It is still amazing to see how God planted 614 churches in 150 countries in just a few decades. It is encouraging to see church plantings ramping back up among the International Churches of Christ in response to our 2020 Vision plans. While many of our churches are large in major cities of the world, over 300 of them are less than 100 in membership in cities of all sizes. Many of these faithful disciples have weathered storms and challenges we can only imagine. We admire their hearts for God and joyful service.
Be inspired by the miracles in the story of Ivy and Damon Brog and the Springfield Church of Christ in Illinois.
We are humbled and grateful to share what God has done in our lives and the Springfield Church of Christ.
Ivy was converted to the Lord in 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky. She moved with her husband and infant daughter to Milwaukee, Wisconsin as part of a military reassignment in 1991 (she and her husband were both in the Air Force National Guard). Shortly after giving birth to baby #2 (who was born with numerous heart defects and spent much of the first 5 months of her life in the hospital) Ivy's husband Mike was suddenly killed in a military accident in December of 1993 (on the oldest child's 3rd birthday). Making things even more difficult was the fact that Mike had walked away from the faith. Faced with supporting two young children on her own, Ivy requested a discharge from the Air Force and went to college.
That is where we really met each other (though I knew of her and was inspired by her perseverance beforehand). Through it all she was incredible--everything a disciple should be. Within her first year on campus Ivy helped 6 people study the Bible and become Christians! In time we served as interns overseeing the campus work in Milwaukee and after dating for a year we were married in July of 1997. After finishing college we entered the full-time ministry in 1998, and served as part of the ministry staff in Milwaukee until 2004 in many capacities. In 2002 we had a son who provided some great levity to our lives during some trying times in the years ahead. God called us to Springfield, Illinois to serve the Lord as church leaders in 2009 and have been having a great time since then.
When we arrived in Springfield the church had declined to 37 members and was reeling from a couple of years of internal trials. It was a wonderful blessing to be recieved by the church with great love and enthusiasm. With the mantra "let's all just be disciples." repeated consistently, the church set about upholding the promise we all made to God when we were united with Christ at our baptisms.
Since that time the fellowship here has had a steady increase in all meaningful ways, both measurable and immeasurable. It is difficult to believe (which I do mostly because I have seen it with my own eyes), just how much God has done with this small group of people, many of whom are more "seasoned" in the number of their years. Here are some highlights:
Community Involvement: 6 ongoing and significant benevolence and service projects.- Hosted events for the midwest youth and family ministries that have drawn nearly 500 teens and preetens to Springfield (200 in 2010 and 300 here in 2011), where we housed, fed and taught all in the strength God had provided.
- Nearly stopped the bleeding in our finances (contributions are up from about $8,000 each month to about $12,000)
- God has grown our fellowship has grown to 61 disciples!
- The unity, love, forgiveness and happiness of the church is so starkly different that it can't be overstated.
- Campus Ministry of 11 (none at the outset of 2010). Two incredible disciples, Raj Chandrasakaran and Becca Ogutu moved here to work as nearly unpaid full-time staff to help build our campus minstry in exchange for training and room and board. Raj now serves as the campus minster in Durban, South Africa and Becca is on her way to serve as an intern in the Downtown Campus Ministry of the Chicago Church.
- Teen Ministry: Our church has just 7 teens, 4 of whom are disciples and 2 of whom are currently studying and want to be disciples...all while we have sent off 3 more who were baptized in the youth minstry here to college (including our own daughter--the one with the heart defects--who was baptized last November).
- Marriage: We are blessed to have our newlyweds Tim and Beth Keysear who met on DTHeartandSoul.com Click here for Tim and Beth's story.
God has humbled me. I thought I knew what to expect, but once it started actually happening I was embarrassed by how little faith I actually had. None of this should come as a suprise, if we are in fact "just being disciples". We have done nothing fancy, no major push or new teaching -- just sowing good seed and reaping a harvest. God truly cannot be mocked! (Galatians 6:7-10)
Damon Brog
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