began with a God-sized vision and a step of faith from an ordinary guy in Minnesota. Three years ago, Keith Carpenter (now lead pastor for Epic) found himself in full-time ministry as a college pastor for a church in Winona, MN, loving every minute of it. He couldn't have imagined leaving until a series of God-inspired events led him to consider something impossible: the idea of planting a church. In a yearly meeting with his head pastor, Keith was asked what the next step for his life was. Keith couldn't really think of anything, he loved ministering to college students so much. Shortly thereafter, Keith had a dream. In the dream, he went through a town with a team of people dedicated to sharing the message of Christ. Keith was able to speak with elderly, homeless, and a young woman, explaining how Jesus forfeited his Deity by entering this world in human flesh to become like humans. He spoke of how Christ gave His life as a sacrifice to forgive sin in order that men and women could experience the beauty of a reconciled relationship with God. After hearing the epic gospel story, the woman pleaded with Keith to come back and share the story with her father, a man of influence in the community. Keith went to the house with the team the next night and in front of a packed house explained the redemptive story of Jesus Christ again. The entire town (which he didn't even recognize) was transformed as Jesus Christ came to into people's lives, healing them of sin, brokenness, and hopelessness. As things continued, Keith began to slowly consider that God might be calling him away from his life as a college pastor into a new place, a new city, a new form of ministry, the starting of a church...

God continued to confirm Keith's calling to move through many circumstances and many men in his home church. Keith fasted and prayed and the calling got stronger, and he asked a group of individuals to come with him. Knowing next to nothing about church planting, Keith and the others began the research process through books, conversations, and conferences and as Keith began to pray about where to go, the Northwest and Seattle became evident as a place for a number of reasons. The idea of average Midwestern people moving to a big city to help start a church was daunting, and even still, not a single team member would testify to anything they have done by themselves to make this happen. It is all a testimony to God's power, God's leading, and God's sustaining. In July of 2008, half of the team packed up two big Penske vans and headed across the country for the Emerald City, to be joined later by the remaining members. They have witnessed God's provision and miracles in countless ways. Any one of them would love to sit down and tell the story of God's power, provision, and hope in their own lives, and the amazing things God is doing along the Aurora Corridor.