Eugene Church Plant - Awakening Church

We have learned much about the people of Eugene in our short time here. For example, we have found the people of Eugene to be very simple. One man who has lived in both Indiana and Eugene said it like this, “in Indiana people live to work, but in Oregon people work to live.” The people here don’t seem to be so influenced by the American Dream, but rather by having fun now, and working just enough so they can spend the majority of their time doing what they love to do.

In addition, we have found the people of Eugene to be very relational. There is a big sense of community in Eugene. People create a lot of space in their day and week to spend time with each other. The simplicity with which life is lived here lends itself to a relational environment.

We have also found the people of Eugene to be spiritual. Many people identify themselves as having very personal connections to a higher being, an openness to many pathways to God, and a general toleration of any belief system so long as it doesn’t tell someone else how to live. The spiritual culture of Eugene manifests itself through a high value on the stewardship of creation, an investment into social justice, and a freedom for much diversity of thought, life style and belief. And yet, in all the ways that the people of Eugene bear the image of God, they seemingly are unaware of the person and work of God through Jesus Christ. To many in Eugene, Jesus was just an ‘enlightened man’ who we can learn much from, but he wasn’t the Son of God who came, died and was resurrected and now offers salvation and life to all who believe in Him.

How do you engage a culture that is unaware that they need a savior? That is the question that has driven our journey thus far in Eugene. Ultimately, we know that only God can create a desire for God in the hearts of man, and that is why we pray, and pray often. But we also believe that God has invited us to be a part of the process He uses to awaken hearts to the reality of who He is. Specifically, in this season of our church plant journey, it is our sense and calling that God is beckoning us by His grace to be people that embody Jesus Christ through loving relationships in a redemptive community. We are convinced that the primary means by which the Gospel is preached is through relationships, which is extremely valued in Eugene. And as a redemptive community embodying Jesus through loving relationships, we believe that God will awaken people to the reality of who He is.

As a church, we thank God that He loves the people of Eugene much more than we do, that He has been working in Eugene much longer than we have, and that He is leading and directing us now by His Holy Spirit. We just want to excel at being faithful to God’s leading. We have already begun to witness some of the budding of the seeds that have been planted in our short time here. Thank you so much for your prayers and investment into Awakening Church.

*To learn more about the Awakening Church visit their blog.