When I first arrived in Liberal with my family, I was surprised by how often I was greeted with the “why Liberal?” question. Well, not really the question itself, but more or less the outright incredulity that accompanied it. Whether it was the Walmart cashier or the fella I invited to church at Ollie’s, the nonplussed response was the same: “Wait — you moved here from somewhere else on purpose? Are you sure you got the right place?” This question was typically accompanied by facial expression that I would have otherwise expected if I’d told them I was about to undergo a voluntary lobotomy while learning to ride a unicycle.

And l get it. Leaving Maine’s bustling coastal towns, rocky ocean shores, and endless pine forests for the flat, windswept plains of Liberal might look a bit like an arbitrary relocation to the middle of nowhere. But I don’t see it that way at all. In fact, as someone who has spent the last three months at Fellowship Baptist Church after fifteen years in the pastorate, I’d like to tell you exactly what I see.

1. A Heartfelt Community
Now more than ever, it’s easy to live somewhere for so long that discontentment and wanderlust creeps in, and our little corner of the world here in Liberal is no exception. But for what it’s worth, I have been to about a dozen countries and very nearly every U.S. state, and I’ve had addresses in New York, Africa, Tennessee, and Oklahoma before settling down in Maine for sixteen wonderful years. My wife has a very similar experience, living in Arizona, Alaska, and Oklahoma before joining me in Maine. We have lived in lots of places, so I feel especially qualified to tell you: Liberal is awesome.

From the sun-kissed vistas of the plains to the friendly smiles of my neighbors (my children were genuinely confused when someone held the door open for us on the way into the bank: “Dad, do you know that guy?”), this community is wonderful. I don’t have room to type up all the reasons why Amber and I feel especially excited about our children growing up here, getting married and starting families here (maybe even with some of your own kids!), and building a legacy here. For us, Liberal is not a place to escape; it’s a place to embrace, a place to come home to. We’ve been to the “greener grasses” and back and — granted, while we may have to use a hose or sprinklers here in Liberal — the grasses here are plenty green.

2. A Holistic School
For a number of reasons, Amber and I have always intentionally homeschooled our children, but that changes this year. After seeing the spiritual emphasis, intentional discipleship, and academic rigor of Fellowship Baptist Academy, we’re happy to stand behind the academy by enrolling our own four children. What’s more, Amber is joyfully anticipating bringing her own education and experience to the academy as a teacher this coming year.

When you’ve had a Christian school in your backyard for years, I understand that it can easily blend into the background or even become a headache. But from an outsider's perspective, having a faithful, thriving Christian school seamlessly integrated into the life of the local church and community is a blessing beyond description. It is a vehicle for the Gospel, shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation with each class period. Most communities across this country would absolutely envy what God has built here. To us, the academy isn't a burden to maintain; it is a miracle to celebrate. And we’re thrilled to be a part of it.

3. A Healthy Church
Whether as a “church planter’s kid” and “missionary kid,” or later on as a pastor of my own church while preaching out at many different churches in Maine and across the nation, I have had the opportunity to fully experience well over a hundred and fifty churches in my life, each with their own unique identities.

Because of this, I feel uniquely qualified to confidently say that we are blessed with a particularly healthy, thriving, growing, doctrinally sound church community here at Fellowship. From the preaching to the singing to the many opportunities to serve, this place is alive. And my, what awesome opportunities to serve there are! Whether it's the hospitality at the K Cafe, the exhausting labor of love in the nursery, the watchful eyes on the security monitors, the mowers keeping the lawn looking sharp on Saturdays, or the tireless dedication poured into the children at Vacation Bible School, this is a church that willingly rolls up its sleeves for the Gospel. I still can’t believe how good we have it here.

4. An Honest Pastor
By God’s grace, we here at Fellowship are privileged with a pastor who is willing to do the hard work in preaching, leading, navigating change, and simply being honest with both the Scriptures and the needs of this church. I can’t possibly be any clearer than to just say it: this is a rare and precious thing. And I promise you it’s rarer than you think: I’ve been deep in the trenches of ministry in one way or another for many years now, from my childhood until this very summer, and I can promise you: we are uniquely blessed with our pastor, as well as the staff with whom he surrounds himself.

As a former pastor myself, one of the most frustrating experiences is hearing a pastor mishandle the Word, mistreat his congregation, or otherwise abuse his position. By way of contrast, it’s been nothing short of refreshing to watch Pastor Tyler handle the Word responsibly, lead his church graciously, deal with attacks resiliently, and pastor this church humbly. We are blessed with Pastor Tyler and the pastoral staff here.

Conclusion
Saints, I didn’t step away from the pastorate in Maine and lead my family across the nation to this church by accident. No, God knew exactly what he was doing. My family and I were led to this place even as we recognized that God is actively doing something unique and profoundly wonderful right here in Liberal.

If you’ve been here forever and the scenery has started to feel a bit gray, please allow me challenge you to look around with fresh eyes this week. Don't let familiarity or wanderlust blind you to the providential placement of your soul in Liberal by a divine God who loves you. Don’t let the din of students discount the miracle of an amazingly impactful academy. Don’t let any minor inconveniences or personal qualms detract from the reality that we have an incredibly one-of-a-kind healthy church here. And don’t let comparisons or disagreements cause you to fail to appreciate our pastor or his staff here. We have it so, so good.

In short, there is pasture here.

Just this recent Sunday, I greeted a nice man in church who I didn’t yet know. He was likely also a visitor, since he asked, “are you…erm…involved here?” Turns out he was asking if I was a pastor at Fellowship. My response? “I’m just a member, but I’m an involved one!” He smiled. I did, too.

It is a distinct privilege to be a member at Fellowship, and it is our collective, joyful responsibility to protect that unity, support our pastoral staff, and realize just how incredibly blessed we are to call this place home. I hope you will join me in expressing gratitude for God’s divine providence here, and that you, too, will see a heartfelt community, a holistic school, a healthy church, and an honest pastor. If you do, I suppose it might make a little more sense as to why folks like me would move across the country to be here. And who knows? Maybe more will.