Stories

Stories from God’s Harvest: Renew Church

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers into His harvest field” (Luke 10:2).

Jesus told us to pray for harvest workers (Luke 10:2). We have been sharing these Stories from the Harvest to encourage you and spur all of us to join Jesus in reaching people outside the church. Do you have a story to share? We would love to hear it! Email Scott Nelson.

The story below is from pastor and church planter Jamie Staples at Renew Church in Eau Claire, WI.

When Gina came to our church as a college student, she felt God nudging her to do something simple but courageous—start a small group for girls on the track team. She began inviting teammates and friends to gather each week to talk honestly about life, read Scripture and encourage one another in faith. What started as a small invitation became a place where people could belong before they fully believed.

One of the girls who began attending was Lucy, a freshman who had once followed Jesus but had drifted away during high school. Through a series of difficult experiences and tragedies, faith slowly faded into the background of her life. But as Lucy kept showing up to the small group, something began to change. Week after week, through conversations, prayer and the genuine community she experienced, she started exploring Christianity again. Eventually she began attending Renew, asking deeper questions and rediscovering the Jesus she once knew.

Over time, what began as curiosity turned into renewed faith. Lucy gave her life fully back to Christ and recently was baptized. Today, she is continuing to grow in her relationship with Jesus, surrounded by a community that helped remind her she was never too far gone for God to reach. What began with one college student feeling the push to faithfully step out to start a small group became a beautiful story of restoration and new life.