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What is the longest you have ever lived in one house? If it’s more than five years, you’re above the national average for urban residents. 

Researchers have claimed that moving to a new place is the second most stressful life event, standing only next to the death of a spouse or a divorce. In spite of this fact, people still move. Sometimes I’ve been surprised at how quickly families move from one location to another without much thought or planning. There are always reasons -- they get a better job, they like the area, they want to get away from a congested part of the city and the noise, they want a better place for children, they want more space etc. Many of these are genuine reasons for moving.

Sometimes Christians hardly consider the Lord and His purpose when it comes to moving. Consider the example of Israelites. God was leading them out of Egypt to a land He had promised them. God’s people were caught up in anxiety and doubts. All these were stressful and many of them could not make it to the land God was giving them.

These thoughts occurred to me, when we even as a Church are preparing to move to a God given new location. The plan to move was at least 25 years in the making. Our founding pastor, Rev. Earl Stubbs, had known that soon the facility would outgrow itself and initiated the church building fund. Not just that, he had a sort of blue print of the land God was going to give! That is VISION! In the meanwhile, he went home to be with the Lord, but thank God the vision he had didn't die and all of us could take it forward. 

Anytime we do something new, it’s an opportunity for momentum. We as a church not only want to move to a new location but also want to move to another level. That’s why there is 30/30 prayer, chain prayer and half night prayer. But we also need to make that decision, “I refuse to remain the same”. Of course it involves challenges and sacrifice. A rubber band is more useful only when it is stretched! Once we consciously decide to break the status quo and move out of our comfort level, God is going to work in and through our lives. God says, “Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense!” Isa 54:2 (New Living Translation) 

We as a Church, are so incredibly blessed and excited for this opportunity to join with one another to build His church and to further His Kingdom, from the new location, Kompally! He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” Gen 26:22

We are praying and trusting God with the whole process and we see through our eyes of faith that God is working to open doors, make new paths, and to make this entire move possible. We are certain that God is going to do great things in the lives of our church family, the people in the neighborhood and beyond! “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer 29:11

Dr. T. Joseph Christadoss