“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” — 1 Corinthians 3:6

What does “real life” mean at Greenhouse?

Each week here at The Greenhouse Project, we do our best to simply show up and trust that God will do what only He can do: transform lives. He is the one who pours new life into dead spaces and weary places, and we’ve seen Him do it time and time again!

And as we watch the transformation take place in the lives of so many here in Chester —sometimes miraculously and immediately, and other times more slowly — we’re learning what it means to pour out our lives for Christ — day in and day out.

And when I say outpouring, I mean the steady giving of ourselves: our time, energy, and care — through which God meets people and begins to change them. It is simple, ordinary faithfulness, and at the same time, something far greater than us. But in the end, it’s really all about Him.

Today, I want to give you a glimpse into what this looks like in real life here at Greenhouse.

We’re grateful for a culture of behind-the-scenes service that God is forming here. Before
anything visible happens, there is a coordinated, faithful effort most people never see.

Three Perspectives, Three Impact Makers

So here are a few small snapshots of what happens here each week — and why it matters!

Mike: Sunday Morning at Greenhouse Fellowship

On a Sunday morning, while the city of Chester is still waking up, one man in our recovery program is already moving. Mike wakes at 7:00am, makes his bed, and pours himself a cup of coffee — simple acts that, for him, are markers of a life being rebuilt.

At the same hour, a pastor (I’ll admit, this is usually me!) is praying and making final edits to a message he hopes will make a difference in someone’s life.

By 9:30am, Mike arrives at church and gets to work: setting up chairs, wiping down surfaces, cleaning bathrooms, mopping the kitchen floor. He lays out coloring pages upstairs for the kids, sets up the coffee station, arranges breakfast. None of it feels glamorous but all of it matters.

At 10:30am, a small group gathers to pray — worship leader, pastor, volunteers. Final details fall into place before the 11:00am service. Then a shift takes place: those who have prepared for the service become participants in the service. Mike takes a seat, quiets himself, and prepares to meet with God.

And perhaps something in the message resonates and meets him right where he is.

Later, Mike helps serve communion — offering to others what he himself is learning to receive.

After the service, he catches up with some friends. And when everyone’s left, he stays behind to clean up, put away chairs, clean the bathrooms and coffee maker, and close things down.

Then he heads to a friend’s house for lunch where the conversation continues and the message works its way deeper into real life.

This is the culture of service that we’re teaching to the guys in our program. This is their outpouring — not a single moment, but a steady stream of effort, care, and attention poured out so that people can feel welcome in our church and have a lasting experience with God.

Shania: Wednesday Evening at One Way

On Wednesday evenings, a young student arrives early around 6pm, eager just to be there after a long day at school. By 6:30pm, everyone is sharing a meal — this last week it was Pastor Donny’s BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad. It’s good food, that’s for sure, but that’s not why Shania came. She’s hungry for something deeper!

After dinner, while the main group stays downstairs for Bible study, the youth group — One Way — gathers upstairs. There’s singing, laughter, and then Bible teaching. For the first time, she hears something that cuts through the noise she’s been carrying: her worth isn’t tied to her performance, and she doesn’t have to earn a love that’s already been given through Jesus.

Now maybe the pressures she’s been feeling at school don’t disappear overnight, but something shifts. She feels seen, accepted, and hopeful. And it transforms her.

Afterward, she stays late to draw outside with sidewalk chalk, help clean up, and hang out with a group of people who care about her.

And this is the outpouring: meals prepared, time given, truth shared, space created. Shania’s heart and mind have been touched. And even more, she is learning what it looks like to serve others and build lasting relationships.

Pastor Donny: Thursday Night at the Community Cookout

By Thursday night, after a full week of services and meetings, our pace hasn’t slowed one bit! The community cookout takes days of preparation: ordering food, setting up tents, checking equipment, coordinating music, preparing a message. There are details everywhere — hot dogs and hamburgers, tables and chairs, waterslides for kids, a baptism pool, a sound system for the block.

From the outside, it might look like an event. But from within, our intention is an invitation. Nearly 200 neighbors gather to eat, talk, laugh, play basketball, watch their kids run down waterslides. And then, at the center of it all, the message of the Gospel is shared. Some people respond. Some step forward into baptism for the first time.

It’s a long night after a long week.

And yet, this is the outpouring at its fullest: people gathering in community, singing to Jesus, and hearing the message of His great love for them. An invitation to know Him, and be transformed by Him.

So, why the early mornings, the meals, the setup and cleanup, the attention to small details?

Why does this matter?

Because transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. Transformation happens in environments where people gather, quiet themselves, hear from God’s Word, and respond.

It happens when someone makes the coffee, adjusts the volume, or prints the coloring pages for children’s church. When someone cooks a meal, shares a table, and speaks truth in love.

When a community shows up again and again — not out of obligation, but out of a shared desire to see people freed, restored, and grown into maturity in Christ.

And as that maturity deepens, something else happens: the work multiplies. Those who were once served begin to serve, and those who were once poured into begin to pour out.

When we say we are obsessed with God’s Word we mean believing it has the power to transform people!

And we are passionate about building a family where no one stands alone, to be devoted stewards of our time, talent, and resources, and to invest into people and places for the long haul.

Here’s the mission: reaching the lost, teaching the found, and trusting that small, faithful steps lead to lasting change.

After seven years of ministry, Emily and I have seen the roots planted for real life transformation. Now these roots have sprung into plants that are producing real fruit. Not because of a one-hour service, but because of the Power of God’s Word, and our partnered work of building real relationships!

The outpouring, then, is not just what happens during a community cookout or a moment during a Wednesday night Bible study. It’s everything before and after. It’s the unseen work, the shared lives, the steady offering of ordinary things — given again and again so that, over time, lives are transformed.

To God be the glory!

P.S. We post our messages on YouTube every single week!

Our library now includes more than 552 videos — from sermons and recovery meeting messages to teachings and testimonies.

Whether you need encouragement, wisdom, hope, or simply a place to start, there’s something here for everyone. Follow along with us as we journey through Colossians together!

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