Redemption Bear River
I have been slacking on posting updates here, but I like to have lots to share so here goes.
This summer was a whirlwind that started in May when Mallory and I began the assessment process with North American Mission Board (NAMB) to be Lead Church Planter. Shortly before that I was doing pulpit supply for a small Baptist church in Tremonton, UT. With only 5 members, it was pretty clear this church needed some help so we poured everything into a re-plant for that church to join with Redemption Church. Ultimately the members there chose not to go with Redemption, but what hapened was that Mallory and I fell in LOVE with Tremonton.
It is a small town of nearly 15,000 located in northern Utah about 30 minutes from the Idaho border. Along with several other small communities this area is called the Bear River Valley.
It is one of the fastest growing areas in northern Utah and young families are moving here to get some breathing room from the more populated areas and for more affordable housing.
Bobby Wood (Redemption Ogden) and many of the other Redemption pastors have been praying for a while that God would bring together a church plant in Tremonton. So after completing our NAMB assessment on October 1st, the journey to plant Redemption Bear River is underway.
As Lead Planter, we started our first community group in Tremonton on October 2nd. There are about 25 people (some from Redemption North Ogden) who will make up our Core Team as we build toward launch in Fall 2026.
Tremonton and the Bear River Valley are hungry for healthy church community, and we believe that God is already doing that work. We are still living in Layton until our current lease is up in April when we will move to Tremonton.
Pray for God to draw more people into our fellowship. Maybe God is stirring your heart to missions and that means relocating to Utah to join our plant team. Pray also for favor with the community of Tremonton.
Often people talk about “stepping out of the boat” as a metaphor for faith (Matthew 14:28-29), well I yelled “CANNONBALL” and jumped out. I resigned from my job as a 911 Dispatcher with Weber Area Dispatch where I have been working since January 2023. Leaving a secure job with benefits sounds pretty insane, but for those of you who have said “God, I believe you are calling me to this and if you aren’t I am going to fall flat on my face,” you understand what I’m saying. Mallory and I along with many others have affirmed this calling to plant a church and God has been faithful every step of the way so far.
You may not know that unlike International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries, NAMB missionaries are not fully funded by NAMB. That means God uses people like you to support church plants and their planters.
Just like he has called us to go and plant, He has also called many faithful believers to use their resources to provide for the needs of those who go. It is the beautiful work of missions that we are all commanded to take part in as part of the Great Commission.
We are in full-on support raising mode right now to reach our estimated year one budget of $188,794. That means we need $15,732 monthly for this thing to get going. In just over 4 months we are about 25% funded.
Pray how God would use you and your family to faithfully commit to monthly support or a one time gift. You can do that on our SUPPORT page.
See I told you I had lots to share and that’s probably leaving off ALOT. But we truly love you all and cannot express enough how much we appreciate your prayers and support. On the tough days, I often look at cards or texts you all send and it reminds me that God is using so many people along with us to fulfill His mission in Utah.
