Risen Stories: Meet the Edwards!
About Us:
We are Gary and Shelby Edwards and we have a 6 year old son named Graham. We met just a mile from where Risen Church will be located, at Frye’s Roller Rink. We have been together for 20 years and married for 17 years. During that time, we felt the call to grow our family though the wonderful gift of adoption, and that is how Graham came along. Just like God the Father chose us to be in His family, we chose Graham to be in ours. It has been a wonderful way to show the gospel of grace and love. Shelby is a business owner that has served the Concord area for 15 years (at Shear Expressions Salon), and I (Gary) am finishing my Bachelors of Pastoral Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, with the goal to serve in ministry.
How did you come to know Christ?
Shelby and I will always be connected in our testimonies. Neither of us grew up in a Christian household but at some point, decided church was important. When we started dating, we would attend church together, but I (Gary) started to drift away because I didn’t see any difference between the people of the church and my sinful life. Later I became very resentful of God and wondered if there was a God at all. During that time of wondering, our marriage began to fail, and Shelby felt the only thing to help was church. We began attending church, but nothing changed, because we lacked true joy in Christ. Then one day, the faithful Pastor of that church came to our home and shared the true gospel of grace and Christ’s work on the Cross for our sins. There was no merit of our own, but solely the work of Christ. That changed everything. We both began truly following Christ on April 1st, 2014, and we are so thankful that God decided to redeem us!
Why do you feel church planting is important?
Church Planting is very important for the simple fact that there are more people in the world than any one church can fit. The responsibility of every believer is to support the growth of the Kingdom of God. That can be supporting a local or international missionary, pray for God to work in the lives of unbelievers, or plant a local church to serve the community with love and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need more gospel-centered churches, who work together with the goal of bringing more people to know the saving work of Jesus Christ. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:14-15) How will the people of Concord know Christ, if more people are not out sharing the true gospel?
Why did you decide to join Risen Church’s launch team?
We decided to join the launch team with Risen Church for many reasons. It is hard for someone to say a church “checks all the boxes,” but with Risen, we feel that it does. We agree with the theological direction, the church’s vision, and the gospel-centered approach to preaching and church membership. We believe that expository preaching is the best way to start a church that is focused on Scripture, rather than opinions. We agree with the worship style, with a focus on congregational singing, so that a group of believers can express their worship and adoration of Christ together. We feel a sense of family - that the people of Risen Church truly want to be involved in our lives. Finally, missions is a major priority in our walk with Christ, and we know Risen Church will be focused on reaching the nations and the city of Concord with the gospel!
