Not Without You

God’s Faithful, So Let’s Try!

By Scott Anderson, Executive Pastor

I can pretty much imagine what it must have been like…back in 1996, in the midst of tremendous growth at First Baptist Church in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, a group of folks sit around a table in the kitchen of the modestly-sized church located on Buffalo Street in White Bear Lake.  The numbers look daunting – the need for additional worship space is obvious, and the ‘little’ sanctuary (that’s what it was called back then) sat just 350.  To do what was needed could cost as much as $5 million.  The challenge was monumental for a church with a yearly budget of under $1 million, and yet someone sitting at that table, just at the right time, when the silence seemed unbearable, said… “Let’s try.”

Though I just kind of made this up out of thin air, I’m pretty confident that it happened something like that, because that’s how it’s happened at key points since then at Eagle Brook Church.  As I look back at what God has done, there are these moments of profound importance that have shaped our direction, grown our faith, and launched us to greater effectiveness than we have a right to take credit for.  Back in 1996, just before this church launched the Keeping Pace with God campaign, I’m sure those decision-makers didn’t envision what has taken place – but I bet they’re not surprised, either.

The expansion that the Keeping Pace with God campaign enabled—the construction of the 850 seat worship center, classrooms, lobby space and additional parking – brought with it an explosion of growth that resulted in hundreds coming to know Christ and thousands of people finding a place to call their church home.  And it still continues to this day.

Since then, I’ve been part of four major campaigns and every time it started with a group of people around a table.  Every time, the needs list and the resources list seem impossible to match up.  But, thankfully, every time, there’s been someone who, in that moment of unbearable silence, has said… “Let’s try.”

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