My name is Ian, and my wife, Allie, and I joined Olympia City Church in 2015, after we had moved here for the military. We had come from a strong Christian community at Wheaton College where we met, but once we were married and moved to the next step in our life we never really connected with any of the churches we visited. Both of us are fairly introverted, and while the churches we had been going to seemed like they had healthy communities, we never felt invited or participated in anything more than a Sunday morning sermon. When we moved to the northwest we were just looking for a church community where we felt like we could get to know people, but Olympia City Church has turned into something more meaningful that we ever could have known when we first joined.

     Regularly sitting, eating, and living in each other’s homes rather than in a designated place of worship has made the concept of Christian community a reality for us. The people of OCC are more than just acquaintances seen once a week. If you are in this family you cannot hide secrets and you are not judged for what you have done, but loved and helped as Christ would do. We know what each person is living through, worrying about, and dreaming of. We share in the sorrows and joys of Christian living with a kind of love that grows us as disciples and grows us into the people Christ wants us to be.

     A year and a half ago I reached a juncture in my military career. I had been promoted to the rank of Captain and my contract was up with the Army where I could submit a letter of resignation if I wished.

If I was to stay in the military the next step would be to move back to Georgia for more training and then off to a different duty station, but we confidently made the decision to leave the military so that we could stay here. At this point my only job experience was being an army officer for five years and I didn’t have a solid plan for what I would do outside of the military, but Allie and I knew that we were part of the Church family here and that our hearts and souls wouldn’t let us leave. The people here who loved us and were growing in Christ with us were worth staying around for despite the uncertainty of the future.

     A year of unemployment - far longer than expected or prepared for - followed. We would have broken if we didn’t have the people in Olympia City Church who showed their love for us so much. In that year we were blessed with practical advice, spiritual guidance, and constant friendship. An unforeseen consequence of having time on our hands was that we were able to invest in the lives of people at church who were going through some of the happiest moments of their lives and some who experienced incredible grief. Even with the uncertainty of the future we knew we had made the right decision to continue as part of this church where we could love others as Christ described and be poured into by those around us. I am now employed by a general contractor in the construction industry in an opportunity that our church family prayed for. We are blessed beyond reason to be a part of this loving group of Christians who accept each other honestly and are learning and living out the gospel side by side.