It is such a pleasure to share with you how God is working through the ministry of the Church of the Holy Spirit (CHS) in Roanoke. Over three years ago the leadership of the church began praying for a long-term vision. CHS had been experiencing phenomenal growth and we were making plans for future expansion. The question of how 'Big' do we want to become was posed and the concept of starting new churches was discussed. The unifying belief was that we would continue to expand the facility and ministries of CHS in its current location as long as God continued to bring people, but additionally, we felt called to start new churches in neighboring communities and even around the world.

We set a goal to plant a new church in the Botetourt County area in 2002. Botetourt was a growing area with many young families who have historically been drawn to CHS's contemporary style of worship, solid Bible teaching, blend of tradition, and involvement in local and foreign missions, not to mention it's strong commitment to children and youth. The demographic fit was there and the need for a church like ours was evident. We continued to pray and plan.

The week of September 11th, 2001, Quigg Lawrence, Senior Pastor of CHS, and myself traveled to Colorado Springs to a Church Planter's Boot camp. We were indoctrinated as to the various types of church plants, the type of leaders such endeavors required, the pitfalls to avoid, and the latest methods to employ. We learned a great deal that week. We learned how vulnerable our country and society are to attack and destruction. We were also reminded of the urgency to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people. After days of delay, we left Colorado with a renewed passion to see the dream of planting a new church in Botetourt a reality.

In March of 2002 the decision was made that I would lead this new endeavor. My feelings of inadequacy where lessened by the commitment of twenty-five other families to leave the comfortable surroundings of CHS and go with us to Botetourt. Some of these families already lived in or around Botetourt County but others were willing to sell their homes and move to be a part of this new work of God. Surrounded by people with such strong convictions, I have never doubted the success of this new church, which would come to be known as Church of the Holy Spirit - ORCHARD HILLS.

Our core group of folks, which totaled about 80 adults and children, began meeting on a weekly basis in the fellowship of CHS throughout the summer. While our numbers did not grow, our depth of relationship did. We enjoyed praying and worshipping together as well as strategizing and organizing our new ministry. We implemented Home Group Bible Studies, which we believe is the key to solid, sustainable growth. All the while, we longed to be in Botetourt but we found it virtually impossible to acquire a temporary meeting place.

After months of searching, God presented us with an incredible opportunity. The Valley Christian Center, which was located next to the Read Mountain Fire Department on Cloverdale Road, decided to sell their facility and move back toward Williamson Road. We approached the church with an offer and after much negotiation, we arrived at an agreement. CHS would purchase the facility and adjoining land on our behalf and help fund the acquisition through 2004. What a blessing! Finally we had a place to meet!

The folks at the Valley Christian Center were gracious enough to allow us to meet at the facility on Sunday evenings beginning in October of 2002. This gave us an opportunity to become acclimated to our new surroundings and enabled us to begin to grow. Every week, new people would come and investigate our new church. Our attendance began to increase and soon we were averaging 130 adults and children per week.

January of 2003 marked the beginning of our first Sunday morning service in Botetourt. This was an exciting time but a scary time as well. Sunday evenings provided a great deal of freedom and my fear of moving to Sunday mornings was that we would now have to be "perfect". I admit that I imposed most of these expectations upon us. I struggled with the make-up of the service with regard to the amount of liturgy to the type of clothing I would wear, should I wear a robe, a tie, a coat, or just a colored shirt? These may seem trivial but I want to be careful not to erect any barriers for people who are searching for the truth that is found in Jesus Christ.

To date, we continue to grow and reap the blessings of our obedience to God's call. We are already looking for ways to increase the size of our facility due to the huge numbers of children at the church. We currently have 75-100 children at the church! Soon we may have a one-to-one ratio of adults to children. This is a great challenge and one that forces all adults to get involved. Exciting things are happening at Orchard Hills. We are seeing lives changed and relationships restored.