A New Journey!
Over 17 years ago, I walked into Seacoast Church for the first time. I was lost, hurting, angry, broken and looking for something more. I immediately felt accepted, wanted, but more than that, I knew this was a community of people who had discovered something I had not. Through the love and grace of many, I came to discover the transforming power of Jesus Christ. My life has never been the same.
It was at Seacoast where…
…I came to discover God’s love and grace.
…I led my first small group.
…I led my first person to Christ.
…I learned to be generous.
…I found true community.
…I was given my first chance in full-time vocational ministry.
…I preached my first sermon.
…I was given the permission to fail and the opportunity to succeed.
…I met my wife, Sara.
…we got married.
…we dedicated our first child.
…I continually experienced the presence and power of God.
Needless to say, I LOVE Seacoast Church, which is what makes writing this so difficult.
Several months ago, I began sensing God was going to close this chapter of our lives. I didn’t know what that meant or what would come next. All I knew was that He was beginning to stir something new in my heart.
I began to dream about leading a church. I began to think about what it would look like to plant a church some place. As I shared these thoughts with Sara, she was sensing the same thing. We didn’t know what the next steps were going to be. We didn’t know what planting a church looked like. All we knew was that God was drawing us to do something different, to plant a church.
I knew I needed to talk with Pastor Greg Surratt, Senior Pastor of Seacoast Church, and share with him what we were sensing God was saying. His response was truly amazing. He told me that he would love for us to stay at Seacoast, but he always knew God was going to call us to plant a church. He told me he was completely supportive of us and would help us throughout the process.
We have been truly blessed by Pastor Greg’s support, not only throughout this process, but over the last 17 years of being under his leadership. He truly is the real deal. He is a man of God who desires God’s best for every person and I can honestly say that I would not be the man or leader that I am today without his leadership and influence in my life.
After talking with Pastor Greg, Sara and I began a fun process of trying to determine what city we were going to be planting a church in. We identified the values that we wanted in a city and then chose a short list of cities in the United States that matched those values. We prayed over the list and decided to visit the top two on that list.
After visiting both cities, we fell in love with both. We had hoped that God would clearly tell us which city to move to, but He seemed to leave that door wide open. We sensed Him telling us “The reason you are going to either city is for the right reason, to plant a church. So, neither city is the wrong city. Just pick the one you want to live in the most.â€Â As we processed this, we made a decision. It was an 8 month process, but we finally received clarity.
This summer, Sara and I will be leaving great jobs, a great church, great friends, great family and a beautiful city that we were both born in to plant a church in Denver, Colorado. We are excited about this new journey and the opportunity we are going to have to learn more about God and each other while introducing thousands of people to the transforming love and power of God.
To say we are excited is an understatement. Yet with our excitement comes a sense of nervousness, sadness, and uncertainty. We are going to miss our church family very much. We are going to miss our friends and neighbors. We are going to miss our family.
We still have a lot of questions that we would like God to answer for us. Yet, we continue to trust God in this process. We know that He will give us the wisdom that we need and will lead us in this new adventure. We firmly believe that He will be our comfort, our guide, our sustainer through it all and it is in seasons like this where we are able to see God’s provision and presence in new ways.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I will be writing more blog posts about the process we have been in and the development of the church. I would love for you to continue this journey with us. If you would like to be a part of this journey, here are a few things you can do.
- Pray that God would guide us in our decision making, prepare the hearts of the people we will meet in Colorado, give us favor with those we meet along the way, provide financially for us as a family and the sustaining of the church, be our source of comfort as we miss home, build community within a different community and experience the presence of God like never before.
- Pray for our families, friends, Seacoast Church and theWell ministry.
- Be a source of encouragement for my family and for those who will go with us.
- Pray about joining us. We believe that God will call some to go with us. Maybe you will be one of those. Pray about it. 🙂
- Follow us on this journey. You can subscribe to my blog and receive updates involving the church plant through the blog.
We are excited about the future and I want to say thank you to Pastor Greg Surratt for helping us along this journey. Your support has been more than all we could ask or imagine. Thank you!
Let the journey begin!!!!
April 3rd, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Ernest and Sara,
I’m sad to see you go but know God has great plans for you! I haven’t gotten to be much of a part of your lives in the recent past but remember all the good times we have all shared. Good luck in your new venture. Now I have a reason to visit Colorado! 🙂
April 3rd, 2013 at 1:02 pm
I know how tough it is to leave Seacoast, grits, and your beloved Bulldogs, but I also know God has an incredible adventure for you here in the Mile High City. (That’s a reference to altitude not legalization, though both apply) As you know 95% of the people who live along the Front Range (Colorado for the Low Country) don’t attend church. I believe God is going to use you and Sara and the incredible team you will build to make a dent in the number of people out here who are “happily lost” and headed for an eternity without God. Sherry and I have tried to stay neutral as you guys (Colorado for y’all) made this decision, but now that you have we are thrilled you are headed to our adopted city. Now pack your bags, say your goodbyes and get your tail out here; we’ve got work to do! (We love you, Sara and the kids and we can’t wait until you get here)
April 3rd, 2013 at 1:07 pm
You are my brother and you know that I support you but I am also hoping that God will help me with dealing with you and your family being so far away. You are such a great brother and I am going to miss you so much!!!!! I guess I will have to try to get over my fear of flying!
April 3rd, 2013 at 1:33 pm
Ernest & Sara,
Happy for you guys
Proud of you guys
Encouraged by you guys
April 3rd, 2013 at 4:07 pm
So excited for you guys! You will bless so many with your pastoral leadership, and I can’t wait to hear how God moves.
April 3rd, 2013 at 5:58 pm
I Will miss see Ernest & Sara, I went to high school with Ernest a longtime ago!
April 3rd, 2013 at 6:42 pm
Wow!!! Fantastic! Some of my best friends are out there, Kirsten Blake & her husband Adam. They have a 1 year old baby girl and a poodle name Layla.
They’re warm and welcoming and I think you’d both love them too. Plus Kirsten is an AH-mazing cook. You need to get invited to their place for dinner!
Kirsten’s sister is a worship pastor, so is her niece and her husband. They’re good folk to know out there. I can connect you via Facebook of you’re interested.
How very, very exciting!
April 3rd, 2013 at 9:36 pm
It’s going to be amazing guys and you can count on our prayers being with ya!
Russo
April 3rd, 2013 at 10:02 pm
You may not know me, but Pastor Greg and I go way back. Got the privilege of working at the Seacoast in the beginning. A wonder place and time. I presently live south of Denver and if you just need a “guide” or new friend, along with Geoff and Sherry, please let me know what we can do for you. We welcome another family to bring the good news to the people of Colorado
April 6th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
So happy for you and Sara, proud of you, and immensely excited for this new adventure and “Rocky Mountain high”!!!!
January 25th, 2014 at 9:20 pm
Hi there! I am so happy I found this blog! I too went to seacoast and was hurting before attending. I met an awesome best friend that god put in my life at a different church in Charleston. We started attending regular Sundays even if I had to be at work , I made it my priority to be there. God was working wonders in the short time I attended. I felt I was “home”. I then had the urge that God put within me ( that he had better). I now live in Denver, Colorado and was searching for a similar church to attend! I am so excited I found this!!
February 2nd, 2014 at 9:52 am
This is awesome news as our family is in the process of moving “back to the mile high” where my husband is from. What is the name of your church?