Story of the Week: Called to Community

Woodmen was the place where Kevin first accepted Jesus as his Savior. It’s the place where he and Bailey tied the knot. And they’re excited to continue to add new milestones to their life together, trusting that God will continue to use their church community as He writes new chapters in their story together.

When Kevin and Bailey Flanegin got engaged, one thing was clear from the beginning: they wanted to say their wedding vows at Woodmen. Around that time, renovations were in the final stages for Woodmen’s Downtown Campus. Before the doors had swung open for a single weekend service, the Flanegins sensed God drawing them to Woodmen Downtown, not just as a wedding venue, but as their church home.

Once the campus opened, their sense of calling grew. “It was a huge answer to prayer,” Bailey says. “We finally knew where God wanted us.” Kevin and Bailey became the first Woodmen couple married at the new campus.

Since getting married at Woodmen Downtown earlier this year, Kevin and Bailey have been asking a simple, open-handed question: “Lord, how do You want to use us here?”

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Kevin began attending Woodmen as a kid. Through children’s ministry and later Woodmen Students, Kevin consistently found leaders who encouraged him, friends who walked alongside him and a church family that pointed him toward Jesus.

Through moving away for college and returning to Colorado Springs years later, Woodmen remained a place where God continued to meet him in meaningful, unexpected ways.

Bailey grew up in Texas and moved to Colorado for work. She was hesitant to attend a church alone and when friends invited her to Woodmen, she gave it a try. She and Kevin soon began attending together, and before long she realized Woodmen wasn’t just Kevin’s church, God was making it hers, too.

A TABLE FOR ALL

Once the Flanegins committed to Woodmen Downtown, they noticed a need for a Community Group for young adults, a place for connection, consistency and belonging.

Kevin and Bailey didn’t wait for someone else to fill the gap. They opened their home.

If Kevin had his way, their house wouldn’t have a backyard at all. Instead, he dreams of a huge front yard, a place where neighbors wander over spontaneously, where the grill is always sizzling and anyone walking by knows they’re welcome to pull up a chair.

“We’re such an isolated world now,” Kevin says. “People treat their house like a castle — doors locked, curtains drawn. But God has blessed us with a home, and our prayer is to use it to bless others.”

Each Tuesday night, young adults gather in the Flanegins living room to share a meal and dive deeper into scripture. For Kevin and Bailey, breaking bread together is a highlight each week — an important time to share life and grow closer to one another.

“Food matters,” Kevin says. “It brings people together.”

LET THEM EAT CAKE

Their first night as a group set their course in an unexpected way. Their refrigerator suddenly died, and the wedding cake they’d been saving began to thaw. Instead of letting it put a damper on the evening, they sliced up the cake and served it to the group. It became a sweet opportunity to share in the caring, family-like community they’d been seeking.

And the blessing has been mutual. When members say the group is an answer to prayer, Kevin and Bailey smile and reply, “It’s an answer to prayer for us, too.”

FULL CIRCLE

As a teen, Kevin found a safe place to explore faith Woodmen Students. It was there he met Stu Davis, a leader who invested deeply in Kevin’s life. Stu encouraged him, challenged him, prayed with him and walked with him through formative years. Even after Kevin moved out of state for college, they kept in touch. Stu kept checking in, offering guidance and support from afar.

Today, Kevin serves as a leader in Woodmen Students, helping a group of middle school boys navigate the same years that shaped him. And in one of those crazy twists that God orchestrates, Kemper Davis, Stu’s high-school-aged son, serves alongside Kevin, helping to lead the group.

“It feels full circle,” Kevin says. “Stu invested in me when I was Kemper’s age. Now I get to turn around and do the same for his son. It’s one of the coolest ways God has used Woodmen in my life.”

Woodmen was the place where Kevin first accepted Jesus as his Savior. It’s the place where he and Bailey tied the knot. And they’re excited to continue to add new milestones to their life together, trusting that God will continue to use their church community as He writes new chapters in their story together.

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