Uptown Church, Take Two

Some of you are aware of the church plant Jen and I were a part of in the months preceding hurricane Katrina - Uptown Church, with Joey and Tracy Kuchler (& company).

The beginning of that church was the beginning of a dream come true in 2005. Not more than two months after moving into the university area of Uptown/Carrollton New Orleans, God planted in my heart the dream to see a viable, full-gospel, community-based and community-relevant church established here. In a God-shaped coincidence, Jen and I met Joey and Tracy Kuchler (native New Orleanians) at the church they were serving at in the Atlanta area in December of 2003 (the whole story is pretty amazing).

Skipping some excitement, and screams... on Feb 14, 2004, Joey, Tracy and their two kids were moving back to New Orleans with the intention of planting a church in Uptown near the universities (Tulane & Loyola). Joey took his time working back into life in New Orleans after a 12 year hiatus, and Uptown Church began with a small group in late 2006, then launched publicly on Easter Sunday, 2005. Expectations were high, God was at work, people were excited...

August 29, 2005.

None of the core families, including the Kuchlers, were able to return to New Orleans in a timely fashion, besides Jen and I, and Uptown Church went the way of the Lower Ninth Ward...

However, the Kuchlers returned to New Orleans, again, in 2007. We have been talking and praying together since this past spring/summer, and are about to take the bold step, again.

We are planning a Christmas party for December 21st at Jen and my house for friends, neighbors, and a few other folks interested in pioneering this new church. After that, we plan to start meeting on Sunday nights in a small group setting. Besides Bible studies and prayer, we will also be getting involved with our hands and feet, serving our neighbors with love. It's an exciting venture!

Jen and I will still be focused as campus missionaries in New Orleans, and hope that Uptown Church will be established as a strong community of Christians from all walks of life that will be a blessing to many Tulane and Loyola students, as well.

Please pray with us.

ps: for you avid googlers, the uptownchurch.net website is still online, but has not been updated since 2006. nothing on there is relevant, anymore.