How did a take and bake pepperoni pizza connect an awesome couple with our Discover Church family?

Back in May, we kicked off a summer of Bridge Events by partnering with Papa Murphy’s for a pizza giveaway for educators and school employees. Local teacher Amanda Williams read about the giveaway in her staff newsletter, and she and her husband Tyler decided to take advantage of the opportunity for a free dinner.

“We thought it was a clever and kind way for a church to serve and love on teachers (and their families) in the community,” Amanda said.

They weren’t actively looking for a church at the time, but because of an info card included with the pizza, they started tuning into Discover Online and heard Jernigan talk about summer small groups. One of the groups, a biking group hosted by Luke and Ashley Deacy, sparked their interest based on a quarantine routine they started in late March of finding local bike trails.

“When we saw there was a summer group dedicated to biking and fellowship, we were in!”

All summer, they attended group, watched online, and waited for church to begin again.

“Technology is a great tool that Discover Church used well to continue the message of God’s hope and strength,” Amanda said. “We certainly missed being together every Sunday, but were thankful that we had the opportunity to still be engaged.”

On Sunday, Aug. 19, in-person services resumed, and Tyler and Amanda were able to join their new church family for corporate worship for the first time.

“What a blessing it was to be together and worship our God!” Amanda said. “We’ve really enjoyed seeing how the church community embodies the principle of each person being a minister for Christ. The people make the church, and we can tell this is a great family.”

We are SO thankful to have Tyler and Amanda in our family, and if you’re eager to get connected the same way they did, our fall small groups kick off next week. To find a group that fits your interests like they did, check out our Small Groups page.