My Beloved Venue Family.

 

This past year has been both different and difficult for all of us, individually and collectively. The term unprecedented has been rightly used to describe the last ten months. Despite its extensive use and how tired of the word we may be, all of us can agree that everything we have been through, as well as everything we continue to go through — is truly unprecedented. Not to mention sensitive and charged.

 

Before all of this started, we were seeing God do incredible things and bring growth to our local church body like we had not seen in our history. Then COVID hit and things began to shutdown. So we made a pivot and rolled with it; doing the best we could with how things were. As restrictions began to lighten and lift during the summer, we made another pivot; starting an outdoor, in-person gathering, in Hayden. Considering everything happening, the turnout was phenomenal and we had some great services. During the fall, we again pivoted and moved our in-person Hayden gathering inside, while at the same time, making plans with the Chief Theater to begin meeting again in Steamboat. 

 

Then it happened. 

 

Restrictions tightened and in the span of about a week, we received a call from both of our locations. 

    The Chief let us know of their plans for an extensive renovation project that would make it impossible to use, for the next twelve plus months.

    Hayden Congregational Church let us know that across their denomination, they were suspending all in-person gatherings inside of their facilities, state wide. 

 

This hit us hard; but again, we pivoted by immediately moving our in-person gathering to homes, while reaching out to numerous locations and facilities for help. But we got no’s or nothing from everyone. This was especially hard given the prophetic call on Venue, with Steamboat being the base.

 

On Sunday, December 20th — the Lord started a conversation with us about a new pivot for Venue Church, when I received a call from one of my pastor’s and mentor, Pastor Lee Cummings. Sparing great detail, our conversation with Pastor Lee, coupled with conversations with other leaders in our lives, led us to fast and pray about what the Lord was doing and saying to us and Venue Church. Not long into our fasting and praying, the Lord showed us (and has repeatedly and prophetically shown us since), that He has a new assignment for us (the Prechtl Family), and that a new pivot was coming to Venue Church in 2021. As of today, we don’t know what the new assignment is; all we know is that the Lord is saying GO. GO where? As of today, we don’t know. But we are going to GO. However, we do know what the pivot is.

 

After much prayer and processing, our pivot is to transition the leadership of Venue Church from us, and to Matt and Rose Lindquist. The prophetic timeline of both the Prechtl’s and the Lindquist’s, in regards to planting a Gospel centered, Spirit-led Spirit-filled Church in Steamboat (and throughout the rural mountain towns of Colorado), is powerful. Six years before we moved to Steamboat, and before the Prechtl’s and the Lindquist’s even knew each other, God was speaking to each of us about it. We were youth pastors in Dallas. They had just moved back to the States from being missionaries in the Philippines. We didn’t know each other in anyway. But God. God knew us and was bringing us together to do what He was calling us to do, starting in Steamboat. Since the day we met them, we knew that God had brought us together for something special; at the time, we just didn’t know how special or the way God was going to do everything. 

 

Matt and Rose carry the vision of the house and feel called to continue forging ahead with the vision and purposes that God has for Venue Church here in the Yampa Valley. They are incredible leaders with gifts and talents that the Lord is going to use to pivot Venue, and bring her into the next season that He has for her; which I am excited to see and be a part of in a new way and capacity. So this is not the end; this is the beginning. I am 100% certain that it is going to be powerful and beautiful and good, because I know Who God is and I know what God does; and it is always powerful and beautiful and good, even though in the moment, it may not make sense or feel like it. Remember: Paul planted, Apollos water, but God brought the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).

 

I cannot stress enough that we are not GOING because we lost our locations, things were too hard, we are frustrated or angry, we want out, or because a new and better opportunity came to us. As the current shepherd of this Church, I encourage you to not allow or tolerate any ideas to be thought or spoken. Those are lies from the enemy meant to hurt and scatter us away from the work that God is doing. In complete and full transparency, we are GOING because God has said and confirmed that we are to GO. So there is no other reason other than obedience; and we love Jesus too much to not obey what He is clearly saying. So please know that we love our Church. We love our home. We love where we live. We love you. We have loved and cherished our time here, more we can express and we were not looking at leave. Ever. In fact — in our flesh, we do not want to GO. Which is why this is especially hard. But Jesus is worthy of our full obedience and I know that He has something powerful and beautiful in this pivot for all of us.

 

In the coming weeks, we will update you on the pivot and transition taking place here at Venue. We understand that you may have questions, so if you do, do not hesitate to ask. We are excited about the future of Venue Church and the powerful purpose that God has this Church, right where He has her..

 

Again: we love you. 

Read it again. We love you. 

 

 

Pastor Garrett and Sarah Prechtl