I missed blogging yesterday. Let me rephrase that statement. I did not make a blog entry yesterday. In some ways, I missed writing and in other ways I was thankful for the break. In 50 days, I have not missed one, but I missed yesterday for good reason. I was in class all day, ran home to do a few chores, then made my way up to the Festival on the Trails. Last year, I played a part in creating this festival where our community is invited to walk on the trails in between 3 different churches playing games, collecting candy, and taking family pictures. I am so very proud of this festival for 2 reasons: 1- This is a great love offering to our community! 2- Church Partnership.
If you asked me directly, I would say that the church partnership was the priority in creating this event. I am always looking for ways to partner with other organizations. I believe that lasting friendships are created, and efforts are multiplied when we work together. We realize that we have more in common than we might have thought! Working at Kingwood Christian Church, I realized that our church ministered alongside Kingwood Bible two blocks away and Christ the King Lutheran Church across the street. I did my research and saw that most churches did not have a festival close to Halloween anymore opting for a pumpkin patch event instead. After initial research, I reached out to the person closest to my job description to see if they would be interested in a partnership. I met with each of these beautiful women separately over coffee so that they did not feel pressure to decide right away. We decided to go for it and see what happened. We were met with success beyond our wildest dreams! People drove 30 min to come and participate!!!
In the year of planning, we met often, prayed often and these women encouraged me and lifted me up personally throughout the year. I LOVE these women.
We might have let our differences in denomination kill the partnership. We might have let the categories of “progressive,” “conservative,” or “liberal” keep us from working together, but I am so very thankful that this did not enter the discussion. We all believe in showing God’s love to our community. We all believe in Jesus and follow him as a disciple. We all are committed to seeing each other grow and blossom on our journey.
My life was enriched for the experience.
Amber Mattingly 
One response to “Church Partnership”
It turned out great again this year, Amber. Thank you for starting such a fun experience for all who participated but also for the opportunity to join other churches in our community in a joint effort of working together for a common cause.
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