Flourish Worship

09/02/2026

🎉 A Special Announcement🎉
Yesterday, I passed my final interview, and I am humbled and excited to share that I am now officially a credentialed Mennonite Pastor within Mennonite Church USA! 🙏❤️

And with that, Flourish Worship is now officially recognized as an Emerging Church within the Central District Conference (CDC).

This moment means so much to me—not simply because of a credential or a title, but because of the journey God has brought me through to get here.

First and foremost, I give all glory and thanks to God. God gave me the courage, wisdom, and insight to follow a path I never expected to take and to align myself and Flourish with the Mennonite Church.

That journey began in 2023, when I attended Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. From the very beginning, something felt different. I found brothers and sisters in Christ who welcomed me, encouraged me, challenged me, and loved me for who I am.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I had found a spiritual home.

For nearly 25 years, I had been searching for a larger body of believers where I could truly belong—where faith, community, peace, justice, reconciliation, and following the way of Jesus were not just words, but a way of life.

And then God led me to the Mennonite community.

I knew early on that I had found something special. I found people who didn't ask me to become someone else in order to belong. Instead, they welcomed me into a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.

A Special Thank You

There is one person I especially want to recognize today: my mentor, Dr. Dwight Moody.

Dwight has been walking alongside me since 2022, before I ever knew where this journey would lead. He was instrumental in leading me to Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, and he has continued to walk with me ever since.

Over these past several years, there have been countless hours and countless phone calls—sometimes for weeks at a time—where Dwight has helped me navigate difficult seasons, complicated situations, ministry challenges, and some very important decisions.

There were times when I needed someone to listen.
Times when I needed someone to challenge me.
Times when I needed wisdom.
And times when I simply needed someone to remind me who I was and why God called me.

Dwight has been that person.

His counsel is far more valuable to me than he probably realizes.

I am deeply grateful for his friendship, his mentorship, his wisdom, his patience, and most of all, his willingness to keep walking with me through this journey.

Dwight, thank you for believing in me, for challenging me, for listening to me, and for helping me see possibilities when I couldn't always see them myself. I would not be standing here today without the countless ways you have invested in my life and ministry.

This journey has stretched me, challenged me, and changed me. It has also helped shape Flourish into what it is becoming.

I am incredibly grateful for Mennonite Church USA, the Central District Conference, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, my mentors, my colleagues, my friends, and every person who has walked with me along the way.

And I am especially grateful for Flourish—for every person who has shown up, worshiped, prayed, questioned, laughed, cried, served, and believed in this ministry.

This is not the end of the journey. It is a new chapter.

God has been faithful every step of the way, and I cannot wait to see what God does next.

Following Jesus. Embracing everyone—without exception and without fear.

Here we go, Flourish. ❤️🌈🙏

08/11/2026

📣 A Quick Flourish FYI!

Our email link and YouCanBookMe link are now available right here on the Flourish page under our contact information—just click to connect with us!

Also, if you haven't already, please follow the Flourish page! We’re working toward 100 followers so we can begin using Facebook Live and make Flourish even more accessible to our community.

If you know of Facebook groups, community pages, friends, churches, or other places where we could share Flourish and help us reach our goal, I would be very grateful for your ideas and support.

Every follow and every share helps us grow our reach and connect with people who may be looking for a place like Flourish. 🌱💜

Thank you for helping Flourish grow!

Pastor Francisco

08/11/2026

07/01/2026

Posts like this remind me why this conversation matters so deeply.
This training isn't about making our community more religious. It's about making our community safer.

For many LGBTQ+ people, spirituality has been a source of deep wounds. For others, it has become a path toward healing, hope, and belonging. Flourish exists because we believe no one should ever have to choose between their identity and their faith.
I'm deeply grateful that we're investing in LGBTQ+ Safe Zone training. It reflects our commitment to listening, learning, and becoming an even safer place for every person who walks through our doors.

This is also why I believe affirming spiritual communities should be visible as resources within the broader LGBTQ+ community. Not because everyone needs them—but because some people do. Just as we make affirming therapists, healthcare providers, and support groups visible, we should also make affirming spiritual communities visible for those who are searching.

I say this because I've seen the difference it can make.
I've sat with LGBTQ+ people who believed God had rejected them. I've spoken with young people who felt completely alone after leaving churches that condemned them. I've witnessed the hope that returns when they discover they are not abandoned—that there are communities where they can be fully themselves and fully loved.

For some, that discovery isn't simply comforting—it can be life-saving.

No one should ever be pressured toward spirituality. But neither should someone who is desperately searching for safe spiritual support have to wonder if it even exists.

I believe our community is strongest when we care for the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. That means making room for those who have left religion behind, those who practice other faiths, those with no faith at all, and those who are still searching for a spiritual home.

06/23/2026

Exclusion Is Not the Gospel: A Statement from Flourish Community

There are moments when silence becomes complicity.
This is one of those moments.
At Flourish, we follow Jesus—the one who stood with the marginalized, who broke bread with the rejected, and who confronted systems that burdened people in the name of God.

So, we must speak clearly:
We do not support or condone expressions of church life that exclude, diminish, or cause harm to any person-especially our LGBTQIA siblings, who bear the image of God and carry the breath of the Spirit just as fully as anyone else.

We recognize that the Church, at times, has chosen comfort over courage, control over compassion, and tradition over the transforming love of Christ.
And while Flourish may not have created those wounds, we refuse to ignore them.

We will not be a community that looks away.
We will not be a community that stays quiet to keep the peace.
Because what is often called “peace” in the Church has too often come at the cost of people’s dignity, belonging, and even their lives.

That is not the peace of Christ.

The peace of Christ is rooted in justice.
The peace of Christ restores what has been broken.
The peace of Christ makes room at the table—not just for some, but for all.

So, we name this plainly:
Exclusion is not the Gospel.
Silencing is not the Gospel.
Harm in the name of holiness is not the Gospel.
Love is.

At Flourish, we are committed to being a different kind of witness—
a community shaped by radical welcome,
honest truth-telling, and courageous love.

We will continue to listen.
We will continue to learn.
We will continue to stand alongside those who have been pushed to the margins.
Because we believe this is where Jesus already is.
And we intend to be there too.

“He has told you, O human, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” —
Micah 6:8

Justice & Peace,
Francisco Gonzalez
Pastor of Flourish See less

05/26/2026

✨ You’re Invited: Sharing the Light ✨

Friends, we would love for you to join us for a special night of worship, reflection, and celebration as we gather for “Sharing the Light”—a service honoring the ministry of Flourish and Providence Baptist Church.

This will be a meaningful time where we come together in prayer, song, and Scripture to celebrate what God has done and look ahead to what’s next. It’s a space for all—whether you’ve been part of this journey or are simply looking for a place to belong and connect.

This night will also mark the official beginning of Flourish stepping into its own identity as a ministry.

We will gather at Providence House next to the church from 6:30–7:15 PM for a potluck meal, then walk next door to Providence Baptist Church at 7:15 PM for the service.

Come as you are. Bring a friend. There is a place for you here.

💛 Let’s gather, celebrate, and share the light together.

05/18/2026

✨ We’re excited for the upcoming Pride in Hendersonville! Please help us spread the word! 🌈
Maria’s Closet — our free clothing closet for the Trans and Nonbinary community — will have a booth at Pride this year, and we couldn’t be more excited to connect with and support this beautiful part of our community. 💖

We’ll be sharing resources, information, encouragement, and lots of love along the way. Come stop by, say hello, and celebrate with us as we continue creating spaces of dignity, affirmation, and belonging for all. 🏳️‍⚧️✨
We can’t wait to see everyone there!

04/23/2026

Maria's Closet is excited to go to Asheville and have an event with our friends at Youth OutRight.