We Are Traders Point: Stories From 2022

Jenna and Nick have participated in three campus launches: North, Downtown, and now Midtown. The Phillips credit their launch team experience with growth in their personal faith and deeper connections with other believers.

“Launching campuses and going multisite is an amazing way to bring Jesus into your very own neighborhood. Being a part of the launch team gave us a chance to see and be a part of life change happening right in front of us.” 

“Initially when the Midtown campus was announced, we weren't sure we wanted to move to a new campus. Then, one Sunday morning, when they announced Kyle Riley as the Midtown campus pastor, the Holy Spirit moved both of us to tears. We have lived in Midtown for 12 years, our kids go to school here, and our friends live nearby. We felt God making it clear to us that we need to worship and minister to the people we live, work, and do life with."
-Evan and Carissa

"On one occasion, a teenager had arrived late at night to a foster home and was given one of the bags. She cried and hugged the worker who gave it to her. After months of being homeless and neglected, she was able to have something of her own. She told the worker that it was the first time in a long time that she had received a gift. We were not even thinking of these bags as gifts, but simply giving children what they need. It was a strong reminder that these wounds run deep and simple gestures can mean everything to some people."
-Danelle

Danelle is the Regional Manager of National Youth Advocate Program, Inc. which is a foster and adoption agency. Her agency has seen the impact that journey bags and other essential items can have on vulnerable children.

In one of the most atheistic parts of the world, ICF Leipzig—a multisite church—continues to reach people for Christ in former East Germany. Over 600 people attend weekly services at ICF Leipzig. This summer, Aaron visited ICF Leipzig and preached to the congregation. He witnessed the church’s vitality and celebrated 28 baptisms at the weekend’s service.

In a part of the country where many are not connected to a local church, Mission City Church in Santa Barbara, California continues to spread the hope of Jesus Christ to their community. Attendance numbers and baptisms are on the rise. Pastor Jake Barker celebrates the stories of many lives changed through the church.

“We met Jessica two weeks before launch. She is a single mom and at the time was recently let go from her job at a local bank,” says Barker. “She was also searching for a living place for her and her two kids. She found a community that was willing to accept and love them even in the middle of their trials. She now serves coffee every other week and her daughter is a kids volunteer. They have found community and support at Mission City.”

Joseph Barkley is the Lead Pastor at Radius Church in North Hollywood, CA—a place where four churches have shut down in the last two years. Radius has seen great growth in a short time, despite early financial barriers.

“By God’s grace, we’re reaching hundreds of people every weekend,” says Barkley. “But it put us in a position where we needed more space. We were aware that more space would include the need for more funding, but we knew that God would provide.”

Radius soon acquired triple the space to hold their weekend services, growing from a capacity of 650 seats to nearly 2,000. 

“We were able to put down the deposit required and seize this miracle,” he says. “It was possible because Traders Point decided to partner with us financially.”

As a new church, the Gathering Harlem continues to increase in attendance. During Easter weekend, 600 people attended services. Pastor Kenneth Hart says, “I couldn’t have dreamed that was possible this early in the life of the body of believers.” The Gathering Harlem has big visions for serving and blessing their community.

In April, Jordan Jones became the first Leadership Development Director. Previously, Jordan launched a leadership development program at Faith Church in Lansing, Michigan. At Traders Point, Jordan trains residents on discipleship and leadership, while helping them process their experience, and discern their vocational calling.

"My biggest takeaway from the residency was learning how to invest in my God-given strengths. In college, I felt a lot of pressure to identify my calling and plan out my career as quickly as possible. The training and mentorship through the residency program has shown me that the most effective way to fulfill my calling is to see how my strengths can be used to meet a kingdom need right where I am."
-Natalie

Natalie is a member of the 2019-2020 Resident Class. She is now the Students Director at the Midtown and Downtown campuses.

“We started researching baptism on the Traders Point website, and found there was a class for elementary age students who were curious about baptism. After reading about the class, we knew that it would be unlikely that Brady would be able to sit through it. We then reached out to Wendy, Special Needs Minister, to seek out answers about what would it look like for Brady to express his faith in Jesus as his Savior and what we could do to have him baptized. After speaking with Wendy, we started asking Brady questions, just to see where he was. He was able to answer "Who loves you the most?" (God) "Who is God's son?" (Jesus) "Who is your Savior?" (Jesus). Brady understands that breaking the rules is sin, and that he sometimes breaks the rules. We felt that this showed Brady's understanding and love for God, and wanted him to be able to publicly show that he calls Jesus his Savior."
-McArdle family

"I knew I was ready to be baptized after hearing one message from Aaron where he said, ‘Baptism was meant to be a starting line, not a finishing line of your faith, and that God would meet me there. If I had faith the size of a mustard seed and walked to that line, that God would take over from there.’ I had that mustard seed sized faith. I still had questions and things I was ashamed of, but I knew I was ready for God to begin working in me."
-Drew

"When I attended Growth Track, I was super convicted that I was waiting for community to come to me instead of taking steps of faith to cultivate that in my life. So, I joined a group, and the friends I made in that group encouraged me to start serving in Catalyst with them! It has been amazing how much my mindset has changed since taking that step of faith to seek community in my life. I am so thankful I did it, even though at first it was scary!"
-Monica

"The experience that I have had serving has brought me more and deeper connections than I could have imagined. Serving in Special Needs Ministry has given me the opportunity to work one on one with my buddy. I have been working with him for almost 2 years now. He has some behavioral traits which require some one-on-one time during worship. What he probably doesn’t realize is that I look forward to seeing him every week more than he does me. In the time that we have been connected, we have built a strong bond."
-Jay

"I serve with Students because I wanted to give others something I didn’t have growing up. As a teenager, I didn’t have Catalyst like our students at Traders Point do. I never knew what It was like to have someone speaking into my life other than my parents. Serving in Students is just a constant reminder that we need other people to grow closer to God, but also that life is much better when we are living with and for each other."
-Tre