Vision Tour, San Francisco
It was time to return to the city. The city that has captured my heart, my attention, and my devotion. This time, we took along 28 others, including Epic staff and representatives from 11 churches from Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, and Louisiana. Within two days, we visited our target area, the area of the city where we desire to start a church. Though Mission Bay is under reconstruction, there are still 100,000 people in the area with projections that over 300,000 people will be living there in a matter of a few years. UCSF at Mission Bay, Old Navy headquarters, Women's and Children's Cancer Research Hospital, regenerative medicine research, and tech-driven businesses are already there or are moving in. We, as a church, want to grow with the community. As the community forms its own identity, we want to be there to serve and show the love of Christ. We want to partner with the city of San Francisco and the people to make the city a better place. 
I loved seeing the Mission Creek Park that have been formed in Mission Bay. The city put in public transit into the area, along with green space, even before all the construction is complete. SF is a thinking city. They are prepared for the area to grow rapidly, but at the same time, they take pride in providing parks and recreational areas throughout a very dense city. My eyes, of course, take notice of all the green space as we will have 3 boys who will NEED this space as we adapt to apartment life with no backyard!
Aside from the views of the city, another great thing to see take place were the conversations that were had by all that attended the Vision Tour. Pastors came from churches of different sizes and different styles and left with the same heart after they saw the same great need. I truly believe that everyone was Kingdom focused as they saw a city of life and hope. We can't wait to see all that God wants to accomplish in and through the partnerships with these 11 churches. And as far as our family, we are glad to return home and see our boys and take them back to the city soon. We see them as a huge part of this as well. May God continue to give us favor as we pursue this vision from Him.