Heartfelt Gratefulness

Family and friends, for the first time in quite a while we have had the chance to come up for some air in order to write an update. Our time here in Louisville has been a tremendous blessing and learning experience that will serve us for the rest of our lives.  And we want you to know that we could not have done this without your prayers, encouragement and support.  Many of you have sacrificed your time and your financial resources in order to partner with us in the gospel (Phil. 1:5), and when Andrea and I think of all of this our hearts are filled with joy (Phil. 1:4).  We have been overwhelmed with how God has provided for us this far, and we are confident that He will continue to do so into the future. 

Family Update (more on this in upcoming post!)

The Beane home has been very busy, with Mommy preparing for baby Knox (due May 4) and Salem and Titus growing in excitement and anticipation to finally meet their little brother. Andrea has been such a tremendous support and source of faith building for me, to see her be a mother while at the same time love me well has been an evidence of grace in her life. She has been learning well what Titus 2 looks like in very practical ways, as she sits alongside our Pastors wives and soaks up their godly example and wisdom.  It becomes clearer by the week why this Pastors College training truly was the best thing for our family, and for the families we will have the privilege of serving very soon in the church plant. Salem and Titus have grown so much, Salem is developing a desire to be a little helper, and Titus is, frankly, learning how not to bull-doze everyone down. We have enjoyed learning during our time at the PC how to effectively disciple our children, but boy we have so much more to learn. But God is faithful.

Grace All Sufficient       

We are coming to an end of the Pastors College very quickly. Time truly has flown by and with only 3 months left our prayer and desire is to finish strong by trusting in the Lord. Starting the PC almost 7 months ago, to be honest, I was a little insecure and not too sure how I would do. I had questions such as: Can I do this? Has God called me to this? What if I fail? Can I preach? Can I write papers? Can I juggle the rigors of family and ministry, and keep them properly aligned? I humbly submit to you I have failed in so many ways; not getting the grade I wanted, of finding out that I don’t know as much as I thought, of not being able to live up to the expectations I set for myself, and struggling to be a biblically faithful husband, and father. But at the same time, I have grown in my conviction that being a pastor and shepherding whoever He brings into our lives in this church plant is exactly who He’s called me to be. God has allowed Andrea and I to see our need this year for the Gospel and His grace so that we will better be able to minister to those who feel like they have failed, and have had their dreams dashed all to pieces. We have seen again and again that Gods strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. Family, our hearts fill with praise when we think about these people, not because we are their solution, but we have the message to share and the desire to walk in a manner that’s worthy of that message. We know that what people really need is a Person; namely, Christ Jesus. As part of the PC year, every student is given a preaching assignment in another Sovereign Grace Church. I had the privilege of serving Sovereign Grace Church of the Low Country (you can hear the message here -Use “Speaker” drop down menu). It was such a blessing to use what I have learned in the PC to better be able to effectively handle and preach God’s Word. The primary responsibility for a pastor is the preaching of God’s Word so I have to say our Dean and instructors have served us well in preparing us for this weighty task of feeding Christ’s Church that He purchased with His own blood.

Residency and Church Plant Planning

We also have exciting news to share, thus far we have been in phase 1* of this process (Prepare) and we are now moving into phase 2** (Plan).  This means we have decided where we believe God has led us to plant*** and where we will be doing our 12-month residency. The Earls (learn more about them here) and the Beanes are so excited to share that we will be planting a Sovereign Grace Church in Wilmington NC, Lord willing in late 2018 (want to know more about this?).  Wilmington is an ever-growing city; it is projected in the next 15 years that the population will increase by 56%.  It is a college town, with UNCW drawing students from all over NC, and 8 countries globally. On a more negative note, Wilmington is leading the nation in heroin and opium usage and the drug epidemic in this city is terrible. We know that there are faithful Gospel centered churches in this city already, but 52.7% of the population have no religious affiliation. We desire to come along side these churches and preach the gospel and make disciples until all of Gods people are gathered together within this city. CrossWay Community Church in Charlotte NC will be where Josh and I complete our residency, gain experience in various aspects of ministry, and plan for the upcoming church plant in Wilmington. The Pastors College served in preparing us for faithful pastoral ministry; residency will serve in helping us plan for the church plant.  The 12 months of residency (phase 2) will consist in completing our ordination with Sovereign Grace Churches, traveling to Wilmington for meeting locations, housing for our families, jobs and so forth. Also during phase 2, Josh and I will be able to preach in other Sovereign Grace Churches in the region, share our vision, and hopefully build a core team to come with us to Wilmington in order to plant.

Goals and Needs                                                                            

The transition from phase 1 to phase 2 presents a number of goals and needs. We recognize prayer as a top priority and that is where all of you come in and partner with us in a very impactful way. Below are a number of ways you can pray. We hope to update the blog with prayer needs more regularly and specifically when school ends. Additionally, as our family enters into phase 2, we are hoping and praying that during our residency in Charlotte we will be able to be largely supported, giving us the time and space to prepare for the launch of the church plant and complete the ordination process. In order to accomplish this, we are praying for one-time or monthly partners.  If you feel that God is moving your heart to partner with us financially we will provide that info below as well. Thank you to all that stepped out in faith this past year to support us with a one-time donation or partnered with us monthly, again we are so grateful. We are confident that “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinth. 9:8).

Prayer

  • Healthy delivery of baby Knox (due date is May 4)
  • Academic perseverance for school year
  • Increased trust in the Lord for all things
  • Relocating logistics & expenses
  • Wisdom for homeschool decisions
  • Affordable housing in Charlotte starting July 27 (because Aaron was a convicted felon we are ineligible for many rental properties and need your help finding a temporary home for our family during Phase 2 in Charlotte).
  • Flexible part time work & odd jobs for Aaron
  • Financial partners & prayer support
  • Church plant planning & residency time
  • Core team building
  • For the people in Wilmington that we hope to serve well in the future

 

For tax deductible donations please send to CrossWay Community Church, 6400 Prosperity Church Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269. Please be sure to indicate: Leadership Development Fund – Aaron Beane on the memo line. You may also give online.

For any additional information or to set up a time to talk further please call/text Aaron at 704-808-1110 or email him at aaronbeane@gmail.com.

 

*We will be posting a summary of Phase 1 on the blog in the coming months.

**We will be posting a summary of what we expect to take place during Phase 2 in the coming months.

***Forthcoming update about how God led us to church plant in Wilmington, North Carolina!