How We Will Fit Into the Mix with Orchard Group

As we shared in the first post below, I (Greg) will start working with Orchard Group on December 1 with our whole family (Greg, Rebekah, Tori, Lucas, & Niles) moving to the Northeast sometime this summer. We're still praying and exploring the exact location where we will live.

Here's more about the current work of Orchard Group and where we will fit into the mix.

The churches planted by Orchard Group in the past two decades are flourishing all around the Northeast - in the metro areas of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Pittsburgh. One church, planted ten years ago near Philadelphia, has already baptized over one thousand people!

In the next 12 months new churches are poised to start meeting in Pittsburgh, Annapolis, Buffalo and Upper Manhattan.

Orchard Group is also responding to opportunities to plant churches in other challenging, strategic, urban settings. Over the next year we will be helping planters start new churches in Salt Lake City, Central Phoenix, Ventura (California) and Seattle.

Looking further into the future, Orchard Group is preparing to raise up and support church planters in the cities of the Northeast, but to also in other US cities, and possibly even international cities.

My (Greg's) role is needed now in order to ensure that Orchard Group is able to serve the church planting teams well. I will be overseeing operations for the organization and project management for the new churches. My experiences with new church staff teams in New Jersey and Las Vegas, my degrees in both ministry and law, and my work experiences in both realms have helped prepare me for this new venture. I'll be involved in a wide variety of issues, including legal issues, corporate compliance, insurance, and fundraising. I will also be sharing my experience in simple/organic church planting through various training opportunities for projects that are geared more in that direction.

Please pray for the people of the Northeast and other urban areas in which we are working. Please pray for our family during a time of transition. Please pray for us as we are involved in fundraising for this venture as well.