It’s been a whirlwind since our last blog. There’s been a lot of transition for Cheryl and me over the past couple of months, but we’re excited to say we are now living on property at Shepherd’s Inn! We’re looking forward to opening the inn in 2021 and providing rest, renewal, and care to those in ministry. In the meantime, let me catch you up on what’s been going on and where we’re headed.
On August 30, Cheryl and I wrapped up a ten year journey of ministry at Rivertree Church in Huntsville, Alabama. What a blessing it has been to serve with a church family we love so dearly! At the same time we became empty-nesters with our oldest finishing college and our youngest beginning college. Needless to say we’re processing a lot of change, but we’re so excited to be in Tennessee and on the road to opening the inn next year.
As the weather cools off and autumn moves in, we are scheduling some work days on the property both inside the inn and out. If you are skilled at construction or enjoy working outside and would like to serve, let us know. We’ll post a schedule for those work days on the website and social media soon, and look forward sharing photos of the progress!
Also, we have been blessed with the use of a similar property in Alabama to host two pilot soul care retreats between now and Spring 2021. This will give us the opportunity to refine our retreat experience and receive valuable feedback. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to engage in the ministry of Shepherd’s Inn while we’re renovating our property.
Throughout the summer we’ve been continually affirmed in the need for this ministry of rest, renewal, and care. We’ve observed the restorative work of Christ in the lives of some close to the ministry of Shepherd’s Inn, but also walked through some challenging seasons of heartache with others. Our hope is to provide both a starting place for healing, and a safe place to retreat, be encouraged, and discover a life-giving rhythm of work and rest.
So many of you have supported us this year through prayer, encouragement, and financial giving, and we are incredibly grateful. That support has bolstered our faith and helped us to move forward on this journey of ministry. We ask, as always, that you would continue to stay engaged with the ministry of prayer, promotion, and provision for Shepherd’s Inn
Pray
Pray for Cheryl and me as we adjust to a new rhythm of life and ministry. We’ve experienced a lot of change in a short period of time. We’re both tired from the move and missing our community. Pray for us as we build new relationships here in Tennessee and as we strengthen our relationships with those close to our ministry.
Pray for CJ as he refines our retreat experience and as he continues to serve others through our counseling ministry.
Pray for those serving in ministry, both locally and globally. They bear a heavy load at times for the glory of God. Let your local pastor or missionary know that you love them and that you’re praying for them. It will encourage them more than you know.
Promote
We are seeking to develop partnerships with the local church to both strengthen them and help provide this life-giving ministry to others. Introduce us to your pastor or missions team and help us begin a church partnership.
Provide
We have been so blessed by the generosity of others this year in our personal fundraising and in raising funds for the inn, but we still have a long way to go. Prayerfully consider a one-time or recurring gift to Shepherd’s Inn. We are well on our way to reaching our monthly support goal of $5000. This personal support goal provides for myself (Steven) and Cheryl to be on staff at the inn for our first two years.
We have also raised over half of our goal for the initial renovations to the main lodge. This is a great start, but we estimate it will cost $100k for the lodge renovation. This building will provide four of our eight rooms as well as our kitchen, dining, and meeting spaces and will allow us to open in 2021. We are shoring up our plans for the second half of the build to provide our other four rooms and believe that will cost an additional $100k.
To find out more and to donate, visit shepherds-inn.org/donate. Your one-time or recurring gift will help provide the ministry of rest, renewal, and care to the ministers and missionaries we all love.
It goes without saying that 2020 has been a challenging year with COVID-19 and all of the unrest in our world, but God has been so faithful and is propelling the ministry of Shepherd’s Inn forward. We know that on the other side of this our friends in ministry are going to need a place to process this year, find encouragement, and recharge for the work ahead. We look forward to being able to provide a place for just that.
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and generosity and for being a part of this journey with us!! We could not do it without you!
Love in Christ,
Steven and Cheryl
