Brothers and Sisters in Christ-
Many of you may remember that over two years ago God pressed upon me and subsequently my family, a calling to begin a new church plant in my hometown of Walla Walla, WA. While I was eager to jump at this opportunity and honestly would have moved my family immediately to begin this endeavor God had better plans for me. While the church plant was always the call, the journey from there until now has been serendipitous and sovereign every step of the way.
At the time I felt this burden by God to begin a new church plant, my family and I were serving as full time missionaries (supported by many of you) at the Flying H Youth Ranch in Naches, WA; a ranch designed to rehabilitate troubled teenage boys. While serving at the Flying H I was able to return to school and work towards completing Bible College and seminary. During this time I also began the process of becoming a licensed pastor in the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, something I completed in October of 2010.
While working on my continued training and pursuing avenues in which to begin the church plant, I was also able to, on a fairly regularly basis, meet with my mentor and pastor Greg Stamm of Toppenish Grace Brethren Church. Greg was excited for and encouraged me to pursue the opportunity in Walla Walla, however, he and I both felt that before beginning the church plant it would be advantageous for me to work in a church to get some practical experience. We agreed to pray for this opportunity, not knowing where this experience would come from.
God, who is always faithful, answered our prayer. The church my family and I had been attending while working at the Flying H Youth Ranch was in need of an interim senior pastor. They knew of my desire to begin a church plant in Walla Walla in the future and thought that perhaps we could each fill needs for one another; they needed a pastor, I needed experience in a healthy community who would be patient with me and help me hone my preaching and shepherding skills. And so with all plans on the table the elders of the church offered and my family and I accepted the interim position in the summer of 2010 with full intentions of moving my family in the summer of 2011 to answer God’s call to plant a church in Walla Walla.
Why, you may ask am I writing this letter in March of 2012 and not March of 2011 if I intended to move in the summer of 2011? Several factors came into play to extend our time at Nile Valley Community Church. First, Karen became pregnant with our fifth child, Alexander Ray Carlile (named after a dear friend to many of us in the Pacific Northwest), and was due to deliver right in the middle of our planned moving window. Secondly, the church in which I was serving, I felt needed more time building unity and moving toward a common vision before another big transition. We had gone through tremendous turmoil which led to my calling to serve at the church, and we were just beginning to heal. I felt, as did many on the board at the church that another big transition would be counter intuitive to the progress that we had made.
I must admit, that staying another year was not my plan. But, it was a better plan than I originally had in mind. I believe I have grown considerably in how I pastor and shepherd in these two years and I would not change this time for anything. But now, the time is at hand. We are moving this summer and the time seems to be flying by.
 So why this letter? We need support. As a new church plant, we really are starting with nothing, other than the confidence that this is God’s calling,
and the needs are great. We are placing our faith and
our trust in what God will provide, through His
people for us, for our church, and for His mission.
We first and most importantly need prayer
partners. We fully realize that the enemy does not
want healthy communities of Christ in Walla Walla.
He will do all he can to make sure we do not succeed
in what God has called us to do. We also attest that
the best and perhaps only way to truly counter the
enemy is through the many prayers of the saints, and
so we are asking you to pray for our mission, but also
for our family.
We also need financial support. If being a
pastor is a full commitment; being a church planter is
even more so. Balancing family time, visitation, the
gathering and maintain of resources, and
intentionally growing and harvesting leadership, and
networking and evangelizing, all the while starting
with nothing, is a full time endeavor to say the least.
I fully realize that in the beginning I will
work outside of the church to help support my
family, much like Paul built tents to help provide for
his needs and the needs of the ministry. Like Paul, I
also hope and pray for the support of like-minded
believers who understand the call God has placed on
my heart for the people of Walla Walla.
My prayer is that God’s people will see a
need to help partner with us, both prayerfully and
financially to reach the lost people of Walla Walla.
Thank you for your support and trust in us as we continue to spread the gospel.
-Pastor Chris
