A Letter to Providence Road: 10-Year Anniversary
Ten years! A decade…13% of the average lifespan in the United States. Back in September of 2010, myself, Nicole, Blake and Shanae Hilgenfeld, and Chris Valencia began the process of planting Providence Road Church, and we held our first public gathering in February of 2012. Back when words weren’t unnecessarily shortened, terms like “adulting” didn’t exist, and Alexa was just a girl’s name. We’ve met in many houses and four buildings, but we’ve always been clear that the church is the people, not the physical location we meet in.
Planting a church is really hard, and it’s even harder when you start with just a handful of people, 350 miles from the church who is sending you. However, even with all the difficulties, God has been faithful to us. He has used us in spite of our sin and weaknesses. As we began the process of planting a church there were two key things I hoped God would do through us: 1) That no matter how big we ended up becoming as a church, God would allow us to be a healthy, faithful presence in the city for years to come, and 2) That God would empower us to multiply. In other words, we wanted to plant more churches and send out missionaries across the world.
By His grace we’ve planted a church and we’ve sent missionaries overseas. We’ve also sent out several hundred college students, who are now living somewhere other than Norman. We’ve given over $250,000 to local and global missions, as well as church plants. We’ve sown seeds into the next generation as we’ve seen hundreds of kids grow up in the church and launched our own student ministry. And we’ve baptized well over 100 people in the past decade. I could go on and on about what God has done in life of Providence Road.
I’ve come to realize when starting a church, your whole life becomes intertwined with the church. This can sometimes be a positive or negative thing, but in the end, this church is a part of our family. In the last decade, Nicole and I have adopted two incredible boys, suffered a miscarriage, made many new friends, and said goodbye to many friends. And I know we aren’t alone in these experiences, we have all walked through so much together.
I’m thankful for God and His faithfulness. I’m thankful for Nicole and her countless sacrifices and partnership in the gospel for over a decade. I’m thankful for Jax and Tate and the joy they’ve brought to our lives. I’m thankful for my brothers and sisters who’ve been a part of the church throughout the past decade. A church is way more than one person or family and you all have left your imprint on Providence Road.
I’m excited for what the future holds. I pray God gives us another ten years in Norman to be a faithful presence. I pray that we will remain steadfast in our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that we will continue to create a community and family where people will be supported, encouraged, and challenged to be increasingly formed into the image of Jesus. I pray that we would be committed to see people grow as disciples and be formed by God rather than formed by the culture around us. I pray that we would continue to be faithful in loving our neighbors through gospel proclamation, and that the result of this would be more communities and churches planted around us and throughout the world.
I know I speak for my family and all the pastors at the church when I say we love you all. We look forward to many more days ahead partnering together to see God glorified by leading people to find freedom and joy in Jesus.
Visit this page to view a timeline of Providence Road’s history.
And, join us THIS Sunday, March 27 at 10 AM for our 10-Year Celebration & Baptism Service!
