It was like something couldn't be clearer than all these other doors closing and this one opening. So and I'm pretty sure we're just like, yeah, I mean, uh yeah, we'll we'll we'll pray about it, but yeah. We're good.
SPEAKER_03So we'll pray too. You know, I so what's so funny is because you guys were in group, we obviously knew we were planting a little ahead of time. It I remember when you guys were like walking through that house, and I mean Steph and I are not praying you out of that house, but like we're we were certainly like when that did when that fell through, we were like, oh man, they they might come with us now, you know, like before that. So yeah, just really cool to think about different ways that the Lord worked.
SPEAKER_04So cool. Next we have Doug and Kathy King. So Doug and Kathy, we're gonna be Jeff, tell us a little bit of how did the Kings come?
SPEAKER_03So the Kings, so I was over discipleship at Rock Point, and uh both Doug and Kathy were heavily involved in men's and women's ministry there, leading Bible studies, doing groups, teaching classes. Maybe not the classes part yet, because we were trying to start to bring those classes in. So I feel like from day one, like they they were two of the first people I met at Rock Point, um, certainly heavily involved in the ministry there. So we just got to be really good friends, um, talked a ton, shared vision and theology and reading books and digging into all of these things. Um, and I knew when we were gonna plant, I was like, man, we need people um who are mature and solid and can disciple people and have experiences old. I'm sorry. Also, it wouldn't hurt if they weren't 25 years old. Let's be clear. Yeah, that's not that's maturity in every facet um is helpful. And so I yeah, I think it probably was uh I don't know, maybe a month or so after I talked to the staff. So it's probably November, I would guess. Uh Doug and I had a meeting that we were just supposed to have in normal sort of ministry meetings, kind of following through some things that he was doing. And at the end, I was like, hey, here's what we're gonna do. Um, and I would love for you and Kathy to consider coming. Um, and so I'll let you take it from there.
SPEAKER_12Well, actually, it was December, I think it was more early December of 2020. Um, I was just coming out of Rock Point at about eight o'clock in the morning, and Jeff is not an early riser, but he was there. And he said, You've probably been there for hours. I had been there at 8 a.m. since 2 a.m. And Jeff said, See, I was there at 8 a.m. Let's go. Jeff said, I would like, I said, I need to talk to you. And I thought, what have I done now? I'm in big trouble. Uh, and he said that Steph and I have been called to plan a church. Would you and Kathy? And I remember the the exact words, would you and Kathy be the first to come? I said, and I said, Well, Jeff, I love you, but I'm not gonna come because because you called me. We have to be sure that this is both an internal and external calling from the Lord. Yeah, and so I said, We need to we need to pray on this and seek scripture for wisdom and discernment before we can commit to that. And I remember telling you, I said, Well, I'm gonna come, but I'm not selling my lake house.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, that's our next little part of the story, and then you guys can maybe tell us fill in some gaps here. Yeah, so you guys, I I think in that meeting you were like, Well, I need to talk to Kathy about it, that sort of thing. Let's maybe get dinner together. You guys come out to the house and we'll talk through it in a little while. And so we did, we put that on the schedule, and we were coming out, and Steph's like, Do you think they're gonna come with us? And I was like, I don't know. I mean, I I I don't think so, but they're being gracious, they're being kind. Um, and so we went out there. We had not been to your neighborhood before. Well, we had been there, but we'd never seen your house, hadn't been in. Steph had not been there. Um, and so we pull in, we pull into the uh driveway, and Steph looks at me and is like, they're not gonna come. Um and then I walked into the house, and I mean, it was a beautiful house, especially, I mean, just everything that I love about houses, it was a lot of books, beautiful fireplace, high ceilings. It was incredible. And I looked at Steph and I was like, Yeah, you're right. There's no way they're coming. Um, and then I've told this story before. The entire night, you guys were just asking us questions that seemed like you had already decided that you were coming. And so finally, like, we're getting ready to have dessert. And I I told the folks earlier, like, this incredible orange pie. Tangerine pie. Tangerine pie. Yes, so good. And I was so not thinking it was gonna be good. And it was because it just sounded weird, and it was so good. Um, and I Steph leaned up and she was just like, Are they coming with us? And I was like, I don't know. It kind of seems like that. And so I think I just asked, Hey, are you guys like, are you guys coming with us? And you guys, uh, as you always are, big smiles, very uh warm. We're like, yes, uh, and and really encouraged and that sort of thing. I don't know what happened, maybe especially for you, Kathy, between me talking to Doug and then that meal, uh, what was going on in your own mind and heart?
SPEAKER_05Well, we had come out of COVID, we're coming out of COVID, and all during that time, I just knew that um the trust in God, just trusting and lean into him. And so when Doug came in and said that Jeff had talked with him, they were gonna plant a church in Westfield, we were asked to join. What do you think? And I'm thinking, well, maybe this is something God wants us to do. But I have to admit that as Jeff mentioned earlier, I knew about some things that were going on at the church. Our head pastor was getting ready to move along, retire. Things were moving, and now Jeff is leaving, and I was like, Well, I really had to pray over it, and I really felt like this is the right thing for us. And so, yes, I said, yes, let's do this. Well, it was around holiday time, so we had to wait a little bit before get through the holidays before Jeff and Steph came for dinner, and so it was just really exciting when they came and we got to hear their vision.
SPEAKER_12There's a bit there's a backstory, a couple of backstories. Number one is that when Jeff came to Rock Point, we immediately fell in love with his peach with his preaching, with his ability to academically incentivize us and encourage us to dig deeper in scripture, um, with rock with the whole rock you curriculum that you established, encouraging us to go to seminary, all of those things. Um we were ready to follow you no matter what. Uh so that was one of the backstories. The other part of this is that um we Kathy and I, from the moment that you told uh told us about, ask us about this, we began to search scripture uh and pray about this opportunity. And the one the sentinel scripture that came to heart for me was John 13, as Jesus was washing the disciples' feet. Uh, the 14th verse of that chapter, he said, Now I'm giving you the towel of grace. Now do it to somebody else. The word go kept reverberating in my soul. Yeah, and so we talked about being water walkers, getting out of the boat of comfort and be like Peter and walking on the water and trusting that God had a path for us. Yeah, that was the convincer. Yeah, so that's awesome.
SPEAKER_03It's so cool to do that. Then you had the pie. I was convinced. Okay, yeah. Go for it, Kathy.
SPEAKER_05Well, I was just gonna add so we came to Westfield and looked around, kind of liked what we saw. We've been here before, and um, but it had grown a lot, and it was it was kind of exciting to see the growth. Um, put our house on the market, it sold in a couple of weeks. We actually got more than we asked for. So things were really falling into place pretty quickly. So that that was a good affirmation that we were making the right move.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, amen. And we are so thankful, you guys. I'm so thankful, so thankful. Next on my list of people coming is now Dylan. And so, Jeff, I don't know if you I don't know what kind of conversation you had with Dylan, but it seems like I'm putting pieces together, the Lord was putting on your heart coming to the fields before you guys even knew each other were coming, in in a sense, which I think is really cool. Maybe Dylan or Jeff.
SPEAKER_03Well, I'll tell you where it first came in my mind. They they they still claim they were not on a date, but I walked out late. You saw them like that. Yeah, we walked out. I I don't think you were there.
SPEAKER_00I think I called you right after you saw them, and because there was supposed to be a third person there, and they're so we were walking through Rock Point on the way out.
SPEAKER_03It was Rhett. It was Rhett. Rhett wasn't there, and it was just so we were walking out of the church, and we see Grace and Dylan eating tacos, probably still then, like I think after maybe worship or before or some sort of yeah, and uh, and I was like, Huh. Seven and I both on the way out. We're like, what's going on? You know, and I was like, you know, it'd be great to come along with us, would be Dylan. Like, let's start praying that relationship. And um, and I technically maybe you guys weren't on a date, but I just that's that's what we saw.
SPEAKER_04Looked like a date. Hmm. Dylan, do you scare to speak?
SPEAKER_06It was not a date, uh, though I was thankful that Rhett did not join us that morning. Um but yeah, I I had recently graduated from college a little bit over a year before. And um, you know, I had always been in a large church and After college, I moved to Columbus, Ohio. Was a part of a smaller church there. Really loved it. Really loved the community that I had there. And just kind of over the course of that year, and then also in the course of that year, I lived in Alaska for a summer. So didn't get much community there because it was in the middle of COVID. There were no small groups or anything like that. The small group I had when I was in Ohio was fantastic. And just kind of over the course of that year, coming out of college, I really had a heart for church plants and just kind of what they were doing in communities and really felt uh called to be a part of a church that's in a in the community that I'm in, um, which at the time I was in Crawfordsville and going to Rock Point serving there. But when I found out that Jeff was uh wanting to to plant in Westfield, um I had previously had an internship there and loved it and really hoped to move back to that area at some point. Um and so I just felt the Lord calling me there. Um and so I actually asked Jeff, I think to, I don't remember if it was breakfast or lunch. We met at a corner restaurant that is not there anymore. And uh we got together, we ate, and I told Jeff, I'm coming whether you like it or not. Um so um I just said hey, I'd love to be your tech guy and and uh help with that. And that's pretty much the uh the story of how I I decided I was gonna be joining the Fields Church.
SPEAKER_04I'm sure Jeff was very happy to for you to be coming.
SPEAKER_03That's a like it situation. That was a wonderful gift based on the fact that I'm like, I think I know how to use my phone. Um, and that's about the end of my tech knowledge. So really thankful. I did say, and I think it just needs to be I as soon as they started dating, I was like, I just need you to know if this doesn't work out, we're taking grace. We love you, we think you're the best. Um but we're taking grace. Uh but we really are so thankful for both of you and thankful that it that it worked out. And yeah, yeah, you guys have been seems to be working out. Yeah, uh we've uh uh just so just say we got to officiate their wedding too. Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_04All of the all of these conversations happening in the year 2020. Am I right in that? Is this twenty or maybe early 2020?
SPEAKER_03Dylan's early 21, maybe.
unknownYeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think yeah, I think it's probably probably early 21.
SPEAKER_03Late 30.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Okay. And then the the last of the core team to join on my list is the houses, which is us talking here now. So my lovely wife might talk a little bit, or maybe Jeff will talk a little bit about his thoughts on it. Maybe not. Maybe my lovely wife will talk a little bit. That's great. Yeah.
SPEAKER_07So we were, uh well, I had known Jeff and Steph since I was in mid middle school, really. And um, Joe and I had recently gotten engaged, and uh, Jeff and Steph were doing our premarital counseling, and so they kind of like dropped some hints in the early days of premarital counseling. And at the time we were Joe was living in Broad Ripple, and I was still in college, and we were going to a church in Broad Ripple that literally everyone was 25 or younger. And so we just loved the community there. Similarly, like our small group was amazing. We just had so many friends in our exact season of life, and so we looked around. I mean, you called the kings old, you all seemed super, super old compared to where we were coming from.
SPEAKER_12Very, super old. We do have a comment on that.
SPEAKER_07But well, yeah, I'll redeem that that thought in a little bit. But initially I was just like, nah, pass. We just have so many, you know, so many people in our exact season of life here that we yeah, that we want to really stay here and put down roots maybe in Broad Ripple if anyone does that. I don't know. Um, but it was not working out for us. So I was um my second semester, my senior year, could not find anywhere to work. Um we couldn't find anywhere for us to live. We had gotten so many um rejected offers on you know, houses that we were trying to buy and things like that. And yeah, it just felt like the Lord was closing.
SPEAKER_03Prayer works, guys.
SPEAKER_07And I know, and then now I know why we didn't get into rejecting us, prayed us out of it. Dang. So yeah, we just couldn't find anywhere to live. It felt like every door was closing. And um then I think after maybe a pretty emotional for me uh premarital counseling session where I was just in despair about our future, um they brought up Westfield again. And so I think Joe and I maybe started to kind of started to maybe look that direction a little bit. And then we applied to teach at the high school the same night. Joe and I did. Um he got hired in 30 seconds, I'm pretty sure. And a few weeks later they came around and realized we were a package deal, so I got hired as well. And I mean, we found the most perfect apartment, like the first place we looked, and yeah, the Lord was just flinging doors open at that point. So we finally said, We'll go with the oldies and we'll go, we'll go to Westfield. And we are so thankful we did.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it's been a huge joy. I think you you said most of it there, but I think uh we it was not our plan. We're like, yeah, the suburbs are for older people, we're young, we're gonna live in the city. And um, yeah, I one time we were like on a walk, we were I was visiting you at Taylor, we were on a walk in the streets of Upland, and you're like, I just don't know if I want to live in the city, and I think our hearts are just getting softened to it. And we had enjoyed our pre-marriage counseling with you guys. Jeff and Steph, thank you for for doing that. And um, our hearts just kept on getting softened to it. Um and the Lord drew us in, and yeah, the doors opened up for us to come, and we're really thankful that we have. So that's kind of how we all have have come to be. That is the the where we are now. Uh, next question I have for us uh is to talk about how our our Fields Church experience or how the Fields Church has become has maybe been different than what we maybe originally thought five or six or however many years ago when we kind of first committed to join and in those that uh span of time when we are in our kind of launch season of um equipping and uh growing and being at Castleview. Um so how the church has maybe been different than what we thought, and maybe we can start with perhaps the lines would it be or the kings? Let lines will start. Maybe like the maybe how the fields has been surprising or um things have been yeah, what's been surprising to you in the time?
SPEAKER_10Yeah, I mean, I mean, really just how much it's grown. I mean, I'm I I don't know if anyone else is wanting to say there anything, so I'm gonna take it first. But um, I mean, it's just it incredible how much it's grown, especially like it just seems like after every summer there's always like a big August bump, and then it doesn't like disappear. Like that's like the new church, you know, every year there's always just like an abundance of people, uh, and and and you know, so so grateful for that. We started with what 40 44 something, and so now I mean it's just it's just fantastic to see you know so many new people coming in and then staying um to to be a part of it. Uh uh and just uh I mean that's hugely surprising. Um maybe also surprising not in a building yet, but that's fine. Um but that's that's all right.
SPEAKER_07So I would also I would like to redeem what I said now about the old people because um I we're listening.
SPEAKER_12Let's hear it. Come on, Kelly. Come on.
SPEAKER_07I've been blown away just by how many young people are pouring into the suburbs. I mean, it's not all soccer moms, like the stereotypes would would have it dubbed. And um, I mean, yeah, just an abundance of really, really sweet young adult community, um, but then community really through every age. And I have just been blown away by what a blessing, what a tremendous blessing the multi-generational aspect of the fields is. Um, because man, when you go through something really, really hard, it's like I I just want to be surrounded by people who are a little further down the road, who have also walked through really hard things, who are not, you know, my age, but who are um, yeah, sometimes 40, 50 years older. And so um just been so deeply loved and poured into and so thankful for the wisdom of every single life stage that exists there. So that's been surprising and something that we are so grateful for.
SPEAKER_12Well, Callie, we'll consider that a uh uh backpedaling of sorts, but especially since you have two soccer moms sitting at the table right now. Soccer moms. But but there's another element to this, and you know, Kathy and I both have talked, you know, many times about the uh the the level and depth of intimacy between the people that have gathered at the fields, young and old, cross-generational. But the other, the backstory of this, when we were at Castleview, uh we we looked around at this core group, and there were a lot of young kids, and we were the old people, and we were a little bit, we were just a little bit, you know, frustrated by that. Uh, and then it wasn't until we really got into one of the fellowship groups there, you know, the Evans and Gilligan's and whatnot, we said, okay, we can do this. Uh, and then we got to the fields, and we were still the oldest.
SPEAKER_05So you want to add to that, well, yeah, but I I think for me the the the biggest difference is that I wasn't expecting it how close friendships are developing. How people have come from so many different places, different states, and we've come together, and in such a short time we've become such a close family, a church family that I've never seen before. We read about it, we studied about it with the nine nine marks church and all that. Um but here we were, we were actually doing it, and we're seeing it and we're living it right now, and that is just beautiful. I just love it.
SPEAKER_04Mangles, maybe you guys things that have been surprising to you guys in in our church plane.
SPEAKER_08I would just add to Kathy's because I I don't think I had really understood what how God designed the church to be until coming here. I don't know if it's like starting something from the ground up, but just walking in and seeing people and knowing who they are and knowing their story, and then being able to like I don't know, be close with someone who is in their 70s, but then also be great friends with someone who's 16. Um it's just been yeah, just very sweet. Very sweet.
SPEAKER_06I think one thing for me is just how uh willing people are to serve, uh especially in just the the season that we're in as a church, being super early on. We're meeting in a school and um just the generosity of people with their time um and to to come in early on Sunday mornings to set up all of the children's area, to set up the cafeteria so that we have places to sit, to put all the chairs out so that we can worship in in the big room for um all of our wonderful musicians that we have on Sunday mornings to uh tech people who aren't tech people but they are willing to try. Um they've become tech people because of you. Uh so it just I think just the willingness of people to serve um in so many different areas. I think there was maybe a little bit of fear on my part uh early on when it was just the ten of us that are people going to help because this is gonna burn out really quick if if we don't get um people to help serve. Um, but we've been blessed by an incredible congregation. Um and I and I think that has grown so many friendships. Um I mean as a result of it, uh when Grace and I were looking to buy a house, we moved in with a a couple for two weeks in between our lease ending and when we could move into our house. So I mean it it's just been super incredible and and that's grown uh so many friendships just in the midst of serving alongside people in really what I would consider a hard season of planting a church. Um and so it's just bred so many wonderful things through serving the Lord together.
SPEAKER_04Amen. I'm curious to hear what the the Stricklands would say. I had a couple of thoughts maybe from me. Uh I I don't even know if we really could even picture what it was going to be like four years from the start. It is just like I think we're like, I guess we're just gonna start and see what happens. And um, so I think maybe need not expectations, but I think for me, I don't know if others would echo this too. I think I kind of thought the and granted, we didn't come on as on staff, we were just coming on as as members. I kind of thought, oh, the this church plant is gonna be uh something that we kind of endure in addition to our normal lives, so that we're gonna have our normal things and then also, oh, we'll also be part of this church. And really it's like this has become the the kind of the the hub of all of our community, of who we are, like our our life has been more actually centered around the church. In some ways, now we work for the church, so that maybe is uh different than some people might say, but I think for a lot of people would experience like, oh, this actually is not you know the cliche saying with not an event that we come to and leave, but a people that we belong to. Uh there's a truth to that. I know we say it a lot of times, um, but I think that has been a change in how I've viewed uh church in general. Um, and but I think especially has been true at the field church, especially I think for us uh in that so surprisingly good for us. Maybe Steph. How's it been surprising to you that that we that it's that's gone, that it's got off the ground?
SPEAKER_00We're still here. So we are here, we are at speedway. We are in Westfield, and um I think we when Jeff and I were early married on and in Louisville for his master's and PhD, we had been part of a church plant down there. Um and it was a few more years down the road and so well established. So I knew what it could be. I knew what it could look like. Um and that was exciting. Um, what it was gonna take to get there and the years and the work and the literal blood, sweat, and tears. I didn't really know what all that would be, um, but I knew what it could be, um, especially just being faithful to the Lord um and just being obedient to his calling. So that was super exciting and encouraging. Um, once we started doing our I thought they were vision meetings, information meetings, what we called them, those Sunday afternoons in the cafe.
SPEAKER_03Super exciting.
SPEAKER_00I'll be honest, guys, they were terrible. Those were rough. Yeah. I did not enjoy them. I always walked away discouraged and worried. And I was never really worried until we had those meetings and then left. And then I got worried, and then I was fine. But once we started having true Sunday worship together, it just snowballed and kept going. And the Lord just continued to be faithful and people kept coming. And that was just what was so exciting. I'm like, people are coming and people are coming back after Sunday after Sunday. And so it was just so um exciting to see um like our worship team grow, to see our the kids grow. Um looking back, I look back at like our first like Faith's giving when it was literally like the 10 of us having Thanksgiving in our house. Um, to now we are running out of chairs at Maple Glen to even have Fieldsgiving. So it's just been overwhelmingly um just encouraging to see the Lord's goodness and faithfulness in it all.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Amen to that. I'm I mean, I think some of the things, there's so much in my mind uh thinking about this, but I do think sometimes I probably come off as a being a more of a dreamer and uh like wanting to vision and think things through and all that. I I think I probably look like I have a lot more confidence than I actually do. Um I I honestly like every day since we've begun, I I it's like pinching myself. Like I really am just shocked. I mean, I really I think I never actually thought I I mean I you guys are like, oh, thanks for letting us know that now. I just didn't, I just I don't know that I really believed it was gonna happen. I mean, I really don't. I mean, I I won one praying and hoped and that sort of thing. But I think deep down I was just, I'm like, I just don't know. Certainly during the information meeting um time, I was like, man, I just don't know um if this is gonna get off the ground and um if we can do this. And um, you know, you hear what some of you guys may know this, may not, but um, when you're going through church planting training, uh, the they just have one message and it's like you're gonna die. Like it's awful. It's sort of like don't shake the baby when you're getting your first kid. Like it's just this like it's you're just it's so hard. Like it's like opening a restaurant, like 90% of them don't make it, and you're coming out of COVID doing it. Like, it's just, and I'm like, I am not. There are guys that I know that I'm like, yeah, that dude should plant a church. Like he, like, I just I'm like, that is not me. Um, so I I just think I had a ton of doubt coming in. Uh really, I mean, I honestly looking around the table, like this, I mean, you having you guys with us was massive. I mean, massive. I think that I I'm like, I don't know if anybody would come to this church or be a part of this church, but I know with you guys sitting around the table, I think they will. Like, I really do think that will help. Um, as just the the real, genuine love for Christ, love for others, uh, giftedness, things like that, uh, was huge from the beginning. Um, and so yeah, I really do feel like it it has been it has not been easy. And um, but it has been so much better than I thought it was gonna be. And I tell people this all the time like the past four years are easily my favorite four years in ministry, and it's not even close. Um, and uh I think I'm surprised often to see like not only like I know like the friendships, the the relationships, the family that we have at this table right now, I expected that. Like, I I mean we had built some of that early on, knew that. But now to like people that are new, like that we've never known, like I had known now to see like so many, even for the first little bit of time, I'm like, well, there's still a lot of like Crawfordsville connections, some people we knew before. There's just so many people now that the Lord has brought uh to the church that are just incredible godly people to be able to get to see some people who didn't even know Jesus, come to know Christ through the church is incredible. Uh so yeah, it has been we are not a perfect church. It has not been a perfect journey, um, but it has been really sweet. And yeah, I I mean I really do think often I'm I feel like I'm pinching myself because it has just been that sweet.
SPEAKER_04Praise the Lord. Well, I have one last question for us. I'm gonna if on our combining our our two last questions, but uh for us, either uh something to share from from the early days, so even in the the time at Castleview or the interest meeting days, the info meeting interest meetings.
SPEAKER_02That was it was interesting. That's better than information meetings. Yeah, yeah. Interest meetings. I think we can't tell what it was.
SPEAKER_04If you were there at the the info interest meetings, they were a little tough. It was a little bit of is this gonna go, I don't know. Um so maybe for us round table to share either from from those seasons or from our first couple of Sundays or things going on, uh, or something that you especially I think we've kind of shared some all the way, something that you especially has been encouraging to you about the Fields Church um over the course of these four years and that. Um anyone want to kick us off?
unknownI'll kick us off.
SPEAKER_04Kick us off, Doug.
SPEAKER_12I'm not I'm not shy.
SPEAKER_04Oh, we know that, Doug.
SPEAKER_12Kathy, Kathy and I talk about this all the time. Um we have been a member of four different churches from Stunny First Street and Rock Point, Castle View, and now the Fields, and we still have strong connections with all of those. If we hadn't answered the call uh to plant this church, there are easily 200 people that we never ever would have met, never ever would have created long-lasting intimate relationships with. None of them are sitting here at this table, but there are easily 200 people that we've become so close to that we never would have even known had we not um committed to following that calling. And for me personally, the greatest thing that I have felt like God has called me to do is to teach at Quorme Dale. That never would have happened had I not had Kathy not not made that made that commitment. So it's been such a blessing for us to know that that we can see the fruit of our labors and that God has led us because of faithful preaching and teaching and singing and all the things that we've done to be faithful to the calling, to be obedient to that calling. It's just been a blessing.
SPEAKER_04Praise the Lord. It's uh it it's fun for me. I don't know if I can if I'm allowed to say this right, to tell just some Doug King stories of I feel like in the first the first the start of the. Well, we can't tell them all, but just maybe like uh everyone when we would go out and anywhere, Doug King is talking to everyone. It's like, hey, we're playing a church, like we're meeting people, the waitress of the restaurant, hey, we're playing a church here. Like, yeah, everyone that we would talk to. Michigan, Hedgeh wants you to know. Probably come to Westfield's church starting up. The best Doug King story, though, is uh uh uh, and I think a couple of us have said blood, sweat, and tears. Doug King, I think, is playing racquetball on one morning, busts his head open on the side of the wall, and whoever then comes to give him medical care, instead of you know instead of you know being a patient, Doug's like, we're planning a church in Westfield. And they showed up. They came in the king.
SPEAKER_11It's amazing. Jeff tells me you don't have to bleed to a witness for the church. Doug will anyway, though.
SPEAKER_03I uh I I tell people this all the time, and Doug, I think I've told you too. Uh, when anybody comes and preaches at our church, I'm like, here's what you want to do when you finish preaching. You just want to find, and I'll show them to you before. You want to find Doug King and you want to talk to him after you're preaching, because he will be the greatest encouragement to you when you feel at your absolute lowest after preaching. Um, and uh brother, you just are. I mean, uh, and I think uh just such an encouragement to um I mean that's that's in in some ways how God has wired you uh for people. And I think that's yeah, something I think about often.
SPEAKER_12Well, Jeff, we have lots to be thankful for. You are a remarkable preacher, and you've led all of us to different levels of understanding of scripture.
SPEAKER_03See why I go to Doug after every time I preach. Everyone else seems in here with the thing like, I mean, he's fine. But that seems a little overstated. That's why I go to Dick.
SPEAKER_04Callie, thoughts from you?
SPEAKER_07Yeah, I do remember um just thinking back to those interest meetings, which were tough. And we're in the middle of sunny days in the summer when we had an apartment pool, and I should have been, yeah, sunbathing. I'm here in this cafeteria. Um, I remember Aaron Stoffer like running through the door, and they had somewhere to go, so they couldn't even stay for the whole meeting. But she just looked at me and she was like, hey, we're gonna join. And I like that's like the first person I really heard from just someone who had kind of walked in off the street and uh just said, we're doing this. And I remember the excitement and thinking, oh my goodness, this might actually take off. And and just how yeah, fun that was and how much of the Lord's faithfulness was painted all over that. Um, even thinking to now, like that's something I don't want to lose when I meet new people, just seeing God's faithfulness that he brought them in the door, and uh we have an opportunity to become church family with them and love on them is something that yeah, as tough as those early days were, um, and just holding your breath every conversation, waiting for someone to say, ah, no, this isn't the place for us. Like there were so many sweet glimpses of God's goodness where people just stuck around and that continued to grow and continued to happen. So I it's fun to think back to that. And and I hope I can keep up some of that same zeal and excitement with every new person that walks in.
SPEAKER_00Um I'm just thinking back to all the families that have come to the fields and have joined and friends and um that we didn't know before. And these past four years have been such a huge blessing to us in our marriage and our family. And um it's just so encouraging to hear how it's a blessing to others. Um, and so many times we've done membership interviews or just have people over to our house for dessert and coffee, and time and time again hear them say, We've been longing for a church like the Fields. Um, and it's just an overwhelming, like on repeat sound from so many members. Um, like we've been looking for two to three years. We've tried so many churches, we've been waiting and waiting, and we've never found a church like the Fields. And so that has just been um just such an encouragement, and um, I hope that just continues to echo uh for a long time that this is just a church that people long for um and want to be a part of because it really has just been such a huge blessing to me personally and to just our family as a whole.
SPEAKER_01Um I think something that Ian and I have just always been praying for is just like community for our family and people that don't just love us, but like love our kids. Um and I think we have really experienced that at the fields, um even with some of the older community, like Jackson, our four-year-old loves Jackson just loves to sit at the table with and just tell stories. I'm not really sure what those are sometimes, but um and I think uh yeah, people just pulling our kids in to help do things. And um I think we have a ton of people that we've that have like taken our kids when we needed to go do something or Strickland's. I think we dropped our kids off at like 5 30 one morning when I needed to go to the ER and um just countless things like that. Um just people loving our kids for who they are, and um yeah, we've really cherished that.
SPEAKER_04Ian, sorry, no? Mangleds? Ian Mangles, Grace. We only have three mics doing this too. It's been uh I think we're doing great, but it's been Grace.
SPEAKER_08I remember at at the beginning just thinking, like, oh man, I'm so worried. Is it just gonna be me? Like for the longest time. Um, but Ashley was there, I think, right from the very first interest meeting. And she's been such a huge blessing, but to see where like we've grown, we now have like 22 members on our music team, and they just make leading so easy because they're they're just people who really love Jesus and they've stewarded the gifts that um that God has given them so well, and they're just using it to serve the church, and so it's just such a joy to to lead with each and every one of them.
SPEAKER_07So also a crazy number of violinists for a church plant. Oh yeah, five ones. Four or five at least.
SPEAKER_06And we have a cello. And a cello. Actually, I think we have two cellos.
SPEAKER_07Cellists. That's kind of unheard of.
SPEAKER_03Crazy. There we go. And no trouble or starting something.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, well, and I played sax in high school too, but I don't know if you want me up there. Um interesting story that I remember, um, and maybe I'm gonna put my foot in my mouth for a second time for this. Um, but during the interest meetings, uh, we were instructed to come up and uh inform everybody how we were serving. And um I decided it would be a good idea to tell everybody that I make Grace sound good.
SPEAKER_13Um and I continue to do that.
SPEAKER_06No, she makes herself sound good, and it's been a blessing to serve alongside her. I think that's been um probably one of the really cool things about ministry um in this season is that I get to do it with my wife, and we were newly married and learning how to um to serve alongside each other in really such a close capacity that we had never done before. We served together at Rock Point um from afar, more or less. Um, but we were having to figure out how to back a trailer together, and if you've ever backed a trailer as a couple, you you know how tense that can get. Um so it there's yeah, it's it's been really sweet getting to do ministry with my wife over the last four years, four and a half years.
unknownSo sweet.
SPEAKER_04So sweet. I think I just had just barely forgotten you saying that, Dylan. Now I remember it again.
SPEAKER_10Ian, how about from you? Yeah, I think I mean, along with what everyone else is saying here, I think I can I think it kind of like uh uh blends in with everything. It's just the the emphasis that, and I think a lot of credit goes to Jeff and the other elders, is just the emphasis on on just intentionality with the people, especially like members. Like it's not just like all right, you showed up to this class, you sign this paper, all right, you're a member, you know, oh great, right? It's you know, are you coming to you know, if you haven't seen you in a while, you know, someone's reaching out, and you know, you're a member. Here's like 10 ways, 15 ways you can serve. And like most of you are doing it. Like, what is it like 70, 80 percent or something like that, or lots of you know, even more than that are serving. And uh it's even and I think I asked you a question or something, or or or uh you mentioned it once that like you know, if you're you know, people who are getting baptized, we also want you to be members so you're not alone. Like, like it's not like you're just getting baptized and then like, okay, yeah, it you're a member. Like, let's let's come alongside. And there's just such an intentionality to the membership, or even if you're not a member, just like just getting into your life and and how can you help? How can we help you? How can you serve the church? Because serving in the church, you know, gets you uh more involved and and loving in the church and the church loving you back. And it's just you know, credit to you, Jeff. I'm sure some of that comes from Castle View as you were like working on, you know, let's really focus. One of the main things being, you know, how can we help our members be members? What does membership mean in the church? And then the elders come alongside you, and Joe and Braden coming alongside even with that. Um, yeah, I I just I just love that um about our church.
SPEAKER_03I actually remember I was when we were thinking about planting, and um I was getting ready to teach a class. My final class I taught at Rock Point was on the Sermon on the Mount, and um I was reading um Martin Lloyd Jones had this sermons on uh the sermon, sermons on the sermon on the mount, and uh his first introduction had something like this, and I'm gonna butcher it a little bit, but essentially it's like what this world needs is not more programs and more events and um you know more cool ideas and all these sorts of things. What this uh world needs, and he's talking about from a Christian perspective, it just needs true Christians actually living it out. Like just like if you want to see like the kingdom grow, like Christ glorified, that like the Great Commission, you just need Christians together, like like actually being real, living it out. And and I just remember thinking in that sort of time of like, man, what if we just had, and and Rock Point was such a great example of this, but I was wanting to see more of this. I'm like, what if we had a church where every member just knew that what it meant to be a member was to help other people follow Jesus? Like it was not like our main thing wasn't someone on a stage or you know, some sort of program or this by like, but but it was actually one another, like helping each other grow in a Christ. Like, what if we were just real Christians living out the Christian life together, being on mission together, those sorts of things. And that was sort of the dream in my head at that time. And now just to look, and again, man, we have ways to grow and all of us and that sort of thing, but it's just like, oh, that is what the Lord's doing. Uh, like in every single little facet, everybody I meet, it seems like on a Sunday out coming out the door, when I'm like, hey, how did you hear about the fields? Like, oh yeah, so and so. Uh I like I met them at work, I met them at the park, uh, I saw them at a baseball game. Like, I just so and so told me about like the church. And and that's right, and it's just such an encouragement to me. So I I think that's one of the things that I like just think on so often is just like, oh man, it really is kind of simple. Like, like true Christians who who love Jesus and who Jesus has saved, just doing like being the church together and and really being just trying to be faithful. Um, and to see the fruit of that has just been has been so sweet.
unknownAll right.
SPEAKER_04Well, hey, thank you all for taking time to be here today, but thank you all for all the time and effort you've put in over the last five years in all that you guys do to love and serve our people. And I know uh those listen there's a lot been a lot of people who've been from the early days of the fields. Um, but I think it's what uh I kind of clear to see in this is um you guys love the fields church. I'm with that too. We we we love our church. Uh we're not a perfect church by any means, and uh I think we can all echo there's been hard seasons over the last six to four years, whenever you've come on, but it's also been a joy too. And um, the Christian life is both joy and sorrow and hardship and rejoicing all at the same time in that. And I think part of that has just come out tonight in this. So if you've made it through this podcast, this is the longest one. How long are we, Jeff? We are under an under an hour. Okay. Under an hour. Great. Um, Jeff, any closing thoughts for us?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think just really briefly, I mean, I I we probably actually this is like one of the first times we've actually done this uh in quite a while, just to get sort of the original 10 together. And some of that is uh like I sometimes feel guilty about that. I'm like, oh man, we should do this more often. Um I probably don't thank you guys enough. Uh just as like I look back and thinking about man, it was crazy in some sense for Steph and I to jump. It was so much crazier for you to jump behind us. Uh so like uh I mean, at least in some ways, I, you know, had this is what I did, like this is my career and some of those sorts of things, and um had some vision. I'm like, oh man, it it still amazes me every day. Uh I thank God daily that uh you guys jumped with us, that the Lord called you to do so. Uh and it's been, I I honestly, I mean, I I mean this from the depths. Like, and I think this is so clear. Like the Fields Church is is in no way like my church, in the sense of like, I like I look around and I'm like, man, you guys have shaped the fields every bit as much as I have. Obviously, it's the Lord's church him doing that, but just that's across the board in our church. Like, I take I think it's really crazy to be four years in, and I plan on going nowhere if the Lord gives me uh a lot of years here. Um, but I'm like, man, you you could take us out of the equation and our church would be fine. Like we just have like the Lord has done that. And and I think a huge testimony is uh to you guys. I'm so super thankful.
SPEAKER_00Uh as we were preparing for this and doing some weekenders and DC and meeting with other people, I had a lot of pastors' wives and church planner wives telling me that this would be the loneliest season. Um and just how to prepare for that. And I never felt that um mainly because of you all. So never felt days of loneliness and struggles, and of course there were hard days, but um never really felt like a lonely season, and just so grateful to you guys um for that, for sort of turning the tide on that and just setting a different tone here at the fields and for our family. So thankful for y'all.
SPEAKER_12You had knocks.
SPEAKER_03True, amen. Uh but I also think that I mean, as much as that applies to the 10 people at the table here, too. Like I mean, if you're listening to this, it's very likely you're a member of the fields. And um, and so man, it's just yeah, it's just such a sweet joy. I think we all feel that.
SPEAKER_04Sweet to reflect. And the these four years have been sweet, and we're looking to the next 40 and beyond that. Amen.
SPEAKER_12Well, maybe Candy King just said, Welcome.
SPEAKER_02All right, eternity in the new heavens and the new earth, friends. So there is an eternity.
SPEAKER_04Amen. All right. Well, hey, thank you for listening to Fields Notes. It's been a joy to us to uh put this on. We pray it's been an encouragement to you to listen. So we're signing off for Fields Notes. See ya.