Emily’s heart for Chester

For the most part I (John) have been the face of Greenhouse Project. But I’m just one of the many people who has done so much to get this ministry up and running. So many conversations, prayers, meetings took place as it was in the works.

But there is someone in particular who does so much for the Greenhouse Project behind the scenes and that’s my wife Emily. Emily and I have been married for five years. While I am the face of Greenhouse, please know that Emily is here as well. She is an integral part of our team.

Something that is interesting to note and clearly a God thing is that before Emily and I met she felt called to be in Chester. From the beginning, God was bringing all the final pieces together for what was going to be Greenhouse. We already had the name, vision, we needed a specific location. That’s when I met Emily.

The first time, within the first five minutes, I knew God put us together. Originally looking at her as a ministry partner but she ended up being so much more - my wife.

What she does for Greenhouse Project

When we launched Emily was involved with everything. She actually planned to move to Chester first before I did. She did so much from raising funds, coordinating volunteers, bookkeeping and now raising our kids alongside me.

Every week Emily is involved in so many things. From helping with homework club to attending the recovery meetings, and doing admin work she is actively involved in this ministry on a daily basis. She’s always nearby.

Let’s not forget the hospitality and cleaning before and after Church. Emily has more invested than anyone else… but we welcome these things as worship and price unto Jesus.

She’s an absolute champion for the gospel and kids in the community. Champion for the underdog, champion for those who have been marginalized or discounted, she’s a champion for those who have been overlooked.

The key to our ministry is simply being here. She regularly takes walks and often people stop her to chat so she has numerous opportunities to build connections with our neighbors. She also is always welcoming people into our home, including the homework club kids.

The biggest values that she brings, she is gentle, peaceful and loyal. She supports me, and she is very good at challenging me. Gentle and kind but also challenging, nurturing, and adds stability. Not only that, she’s incredibly intelligent and detail oriented.

Something she has been talking about lately is faithfulness and showing up. She mentioned the importance of, “Being faithful through the hard times. It is so easy to shut things down and start things new but in the messy middle to be faithful with what you have going on.”

Ministry isn’t easy, but knowing that Emily and I serve together, on the same page with the same goals, is foundational to serve the Lord in Chester. We are not here for ourselves but to be used by God to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help champion those who live in our community!

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