Today, I’m excited to interview CF Connect partner Travis Whittaker. Travis Whittaker serves as pastor of Mile City Church in metro Detroit, Michigan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2013, Travis and his wife, Jen, moved back to their hometown in South Lyon, Michigan. They felt God leading them to create an experience for people of all backgrounds to come explore, get their questions answered, and begin moving toward God. So, in 2015, a launch team of 75 people set out together to plant Mile City. Travis and Jen are now raising their family back on 10 Mile with their four children, Tristan, Lena, London, and Tavin, and are honored to lead the Mile City family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell us about your current ministry context.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Travis Whittaker:<\/strong> Mile City is a multi-campus church in the metro Detroit area. Our church is a tri-lingual church, reaching individuals who speak English, Japanese, or Espanol. My wife, Jen, and I planted the church nine years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the greatest challenge you face as a church right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Travis Whittaker<\/strong>: We have always strived to be a multiplying\u00a0church and have multiplied eight\u00a0times. Multiplication brings unique challenges, though, as we have to allow ourselves to be stretched. It is only when we are stretched that we will continue to be a sending church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is one piece of advice you would offer new church planters?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Travis Whittaker<\/strong>: Establishing a culture of prayer both individually and collectively\u00a0can easily\u00a0get\u00a0put on the bottom of the list. I have found that it is so crucial to make sure it is the top priority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How is your family doing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Travis Whittaker<\/strong>: I am grateful to run this unique race with my wife, Jen. Between baseball, gymnastics, and equestrian, our four kids keep us on our toes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is God teaching you in this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Travis Whittaker<\/strong>: To be faithful in the unimpressive, to love people well, and that discipleship\u00a0and multiplying take time and require consistent\u00a0installments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can Champion Forest pray for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Travis Whittaker<\/strong>: Pray that God would raise up more church planters to come to our residency program so that we can\u00a0send them out to start new churches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n CF Connect exists to encourage and support pastors and church planters doing the work of ministry. God continues to accomplish incredible things through faithful CF Connect partners. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, I’m excited to interview CF Connect partner Travis Whittaker. Travis Whittaker serves as pastor of Mile City Church in metro Detroit, Michigan. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Growing up, Ana Alonso attended a Catholic Church, but for whatever reason, she never really felt connected. She thought she couldn't have a relationship with Jesus. This all changed when her aunt invited her to a new church. Ana was struck by the beauty of this new church. The way they worshipped God and talked about Scripture opened her eyes and heart. It made her want to start going to church more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But soon after this, she found herself in an unhealthy relationship. This relationship eventually led her astray, and she stopped going to church. She focused so much on this relationship that she quickly lost herself. She wrestled with depression and anxiety during this season, and to make matters worse, her mom was also going through her own mental health battle. It was a difficult period in Ana\u2019s life. She felt like everything was spiraling out of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One day, she had a terrible argument with her mom, and in a moment of intense emotion, she found herself yelling at her mom. She had become someone she didn't recognize. \u201cI don\u2019t yell at my family like this,\u201d she thought to herself. She was devastated and heartbroken that she had let things get to this point. In a state of despair, she left and headed to a nearby park, alone. At the park, she just cried. \u201cThere\u2019s no hope left for me,\u201d she thought. She felt like the only way out was to end her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Amidst her desperation, she turned to God and whispered for help. She apologized for distancing herself from him and asked for strength to endure. Moments later, two older ladies walked towards her. As they approached, Ana couldn't stop crying, until one of them reached out her hand and placed it on Ana\u2019s shoulder. The woman spoke softly, saying, \"I'm so sorry.\" Ana knew God had answered her prayer. It was the spark of hope she needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, Ana\u2019s relationship with Jesus and her faith has grown tremendously. Of course, it has been a journey, but Ana has seen God\u2019s faithfulness time and time again. She set a goal to begin reading the Bible daily, and now she can't wait to read it every day. Even in times of frustration or bitterness, she will pray or go to her Bible, asking God for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But her journey didn't end there. She eventually found her way to The Grove, a young adult gathering at Champion Forest. She started attending regularly. Now, she serves at the Grove as part of the weekly hospitality team. She continues to meet new people each week who share her hunger for the Lord. When asked about her time at the Grove, Ana said, \u201cWe worship Jesus together and discuss Scripture, and I've even had the chance to pray over others. Being part of this community has been a huge blessing for me, and I believe it was completely the Holy Spirit guiding me to this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ana\u2019s testimony is a good reminder that no matter how lost you may feel, God is always with you. He will guide you and give you the strength you need to get through even the toughest of times. It's okay to ask for help, to pray, and to turn to God in moments of desperation. It's also important to surround yourself with a community that shares your faith, where you can grow together in Christ.<\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cf-connect","category-missions","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n