C3

When I decided to leave the Navy in 2006, I thought I had my life in control. God was not a priority though my heart longed for Him. I moved to Columbus, Ohio with hopes to finish my education, find a good job, and finally start a family. However, I found that finding a job in Columbus was harder than I thought. I grew depressed and withdrawn. Basically, I developed what is known as Separation Anxiety. For the first time in my adult life, I could not depend upon the military to take care of me. The direction I once felt in my life was now missing. I pushed my family away and dove into hobbies. I gained close to forty pounds and sat around the house playing video games online. We could not seem to find a church. I was lost and in the process of losing everything.

During this time we were looking for a church home. We went to numerous churches in the area but nothing seemed to fit. Some just did not fit us and others were more theatre than anything else. It seemed that there could be no home for us, but then my sister Melissa moved in with us to save money for school. She wanted to try a church in Pickerington, Ohio where she knew the pastor from her time in youth camp. We looked up the church on the internet and I chuckled at the name: C3 Church. I wondered where the weird name came from, but we gave it a try.

Our first service there, I walked in pessimistic. I was hearing the call of my master and just flat out miserable in life, but I was tired of church. I was tired of seeing judgment instead of love. I was tired of seeing a show instead of something real. Little did I know I was being sent there by God, and even less did I know why I was being sent there.
It was a good service. Everyone was friendly and relaxed. The church seemed real.
After the service, they held a brief meeting where new visitors were able to go back and meet the pastor, Konan Stephens. I can not tell you what struck me about Konan and his church except that it seemed authentic. I was curious.

A couple days after going to C3 for the first time, I emailed Konan and asked him to meet me for coffee. I wanted to know more about this church. I wanted to see what was going on with this man and find out his intentions for his church. What I found was a dreamer who was not content for C3 to sit still. I grilled him on all that I could think of and while I did not agree with everything he said, I could tell he was honest. He was sincere and I was onboard.

As my family began to go to C3, I started to move towards God again. As I did, the fog over my life began to lift and I noticed that my wife had grown distant. I slowly started to make changes in my life to try and become a better husband, but as it turns out, it was too late. She decided that she wanted out and I was left alone to find my way. It was at this point, I discovered why I had been sent to C3 Church. The people at C3 Church stepped in and helped to rebuild me. The leadership there, led by Konan Stephens and Gary Fowler, loved me and stuck by me even though I struggled as I fought to save a marriage and grow closer to God. The marriage ended and they were instrumental in rebuilding my wounded heart and in showing me what it is to be real. I can now say that if not for C3 and the people there, I do not know what would have happened to me.

The reason I write this is to both honor the men and women of C3 Church who have followed the call of God to love people and be real doing it, and to say goodbye to them. God has called me elsewhere, with second chance at marriage pending. When He calls, I answer. So thank you C3 for being there and loving me. Thank you for obeying God’s call upon you in the eastern Columbus area, and thank you for being God’s instruments for miracles of the heart. I live and breathe the name of Jesus today because there was a church willing to love like Jesus loved.