Bloomed Where They Were Planted
By 1990, Mark and his wife were a young family in search of a spiritual anchor. With their one-year-old son, Seth, in tow, they navigated a winding path through the congregations of Sanford, seeking a place where they could truly belong. They had originally married in the Episcopal Church where her parents worshiped, but Mark’s faith had been deeply shaped years earlier by a Methodist ministry in Summerville, South Carolina. Seeking to honor that connection, they began attending a Methodist church in Sanford. However, the stability they craved proved elusive; the congregation soon fractured under the weight of internal difficulties they were only beginning to understand. They briefly returned to the downtown Episcopal Church to join her parents, but as a family with a toddler, the lack of other young families made it feel like a mismatch for their season of life. They literally crossed the street to try the Presbyterian Church, only to witness history repeat itself when that congregation endured a major upheaval and split shortly after their arrival.
Weary of the instability, they turned to prayer, asking God to lead them to a true church home. At the time, Mark was working construction, and his daily commute took him past Holy Cross on Lake Mary Boulevard. Deciding to give it a chance, they attended one Sunday, though a guest pastor was in the pulpit that morning. They returned the following week to hear the regular pastor, Paul Hoyer, preach, and the experience moved them to request a formal pastoral visit. Given their varied theological backgrounds and the exhaustion of navigating three fractured churches, they were prepared with a long, meticulous list of questions. Pastor Hoyer didn’t miss a beat, answering every concern with a clarity that finally offered them peace.
Over thirty-five years later, Mark and his wife remain dedicated members of the Holy Cross Lutheran family. While the decades have brought the inevitable ups and downs of life and ministry, their commitment has never wavered. Every time they approached the Lord in prayer to seek guidance on their future or their fellowship, the message returned to them was always clear and consistent: “Bloom where you’re planted!” They have remained rooted in that calling, continuing to serve within the Holy Cross community and praying for the Lord’s continued mercies as He uses them in His service.
Do you have a Holy Cross story you’d like to share? Please reach out to Grace Chewning or Tiffany Danley at tiffany@hclm.org to share how God has worked in your life and through our Church family. *Find past stories HERE!