21 Days of Fasting
The excitement is building as our church prepares to hear from God in some big ways this fall.
Hello SPCC supporters! Short Pump Community Church is starting the fall off with a church-wide fast and our people are gearing up with excitement about what God will speak to us as a community. Listen to Pastor Josh explain more about the fast and how YOU as a support team can get involved (we kept it to under 5 minutes so everyone can watch)! A copy of our church Fasting Guide is posted below as well.
As always, thank you for your support, financial and otherwise, and for joining with us in prayer.
Summer Update 2021
SPCC’s summer update including a recap of our Women’s Beach Retreat, Saturday gatherings, and how you can pray for us. Also included is an encouraging life-change story you can read here:
2020: An Inside Look
What a time to be serving the people of Short Pump in Richmond, Virginia. Like so many of you, 2020 brought us many unexpected challenges but God proved faithful through it all! Here are a few highlights:
If you’re reading this, you deserve an inside look at what the last year has been like for us with the launch of Short Pump Community Church. What a time to be serving the people of Short Pump in Richmond, Virginia. Like so many of you, 2020 brought us many unexpected challenges but God proved faithful through it all! Here are a few highlights:
We started our “official weekly meetings” of Short Pump Community Church in January of 2020. By March, our growth plans were turned upside-down when gatherings were restricted due to Covid-19. Although religious organizations have been largely exempt from gathering restrictions in Virginia, our church has more young children than adults which makes it very difficult for us to properly socially distance families in accordance with the guidelines. For this reason, we have met outdoors and on Zoom the majority of the year. Despite this, we’ve added several families to our congregation this year.
The way many people are handling this country’s racial and political tensions are continuing to pull at the fabric of healthy conversations in our community. God provided Josh with an opportunity to serve our city and beyond by starting a podcast with his friend (and fellow church member), Will. [Check out their stuff at FaithfulPoliticsPodcast.com.]
We are in a time of discernment for moving forward with in-person gatherings. We are hoping to continue Zoom for those who still want or need to stay home, but open several homes that hold a limited number of families at a time. Then, each house would have someone call into the larger “virtual meeting” on Zoom. We are trusting that our needs for space and willing people will be there if this is the continued direction God is calling us.
We are excited to be planning our first official “SPCC Baptism” when the weather gets warmer! We already have one person committed to being baptized and several more in conversation. We can’t wait to share snapshots with you when the time arrives.
Covid-19 has forced many to do life and relationships in “smaller” ways. Thankfully, this is what God was calling us to from the beginning. Because of how God led us to start Short Pump Community Church in homes, we were spared having spent thousands of dollars on building rentals, chairs, sound systems, and supplies which would all have gone unused for months at a time this year. We have continued to see families one-on-one and find creative ways to connect. God is definitely still working!
This January we started a year-long series through the Bible with our church called “Listen” as a part of the Bible Engagement project [https://bibleengagementproject.com]. Our church is excited with us as we plan kids lessons, family devotionals, and church teaching all centered around the same passages in the Bible each week.
On the Homefront, the Burtram family is rolling with all the punches and doing our best to stand in faith as changes come. Continue praying for us. In addition to the church challenges mentioned above, please pray for:
The Burtram kids: they’re resilient but have had many changes and losses with virtual school for almost a full year and counting, canceled playgroups, closed playgrounds and the like. (You can really pray for all young children and their families right now).
Ashley and her extended family: her mother (Keli) was recently diagnosed with incurable Stage 4 cancer. Keli is moving forward with treatment but she and many others are praying for a miracle of healing!
Josh: he needs your prayer for strength as he navigates leadership and prioritizing needs (his own, the church’s, and others) during this time. Pray for continued favor with the relationships that he is cultivating, open doors, and clarity as he discerns God’s next steps for SPCC this year and beyond.
As always, thank you for joining with us on this journey through prayer and support!
Love,
Ashley & Josh Burtram
P.S. See below for a glimpse of what our life looks like right now!
Growing
On January 4th, while I sat on the edge of Noelle’s bed at St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, making sure her IV was secure and her Elsa Band-Aids were within reach, Josh gathered in our home with friends and fellow disciples for our first weekly “service” as Short Pump Community Church.
How much can happen in a few months? 18 weeks? 128 days? Since our last “official” update in September, we have gone through changes as a church and a family. Our family has grown up, with Malachi halfway through his year of Kindergarten, Noelle making it through a week-long hospital stay,* and Autumn turning one and walking. I might have spotted a few more gray hairs on myself and definitely some more on Josh. (Hey, gray hair is a crown of wisdom or something right?) We are settling in to our new home, learning our way around the community, and continuing to meet our neighbors. I can almost get to most places without Google Maps. (Definitely Costco. And Aldi. And both Dollar Trees.)
Short Pump Community Church (SPCC) held vision casting meetings throughout the fall which ended in time for the holidays. Not every gathering was bigger in numbers, but every single gathering had a new individual or family in attendance. God moved subtly and mightily through our times of teaching, prayer, and worship to light a fire in the hearts of those who gathered. God is beginning to call people to partner with us on this journey to reach Short Pump with the unembellished yet beautifully mysterious Gospel of Jesus.
On January 4th, while I sat on the edge of Noelle’s bed at St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, making sure her IV was secure and her Elsa Band-Aids were within reach, Josh gathered in our home with friends and fellow disciples for our first weekly “service” as Short Pump Community Church. People came early to set up in my absence and stayed late to clean after, and I was grateful for a community that didn’t expect perfection, but just desired to come together to worship and fellowship in God’s presence. Tonight we gathered 7 families under one roof, sang, prayed, learned and shared. We spread out among tables and couches and rugs to eat together, talked into the evening, and wrestled our kids to the cars to get their sleepy eyes back home. Some of those families have already felt called to begin tithing and now call SPCC their church “home.”
As a church, we are seeking God for strength and guidance as we grow in hearing His voice and obeying Him as He calls us out of our comfort zones to spread His grace, truth and life-changing Word to those in our circles of influence. God has already begun to show us that our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers will invite us in to the real, raw, and vulnerable places of their hearts when we make an effort to love them in action, are faithful in prayer, and His timing is right. He is working behind the scenes to make Himself known and as we consistently make ourselves available to listen to the Holy Spirit and respond in surrender.
We’ve started walking in this obedience and have already prayed for unbelievers at elementary school bus stops, sushi restaurants, and in driveways. We’ve had spiritual conversations with people at every level of faith (in Jesus or Buddha or the Universe) in saunas and parks and everywhere in between. That’s how we’re measuring our success in this season; not by numbers in rows or even in circles (we can’t control whether anyone comes to faith in Christ after all), but in how much we and our fellow disciples are listening well to others and sharing wisely the transformative power of God in our own story as we connect it to their hearts.
January 16th marked one year of living in Virginia, so I’m coming to the point of not being able to say that I “just moved here” anymore. And although I still SO miss home, this is starting to feel more like home. To those who pray for us, thank you. Please don’t stop.
With my heartfelt love and gratitude,
Ashley
*On Tuesday 12/31, New Year’s Eve, Noelle began complaining of ear pain and running a fever. Those are typical signs of childhood ear infection so I wanted to have her seen, but it was NYE. EVERYWHERE was closed except the hospital. Even the three urgent cares I called. So we gave her Tylenol and figured we’d see how she did through the night. She slept fine. The next day (New Year’s Day) she seemed better in the morning but later on started up the same thing again. She would play, seem ok, then start fussing about her ear. So, first thing on January 2nd, even though her fever was completely gone at this point, I still took her in to an urgent care doctor (long backstory short- due to insurance issues, I had not been able to get the kids a local pediatrician since we moved in to our new house). After three hours of waiting, we were seen and her ear looked FINE. (What?!) She complained of pain when the doctor touched it, but besides that, no signs of infection. Sigh. Ok. Rest of the day she was back to her normal self. Enter Friday, January 3rd. I was pulling Noelle’s hair back to put in ear drops the urgent care doctor prescribed for her ear pain and I was greeted with a puffy, red, sticking-out-of-her-head ear. That is NOT GOOD. So I: called the former peds office (an hour away), sent pictures to the nurse, texted all of our doctor friends and tried all at-home remedies to rule out “other stuff” from the serious and rare condition that Doctor Google (and my brother Dr. Caleb Dukeman) said might be Mastoiditis. Oh yea, and side-note, January 3rd is Autumn’s first birthday. By the end of Autumn’s birthday dinner Josh and I determined that everything else had been ruled out, and we needed a trip to the ER. So I packed Noelle up, drove to the ER, and walked through the rain into the waiting room. Thank God there was no wait, friendly nurses, and a doctor who listened even though I knew she thought I was being paranoid and crazy at first. I told her about our experience with Malachi’s ADEM and, although rare, it is not impossible that my daughter could have Mastoiditis. So she gave her ear another look, called the doctor at the main hospital for his opinion and ordered a CT scan “just to be safe.” Well, 8 days in the hospital should be enough to tell you that she DID in fact have Mastoiditis, and a week’s worth of IV antibiotics and 3 weeks of oral antibiotics after discharge should be enough to tell you how serious it is. We are so grateful for God’s hand in some of the amazing people we met along the way and the friends and acquaintances that rallied around us. We are peacefully believing that God has prepared the way for the finances to be covered (a week before this hospital stay we received a letter stating our government insurance was being extended longer than we had anticipated and could be one of the biggest blessings we’ve received during this season- pray with us that this is the case)!
On The Move
By Ashley
We have some exciting news! Before I spill the news, and to fully appreciate HOW exciting this news is, bear with me as I quickly recap the past year of our lives:
June 2018- Begin working with a realtor to sell our home in Ohio.
November 8, 2018- Close on the sale of our home in Ohio. Move into the basement of an extremely generous couple.
December 31, 2018- Finish our time working at Grace Crossing Church after 6 wonderful years.
January 3, 2019- Autumn is born.
January 16, 2019- Move our family from Ohio to Virginia. Move into the basement of another extremely generous couple, 45 minutes from Short Pump.
February 2019- Josh begins church plant training and fundraising and we see God’s provision continue. We wait and pray for God’s timing to move to the Short Pump area.
March 2019- Same as February.
April 2019- Same as March.
Josh at a Church leaders training, April 2019.
May 2019- Same as April.
June 2019- Same as May.
July 2019- Same as June.
August 2019- After six months of working and waiting, God speaks to Josh that he is getting ready to move our family to the area where he has called us. Josh begins fasting and praying for God to work on our behalf. We ask our support team to pray and fast with us for God’s guidance and favor (see our August update, “Getting Ready”).
September 8, 2019- With our board members visiting from Ohio, Josh is legally ordained by Short Pump Community Church. Redemption Church Charlottesville (pastored by Josh’s brother, Jon) hosted us for the ceremony. Over the weekend, the board prayed with us and approved the funds for us to begin our home search.
Josh’s Ordination Ceremony, September 2019
September 14, 2019- We have our first Vision Gathering in Short Pump, sharing the mission God has laid on our hearts. We ask several families to pray with us about the possibility of joining us to launch Short Pump Community Church.
8 adults and 8 children attended our first ever Vision Gathering for Short Pump Community Church.
September 15, 2019- Josh talks to an acquaintance at church who is a loan officer. He is excited to work with us to get a loan for a house. Josh works all day combing the internet for potential houses near Short Pump.
September 16, 2019- The final day of Josh’s fast. We are pre-approved for a loan thanks to the ministry-minded loan officer.
September 17, 2019- We meet with our realtor at 9:30am. We find the right house at 12:00pm. Our offer is accepted at 8:00pm. We’re under contract by 10:00pm.
October 17, 2019- Closing Day for our home! (No, below is not a stock photo, that is THE home!)
Our home in Glen Allen, VA.
I have been waiting for the day that I would be able to share this exciting update, and it’s finally here! I cannot thank you all enough for storming heaven on our behalf. God has worked through your support and many prayers.
If you’ve stuck with me reading this update thus far, then you are a faithful friend and supporter and I know you will continue to pray with us for:
God’s continued favor as we enter into the process of inspections and financing.
Malachi’s heart as he says goodbye to a great teacher, friends, and school he has come to love, and that he would quickly make new friends, get the RIGHT teacher, and adjust to his new school.
All of our kids (and their mama!) as we move to our FOURTH living space in the span of just one year.
Our realtor and his family to come to faith in Jesus through our relationship.
At the risk of this post being WAAAYY too long, I will save the rest for another time. There are so many other exciting connections and works that God is doing for us and through us; I can’t wait to share more about them soon! But for now, I’m off to pack some boxes!
Getting Ready
“The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun… “Now then, you and all these people, GET READY…” JOSHUA 1:1
Burtrams share exciting developments in our church plant process and how you can pray with us.
Exciting updates about what is coming for the Burtrams and our church in September.
*Prayer Partners- please watch for guidance on how you can be praying for us this month.
The Lord said to Joshua son of Nun… “Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses… No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:1-9 NIV
The Place Where It All Began.
Sometimes the most simple moments are the most profound.
Watch this video for our July 2019 update. (If you don’t know the backstory of the pool, check out Our Story.)
Winter, Spring, Summer
As the clock ticks, we’re feeling intense pressure build and the heat is on. But we continue to look forward to the harvest that God will bring, in his timing.
It feels like we’ve lived in Virginia for just a few short weeks. It also feels like we’ve been here for years. Anyone else felt this way? According to the calendar, we’ve been here for six months. In that time, God has done a lot of work in us individually, as a family, and as a budding church plant.
Six months is a long time in a lot of ways. Autumn has gone from a cute little “blob” into a person who lights the room up with her smile. Noelle has shown us her love of singing and dancing (“Let It Go!!!”). Malachi is starting Kindergarten next month. As a family we have learned a new routine (or maybe lack of routine?) now that there are five. On the work-front we have done a LOT. Josh has had over A HUNDRED one-on-one face-to-face meetings with individuals and couples to share the call that God has laid on our hearts and ask for their prayers and support. He has travelled to EIGHT cities for vision-casting, teaching, training, and mentorship, with more scheduled. We have sent THOUSANDS of messages to friends, family, and new connections here in the area to gain support. Amidst all of this, God has called us to keep a healthy pace so we surprised the kids by staying at a family resort in West Virginia, went to Virginia Beach, and do our best to honor at least one day of Sabbath every week. As a couple, Josh and I are convinced we’ve followed God’s call at each turn, but sometimes wonder why He seems to be taking us the “long way around.” We feel disappointed because we wanted to be having more than just hypothetical conversations about starting services for our new church by this time. We wanted to be moving into our new home near Short Pump where God has called us. We wanted to have our church budget fully-funded.
However, when we take a step back, we also realize that six months is also a short time. It’s a blip on the radar when it comes to the entirety of our lives. And what a work God has done in six short months! We are just over 40% funded by monthly donors- families and couples just like us- and it blows our mind. We have been given other special gifts, small and large, financial and otherwise, that have kept us going when we weren’t receiving any income and were far from our friends. God has used the generosity of his people to make sure every one of our needs has been provided for.
God created this world with cycles. Night and day. Birth and Death. Winter, Summer, Spring, and Fall. Each season brings challenges and rewards. Winter seems bleak but is a time of preparing. Spring is dreary but is a time of blessing and provision as the rain soaks the earth. Summer is full of light, but also a time of intense heat. Then comes fall, and fall means harvest. We have lived in Virginia long enough to see almost all of the seasons. We also feel a reflection of these seasons in our internal world. We are preparing. There are days we feel things are dark but then we see God provide. As the clock ticks, we’re feeling intense pressure build and the heat is on. But we continue to look forward to the harvest that God will bring, in his timing.
