Breaking Ground

A Collection of Stories, Prayers, & Devotions

Breaking Ground is a quarterly newsletter highlighting the work and mission of Open Door Church & Plowshares Home Churches to love God, love others, and share the peace of Christ in and around Lexington, Kentucky.

Each quarter we’ll keep you up-to-date on important news and opportunities in Open Door. We’ll also feature a quarterly theme to help us all grow in our faith as we follow Christ together.

Hey Friends,

I believe we are kind of standing on the edge of new and unfamiliar territory as a church.  Kind of like Abraham going out even though he didnt know where he would end up.  Or Mary receiving that word from the angel, trusting that it all would come to pass, but really not know how it would all work out. 

We have more families and children than we have ever had.  We have so many people with gifts and callings that we need to equip for their respective ministries.  We are about to build 4 apartments and move people into them in 2026, but we have never managed apartments.  Two members recently informed us about college students they know who are struggling financially and in crisis.  College students have been brought to our door and we need to figure out what our kingdom role can be in their lives. 

It really does feel like an advent, a beginning journey into areas of God's kingdom we have not yet been. 

I feel that in some ways we are waiting to see how God works all this out.  Who will God call to serve in these endeavors and need?  How can we make sure we wait on God's leading, wait on his Holy Spirit to speak, while also moving forward?  

How are we encountering Jesus? 

A common thread that came through in our recent testimonies on All-Community Sunday was that folks with us feel that they can be themselves.  They don't have to hide their views or questions or disagreements. 

Can we live into this idea that maybe Jesus is leading us out of hiding as we are together?  Maybe our hearts, our lives, our homes can open up in ways we never thought safe or possible.  Like Elizabeth and Zacharias welcoming Mary, or the shepherds and kings welcoming Jesus into the world.  It seems that people encounter freedom in Jesus when they can ask what they never thought could be asked.  Share pain without fear.  

Those are some thoughts as we move into the season of Advent, Christmas, and the New Year. May God continue to lead us forward as we anticipate and prepare for what He has in store.

Waiting with hope,

Pastor Adam

Lead Pastor, Open Door Church

Learn more about us here.

Keep reading for Community Testimonies, Devotions, & Resources

 

Practicing Epiphany

A devotional practice by NextGen Pastor, Christina Embree

There are many rich parts of Christian tradition that for one reason or another didn’t continue past the Protestant Reformation in the 1600s and one of those is the celebration of the 12 Days of Christmas lasting from December 26-January 6 which is Epiphany…

Click here for the rest of this quarters’s devotion and spiritual practice

What’s Happening?

Worship & Community

Our third quarter of the year was rich and full and as a community we are celebrating the many ways that God has answered prayers and blessed our community. Below you will read about God’s provision for Open Door Housing Inc. in receiving a substantial grant from the city and the purchase of the first property on which to build affordable housing units.

We also welcomed and hosted three BIC pastors from Japan through the work of Onesimus Reconciliation led by Pastor Sungbin, celebrated baptism and new members, sponsored a refugee family as they found their new home in Lexington, built a gazebo for our NA community, put in a Little Free Pantry, and so much more. We are excited to share our joy with you!

Pictured here are snapshots from our All-Community Celebration (Tommy’s Baptism), Youth & Young Adult Home Church sharing in communion, and our Lunch Bunch Home Church after their pumpkin patch visit!

 

We Welcome Differences: Celebration Sunday

We don’t have the words to fully express the experience of celebration we had together at our All Community Gathering on November 16. From the testimonies to the chili cook off, we experienced the best of what it means to belong to the community of faith.

During our worship service, we commissioned Pastors Luke Embree and Stephanie Peterson for their work with the Great Lakes Conference, Pastor Matthew Peterson for his work with Shalom Society, Pastor Sungin Kim for his leadership in Onesimus Reconciliation, and Dan Davenport for his leadership of Open Door Housing, Inc. We heard testimonies from home church members, Tim Brown and Beth Gillock, and youth member, Rachelle Mugeni. We welcomed Ayo and the Mbera family as new members and celebrated the baptism of Tommy Kelly.

 

Open Door Housing Inc.

Many years ago, the Lord placed a vision in the heart of Dan Davenport for Open Door to create a way forward for affordable housing in Lexington, specifically in the neighborhood surrounding the church. Last year, Open Door Housing Inc. officially became a non-profit and began looking for property and funding to make this vision a reality. In mid-October, the zoning committee in Lexington voted in favor of Open Door Housing Inc. to move forward with their affordable housing project and issued a forgivable loan in the amount of $690,000.00 to make that happen. What an answer to prayer!

On Tuesday, November 18, Open Door Housing officially signed for the purchase of its first property on which 4 units of housing will be built (Pictured left). To learn more about this vision or to donate towards the continued work, go to https://www.opendoorhousinginc.org/

Serving our Community

This year, Open Door applied for an received a grant from the Brethren in Christ Foundation for continued community outreach via our Community Center. With the funds from this grant, we have been able to open our doors to several Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups that meet every day of the week, host community meals, build a gazebo for our guests who need a sheltered place to wait before entering, put in a Little Free Pantry with non-perishable food items for our neighbors, and create a “Blessings Table” in the entryway of our Community Center for household items and clothing exchange. We are so grateful for the funding we have received and the blessing it has been for our community.

 

Our Values

This fall, Open Door took time to reflect on the BIC Core Values and our own Open Door Value Statements. Our mission at Open Door is to love God, love others, and share the peace of Christ in and around Lexington. Our values are what shape how we fulfill that mission. As part of our reflection, we hosted a five-week Art Studio worship experience - you can see some of the artists and artwork to the right.

It’s Bigger Than Us

In September, Open Door welcomed three Japanese BIC pastors visiting the US through the ministry of Onesimus Reconciliation. Pastor Sungbin shared the following about this time together:

“We joined Sunday worship service at Open Door Brethren in Christ. Pastor Luke led the worship with Ayooluwa, Steph Peterson, and Seungju and it was soooooooooooo good! As a wrap up of prayer time, our Japanese guests prayed the Lord's prayer in Japanese first and it was beautiful.

The testimonies from Shintaro Fukushima, Kanato, and Mitsuru was something unforgettable to me, especially when they said, "now we feel that we are not alone in Japan." That was exactly what I yearned for and prayed to hear preparing this pilgrimage! The commissioning prayer time after testimonies was the climax of our pilgrimage I felt.”

Shintaro Fukushima, Kanato, and Mitsuru stayed with the Peterson family when they were in Kentucky.

 

Other News & Updates of Interest

Open Door and the Great Lakes Conference

Open Door has had some wonderful interactions with our fellow Great Lakes family; first, at the annual Pastor & Spouse Retreat at the end of September and then at the Thriving Congregations Cohort A meeting. Each event was a wonderful time of connection, renewal, and vision!6

Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

Each year, Open Door hosts a Thanksgiving Dinner for our community - a full meal with all the trimmings and all the love! Members of the congregation cook turkeys, make sides, craft desserts, and give thanks for the blessings of our neighborhood and community. This year our youth and young adults helped to serve the meal as the quarterly service project.

Intergenerational Worship

Pastors Christina Embree, Steph Peterson, and Matthew Peterson serve on the BIC Great Lakes Conference Children’s Discipleship Task Force and have recently released their newest curriculum “Gather & Play: A Journey with Jesus - Who are We? BIC Core Values.” This curriculum is designed to engage children, youth, and families in an interactive and intergenerational exploration of the BIC Core Values. Each lesson is thoughtfully crafted to help participants encounter Scripture, reflect on its meaning, and respond in ways that nurture their faith. You can download a copy here: refocusministry.gumroad.com/l/biccorevalues

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PRAISE & PRAYER

We invite you to join us as we celebrate the gifts we’ve received and to help shoulder the burdens we carry, visit our website for a regularly updated list of the community’s Praises and Prayer requests here.

Reminder: Where to Find Church News

In addition to Breaking Ground, this monthly newsletter, we also send a shorter News & Notes each Friday which includes information on current events (news) and praise/prayer requests from church family members (notes), check out these important spots for information: