An Introduction

This past weekend we went to Pinedale, but we did not go alone. Our biggest prayer over the last few months has been for God to send people to be a part of a church planting team. This weekend those prayers were answered.

Introducing Nathan & Gracie Stanfield and Brian & Brianna Summerall

Nathan & Gracie are originally from Arkansas. They came up for the first week of summer missions back in June. At that time they were praying about moving to Casper and apprenticing with Outfitter Church much like we are. Nathan had done a similar apprenticeship in Thermopolis, WY last year before he and Gracie got married, but now they wanted to come as a married couple. They knew they were being called to ministry in Wyoming, they just didn’t know where yet.

They moved to Casper in July, and just so happened to move in to the building next to ours and over the last few months we have gotten to know them and have shared our vision for a church plant and our heart for the town Pinedale. It did not take a whole lot for them to realize that Pinedale is where God is leading them.

They plan to move to Pinedale at the end of their lease next July, and they will be joining us in laying the foundations of a new church.

Brian & Brianna were members at Outfitter before they moved back to Pinedale in 2020. Brian grew up in Pinedale so he and his family have a desire to see the gospel spread in Pinedale. They see the need for a new church, to the point that there were discussions with Tyler about Outfitter planting a church in Pinedale. Tyler determined that it wasn’t time for that yet, but it wasn’t too much longer after that, unbeknownst to them, Kent and I had decided to pursue God’s vision of a new church in Pinedale.

This past weekend was amazing; getting to show Nathan & Gracie the town and the church building, getting to talk to Brian & Brianna about what Pinedale needs from a new church, all of it was so affirming. We got to see how all of the development we have been doing is going to help establish this church and it is going to help us reach lost people in Pinedale.

We had the opportunity this weekend to actually gather in the church building. Sunday morning Nathan & Gracie, Brian & Brianna and their kids, Kent & I and our kids, and one other couple gathered for a devotion and time of prayer. This is probably the first gathering of any kind that has happened in this building in 5 years. We are in the small beginnings of this church plant, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Pray for us and this team, by name. In between now and when we finally get to move to Pinedale we will be working on the foundations of this church. The vision, the values, the strategy, the goals, and the mission of what this new church for Pinedale is all about. We will need guidance, wisdom, and faith to execute what God has planned.