Thank You, Well Church Family

by Chris Ritter

Sometimes “time” means nothing when it comes to depth of relationship.  Sometimes it’s not about this many years or that many decades, but about the right opportunity to plug in, the willingness of lots of people to invest in one another, and a common goal that can bond you to someone else faster than rain bonds to Portland.  Such has been the case with our experience at The Well Church.

 

I will never forget our first Sunday at The Well.  I mean, who knew this church did not honor the old, old American rule that a service should not exceed 90 minutes, let alone 120?  “After all”, I figured, “I really need to get my DirecTV set up at our new place, so I’m sure I can have the guy come at 12:30 and we’ll be fine”.  Wrong.  Not only did the service go long, but it was the service I first witnessed a tongue and interpretation biblically given in a church service.  Wow.  But, we bolted before the service ended because it was late and I did not want to reschedule the cable guy!  Mike and Kathy Lamb, who we set next to that day, probably thought we were spooked and would never see us again.

 

We checked other churches out, and were frankly surprised at how much we liked every church we visited.  But, we kept arranging to go to the Well also – we’d go on Saturday night and check a new place out Sunday, or go on Sunday and go to a new place Sunday evening.  Eventually we realized our silliness and that by our actions we were both saying how much we loved The Well and felt drawn to it.  Thank you Lord for making it clear much faster than we anticipated.

 

Once we knew we were committed to The Well, we were all in.  There’s a reason people have always called us “all-in Ritters”… actually, no one has ever called us that, but you get the idea.  We scoured the community group options and settled on the group hosted by the Saruks and Mellers.  What a great choice; another gift from the Lord.  The Bible study nights and the testimony nights were inspiring, encouraging, and a breath of fresh air every Sunday evening.

 

Spirit and Jen, your sincerity and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit have made a lasting impact on us.  Tim and Lauren, your commitment, faith, and joy in the midst of many hardships have always encouraged us.  And to everyone else in that group, thank you – leaders can have vision, but it takes many people to make something as special as that group became to us.

 

It was apparent in early 2011 that the group was going to end since life was changing so much for our leaders.  Fortunately, we had the chance to get into New To The Well that summer.  So much could be said about this class/group.  From the people attending with us to the way the elders conducted it, it was well worth the time invested.  Theology was explored, great stories were shared, some friendships developed, and we had a richer understanding of this particular church’s vision but also the global Church’s mission. 

 

From the time our first community group dissolved, Noelle and I had been considering and praying about starting a group in our home.  “The Burnside Table” was born out of a desire to have table fellowship together each week, as well as time in the Word and prayer.  It only lasted two seasons, but they were two tremendous seasons.  You should read Heather Anne’s blog post about the group – a great summary.  To say we were “blessed” to lead and host this group would be a huge understatement.  From the glorious diversity of foods to the even more glorious diversity of people, each week had something new to appreciate.  Announcing our departure was really tough. 

 

I could go on and on with stories, but we want to say thank you to some of you… actually we’d like to say thanks everyone we know, but there’s just not time…

 

Eric Davis, thank you for your friendship and mentorship.  Our meetings have been extremely helpful and encouraging.  To know you and your wonderful wife is something we will always treasure.

 

CJ, thank you for your faithful proclamation of the Word but also thank you for always being approachable to everyone who wants a moment of your time.  Our meetings and discussions were always meaningful.

 

All of the elders, thank you for the model you give to us at The Well – humility, strength, godliness, patience, service, prayer, the list goes on.  While the church is clearly not about you guys, many things start from you guys and are positively influenced by you.  Keep laboring in the ministry with the same cheerful spirit you possess.  Thank you.

 

Jake Adams, where do I begin?  Your friendship has been as invaluable as it has been unexpected.  I could not have guessed that the guy I saw wearing a “Cigars International” shirt and who bounces on weekends would become such a close friend.  Our honest conversations, our attempts to get a cigar club going (we sort of got it going, right?), all the time we spent together – all of it is appreciated.  You may at times wonder if your ministry has lasting impact on people.  Well, trust me friend, it does.  Keep it up.

 

Dvoraceks and Edmonds… We may have only had a few of them, but our neighborhood progressive meals were spectacular.  And just as importantly, our friendship with you all is very much appreciated.  We’re all quite different but, as sometimes is the case, it is the differences that brought us together and made us love each of you.

 

Cousers, Whitesides, Navarretes.  Wow.  Our fearsome foursome got closer this year than we could have guessed.  We both give thanks to God for bringing all of us together as quickly and deeply as he did.  Leaving Portland has been difficult on many levels, but none quite as hard as not being able to keep spending quality time with all of you.  You each deserve mention, but this is already getting quite long.  Just know we love you and this is truly just “bye for now”.

 

We moved to Portland exactly 22 months ago.  I believed we were moving to Portland so I could go to Western Seminary full time.  Turns out, I see clearly now that God brought us here for two equal reasons:  seminary and The Well.  School can only do so much – it’s great, and has been very helpful, but it is not learning by experience like The Well has been.  Just 22 months, but “time” is nothing in this case when measuring impact on our lives.  We thank God for the opportunity to be in community with you all, to worship God with you, be on mission locally and globally, and to keep our focus together on two things:  God and his gospel.