When our son Theo was diagnosed with a complex congenital heart difference, our family learned to live one step at a time. Big plans felt too fragile; faith, it turns out, works that way too. Scripture calls us to “walk by faith,” to “walk in step with the Spirit.” Walk one step at a time.
That rhythm has shaped how we navigate life, including where our kids go to school. In the fall of 2025, we made a change – moving both children to our neighborhood public elementary school, Hale Cook, in part so our daughter Grace could access speech therapy during the school day. One step.
That October, our church community, Engage, was reading and discussing Daniel 3 together – the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Three men who did what was right when almost no one around them did. What struck me wasn’t just their courage, but their company. They had each other. And they had God. And somehow, three people plus God moved all of Babylon.
I’ve been praying for Theo and Grace to be – and to find – friends with that kind of wisdom and courage. Friends who love God and each other, and have the commitment to go God’s way even when others don’t. The story of those three men strengthened a conviction already growing in me: our kids’ faith needs to be rooted not only in our home and in Engage, but connected to peers at their school who are learning to follow Jesus alongside them.
So I began asking: What’s the next step?
A clergy colleague introduced me to Dr. Dean Blevins at Nazarene Theological Seminary’s Nurturing Care project. When I shared the seeds of what I was imagining – a community for elementary-aged children and families at Hale Cook, especially those whose kids are often overlooked by faith communities – Dean invited me to apply for a micro-grant and join an ecumenical network of Kansas City churches. The Nurturing Care grant, together with the Covenant’s Fresh Expressions of Church pathway, gave us what we needed to take one more step.
We called it Food, Fun & Faith: a community that gathers around a table, makes room for difference, and trusts that belonging, belief, and following Jesus together are available to every family – unchurched, dechurched, and churched; Catholic and Protestant traditions. We launched on January 1.
At the end of April, we gathered to give thanks – for the months we’d shared, for what was working, and for what we were still learning. I heard both gratitude and longing from the children and parents/caregivers in the room. Two children spoke on behalf of their families, giving thanks for a community where everyone belongs. Their words encouraged me – this is exactly what we had hoped and prayed for. The surveys told a similar story: three out of four families named the same longing as their hope for growth – to find ways to help others every day, to act out being like Jesus, and more group action. We are gardeners tending something that is beginning to grow, like the season of spring. This growth includes gratitude and longing for fruitful lives.
At our next gathering in May, we’ll discern together what this summer holds – one step at a time. Walking in step with the Spirit is dynamic, sometimes surprising work, and I’m grateful to walk by faith, labor in love, and endure with hope alongside others.
