Changes for the Maxwells

This was posted on by .

With the Covid shutdowns in March, our retirement home church was one of the first shutdowns to happen. Steve had been feeling for a few months that it was time for our family to be back in a “normal” church. However, it would have been extremely hard to leave those who were currently part of the church. Steve didn’t know how it would ever work, and then, suddenly, we weren’t allowed to have church at the retirement home anymore.

The church we have settled into is only five minutes from our home. For many years we commuted to Kansas City at least 30 minutes to church and sometimes closer to 40 since the church changed locations a couple of times.

Our heart’s desire has been to have a local church, one we can invite people to. And we did that with our retirement home church which was local, except that people didn’t feel comfortable going to it. Now our church is a known church right in our own town. It is easy to invite friends to it.

We already knew many people in the church and have met new friends. The preaching is outstanding. It is again a new season for our family after 18 years of having a nursing home or retirement home church.

For our married children who were with us at the retirement home church, Nathan and Melanie are currently attending the same church we are. Christopher and Anna Marie need to stay home because of Anna Marie’s lack of immunity because of her chemo.

We enjoy our family Sunday lunches at 1:00. That gives everyone time for their church, getting home, us getting lunch prepared, and them getting to our house. Joseph and Jesse are driving from Kansas City so that’s almost an hour after their church lets out.

“Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:
except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain”
(Psalm 127:1).

20 thoughts on “Changes for the Maxwells”

  1. Super!
    So glad you have found churches that you like and are having fellowing together.
    It is lovely to be able to have the family over for lunch every Lords day.
    Thank you for this encouraging post, hope you have had a nice time in the mountains.
    Much love and every blessing to you all,

  3. Dear Teri and Steve…

    I know you all are a great blessing to the church and your children in the other church are as well. You all are a delight to many and I know many others will land in the sweet church you attend because of the Lord’s influence through you. I’ll be praying for many more of those special encounters where the Lord intercepts the lives of others who deeply need Him. Thank you for the blessing you all have been to me through the many years, don

    1. Don, So good to hear from you. Kind words, thank you. We have fond memories of our time with you.
      Blessings Friend,
      Steve

  4. Same story here. We used to travel far and long. Now, it’s just a few corners down the street for us to go to church!

    Yes, COVID has been so challenging!

  5. That’s very nice that you have found a new church to go to in these hard times. It’s always so important to have that support, and I imagine it must be nice to have a broader group of people to fellowship with, especially for the girls.

    Now, I noticed you said that Joseph and his family come in from Kansas City – did they move?

    1. We have a blog post from June 23rd where we shared that Jesse and Anna chose to live in an apartment in Kansas City as newly weds. Kansas City is where Joseph and Elissa’s church has been for several years, and that’s the church Jesse and Anna have settled into as well.

      1. Yess, I had read the post about Jesse and Anna, but I thought the way this was worded Joseph and Elissa might have moved, too. 🙂 It’s nice that they are going to the same church together.

  6. Teri, thank you for sharing this! I am glad for all of you that God worked all things together for good. Truly, only HE could possibly bring good out of this time period. I also appreciate it personally and thank you for always sharing the way God moves and the way life changes from one season to another, because the way you adapt gracefully and with God’s strength is a very helpful example for me as I apply it to my life.

    This church is blessed to have you all!

  7. COVID has definitely presented some challenges all the way around! God makes it clear when a new season is upon us. My husband and I are prayerfully considering an appropriate time to move, approximately an hour from where we reside now. The main reason for the pause is because church would then be an hour away. Some things have been taking place in our church, the most alarming for us is that a woman has been preaching from the pulpit twice in the last three months. My husband and I are extremely uncomfortable with this. We agree this is not Biblical, and I am praying that the Lord will lead my husband in what he thinks is best for us in this matter. It would be so sad to leave the church after four years of attendance. Prayer about this would be greatly appreciated.

  8. Hi Miss Sarah!
    How is the sequel to finding change coming along? Do you know when it will be done? My sisters and I enjoyed Finding Change, and I am looking forward to its sequel.

  9. That is wonderful you found a Church near home. I’m sure your friends from the retirement home miss you all. Will you be keeping in contact with them? I know those who are in retirement homes SO appreciate being remembered and interacting when possible.

    1. Yes, phone calls and outside visits that I know of. The younger families have done a couple of things taking the children up for an outside time of singing or gifting our friends there with some things they made or baked, I don’t fully remember what they took. Maybe I can collect those photos and do a little blog post on it.

      1. That would be nice and an encouragement I’m sure for those who have thought about ministering to those in retirement homes. Thank you for your reply!

Comments are closed.