We’re CSPC members Erik & Andrea Granstedt. Here’s how we’re living deeply.
ERIK: Last year, I took a new job. The company has a few offices across the U.S., but one of the main ones is here, outside of Knoxville. Andrea’s parents are in Chattanooga, so that proximity was a draw to East Tennessee, too. So in August, our family made the move and started our new life. It made sense on paper.
ANDREA: On paper, yes. But when Erik first told me he was going to look for a new job, my first reaction was ‘No.’ I had everything set up like I wanted. I homeschool the kids, and I’d figured out their activities, figured out how to homeschool in California. Our oldest was already in high school, and I thought, ‘It took me all this time to figure out how to do high school here, and now we’re moving?!’ I really resisted. We had our church. We had our community. We had all these things.
ERIK: We’d lived in Southern California for twelve years. The kids had lived in Orange County essentially their whole lives. They knew it would be hard to leave their friends. They were less than enthusiastic -that’s a way to put it!- about moving.
ANDREA: But we were praying about it a lot. And someone said something I’ve held onto ever since: Don’t doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. All of Erik’s job offers had actually come in while we were on a family vacation in Argentina. We had so much extended time together to really talk and pray, which we didn’t normally have because life is busy. And Erik and I had gotten to the point where we just felt really good, felt a lot of clarity from the Lord, about this decision to move to Knoxville. But then we came back to the storm of life, and the goodbyes started, and the doubt crept in. The kids were having a hard time. And I started wondering- was this right?
ERIK: One of the things I’ve had to work through is recognizing what we left behind: appreciating it for what it was, without idealizing it so much that I can’t see what God is providing now.
ANDREA: We bought the house almost sight unseen. We didn’t want to move twice, so we just went for it. (Erik came out for the inspection, so at least he’d seen it once!) Well, if this was a leap of faith, it worked out. Our five kids were immediately like, ‘If nothing else, the house is great.’ We’d been in a tiny three-bedroom condo, 1500 square feet in California. This house was more than twice that size. They finally had space, which is kind of nice when they’re getting to be teenagers.
ERIK: And Andrea had been praying for specific things about the location- like friends nearby, especially for the kids.
ANDREA: And God provided. Four doors down, a new family moved in from Texas. They have two girls, eight and nine. Now our eight-year-old twins just run over to their house and play all the time. They didn’t have that in the condo complex. Plus, the previous owners left a trampoline. The kids play on it every single day- even in the snow!
ERIK: And then the homeschool piece fell into place.
ANDREA: Right! I found a homeschool group through CSPC. They offer academic clubs like Science Olympiad, which our boys loved. I was also given the freedom to start my own speech and debate club. That meant so much to me.
ERIK: And the kids loved CSPC from day one. They went to Sunday school that very first Sunday, including our teens.
ANDREA: Every time we visited another church after that, they were like, ‘CSPC is so much better.’ It was the first time we were looking for a church where our kids really had a say. It was personal for them. The middle and high school leaders are such blessings: Our daughter connected immediately with Bethany Johnson, and the boys with Josh Douglass.
ERIK: Once we decided, we did it all the way. New members class, then visiting Sunday schools until we found our people.
ANDREA: And Abby Fennell at the Welcome Center was amazing. We visited many times. She always remembered our names, answered questions, directed us to the right place. When we finished the new members class, she emphasized that she and the leadership were praying for each of us. She really helped us get connected. We found the Journeys class and immediately felt embraced.
ANDREA: Here’s another part of this story I love. We’re really into CrossFit, so we found a gym near us. One of the coaches had this accent, and Erik asked where it was from. ‘Scottish,’ she said. And Erik goes, ‘That’s so funny- we just started going to a church with a Scottish pastor.’
ERIK: And she looks at me and says, ‘That’s my husband.’
ANDREA: Yes, it was Rosie Forsyth! We had no idea. Going to this enormous church, we just happened to connect with the senior pastor’s wife at a CrossFit gym. [CSPC Director of Men’s Ministry] Stewart Scott goes to the same gym- and early on, he asked how we liked the church. I told him it was a little big, but our kids love it, and I know God has a place there for them. Stewart turned to me and said, ‘If God calls you to this church, it’s because He has a place for you, too.’ I needed to hear that. It was like God speaking through him. And I’ve since become real friends with Rosie. The relationship with her isn’t something we planned or searched for. But it felt like God confirming what Stewart had told me, like the Lord was saying, ‘I see you. And I do have a place for you here, too- not just your kids.’
ERIK: Someone recently said something that really resonated with us: It takes 10 years to make 10-year-old friends. So, yes, we miss those deep friendships we had in California. But this whole process has been a testament to God’s faithfulness. Before the move, I was really afraid- of what a career change would mean for me, and for our family. I tend to get paralyzed by fear instead of leaning into faith. But seeing how God provided -the job, the house, the neighborhood, the church- it’s just so encouraging. Knowing we can trust Him. That when He calls us to do something hard, He carries us through.
ANDREA: My life verse is Matthew 6:33: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.’ And I keep seeing it play out. We can cherish what used to be. But we can’t cling to it. And I’m at a place now where I can honestly say moving to Knoxville was the right choice. I don’t want to go back. The soil here is good. The roots are going to grow deeper.