Two Alabama families headed to plant church out West

Shari Chamblee told her husband she thought he was crazy when she learned he wanted to plant a church out West.

But Steve Chamblee — who recently resigned as pastor of Pates Chapel Baptist Church, Jemison, in Chilton Baptist Association — said God began calling him to the task 12 years ago.

"God put it in my heart to plant a church in the western United States," Chamblee said. "I don’t know why but He’s given me a heart for the West."

He described the process of answering God’s call as a "journey," and in May, the Chamblees and their four children — along with a second family — will relocate outside of Tucson, Ariz., to begin Grace Fellowship.

Chamblee said answering the call is daunting, from anticipating the reception his team will receive to uprooting his family to securing financial support to meet the church’s first-year budget of $186,000.

Although he is not being appointed as a North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionary, Chamblee said Grace Fellowship will receive some financial resources from NAMB funneled through the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. He’s also busy speaking in Alabama churches in hopes of securing long-term partnerships that can help with the church in various ways.

"God is really filling our calendar up with opportunities to speak and share our story," Chamblee said.

Although he felt a calling to go west many years ago, Chamblee didn’t believe God was opening the doors initially.

Instead Chamblee felt that God was calling him into other areas of ministry — first as youth minister at Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Jasper, in Walker Baptist Association and then when he accepted the position of pastor at Pates Chapel Baptist almost four years ago.

"I had quite honestly put the notion to plant a church out West behind me," Chamblee remembers.

That changed in October 2006, when he met Vance Pitman at a pastors conference at First Baptist Church, Woodstock, Ga.

Since then, Hope Baptist has not only prospered but also planted six churches.

"It was at that conference that God just rekindled in me that passion and desire to plant a church out West," Chamblee said. "It was almost as if He was saying, ‘Now’s the time.’"

After he returned from the conference and completed a NAMB mission survey online, Chamblee was contacted by Sean Benesh, a church-planting strategist with NAMB. Benesh wanted to speak with him

"God just began to open doors and confirmed that this was His will for me," he said.

Chamblee flew out to Tucson the following February. He fell in love with an area outside the city known as Vail. According to him, Tucson is the third fastest-growing city in the nation and Vail is the fastest-growing area of Tucson.

Chamblee noted that the area is filling up with homes but no churches.

He anticipates Grace Fellowship will initially meet in his new home. Hope Baptist will be the mother church, Chamblee said, and will support the church start in its mission.

Jay Huffstutler — who, along with his family, will be joining the Chamblees in Vail — said the need for reaching the Tucson area cannot be overstated, as only about 5 percent of the area’s 1.2 million people claim to be believers.

"The vision for the church is that we will be a regional church that plants other churches," said Huffstutler, a member of Mount Vernon Baptist.

"We’re there to win the lost and disciple them."

For more information about Grace Fellowship, call Chamblee at 205-646-3434.