Today I’m excited to interview CF Connect partner Aaron Sanders. Aaron Sanders serves as the lead pastor of Coastal Community Church in Galveston, Texas. He holds a Master\u2019s degree in Christian Leadership from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor\u2019s degree from Louisianan State University. He and his wife, Holly, have three children and are actively involved in their local community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell us about your current ministry context.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aaron Sanders:<\/strong> Coastal Community Church was launched in 2012 and is located in Galveston, TX. Over the past decade, the church has grown rapidly and has made a huge impact on the island. We reach a diverse group of people that includes college students, young families, small business owners, and empty nesters who have retired and moved to the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is the greatest challenge you face as a church right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aaron Sanders<\/strong>: The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. We need to continue to develop mature disciples who will make other disciples and who will generously support Coastal\u2019s ministry financially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What is one piece of advice you would offer new church planters?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aaron Sanders<\/strong>: You\u2019re important, but you\u2019re not that important. God can accomplish whatever he wants to accomplish, even when you\u2019re at home spending time with your family or on vacation with your wife. Trust that even though you planted the church, it\u2019s HIS CHURCH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How is your family doing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aaron Sanders<\/strong>: We\u2019re in a great season of life right now. My wife Holly is leading our Youth Ministry on staff and is excelling. All three kids love Jesus and we\u2019re healthier than we\u2019ve ever been. We\u2019re super busy, but it\u2019s a good, fun busy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is God teaching you in this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aaron Sanders<\/strong>: I continue to be reminded of God\u2019s faithfulness and provision, even when resources are scarce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How can Champion Forest pray for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aaron Sanders<\/strong>: I have three requests. (1) Pray that God leads us to the right man to be Coastal\u2019s next Worship Pastor, (2) Pray for the hundreds of new people who have come to Coastal over the past year to fully assimilate into the church and grow spiritually, and (3) Pray as we prepare to officially launch Coastal en Espanol within the next six months.<\/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 Aaron Sanders. Aaron Sanders serves as the lead pastor of Coastal Community Church in Galveston, Texas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":543,"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-541","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