Launching Point
God has done what only He can do amidst the challenges of Covid-19 to start Anthem Church. I want to update you with the latest good news as our church plant enters a significant transition point this summer.
Let’s start with some good news! So far, God has assembled a launch team of 25 households, consisting of 38 adults and 14 children, to start Anthem Church. Not only that, but there are three (maybe four) adults getting baptized this summer, and there is one couple preparing to plant a church. We praise God that our church plant is not only launching with stories of life transformation, but is preparing to plant a daughter church. According to Nate Hettinga from our church planting network, Converge, this is exactly what you want to see in a healthy church plant, and especially for one that is starting in a pandemic. Praise God!
Now is the time to overflow with our love for one another to love our neighbor. As much as we enjoy celebrating where we are at, we know our church does not exist for ourselves, but for those not yet with us. God has brought the world into our neighborhood with a purpose for us. Our calling from Jesus is to go into the world and make disciplemakers in every people group until every person hears the good news and encounters the good life in Jesus. This is what God has been preparing us to do, and so, we are at a transition point to give greater attention towards loving our neighbor this summer.
As we look ahead, pray for our preparation to launch into outreach activities. According to Gary Rohrmayer and Lee Stephenson from our church planting network, the most important dynamic of starting a new church is to build a unified launch team. For this reason, our church went away last weekend for an in-depth training from me to reshape how we gather and refocus how we scatter so that every person is walking forward in the same direction together.
Want to partner with us to start Anthem Church? We are praying that God leads 300 people to pray for us, 150 households to give to us, and 30 households to go with us. Currently we are seeking the Lord for 5 more households to go, for 87 more households to give, and 32 more people to pray for us. Email me at phil@anthemeastside.com if you’d like to partner with us.
Sincerely,
Pastor Phil