Marta and Doug Gardner lived in Los Angeles throughout their professional careers. Marta worked as a teacher in inner-city schools; Doug was an architect. They were both very active in their church, one they helped found many years earlier.
While living in LA, They would travel to Half Moon Bay for vacation and came to decide the coastside would be a good place for them to retire. They are both avid planners, so as they started to map out their big move, they planned a three-week vacation at the foggy time of year as a way to gauge whether the San Mateo coastside was the right place for them.
In July 2015, they rented a house in Half Moon Bay for three weeks. That year happened to be one of the hottest and un-foggy Julys on record. But weather and finding a house weren’t the top item on their list. Finding a church where they could be of meaningful service was their greatest priority. They were looking for a community of Christians they could be with in their retirement season.
They looked at several churches over the hill and in Half Moon Bay and decided to visit Mariners Community Church. They walked in to MCC and within five minutes knew they had made the right decision. Marta explains her reaction to coming to MCC: “God met us there. He had our people there, He had our back.” Finding MCC confirmed the Gardner’s decision to move to Half Moon Bay.
In the further planning of their move, Marta and Doug met with Pastors Paul and Len, seeking to get involved. They knew they had gifts to offer and found what they offered was exactly what was needed so they were able to get involved right away. “God was putting us to work.”
Their special skill is in LifeGroups and Doug’s expertise as an architect is coming in handy as MCC works on its expansion plans. He’s been helping by working with the church staff on the flow and programming for the new space and Marta has been helping more people discover the value of LifeGroups by coaching and developing more leaders. Marta’s strong belief is that there is a lot of joy to be found in LifeGroups for everyone who attends. LifeGroups provide a special brand of support to its members – people helping other group members with prayers for you and with you during difficult times, celebrating life’s milestones, and sharing insights about scripture.
Opening the Bible in LifeGroups helps make the text a little less confusing and more alive through discussion. What does it say? What does it mean? What does it mean to me? These are the questions Marta helps LifeGroup leaders learn to use to facilitate discussions.
The Gardners are great examples of what happens when you let go and let God guide you to where you are called to serve. Marta knows God designed us to be in community and LifeGroups are a great way to create community.
By Laura McHugh, Volunteer Storyteller
