Michael and Keisha Queen wanted a community that did life together beyond the environment where they served. But they weren’t sure where to start.
“How do we balance all of this — being on mission, serving, making disciples, and with kids?” Keisha asked.
As they researched different models, they became drawn to the idea of a group that lived on mission together. This meant not just getting together for fellowship, but to serve others — in a place where discipleship and community and serving were woven together.
“We don’t just want to teach our kids, we want to show them,” Keisha said.
The Queens began talking to other families from MarriageWorks, where the Queens serve as leaders. Three other families decided to join them, so they began meeting together and praying.
“We didn’t want to launch blindly. We wanted to understand what God wants for us to do,” Keisha said. Michael said it was different meeting together for the purpose of living on mission together, as a community, for the community. It was wonderful, but hard at times.
“It was a lot different from hanging out every now and then — to be brought together all the time,” he said. “A lot of times we’re willing to give access to spiritual challenges, but not to how we spend our money or how we parent our kids.”
“We’re talking about vulnerability and taking it up a notch,” Keisha said. “As you’re living in close proximity, you see blind spots you might not ever know about.”
The Queens even told their girls about their family bringing in another child for adoption in front of the group, so they had other adults they could talk to. At least one of the other families had recently completed an adoption.
Deeper intimacy has grown as their relationships with Jesus have grown.
“The foundation of our community is Jesus,” Keisha said. “We are discipling each other and learning how to disciple others.”
They’re also exploring ways to serve in the community and have applied to a local nonprofit to serve together once a month.
Michael added, “We wanted our families to show Christ by building relationships. We wanted to show Jesus by serving.”