Carl Martin
Crosspoint church plant

Many of you have been so encouraging as you have helped me and my family through our transition to the Low Country. I thank God for people, like the deacon from one of our churches who served me by hooking up my washing machine after the hose blew off and flooded our home. The experience of watching water pour out of the second floor air vent onto a new wood flooring was not a pleasant one! However, each problem is an opportunity for God to display His love and care to us. He did just that! In response to a call, a deacon came to serve my family, while expecting nothing in return. Praise God for His servants.

I had just returned from two weeks of studying world religions in Thailand in January 2007 and I was feeling relieved and excited. I was excited to be back in Slovakia with the International Mission Board to finish up my last seven months of ministry, but I was also excited and relieved to have finished my last two classes for my Masters of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Yet, at the same time, with every ending comes a new beginning and the question loomed: What next? That began my journey to Bluffton, South Carolina and the Arms Around the Triangle church planting vision.

 

It is so neat to see God fit pieces together in ways that we could never expect or imagine. After a few phone calls to my long-time friend Jeremy Chasteen at Crosspoint Clemson, Jeremy had laid out a vision for reaching the lost people of the Lowcountry that would spread and plant other churches regionally and globally. Soon after I was in conversation with Carl Martin listening to the infectious passion he had about the ministry. Through prayer and Scripture, my wife, Brandy, and I heard God speak to us to join this work with our gifts and talents. In fact, God asked us to take the training I had been leading for lay leaders and pastors in Slovakia and apply the same concepts to reaching the lost in Bluffton. The path God was taking us was clear and we were stepping out on faith, much like Abraham heading off in pursuit of the land God had called him to pursue.

 

August and September saw us pack up twenty three bags and load them onto a plane to return to the States and move to a completely new city and area for our family. The transition involved weeks of traveling, culture shock, and building new team relationships. All the while, we are excited for what is going to happen in and around the growth of Bluffton. We have started to settle in and get acquainted to the area as we take our two little ones out into the community and mix with people around us. We anticipate God to do great things through us as we remain obedient to his calling and we reflect the praise and glory back to Him for all He blesses us with.