Sermons
Inside Sojourn
Georgia Plant: The Woodstock Chronicles, Part 3
Trent Chambers & wife Emily
Sojourn Network exists to equip and empower church planters to plant churches across the United States and beyond. Over the next several weeks, church planter Trent Chambers will share with us what God is doing in Woodstock, GA, the home of upcoming church plant Sojourn Woodstock.
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Last Sunday we stepped away from life and ministry at Hursbtourne. In great need of rest, Emily, Abby Grace and I loaded up the car and drove to the Smokies. I love seeing the mountains. The only thing more constant and visible than the beauty of the Smokies are the Pancake Diners that litter the Gatlinburg area.
It seems that it is not meat, beer or chocolate that people crave in East TN, but flapjacks. Honestly, I get a little irritated when I’m driving past the t-shirt shops, dinner shows and flapjack diners to get into the national forest. With the hundreds of sideshows, outlet stores and buffets, I wonder how many people stop and settle for the attractions without ever reaching the forest. It seems the need to be entertained is much more prevalent than the desire to be overwhelmed by the grandeur of our Creator’s handiwork.
About every other day someone asks me why I’m planting a church in Georgia. Perhaps there are as many churches in Georgia as Pancake Diners in Gatlinburg. But don’t be deceived, Pancake Diners don’t persuade people to drive to the mountains and even if they did, the church is not a christian attraction.
We are not seeking to build some sideshow that entertains but to plant a community of believers who live their lives for the glory of God. We are on mission to turn every eye, ear and heart towards the majesty of our Creator and His triumphant work to redeem, restore, and sanctify those who trust in Christ.
Millions of people, hiding in the shadows of the steeples of Georgia, have decided never to darken the door of the church. In 2020, an estimated 10.5million Georgia residents will live life completely segregated from the church. That is a number much greater than the entire population of the state in 1990 (6.4mil) and more than the population of the state today (9.6mil). With stats like these, flapjack makers would flock to build more diners.
I desire to see 100s of new churches planted in GA, joining 1000s of congregations all partnering together to point all people toward the majesty of our Savior. God is at work expanding His kingdom and making His glory known. The harvest field is vast. More workers are needed. Regardless of where God is calling you to minister, please pray for the work being done among this over-churched, under-gospeled culture. As you pray, remember we are not drawing people to ourselves but pointing them toward the glory and majesty of God.
For more statistics on GA please see part 2 of this post series.
About Trent Chambers
