Ryan McVicar
The McVicar Family
How have you seen God working in your life?
I was born and raised in Illinois, having lived in four different towns due to the fact that my father was a prison warden and moved from prison to prison. Each time we moved, my parents made it a priority to join the Methodist Church of the town in which we lived. This was the extent of our spirituality. No one in my family was a Christian, although I suppose we would have called ourselves Christians had anyone asked. I was very curious about God, life, and eternity, but I concluded it was impossible to ever really know much about these things. I do not recall ever having a friend who claimed to be a Christian.
My senior year in high school was a significant time in my spiritual journey. I desired to know who I was, where I came from, and where I was going but was persuaded of the impossibility of knowing such things. During the first week of my freshman year at Murray State University, I crossed paths with the Director of Campus Outreach. He asked me if I would be interested in discussing spiritual things, and I invited him to my dorm room for conversation and Bible study. We continued every day for the next several weeks. During this time of investigating the bible and the claims of Christ, God opened my eyes to the wonders of the gospel and by His grace, I placed my faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, several years later, I continue to be amazed by the wonders of the gospel as it is shown to be the power of God for salvation in my own life and in the lives of others. I feel the need for the gospel in my own life more than ever, as my own sin and the deceitfulness of the flesh can overwhelm me. Only the gospel gives me comfort on a daily basis. I have to remember daily the truth of the forgiveness of my sins, the access I have to God, and the presence of the victorious Holy Spirit who lives in me.
When I get discouraged in ministry or face the reality of struggles in the church and in the hearts of the people I minister to, I am comforted only by the gospel, knowing that as I proclaim the gospel and minister to people with the gospel, God is graciously and powerfully at work to save, deliver, transform, and encourage people who otherwise would be drowned by the lies of the world and the attacks of the evil one.
How have you seen god working in your family?
When we moved to Ann Arbor to plant Red Tree Church, we were absolutely dependent on the Lord. We knew this would be a difficult transition for our kids (ages 16, 14, 12); they left dear friends from our old town and church and a great school setting.
As they entered public school in a new town without their old friends, they struggled emotionally. We spent a great deal of time in discussion, prayer, and God's Word to minister to each other.
We've seen God strengthen our children and our marriage in amazing ways. We are all so thankful to be in this new place of ministry; we all feel closer to the Lord and to each other, and our kids have a greater perspective and thankfulness for the privilege of serving wherever the Lord calls us to serve him.
How have you seen god working in your church?
We've spent the past 11 months diving into our new community, getting to know people, serving the community and the schools, and evangelizing unbelievers. We've seen God slowly but surely gather together a Core Team made up of people who have wildly different stories and who are from wildly different places. God has powerfully opened doors for us to share the gospel and gain trust in the community.
A few months ago, we held a public "one-off" worship service so we could invite people we'd met. The ballroom we rented with 120 chairs was filled, and most of the people were unchurched people from the community. We were amazed.
We are planning to begin weekly worship services in September. Until then, we continue to serve in the community, train our Core Team, and evangelize unbelievers.
The Lord is building His Church!
what is the mission of your church plant?
Our Vision Statement: "Red Tree exists to glorify God and to be a tree of life for Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. We are people from different places, with different stories, who are being rooted in the truth of the gospel and changed by the power of the gospel in order to reflect the beauty of the gospel to each other, our city, university, the nations, and generations to come."
What's the point? Ann Arbor is heavily populated with world changers but barren when it comes to the gospel and church scene. In view of these realities, it is essential to plant churches in this hub for worldwide impact.
What will this look like? Our starting point to accomplish this vision and plan is to establish a church that will make deep roots (in the gospel), deep love (because of the beauty of the gospel), and deep change (because of the power of the gospel) a reality.
We will plant this church strategically to impact the University of Michigan as well as the wider population represented in Ann Arbor. It is our intent that this church will ultimately serve as a catalyst for a gospel movement in Ann Arbor which will lead to more church plants in the area in the years to come.