Celebrating New Partnership with Church Plant in Brandon
BRANDON, FL – They really had no plans to leave Texas and plant a church in Brandon, FL. God had other plans.
That is great news for Brandon and for the pastors and churches of the Tampa Bay Baptist Association as we welcome Jeremy and Dana Weart and their three kids, Makenna, Cade and Carley, to the area.
For Jeremy, it is actually welcoming him back to the area. He is an Orlando native who via the University of South Florida, the Air Force, Seminary and a 15-year stint in Dallas, came to visit family in Plant City, FL in June, 2013 and upon his return to Dallas began sensing that the Lord was calling him to plant a church in Florida.
“I wasn’t so sure what Dana was going think about that,” he said. “But after a lot of conversation and prayer, she just came up to me one day and said ‘let’s do it!'”
So, in the summer of 2014, God sold their house in one day and they were on their way to plant not just any church but a church that would be designed intentionally to reach the Millennial generation. According to Weart, they are the 20-35 year-olds who are either un-churched or de-churched and searching for significance in this world everywhere but in the Gospel of Christ. Weart is out to change that.
“We believe that Christianity is best done in community,” Weart said. “And for this younger generation, they aren’t opposed to community at all, in fact, they crave it as much if not more than anyone else. It’s just that they have never really seen authentic Christian community. Our hope is to create that sense of community at The Gathering, an Earthy, real-life picture of doing life together.”
It is life together in the local church, and it is also life together as an Association of churches. And in April, 2015 the TBBA took Jeremy and Dana out to commemorate a new beginning as The Gathering Church entered officially into the TBBA’s membership process.
“It’s more than a good time, a good meal and plaque,” said church planting catalyst Boe Ellis, “this is just one of the ways we want to come alongside and encourage our couples who are on the front lines, planting new churches and taking the Gospel to neighborhoods right here in Hillsborough County that don’t have it.”
In accordance with his policy to match start-up funding offered through the Florida Baptist Convention’s church planter training and support program, Pastor Mike Kahn, presented the Wearts with a financial gift to help launch the church.
The Gathering Church will be presented to the Association at large in October at the TBBA Annual Meeting.
“It is so encouraging to see what God is doing to plant new churches in Tampa,” said Director of Mission, Mike Kahn. “He is calling great couples like Jeremy and Dana to partner with us. It is truly exciting.”
