December 1, 2015
Dear Shelter Cove Family,
“When I woke up, I realized I was still alive … and it was at that moment I knew
God had a plan for me.” —Brent
Stories are powerful, and I can’t wait to share Brent’s story with you because it captures the
heartbeat of what Shelter Cove is all about.
We’ve officially entered the Christmas season and with it comes a special Year-End challenge. The
ministry of Shelter Cove relies on the faithful support of people like you to Reach and Raise
Authentic Followers of Jesus and there’s more to share about what God is doing than I could
possibly write! We send a Year-End letter to challenge you to ask the LORD about giving a special
year-end gift that’s over and above your regular giving to support and strengthen the ministry for this
year and the year to come.
Most Year-End letters are filled with highlights and statistics gathered the previous 11 months that
communicate what the LORD has done in people’s lives. We have that list, and it includes everything
from the number of baptisms we’ve celebrated (167), the number of girls and boys with whom we’ve
shared the Gospel through Vacation Bible School (321), to the number of couples we’ve encouraged
through our Marriage Ministry (340), and the impact we’ve seen made for Christ through the 65 Jr.
High and High School Students who spent their Easter vacation building homes and serving in
Mexico.
What is MOST impressive is what has taken place in the hearts and lives of people of all ages as a
result of the ministry of Shelter Cove. Brent’s story is one of those stories, and what Brent has
experienced is not unique. I believe there are many stories just like his throughout our church.
Take a moment to read Brent’s story because his journey captures the very heartbeat of our mission
as a church.
Brent is a personal fitness trainer. In 2008, he met both Pastor David Seifert (our former Senior
Pastor) and Mike Rogers (a committed believer from Shelter Cove) who were working out where
Brent works. During that time, Brent would tell you his life was not headed in the right direction. “I
knew about God, and I was interested in Him, but I was clearly sitting on the throne of my own life…
calling the shots (and making lots of mistakes).” A failed relationship left him caring for his daughter,
Makala, now six.
Week after week, he would see Pastor David and Mike at the gym. They would strike up
conversation, which would often end with an invitation to Shelter Cove. From 2008 to 2014, Brent
would come to church off and on but continued to do life his way. “Even though I only came to
Shelter Cove once in a while, the times I did, it felt like home. When I saw the guys at the gym, they
simply accepted me for who I was and encouraged me to keep coming.” Brent went on to say his
biggest reasons for not choosing to follow Jesus was his fear that he had to be perfect before
coming to Christ and that he simply couldn’t walk the walk once he accepted the Lord.
In 2011, the pressure of doing life apart from Jesus reached a breaking point when Brent attempted
to take his own life, but in God’s plan, thankfully he failed. Brent said, “When I woke up, I realized I
was still alive… and it was at that moment I knew God had a plan for me.”
Brent started coming to church more frequently. Through the preaching and hearing of God’s Word
and meeting new Christian friends, he began to understand he didn’t need to have his life alltogether before making Jesus Lord of his life.
In early 2015, Brent turned over control of his life to Jesus! On February 8, 2015, he was baptized,
publically identifying with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
As a new believer, Brent said, “I wanted to learn as much as I could about what it meant to follow
Jesus. I made a serious commitment, and I wanted to do my part in following Him.” That meant
joining a Life Group — something initially outside his comfort zone.
“Being around other believers on a weekly basis — people who were like-minded and challenged me
to know God and trust him with life’s decisions — helped me build a solid foundation.” Since
beginning his new life in Jesus, the Lord has been faithful to teach Brent what it means to be a
follower of Christ. Shortly after coming to the Lord, he began to volunteer in our Tech Ministry,
helping to produce our weekend services.
What Brent didn’t know was that God was working even before he came to trust the Lord. You see,
just months before accepting Christ, Brent began to notice Kelley at Shelter Cove. Kelley had known
Jesus as her Lord from a young age but had walked away and was on her own journey back to Him.
Months after his baptism, the two met and became friends, but unlike the “old Brent” their friendship
was centered on Jesus!
Today, Brent and Kelley are engaged, and on January 16, 2016 they will become husband and wife,
here at Shelter Cove. “For Kelley and me, we can’t wait to be married, but our walk with Jesus —
that’s most important. We want Jesus to be the very center of everything… we really don’t want to
mess up what He’s doing, and that includes a commitment to purity before marriage.”
Brent’s Baptism
Brent & Kelley
When asked the question, “Is becoming a Christian an event or a journey?” “It’s both. There’s a clear
line where you make a decision to follow Jesus and not yourself. It’s also a journey, but one where I
know the Lord is with me — guiding me and bringing other believers into my life to encourage, teach,
and strengthen me in my walk… and key to all this is the church — Shelter Cove.”
I’m so grateful for Brent and his story! I can’t help but think about the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the
new has come!” Brent’s transparency demonstrates the power of God to change a life, and it
communicates the role we play as both a people and a church.
This is ONE story, and there are many more I want to share with you in the months ahead. In order
to make the kind of life-change that Brent experienced, we must continue to make Shelter Cove a
place where the Word of God is taught, where people meet Jesus, and where vibrant ministry takes
place.
As we look to the end of the year, our monthly giving through November hasn’t kept pace with our
2015 budget. We are approximately $180,000 short of our budgeted 2015 income.
Will you please pray about a year-end gift above and beyond your normal giving? My hope and
prayer is that we will not only make up our shortfall and cover our December expenses, but also
position ourselves for a fantastic 2016. With God, nothing is impossible, and together, we trust Him
to meet our every need.
Next year, our budget is $3,497,062.00, less than 1% more than our 2015 budget. Using the
resources supplied by God through you, we plan to continue telling the greatest story ever
told — the story of how God sent his only Son to earth to pay the ultimate price to save
people like you and me from an eternity apart from Him.
Thank you for praying about the gift God is prompting you to give this year.
Finishing Strong Together,
Pastor Jeremy, Lead Pastor