WHY THE NAME OF OUR CHURCH IS CHANGING

Our Church has been through a TON of changes over the past several years. From installing a new lead pastor (kind of a weirdo if you ask me) as well as elders, to enduring campus-wide renovations and launching additional services; our people have endured a lot of NEW. It's never been more clear to me how devoted our local body is to the mission of Jesus. I continue to feel so humbled and honored to be a part of such a beautiful group of people. While I have the privilege of pastoring this Church, this is not my Church. It's His, and I simply get to be a part of what He's doing.

As we have done our best to navigate each change with sensitivity to both the Holy Spirit and the needs of our people, I have recognized with each one there is always potential for backlash, division, or disunity. With every change comes risk, but our leadership team has determined that the risks that come with change are nothing compared to the risks that come with staying the same. When we get comfortable we tend to get off mission and develop an aversion to anything that looks or feels foreign to our normal strides and routines.

All that being said, this past Sunday we officially announced a change that has been almost three years in the making: Breezewood Church is becoming Church of the Sandhills. While tons of prayer, strategy, and thought has gone into this shift this was still, by far, the most nervous I have been to announce a change.

THE WORD:

"The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give." -Isaiah 62:2

Breezewood Church was planted in 1953 off of Wilkes Rd here in Fayetteville, North Carolina by a man named Albert Horne. When I first read about him a few years ago, I was struck by his last name. I knew Horne was my late grandmother's maiden name and that her family was originally from this area. After reaching out to my grandfather I was informed that Albert Horne was in fact my grandmother's uncle! I had been at Breezewood for 13 years at that time and had no idea that my great (great?) uncle was the man who had originally planted it. Now, over 70 years later, someone in his own family line is following in his footsteps to shepherd the house he started.

This Church has moved a total of four times since 1953, and each time the location changed, so did the name. In keeping with the trend at the time, it originally took on the name of our denomination: "Fayetteville Church of God of Prophecy" then "Sapona Rd. Church of God of Prophecy." It wasn't until it moved to Legion Rd, where stayed the longest, that it became known as "Breezewood."

We get asked all the time what Breezewood means. Is it in the Old Testament? Does it mean something in greek or Hebrew? The truth is, Breezewood was just the name of the neighborhood that surrounded the Church. Over the years, as the neighborhood expanded and new roads and houses were developed, that name faded away. Now, the only thing that comes up when you google Breezewood is our Church, a short road behind the local Chick-fil-a, and a small town in Pennsylvania. Needless to say, it no longer carries much significance, but it does capture the heart and mission of our Church. That name makes clear that we exist to reach the community that surrounds us with the gospel of Jesus.

WRESTLING WITH GOD

The Lord began to deal with me about changing our name around three years ago as we were transitioning into our new role here. The very thought of changing our name made me sick. I knew shedding an old name that had lost its relevance was probably the right thing to do, but the last thing I wanted was to be a stereotypical, young hotshot pastor who came into this new role taking a wrecking ball to every aspect of our Church while Miely Cyrus played in the background. I've seen that movie play out many times over and it never goes well for the pastor OR the Church.

I also didn't want to just go hunting for some cool word or phrase to build our Church on. I have nothing against cool-sounding Churches but I've come to the realization that I'm just not a cool guy and trying to be one just doesn't feel genuine. Not to mention I really didn't want to give up our logo! Having a background in graphic design, I place a lot of emphasis on brand recognition and marketing. The Church doesn't need any of that stuff, but it's certainly helpful for your city to know who you are, and one thing is for sure: our city recognizes our B.

So, when as I started to sense that eventually our name was going to change , I really began to wrestle. Perhaps you're familiar with the story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32. If you aren't, allow me to spoil the ending for you: when they get through wrestling Jacob walks away with a new limp and a new name. If there's one thing I know about wrestling with the will of God it's that He will always win and ultimately we want Him to, because when He does, we will too. His will for us is what's best for us.

CHANGE IN NAME = CHANGE IN MISSION

Name changes are a dime a dozen in the Bible. It's kind of God's thing. That shouldn't surprise us; after all He is our Father and that's what mothers and fathers do: they name their children.

Not only did Jill and I put a lot of thought into the names of our children, we also naturally came up with tons of nicknames for them. Parker is PK, rollie pollie Parker (when she was learning to crawl), Wrenny bird (her middle name is Wren) and Parks. Davis is Dj (for Davis Joel), Davie boy, and big man. It seems to come so naturally for us to come up with pet names for the people (and pets) we love the most. As a loving Father the Lord is no different.

But there is intention and purpose with everything the Lord says. When He speaks all of creations conforms to what He has spoken. When He said, "Let there be light" light had to come because God is not a man that He should lie. So, when He speaks a new name over His children, He's not just coming up with a nickname, He's releasing a destiny, an identity, and an assignment.

Abram became Abra-ham when God made a covenant with him and a promise to fill the earth with his descendants. Abram means "exalted father" but Abraham means "father of multitudes." Not to mention God also gave him this name when He called him to a new land, Canaan, which just so happened to be the cursed land of Noah's son Ham. Abram became Abra-HAM when he was assigned to redeem the land which was once cut off from the blessing of the Lord but would now become the land of promise. Did that just blow your mind? Just me? Ok.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

This famous line was penned by William Shakespeare in his play, Romeo and Juliet. Juliet poses this rhetorical question to make the point that names really mean nothing at all, so the fact that Romeo belongs to a family that is opposed to her own shouldn't matter in the long run. I hate to ruin another ending for you but both Romeo and Juliet end up dead. Turns out names do matter.

What's in a name? A MEANING, that's what. Names mean something. That's why the Word places so much emphasis on them. Moses re-named Hoshea, Joshua. The Lord declared Jacob, Israel. Jesus called Simon, Peter and He gave James and John the greatest rock band name ever, "Sons of Thunder."

The Bible continually demonstrates that a name is not merely what you're called BY but also what you're called TO. So, when we began to seek the Lord for a new name, we knew it would come in the form of a new burden. The question isn't what do we want to be called, but rather to what mission are we called? What mission has God given us that will mark us forever?

A QUICK GEOGRAPHY LESSON

I have lived in North Carolina almost my entire life (since the age of two), so it should come as no surprise that I have a bias towards this great state. Let me count the ways. Located at the half way point on the east coast, we are almost exactly as far from Miami as we are from New York City. We currently rank among the largest states in population (9th) and North Carolina is consistently ranked within the top five fasting growing states in the country. What makes NC a top choice? For many it’s the lower costs of living, opportunities for jobs, outdoor activities galore, and of course, good ol’ Southern hospitality. Our state offers a lot things for a lot of people. But as someone who has lived here for over three decades, I’ve noticed a few things. Allow me to give you a quick geography lesson on our state to understand why we're taking on the name Church of the Sandhills.

North Carolina is essentially divided into five main regions. Now I’m certain that, geographically, it would be considered more, but for the majority of people across the state who don’t study maps or enjoy typography, these five regions are what they are most familiar with.

1. First, The Blue Ridge Mountains, the pearl of our state. The western portion of NC has some of the most beautiful scenery you will find anywhere on the east coast. The highest peak east of the Mississippi River is found here (Mt. Mitchell) and a significant portion of the famous Appalachian trail weaves in and out of the valleys and mountains of this region. I’m a huge fan of the mountains and, like many other North Carolinians, escape up there often to hike and take in the beauty.

2. Next, located just east of the mountains is The Foothills, also commonly known as the Piedmont or the Triad in the northern part. This region is home to the first and third biggest cities in our state, Charlotte and Greensboro. The entire region is an economic powerhouse and when people move here from big metros like NYC or DFW, Charlotte makes them feel right at home.

3. Third is what is known as The Research Triangle, made up of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. This is not only the capital of our state but also the education sector, making it one of the fastest growing areas in all the south. It’s here that many Universities, including UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, and NC State are located.

4. Fourth is perhaps what we’re known most for, rival to the mountains: The Coast. From the hipster city of Wilmington to the TV-famous beaches of the Outer Banks –it’s the pearl of the east coast. This is where the Wright Brothers took their first flight and where the masses, including our family, travel to regularly throughout the summer months to enjoy the many public beaches.

5. And finally, there’s The Sandhills. That’s where we live. East of the mountains and the foothills, south of the Triangle, west of the coast. We have no beaches, but our soil does consist of a lot of sand. We also have no mountains, just some hills, thus our moniker. We have a few cities, but mostly towns, and frankly, the only thing we have in abundance is crime.

The Sandhills has often been referred to as the "armpit" of North Carolina. Made up of about 10 to 12 counties (depending on what map you reference) this region is not generally at the top of many lists that are worth boasting about. Yet, this region is home to almost to well over 300,000 people, with Fayetteville being the overwhelmingly most populated and biggest city. I can't think of a better place for the Church to exist and shine.

When I read about the believers in the New Testament, I find that none of them had flashy names (and let me be clear, I love a flashy name, so no criticism here). Instead, they were marked by the places they were called to reach: The Church of Philippi, The Church of Ephesus, The Church of Colossae. As we began to be burdened for our region, it just made the most sense we become marked by our mission: Church of the Sandhills.

HEAR THE CRY

I've begun sharing this story lately and will continue to do so until it gets rooted in the hearts of our people. On the final night of our 21 days of prayer, as we prayed at our future campus we're calling "basecamp" the Lord began to remind me of a sound I had not thought about for a year and a half. In the fall of 2024 I traveled to Israel for the first time at the height of it's conflict with Iran. Not only did I experience all of the Holy sights and landscapes, but also the realities of war. Bombs blasted overhead as we sat in shelters next to new born babies and Israelis who were uncomfortably calm, as this is a part of their every day life.

Once we arrived in Jerusalem, I was most excited to see the Western Wall. The last remaining remnant of the Temple, the Western Wall is the most holy sight for the Jews and many gather there daily to pray. I had heard about it, read about it, seen pictures of it, and now I was finally going to get to see it with my own eyes, and on the day of the Feast of Trumpets no less! As we approached the wall through the city, we began to hear a rumbling. About 200 yards away, long before we could see it, we could hear a sound piercing our hearts. It was the sound of thousand of Jews wailing, weeping, and crying out.

You should know the Western Wall is also often referred to as the Wailing Wall. It's here that Jews spend hours crying out for the Messiah to come. It's one of the most heartbreaking sounds to hear a people so desperate for a Savior who has already come and is available to them right now. Yet the large majority of them have not accepted the One true Messiah, Jesus Christ.

On the final night, as I walked circles around the sanctuary of our basecamp, I began to hear that cry again. The cry of the masses weeping for a Savior. It was as if the Lord was saying, "This is what the Sandhills sound like. They are crying out for a Savior. Who will tell them that I have come?"

CONCLUSION

No, we won't immediately start switching over all of our websites and socials and no, you're not going to see a new sign erected at our current Legion Rd campus. We won't officially take on the new name until we are in our new location, which will hopefully be before the end of the year. (please Lord!)

I'm well aware this will cause confusion for some and aware of how hard it will be for many (including myself) who have called Breezewood home for so long to let go of that name. But I want to be clear, we're not throwing it away, rather we are are honoring what it stood for. We're fulfilling it's original purpose: to reach the surrounding community - only now, we're allowing the Lord to expand our territory and stretch our reach.

We have begun affectionately referring to our new campus as basecamp because it's not our finish line, it's our starting line. It's from there that we will follow the Lord's leading to reach the Sandhills of North Carolina in whatever way He sees fit to use us. We're moving forward with a YES in our hearts and on our lips.