Episode 7
A Conversation with Jason and Kara Baker-HeavenEarth Church Stories
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This conversation centers around the vision to be a church that make a lasting impact in our community by building relationships with all kinds of folks, helping people know and live like Jesus together.
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The episode presents an enlightening exploration of community and faith through the personal narratives of Jason and KarA Baker, members of HeavenEarth Church. Hosted by Brad Miller, the podcast serves as a platform to delve into the church's mission of creating an inclusive environment for those who may feel out of place in traditional religious settings. The Bakers recount their journeys to the church, illustrating how their individual experiences have shaped their understanding of faith and community. Ross Stackhouse, the founding pastor, sets the tone for the conversation by expressing the church's desire to engage with individuals on a deeply personal level, allowing their stories to unfold as part of a larger divine narrative.
The Bakers' discussion highlights the contrasts between their childhood experiences and how those differences influenced their paths to faith. Jason's upbringing in a family with a rich evangelical background contrasts with Karen's experiences in a stable church environment, creating a dynamic interplay of perspectives. Their transition to HeavenEarth Church is marked by initial challenges, yet they emphasize the profound sense of belonging that the church fosters. This sense of acceptance serves as a cornerstone of their faith journey, as they articulate the transformative power of community support and spiritual connection in their lives.
The podcast further examines the church's outreach efforts, illustrating how Heaven Earth Church actively engages with the surrounding community to address various needs. The Bakers share poignant stories of outreach initiatives, shedding light on the church's commitment to serving others and making a positive impact. Ultimately, this episode serves as an invitation for listeners to reflect on their own faith journeys and consider the potential for growth and connection within the welcoming environment of Heaven Earth Church.
Takeaways:
- HeavenEarth Church is dedicated to creating a welcoming environment for individuals who do not typically find a place within traditional church settings.
- The church places a strong emphasis on understanding personal stories, as each narrative contributes to a greater understanding of God's story.
- The outreach and community service initiatives undertaken by Heaven Earth Church exemplify its commitment to making a lasting impact in the local community.
- Both Jason and Kara Baker highlight their transformative experiences within the church, emphasizing the importance of community and support during challenging times.
- The acceptance and inclusivity of Heaven Earth Church create a judgment-free environment where individuals can feel valued and understood.
- Kara and Jason's experiences illustrate a profound connection to the church, stemming from both personal journeys and a shared desire to positively influence others.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- HeavenEarth Church
Transcript
What would it look like to start a community that was really.
Speaker A:It's for the people like Jesus would be for.
Speaker A:Welcome to Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker A:I'm Ross Stackhouse, the founding pastor of Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker A:From the start, our heart has been to be a church for people who don't fit neatly into church.
Speaker A:We want to meet people where they are and know their stories, because in every story, there is God's story.
Speaker A:And this podcast is just about that.
Speaker A:It's about inviting you into the stories of the people of Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker A:So let's turn to the story.
Speaker B:Hello, good people, and welcome to the Heaven Earth Church podcast.
Speaker B:This is the church that looks to make a lasting impact in our community.
Speaker B:My name is Brad Miller.
Speaker B:I'm one of the hosts and producers of the podcast.
Speaker B:We like to get to know the folks who are part of the Heaven and Earth Church community.
Speaker B:And today we have as.
Speaker B:As our guest, we have Jason and Karen Baker.
Speaker B:We're so glad you're with us.
Speaker B:So welcome to our podcast conversation here.
Speaker B:Jason and Kara, welcome.
Speaker C:Thank you for having us.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, let's just kind of, let's.
Speaker B:Our main focus here is get to know you guys a little bit and a little bit.
Speaker B:What got you into Heaven Earth Church and what keeps you here, things of that nature.
Speaker B:But, Carolyn, just start with you.
Speaker B:What's a hometown for you?
Speaker B:Where are you from?
Speaker C:I grew up in Dayton, Ohio, specifically Kettering.
Speaker C:We went to Fairmont High School.
Speaker C:So born and raised a Buckeye.
Speaker C:All right, big Buckeye fans in my household.
Speaker B:Tell me a little bit about growing up in Kettering, Ohio, Dayton, Ohio area.
Speaker B:What was something interesting about growing up?
Speaker B:Your family life, Anything along that line?
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:So first thing first, I was adopted at birth.
Speaker C:So that makes my sister and I a little bit different.
Speaker C:My sister and I were both adopted, unrelated biologically, but grew up with an amazing mom and dad and great childhood and lots of family and friends and just a wonderful childhood.
Speaker B:So a pretty healthy growing up.
Speaker B:Sounds like, you know, given circumstances, adopted.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's us.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker D:Then you did almost die when you were born.
Speaker C:Oh, yes.
Speaker C:I guess that is an interesting point.
Speaker C:So when I was a newborn, my parents got me about two weeks after I was born, and I was pretty sick right away.
Speaker C:And my mom kept taking me to the doctor, and the doctor kept telling her, you're just nervous because you have this new baby you weren't expecting, and et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:And so one day, a couple days later, my great grandmother was holding me and my great Grandmother said to my mom, if you don't get her help, she's going to die.
Speaker C:And so my mom went back to the doctor, and thankfully, the doctor that she was seeing was not there that day, and we saw his partner, and his partner diagnosed me with a syndrome called pyloric stenosis, where a tube in your digestive system isn't formed correctly.
Speaker C:And so if you don't get it fixed, you do.
Speaker B:So we're talking here today because of some really divine intervention that happened.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker C:Twice.
Speaker C:Twice, right.
Speaker C:Being adopted and then the doctor saving my life.
Speaker B:That's a pretty cool start to life.
Speaker B:And we're gonna have some more conversation about other cool things that have happened in your life here.
Speaker B:But let's talk to Jason for a minute.
Speaker B:Jason, what's hometown for you?
Speaker B:Where are you from?
Speaker D:I was raised in Steinsville, Indiana.
Speaker D:Not Zionsville, Steinsville and Monroe County.
Speaker D:And tell me a little bit about.
Speaker B:Life growing up in Slingsville.
Speaker D:My mom was a babysitter when I was growing up, and my dad was a traveling evangelist.
Speaker D:So my mom was the babysitter to my best friend.
Speaker D:So my childhood was great because we just went out in the woods every day and I got to play with my best friend, so.
Speaker B:Well, so you just had.
Speaker B:In many ways, you guys had both had pretty good childhood.
Speaker B:So coming up in the.
Speaker B:That's fantastic.
Speaker B:Well, tell me a little bit about what you do right now, what got you to Whiteland, Indiana, or Greenwood and Indiana area, and maybe a little bit of, what, your kind of career, things you do right now.
Speaker B:Kara, how about you?
Speaker B:What got you here?
Speaker B:And what.
Speaker B:What do you do?
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker C:So even though I was born and raised a Buckeye, I always wanted a different path.
Speaker C:And so I went to swim camp at Indiana University when I was in eighth grade.
Speaker C:And when I came home from swim camp, I told my parents, that's where I'm going to college.
Speaker C:And they said, oh, okay.
Speaker C:And then senior year of high school, my parents said, all right, what's next?
Speaker C:Where are you?
Speaker C:Where.
Speaker C:Where are you applying?
Speaker C:And I said, I told you, I'm going to iu.
Speaker C:I knew no one at iu.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:And thankfully, my parents let me do that and met Jason our junior year.
Speaker C:And so because of his work situation, my work situation, we ended up landing in Greenwood.
Speaker C: ever since we got married in: Speaker B:Sidious assault.
Speaker B:You were a competitive swimmer?
Speaker C:Yes, I swam all growing up.
Speaker C:I swam from the time I was 4 years old until I was 18, but had no Desire to swim in college.
Speaker C:I just want.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:But it was, it really shaped who I was growing up.
Speaker C:And if there's ever a cultural reference or a biblical reference, I don't know, Jason likes to kindly remind me it was cause I was at swim practice that I probably don't know that.
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's how we ended up in Greenwood in central Indiana.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But Jason, how about you?
Speaker B:Did you went to IU to I pick it up on, is that right?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:And I only met a couple of guys at IU because that's where I grew up, was in the same town pretty much.
Speaker D:And so I felt like I had enough friends already.
Speaker D:So I wasn't really into making new friends at college.
Speaker D:But these two guys befriended me for no reason that I can understand.
Speaker D:But one of those guys knew Kara, so that's why we met was through this other guy.
Speaker C:So mutual friend.
Speaker C:Shout out to Jordan Ablon.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:So I've said you were kind of a Lyndon Monroe.
Speaker B:Did you, did you live at home or did you go to the dorms and all that kind of thing?
Speaker D:I lived in the dorms one year, yes.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:What did you study at iu, Jason?
Speaker D:We both studied sports communication, broadcast.
Speaker D:And we know nothing about broadcasting.
Speaker C:No shade to our alma mater.
Speaker C:Here we are.
Speaker C:Broadcasting.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:This is the most broadcasting I've ever seen and I have a degree in it.
Speaker B:Well, how's it shaking out there?
Speaker B:He said you're not in sports broadcasting.
Speaker B:What are you at, Jason?
Speaker B:What kind of career are you involved with?
Speaker D:Well, I was when I was growing up.
Speaker D:My dad and I had a baseball card shop for a decade while I was in middle school through college.
Speaker D:And then we did ebay after that.
Speaker D: en I did ebay on my own until: Speaker D:And right now I'm just a reseller, we'll call it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:And sell baseball gloves and baseball cards and anything that I can flip for a profit, I guess.
Speaker D:And I was a stay at home dad when our girls were little, so.
Speaker B:Well, awesome, awesome.
Speaker B:Erin, how about you tell me about what kind of.
Speaker B:What do you do in your career?
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker C:So even though Jason and I both studied sports, I did an internship for the Toledo Mud Hens when I was a junior, between my junior and senior year of college.
Speaker C:And I quickly realized that that lifestyle didn't align with what I wanted in life.
Speaker C:I really wanted to get married and have children and to work in sports is.
Speaker C:That's pretty difficult to do.
Speaker C:And I knew I wanted to be a very involved parent.
Speaker C:And late Night games and early, early morning office hours are not really what I wanted to do.
Speaker C:So even though I got a degree in sports communications, I quickly realized that wasn't the path for me.
Speaker C:I ended up landing a job in Greenwood out of college for a utility and basically worked in the utility space for 25 years.
Speaker C:And I currently worked work for Wabash Valley Power alliance, it's an electric cooperative and I'm communications and marketing manager and I've been there this week.
Speaker C:It will be 19 years.
Speaker B:Good for you.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker B:And you mentioned you have children.
Speaker B:So it's just a nugget about your, about your kids.
Speaker B:So you don't go in great detail.
Speaker B:What's the nugget about them?
Speaker C:So yes, we are parents to a 19 year old daughter named Emma and she's a freshman at Miami of Ohio studying biochemistry and minoring in Spanish.
Speaker C:And our youngest daughter is just turned 18.
Speaker C:Her name is Olivia and she's a senior at Greenwood High School.
Speaker C:And the, the, the thing that, that sticks out to me about our girls is that they are absolutely nothing alike.
Speaker C:The only thing they share is a gender and parents.
Speaker B:You have anything to add to that?
Speaker B:Any cool, any cool stories about you, about your kids or a nugget there that you might want to share?
Speaker D:Not at the moment.
Speaker C:Well, I will say that our girls are very blessed to have been raised by their dad.
Speaker C:That's not a story that many people can share and it's pretty neat to see their bond.
Speaker C:And I hear the stories they tell me from growing up when he used to split donuts between the two of them, but he got a whole one that they had to share.
Speaker B:Well, tell me how that kind of shook up for you there, Carrie.
Speaker B:That is a.
Speaker B:It's more common than it used to be, but still a.
Speaker B:A little bit different than many people's experiences.
Speaker B:How did that shake out for you from your perspective?
Speaker B:Kind of the stay at home dad type of thing.
Speaker C:So yeah, it's hard to believe when you say it was 20 years ago that it started.
Speaker C:But yeah, it was 20 years ago and Jason was self employed and it just made sense at the time.
Speaker C:Daycare, super expensive and I had the health insurance and so it just kind of made sense that he would stay at home with the girls and he, he ran his business while they napped.
Speaker C:My job on maternity leave was to get the girls on a schedule and also, you know, feed them, I guess.
Speaker C:And so yeah, we had a.
Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And so it just, yeah, it really worked out well for our family.
Speaker C:It was, I mean looking back, it was hard for me just because, you know, there were days where I definitely wanted to be the one to stay at home and be with the girls.
Speaker C:But I knew that um, they were in great hands, probably better hands with Jason than me.
Speaker C:Um, and yeah, I think that Emma and Olivia will look back on that time and, and really cherish those moments with their dad.
Speaker B:Jason, how about you tell me a little bit about the stay at home dad experience for you.
Speaker B:Obviously you did your, your ebay career and other things of that nature as well, but tell me how that went for you.
Speaker D:Um, it was what I was felt.
Speaker D:I always felt that was what I wanted to do.
Speaker D:And my mom was always there every day of our life when I was growing up.
Speaker D:So I wanted that for either one of us to be that for our kids.
Speaker D:And it was easier than it should have been probably at that time for me personally.
Speaker D:But I'm not really a people person so being home wasn't really.
Speaker D:I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.
Speaker D:And there was opportunities I had where like at the church we went to at that time they had a MOPS program for mothers of preschoolers.
Speaker D:So I was the child care for that because I didn't go, wasn't going to go to the class with a bunch of women, but I watched their kids.
Speaker D:So it's just stuff like that where the kids that you interacted with then could see that guys could also be involved in their day to day life.
Speaker D:I thought that was, worked for you guys and it definitely helped.
Speaker D:That I'm the cheap parent.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker D:Because if you're, I can only say if you're going to be the stay at home parent, you can't be also the one that likes to spend money.
Speaker D:So our girls, our girls always made fun of me because we never did anything unless it was free or we had a coupon.
Speaker D:So there you go.
Speaker B:Well, I'm sure there's more to that story.
Speaker B:We'll delve a little deeper on another occasion.
Speaker B:But I wanted to fellow you lived in Greenwood.
Speaker B:I think you said 19 or 20 years you lived in Greenwood, is that right?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then tell me a little bit about the experience of living in Greenwood.
Speaker B:Particularly you said you were part of a church prior to coming here.
Speaker B:So tell a little bit about, a little bit about your kind of spiritual background, church background, both growing up and maybe what you experienced here in Greenwood.
Speaker B:Tell me a little bit about that.
Speaker B:Just start with you.
Speaker D:You want me to go?
Speaker D:Oh, I'm going First.
Speaker D:Okay, well, like I said, my dad was a traveling evangelist when I was a kid, and he was gone, like, one year, I think he was gone, like 300 and some days.
Speaker D:And then he got off the road when I was in middle school and we had our store together.
Speaker D:And I also have an older sister that I have not mentioned yet.
Speaker D:And let's see, we hopped around to a lot of different churches when I was in.
Speaker D:In school.
Speaker D:And then when we moved up here, we started.
Speaker D:We went to.
Speaker D:We tested out, like, three or four churches.
Speaker D:And there was one church in particular that was like a big church around here.
Speaker D:And the week we were there, like, it was not for me, and I didn't think it was for Kara either.
Speaker D:And then when we were walking to the car, I was like, oh, that was an amazing experience.
Speaker D:Didn't you think that was great?
Speaker D:And she was like, it was.
Speaker D:I'm like, no, I was just kidding.
Speaker D:And so we did not choose that church.
Speaker D:But then we did go to a church for, I don't know, 16 years, we'll say.
Speaker D:And we didn't have any reason that we left that church to come here.
Speaker D:But I met Ross through the Bridges alliance of Johnson county program, which is people walking along, people struggling with poverty.
Speaker D:And I met Ross there, and he just seemed like a nice guy.
Speaker D:And so at one point, I was going to his services he was having.
Speaker D:And our old church at the same time.
Speaker D:And then when they started actually having services here, I was like, well, I feel like there didn't seem to be a lot of people that knew how to do church, I guess we'll say, at this church.
Speaker D:And I felt led to be one of the people that knew kind of what was going on, or that could be not really a le.
Speaker D:Not a leader, but just.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, we'll come back to some of that here in just a minute here.
Speaker B:But, Carol, want to find out for you a little bit about your church history growing up and maybe here in Greenwood area.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So basically, my church experience was the polar opposite of Jason's church experience growing up.
Speaker C:I went to the same church all through.
Speaker C:All through my life growing up.
Speaker C:My mom went to the same church growing up.
Speaker C:My grandfather was the founding member of the church.
Speaker C:It was a Presbyterian church.
Speaker C:And so that's all that I knew.
Speaker C:Um, I'd never gone to any other type of church except for.
Speaker C:Actually, I was thinking about this this morning.
Speaker C:I was fortunate enough to grow up with a best friend who was Jewish.
Speaker C:So I had that experience of having a different type of Religion around me, which I look back on really fondly, that I had that experience, but as far as, like, my personal experience, whereas Jason hopped around different churches and they had different experiences, I went to the same church, the same pew, with the same people doing the same things every week.
Speaker C:And so when we got married, it was.
Speaker C:It was like he mentioned, it was challenging to find a church that we could both agree on just because we had vastly different experiences.
Speaker C:And then as he mentioned, we were with one church for a really long time.
Speaker C:And I.
Speaker C:I just felt kind of a calling, I think, after he did, but a calling that it was time for something different.
Speaker C:And like you mentioned, nothing happened.
Speaker C:There was no, you know, sometimes people leave churches for, you know, reasons or whatever, but we didn't.
Speaker C:But then we.
Speaker C:We started coming here and.
Speaker C:And at first it was really hard for me because it was very different.
Speaker C:I grew up Presbyterian.
Speaker C:I went to the same church here for a really long time.
Speaker C:I was used to one thing, and so this was.
Speaker C:This was really stretching me, but I knew there was a reason.
Speaker B:So that's part of the reason how you got here to have another church in the first place.
Speaker B:So we want to go a little deeper in a minute.
Speaker B:Let's go a little more basic or a little more foundational than that.
Speaker B:Was there any time in your life that you kind of found was a.
Speaker B:So do you care first in terms of kind of a.
Speaker B:Kind of a God moment, kind of a coming to faith moment for you where you kind of felt like, you know, faith was a real thing that you wanted to some another.
Speaker B:Live it out and express it?
Speaker B:You know, a life of faith?
Speaker C:You know, I.
Speaker C:Not really.
Speaker C:I just feel like it's been.
Speaker C:Always been part of my life.
Speaker C:There was never a profound moment.
Speaker C:It's just always been.
Speaker C:I was just raised in a Christian church in a Christian environment, and Jason is a man of faith.
Speaker C:And yeah, I don't feel like there was that one aha moment now.
Speaker C:There's been some aha moments of like, why we came here and.
Speaker C:And how we landed here.
Speaker C:I think God revealed that to me afterwards.
Speaker C:And it was like, oh, okay, God.
Speaker C:That's why.
Speaker B:Let's stick a pin in that one.
Speaker B:We're coming back there.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:Jason, for you, was there any kind of tell me a story about coming to faith for you or, you know, did Karen kind of describe her experience kind of this as a growing up and gradual, you know, just part of who life is.
Speaker B:Tell me about your coming to faith experience.
Speaker D:Well, I think I'm sometimes Jealous of people that come to faith later in life just because it's always.
Speaker D:It seems more real for some reason when it's like you can see it, see somebody's life change instantly.
Speaker D:It's amazing.
Speaker D:And growing up in church, I don't feel I had that, like, I was always just a good kid and I was never a problem for my parents or anything like that.
Speaker D:And just.
Speaker D:You would look better doing drugs.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, both you church, you know, church people growing up in kind of an established church environment, and then you.
Speaker B:That you kind of came to something new here at Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker B:You already described a little bit of it.
Speaker B:But tell me, Carol, let's come back to you about how you were first introduced to Lis.
Speaker B:Connecting with Pastor Ross through Jason is my understanding.
Speaker B:But tell me your.
Speaker B:Some of your initial experiences of coming to Heavener at church.
Speaker B:Just first impressions, this type of thing.
Speaker C:Oh, boy.
Speaker C:Well, I first met Ross, I believe, at a dedication for a baby box at White River Township Fire Department, if that's right.
Speaker C:Jason knew Ross through bridges, like he mentioned and met him that day at that event and just was really impressed by what a nice guy he is.
Speaker C:And he always remembers everyone's name, which is so impressive.
Speaker C:I'm not that I'm not.
Speaker C:I don't have that gift.
Speaker C:But to be honest with you, when we first started coming here, it was tough because like I mentioned, I'd had this very similar experience growing up in Presbyterian Church, always with our other church.
Speaker C:And then this was really pushing me outside of my comfort level.
Speaker C:And it was also a challenging time because it was during the pandemic.
Speaker C: were outside would have been: Speaker C:Is that right?
Speaker D:Maybe.
Speaker C:And, yeah, it was just.
Speaker C:It was just very different.
Speaker C:But again, I had to trust God that I was here for a reason.
Speaker C:And again, it's revealed itself of.
Speaker B:Tell me about some of the conversations you had with Jason, kind of after some of those initial uncomfortable experiences.
Speaker B:Does it sound like you had a prior experience where you went to some big megachurch and you both on the, you know, had some conversation about that, how that was not what you wanted.
Speaker B:What were you.
Speaker B:Some of the conversations that you had with Jason following that time?
Speaker B:When I come here to HEC for.
Speaker C:I think I just.
Speaker C:I struggled with, like, I don't know, I just struggled with specifically.
Speaker C:It was.
Speaker C:It was a hard time in my life because of the pandemic and some of the.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:The things that were Happening and, And like, we couldn't sing here and things like that.
Speaker C:So it was kind of a challenging time.
Speaker C:Um, so I was just kind of like, sometimes I didn't come and Jason came by himself.
Speaker C:Uh, but again, God just kept working on me and, and, and I overcame some of those things and, and saw the goodness.
Speaker B:Well, we'll come back to some of that in a minute.
Speaker B:Jason, let's talk about you.
Speaker B:You initially met at Rostack House through some of the community organizations that are part of the church here.
Speaker B:What they led you to kind of make that stuff to be part of the.
Speaker B:You know, at least check out the worshiping community.
Speaker B:What kind of led you to that?
Speaker D:Well, that's a good story, because the main reason that we started coming here, like, I had met Ross before, but our daughter was playing volleyball at this school right here across the road.
Speaker D:And so we would drop her off and then you would have to go somewhere for an hour and a half or two hours and then come back and pick her up.
Speaker D:And I knew the church was right here.
Speaker D:And Ross had always said that they had Bible study on the night I was dropping her off.
Speaker D:And I'm not a people person and not really a small group type person.
Speaker D:Like, I didn't go to youth group as a kid because it's just wasn't my thing.
Speaker D:But they.
Speaker D:I came here because I had some Bibles in my van that I had got at Goodwill, like little pocket Bibles.
Speaker D:And I was going to drop them off here for him because there was some sort of ministry he gave them to at that point.
Speaker D:So I came here for that, and then I was just going to leave.
Speaker D:And he was like, oh, well, you should stay.
Speaker D:And he's like, and I promise I'm not going to leave you.
Speaker D:And we're going to split off into smaller groups, but I'll be in the same room you are.
Speaker D:Because he knew that it was not my thing.
Speaker D:And so I was like, okay, I'll just stay here.
Speaker D:Because my other option was to go to Goodwill and then go have a beer at Oak and Barrel and then come back.
Speaker D:And I chose not to do that.
Speaker D:I chose to come to church.
Speaker D:So then we split off into groups.
Speaker D:Ross lied to me, did not go into the room that we were in, but we were in this room right back behind us.
Speaker D:And there was me and I think four other people, and Spencer Metcalfe was one of them.
Speaker D:And just seeing him in that room that night, it was like more God than I had seen in probably almost my whole Life and just in those people in that room.
Speaker D:And one of the funny things was, is Mary Foreman was also in that room.
Speaker D:And she had said that she could tell when I first got here, when we were in like the large group thing, she was asking me all these questions and that I didn't really feel like I wanted to answer them.
Speaker D:And so she knew that her best bet was just to step back and not ask me questions.
Speaker D:And so.
Speaker D:And she didn't tell me that till, like, way later.
Speaker D:And I thought that that was kind of funny that God told her, hey, knock it off.
Speaker D:And then I stayed and it was just.
Speaker D:And then I went home that night and it was just.
Speaker D:I don't know, it was just like I felt like we should be part of this.
Speaker B:So did you have some conversation with Kara about that type of experience that you had?
Speaker D:Yeah, I just pretty much told her all that same stuff again.
Speaker B:So it sounds like you kind of had a kind of an aha moment, if you will, for you at least, kind of like, okay, there's something here for me that's, you know, particularly for me.
Speaker B:Am I.
Speaker B:I don't want to read too much into it.
Speaker D:Am I.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Track here at all.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And that night Spencer had to give a.
Speaker D:Like, do this video at the end for some class he was doing for, I think nursing school or something.
Speaker D:And he told like this to his two minute testimony pretty much of being an addict and all this stuff and recovery.
Speaker D:And it was, it was just like that moment.
Speaker D:I always feel like, not that those people are lesser than people, but I feel drawn to people, like people that aren't really accepted.
Speaker D:Everywhere is more people that I'm drawn to.
Speaker D:And it felt like a room of people that were like, we were only in there for 45 minutes or an hour maybe.
Speaker D:And it felt like by the end that we were like family, which doesn't really happen in that short of a time.
Speaker B:So kind of a transformation that happened relatively quickly over the course of that one evening, it sounds like.
Speaker B:But also you were kind of led into it through other relationships and you shared that with Kara and then she eventually came along here.
Speaker B:And that's what we're going to talk with her a minute.
Speaker B:Am I accurate here?
Speaker D:Yes, relatively so.
Speaker B:Well, Carol, let's talk about you, that you had this experience.
Speaker B:You know, let me ask you, did you see some animation in Jason or something along this line that caught your attention?
Speaker B:It's something along that line here.
Speaker C:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker C:So just seeing kind of Jason's journey to coming Here.
Speaker C:I mean, he, he.
Speaker C:We would go to our other church in the morning and then he would.
Speaker C:We would drive separate and it wasn't super close to our house, so it was maybe like a 15 or 20 minute drive.
Speaker C:And he.
Speaker C:We would drive separate and then he would go to.
Speaker C:He would go to church.
Speaker C:I think it was at Johnson's.
Speaker C:Johnson's barbecue.
Speaker C:Yeah, he would go to Johnson's barbecue.
Speaker C:And then.
Speaker C:And then he started, I think watching online here maybe, and.
Speaker C:And then attending.
Speaker C:Well, he was already attending bridges, but then attending different events here.
Speaker C:And so again, I, I was a little slower to, to come along.
Speaker B:Let's go there for you.
Speaker B:Slower.
Speaker B:Come along.
Speaker B:And he mentioned about how this one night was important to him.
Speaker B:Was there some sort of aha moment for you?
Speaker B:Some.
Speaker B:Would you sometimes, you know, the switch flip for you and say, okay, something maybe here for.
Speaker B:From me.
Speaker C:Well, I've certainly met some wonderful people here that I would never have connected with otherwise.
Speaker C:But I think that the aha moment was July of.
Speaker C:I don't know if it was 21 or 22 now, but our daughter shared with us something that I'm not going to share right now, but she shared something with us and then that was like, oh, okay.
Speaker C:That's why God has pushed me.
Speaker C:And so as soon as that happened, I knew that.
Speaker C:That was when I knew.
Speaker C:And I was like, okay, yep, God knows better than I do.
Speaker C:And I was.
Speaker C:I was.
Speaker C:And I think sometimes when, you know, you.
Speaker C:I like Jason works from home.
Speaker C:So like getting up and coming to church on Sunday, you know, he's.
Speaker C:It's probably exciting to him.
Speaker C:Cause he probably wants to leave the house and go do things.
Speaker C:But for me, I'm just the opposite.
Speaker C:I work in an office all week and drive and commute and everything.
Speaker C:And so sometimes on Sunday I just want to stay in bed.
Speaker C:And so.
Speaker C:So that.
Speaker C:That's some of it why he was, you know, kind of doing lots of different.
Speaker C:You know, he was going to two church services and all that.
Speaker C:And I'm.
Speaker C:Man, I'm tired.
Speaker C:I need to rest.
Speaker B:Transition.
Speaker B:For her, the transformation for you to get connected to church was partly Jason, mostly Jason, you know, some other things.
Speaker D:Going on with you.
Speaker B:That kind of thing.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:Here's what the next step of this is.
Speaker B:What keeps you here?
Speaker B:You know, it's one thing to get kind of connected with something initially.
Speaker B:But Kara, what.
Speaker B:What keeps you here at heaven or church?
Speaker C:The people.
Speaker C:There's just some great people here that.
Speaker C:From all walks of life that again, I wouldn't I wouldn't know otherwise without, without coming to church here.
Speaker C:People very different than I grew up.
Speaker C:People maybe I didn't.
Speaker C:I wouldn't have otherwise encountered, but just nice, authentic people.
Speaker C:I also, I never realized until I came here how much, I guess the term is church trauma, how much church trauma some people have.
Speaker C:I'm fortunate that I don't feel that, but it's really opened my heart to that and made me open my eyes to that.
Speaker C:And it's been.
Speaker C:I feel like you grow and do better when you learn.
Speaker C:And so I feel like I've grown and um, learned a lot from people that are.
Speaker C:Otherwise I, I wouldn't have met.
Speaker C:Um, and that's been really enlightening for me.
Speaker C:It helps me probably relate to my children a little bit more because my children are our children.
Speaker C:Um, you know, they're probably more open minded than I have been in my life.
Speaker C:And so it's, it's just helped me grow.
Speaker B:Great.
Speaker B:Great.
Speaker B:Jason.
Speaker B:Kind of the same thing.
Speaker B:What keeps you here?
Speaker D:I would say the stuff that goes on not during church, like the community outreach type stuff.
Speaker D:And like when the tornado happened, I was here pretty much that whole week and it was just crazy to see the impact that this church had on the community around us, which is how it was supposed to be because that's what made me so mad was the tornado was on like Friday night.
Speaker D:And then some local churches like had church on Sunday and then.
Speaker D:But some churches didn't and just went out into the community and helped.
Speaker D:And then I was like, well, if you're a pastor at a church this Monday and you're in your church just sitting there, you're not doing this right.
Speaker D:And so just stuff like that and like Recovery Church is amazing to see those stories and just the, the specific people that you know that this church has helped that know not because we're better, but because we're known to serve the people that not everybody will.
Speaker D:Just those specific people that we've been able to help in the worst times of their life is just a great testament to what's going on around here.
Speaker B:That's awesome.
Speaker D:And I will say that I did stop drinking while we were here.
Speaker D:And I'm coming up on a thousand days.
Speaker D:I don't really, I don't go to meetings or anything.
Speaker D:So I don't know, like, I don't do months or.
Speaker D:But sometimes I look and I'm almost at a thousand days sober.
Speaker D:And it just.
Speaker D:The people at Recovery Church that were able to.
Speaker D:That you could see it changed Their life.
Speaker D:It was.
Speaker D:It's amazing to see.
Speaker B:Thank you for sharing that.
Speaker B:Appreciate that.
Speaker B:And, yeah, you got.
Speaker B:Way to go.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:Thousand dates.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yay, God.
Speaker C:Yay, Jason.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yay, God.
Speaker B:Yay, Jason.
Speaker B:And thank you for the community of people who've been a part of helping to sustain that.
Speaker B:You know, my belief is a part of what helps keep things going is the people, as you said, Kara.
Speaker B:But when people come together not only to be kind of part of the community, but be present in times of need and be supportive, even though those folks may or may not have been directly supportive of you.
Speaker B:But you've seen it happening, haven't you?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:You've seen support, happiness.
Speaker B:People have had some, you know, similar struggles with you with recovery issues and things like that, and you've seen that, and it's touched you.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker C:And I'll also add one thing, Brad, if you don't mind.
Speaker C:I think.
Speaker C:I think this church accepts people for who they are and come as you are.
Speaker C:If that's dressed up, if that's dressed down, if that's stressed out, if that's happy, if that's.
Speaker C:If you have a new puppy and you have to bring your puppy to church, which is what we did for a long time.
Speaker C:Our little puppy, Molly, she's two and a half now, but we brought her to church every Sunday, and.
Speaker C:And Angie would bring Benson for a long time, and that was a pretty neat thing.
Speaker C:And people would always say, your church lets you bring a dog.
Speaker C:They did.
Speaker B:And that's something that, you know, it kind of leads me to, you know, one of the things we.
Speaker B:The mission of the church states pretty clearly on banners and things of this and this nature, the church that exists to make a lasting impact on the community.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker B:So tell me, based on your experience, is there something to that?
Speaker B:Is that true?
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And if it's true, how's it lived out?
Speaker B:You've mentioned a few things, I think, here, but how else is that lived out?
Speaker C:Well, I think Jason nailed it when he said that.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker B:It.
Speaker C:It's not what happens on Sunday morning.
Speaker C:It's what happens every other day of the week.
Speaker C:So it's the things that the members of our church do, whether it's helping the tornado victims or it's helping sometimes the man that comes in off the street who doesn't have any food or doesn't have any gas money.
Speaker C:Our church helps.
Speaker C:It's the Narcan on the side of the building for somebody who may need it.
Speaker C:It's a church member's family member needing something uplifted at Christmas.
Speaker C:I have a friend whose daughter is battling cancer right now and I have no qualms about saying I need prayers for our friend Lauren.
Speaker C:And so it's just, you see it lived out every day by everybody in this church from the attendees to the pastoral staff.
Speaker C:And yeah, that's just great to witness.
Speaker B:Thanks for sharing that.
Speaker B:Kind of along with that mission of the church is a phrase kind of a model if you will, that is on the church website and I hear it said quite often around here is something to the effect of if you feel like you don't fit in church, you fit here.
Speaker B:Jason, speak to that.
Speaker B:Do you think that's a true statement?
Speaker B:If so, how have you seen that lived out?
Speaker D:I think the greatest story that this church will ever tell and I don't know why I cry all the time now, but it's a new thing.
Speaker D:There was a woman in Franklin who is a self proclaimed atheist, which is her is what she thinks.
Speaker D:So we'll just say that.
Speaker D:And if you think about her whole life story, she's a Korean adoptee who shouldn't even technically be here without having been adopted and brought to the Franklin area.
Speaker D:And she was somehow become the greatest evangelist for our whole church.
Speaker D:And the only reason that this one family came was because she had asked this other lady, she had asked the atheist woman, do you feel or I would like our family to have more of a community and if that's church or whatever.
Speaker D:And she said, oh well you should take your kids to Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker D:And then they started coming here and then her son tragically passed away when he was two and a half and our church was able to be here for that family and like they had the funeral here and the only reason that we were able to be there for that family during the worst week and I mean from then on, I mean it wasn't just a week, it's their whole life was because this woman said hey, this community will be there for you.
Speaker D:And we were.
Speaker D:And like we had the funeral here and they don't come to church here anymore.
Speaker D:And I can understand why.
Speaker D:I'm not going to speak for them, but I'm going to assume that coming to the same sanctuary where you had your child's funeral would be very hard for you to come back.
Speaker D:But just if that's the only thing we ever did as a church was be there that time for them in their life, then all of this was worth it.
Speaker B:So you saw a Real God moment there, didn't you?
Speaker B:Yes, you really did.
Speaker B:And so, Carrie, do you have any God moments that you've seen here?
Speaker C:Well, I would definitely agree with Jason on that.
Speaker C:Just there's.
Speaker C:I think there's a lot of God moments.
Speaker C:I'm not sure I can come up with one better than that at the time.
Speaker C:I do have to.
Speaker C:I know, I know.
Speaker C:I do have to laugh.
Speaker C:Jason mentioned that he doesn't know why he cries anymore.
Speaker C:He made fun of my dad all the time because my dad would get emotional.
Speaker C:Now Jason's following suit on that.
Speaker D:I still don't think I'd cry during the good dinosaur movie, but like, he did.
Speaker C:But maybe my dad was a movie crier.
Speaker C:Um, I honestly, I can't think of anything off the top of my head right now.
Speaker B:Well, let me bring it around in this way.
Speaker B:And then is there.
Speaker B:We all have, as you mentioned, we have life outside of church and even outside of work, whatever.
Speaker B:But we have relationships, all those places.
Speaker B:It might be co workers, it might be people that you, if you're, you know, activities your kids are in or social life, otherwise, that kind of thing.
Speaker B:Do you think this is the type of church that if someone, a coworker, someone in your social life came to you with some issue, whatever it is, health, marital, you know, relation, work related things, and they kind of confide in you a little bit, do you think it's the type of church that you would feel comfortable inviting that person in your life to say, hey, this just might help?
Speaker C:Definitely.
Speaker B:And what would be the factors of why that would be?
Speaker C:I think because there's just no judgment here.
Speaker C:People are accepted and loved and for just who they are at that moment and always.
Speaker C:So it's just truly a judgment free zone.
Speaker B:Judgment free zone.
Speaker B:Jason, do you concur with that and you want to say more?
Speaker D:I don't have anything to add to that, but yes.
Speaker B:Very good.
Speaker B:Well, this podcast and this video maybe use as a way to help introduce people to heaven or church.
Speaker B:So what would you want to share with a person who may be checking out heaven, earth, church?
Speaker B:What kind of things do you want to share with them, Jason?
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:You go first and then I'll see if I'm great.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:You put me on the spot.
Speaker C:I feel like I've said the same thing a lot, but just it's a group of people that comes together every week, most times more often than every week.
Speaker C:There's small groups, there's something for everybody.
Speaker C:Small groups and community service.
Speaker C:Opportunities and worshiping on Sunday and, you know, celebrating the good times, whether that's your child's graduation or birthday parties or whatever.
Speaker C:And then also they're in the hard times.
Speaker C:So it's just.
Speaker C:It's a nice group of people, and we keep getting bigger and bigger.
Speaker C:You know, not huge, but it's not.
Speaker C:It's probably not a place that you can come and blend in Sometimes.
Speaker C:People like that.
Speaker C:They like to come in and blend in.
Speaker C:Ross knows everyone's name, like I mentioned, and he'll probably use it during a sermon, but it's.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:It's a conversation every Sunday.
Speaker B:Anything you want to add to?
Speaker D:I have joked with Ross that I feel like he's ruined church for the rest of us.
Speaker D:For the future.
Speaker D:For the future.
Speaker D:If we ever tried to go to another church where you can't just speak up at any time that you feel led.
Speaker D:Not that that's me a lot, but you have contributed.
Speaker B:I mean, you have been part of the conversation.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Worship in other ways.
Speaker B:And besides, you also contribute as a stellar.
Speaker C:I did forget to mention that if you want to play church softball, it's a good time.
Speaker C:The guys are out there playing softball, and the ladies, we tend to just chat in the stance.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:Well, it's a joy to be with you and to be.
Speaker B:To get to know both of you.
Speaker B:And this is an opportunity for folks who may be checking out to have a church to get to know people who are part of the church.
Speaker B:And we just.
Speaker B:Thank you for being our guest here.
Speaker D:And I have asked a couple of people, like, specifically, like, one family in particular.
Speaker D:There was a sermon that Ross was going to give, and I was like, I feel like there was a couple families, but one in particular, I was like, I feel like you guys should be here.
Speaker D:If you want to come, you should be here.
Speaker D:And then they came and they spoke and they wept during church.
Speaker D:And it was, like, cool to see that.
Speaker D:I invited four specific people that day, and they all came.
Speaker D:And then one of those couples is deeply rooted in their own church already, but the other was kind of looking for a church to join, and they have come here ever since.
Speaker B:So you've seen life change happen based out of your own experience?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:Do you have anything you want to add to this, Kara, or anything else you want to share?
Speaker D:And I do like that there's.
Speaker D:Including you, there are three or four.
Speaker D:Not that there's ever a retired pastor, but three or four retired pastors that come every Sunday, pretty much, which means that we have to be doing something right.
Speaker B:Appreciate it.
Speaker B:Anything you want to add, Gar?
Speaker C:No, just thank you for having us today.
Speaker B:Well, indeed, it's been a pleasure having you with us here.
Speaker B:And again, our guest here today on the Heaven Earth Church podcast, Jason and Kara Baker, part of the community here of a church that is looking to continue to be to offer a lasting impact in our community.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:My name is Brad Miller and thank you for joining us here on the Heaven Earth Church podcast.
Speaker A:We want to thank you for spending time with us today.
Speaker A:My name is Ross Stackhouse, the pastor to Heaven Earth Church.
Speaker A:And you may think out there that your story is over, but in fact, your faith story may just be beginning.
Speaker A:If you want more information about our church or you're interested in the next step, you can go to heavenearthchurch.
Speaker A:Org.
Speaker A:Otherwise, we look forward to being with you next time at the Heaven Earth Church podcast.
