My Favorite Launch Story

So, if you haven’t heard yet, we have the most supportive, incredible team on the planet. They show up, they work hard, and they constantly cheer us on. That being said, I’m about to throw Josiah under the bus because this story is PRICELESS! On Sunday, Vanessa began her new role as the Battle Ground Children’s Pastor for North Creek. She has been happily married to Josiah for a couple of years and they have their first son on the way. They are an absolutely awesome family that you will fall madly in love with!

So, Josiah pulls into the Battle Ground parking lot on Sunday at about 8:45, assuming that service will begin in about 15 minutes (if you don’t know, our service started at 9:30, but he got the time wrong!). Immediately disappointment sets in as he surveys the nearly empty lot…in his mind, our launch is about to fail miserably and he is about to walk into the biggest disappointment of our lives.

By some strange chance, just as he walks in to the nearly empty foyer, we begin to test the countdown video. He sees the countdown going and it solidifies in his mind that service is about to start and NOBODY has showed up. He decided at that moment that he was going to be in the front row, cheering on his pastor, even if he is the ONLY one there. He walks quickly down the hall, up to the front of the empty room and sits down, ready to stare disappointment in the face and worship his guts out.

Just as always, following the countdown video, our worship opening video starts to play. This is it. Any given moment, the worship team will pop up and begin their first song. He is ready to carry the weight of an entire congregation on his shoulders! Just then the worship video stops and Josiah senses that something is wrong. The team isn’t in place and the video has been halted. It was at that moment that Josiah decided that maybe he missed the schedule, so he went to find someone to ask what time service started…sure enough, he was WAY early and the crowd had not arrived.

I would give just about anything to have a picture of Josiah sitting, ready to be the armor bearer to his failing pastor, in the front row of an empty church on Easter Sunday! Truly amazing image of dedication! So, thank you Josiah, for a good laugh, but also for not even hesitating to stand next to us whether we succeed or fail. Many pastors in the world would give all that they have for just one team member with your fierce loyalty to a dream. And by the way, the service at Battle Ground begins at 10:00 am next week.