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Aaron Johnson, church planter at Renaissance Church in Lakewood Ranch, shared this story of a husband and wife who found new life in Christ through their FCP church plant. Thank you for supporting the ministry FCP. Your involvement makes this kind of life change possible in Florida every day!
Jordan and Kendra entered our lives in the fall of 2021. They’d been through a lot. They’d each recently lost a parent, and they had both struggled for years with substance abuse and other addictions. Jordan had once been a Division I college football player, but his problems with drugs and alcohol derailed his athletic career. In fact, Jordan had spent nearly three years in prison due to several drunk driving convictions. Anger, anxiety, and addictions dominated their lives. When we met them, they had just moved to the Sarasota area from Texas with their two young daughters seeking a fresh start.
Jordan and Kendra both had some church in their backgrounds, but they’d never really been followers of Jesus. As part of their fresh start, they were also interested in getting more involved with a church. Renaissance Church was still months away from holding worship services, but we invited Jordan and Kendra to join one of our Ren Groups, our small group Bible study gatherings. They quickly started to realize that God wanted them to make some changes in their lives.
The changes were sweeping and rapid. They both believed in Jesus, but hadn’t been baptized. We drove out to the beach one day in Februrary 2022 to immerse them both into Jesus—the first official baptisms of Renaissance Church. Our family typically attended Westside Christian Church in Bradenton during that pre-launch season, and Jordan and Kendra often came with us. They developed friendships with other mature Christians, and they asked many great questions as they learned more about God’s truth as revealed in His Word. They finally got married after years of cohabitation. They’ve worked hard to grow as parents who disciple their own children in Jesus.
After months of trouble finding and keeping work and living off their parents’ inheritance, Jordan and Kendra each found good, steady jobs—they’ve each been promoted since then—and they became some of our most faithful givers financially. They’ve shared their faith with others. They’ve also become some of our most important volunteer leaders at Ren Church. Kendra leads our greeter and hospitality team, and Jordan is coordinator of our set up and tear down crew. After apprenticing under my wife Jen for months, Kendra recently became the leader of our second ladies’ Ren Group.
Jordan and Kendra would be quick to admit that they are still very much works in progress. They have a lot of growing to do in knowledge of the Bible and obedience to the Lord. But their lives are not the same—they are new creations, as Paul wrote in the verse we read in every one of our worship gatherings: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17). Jordan and Kendra have already had a powerful impact for God in the lives of other people through Ren Church. We will be thrilled to discover what else God has in store for them, and for Renaissance Church.
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