Pieces of our Mission

Just returned from speaking at a church east of Cincinnati about the recent impact of church planting in the northeast. That church supports our new plant in Annapolis, Maryland.

I'll be meeting with the team in Annapolis in the upcoming days as well as with our team in nearby Baltimore.

I'll also be participating in a college course entitled "Exegeting the City" in New York City as part of Orchard Group's partnership with Ozark Christian College.

Along the way I'll be also be spending some time in NJ and PA. Finally, I'll be speaking for a missions weekend at a church near Reading, PA.

Busy days -- all exciting pieces of our overarching mission to plant growing and reproducing chruches in New York and the Northeast!

First 100 Days

I have been on the road a lot for fundraising and to work with our church plant teams. In the past 100 days I have made trips to:

New York City
Albany, New York
Las Vegas
Miami
Cincinnati
Louisville
Denver
Salt Lake City
Grayson, Kentucky
Buffalo, New York (well, the airspace above the city, at least! weather kept me from ever landing there)

Rebekah and Tori have also visited New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvannia during this time. Rebekah and Niles went with me to Albany.

I'm tired! I'm also very excited by what I see. Seeds planted in the past are being harvested now. People all over the country are beginning to partner with us financially as well, though there is still much more needed.

P.S. The ten year anniversay of 9/11 is six months from the date I am posting this. Churches around the country are committing to a special offering that day (or other creative ways to give) to NY Church Planting in celebration of the reality that despite the evil behind 9/11, Love Prevails in NY and the Northeast United States.

Love Prevails -- More Info

September 11, 2001

We all remember where we were and what we were doing.

3,000 lives were lost that day. America was changed forever.

Many of us gave sacrifically to help the families impacted by the terrorist strikes.

Ten years later it is clear…

Love Prevails
Out of the rubble, God is bringing good.

Since 2001 Orchard Group has been involved with -

12 new churches in the New York City area

24 new churches around the northeast region

Over 2,000 baptisms

September 11, 2011 falls on a Sunday. Mark an anniversary of sorrow with a message of hope – Love Prevails!

One way in which we will be encouraging churches to participate is by receiving an offering on September 11, 2011 so more new churches can join those already thriving in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania.

Videos and print materials will soon be available to your church for that memorable anniversary.

Love Prevails - September 11, 2011

September 11 of this year will mark the 10th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, DC. September 11 is also a Sunday this year.

"Love Prevails" is Orchard Group's way of honoring the tenth anniversary of that day by celebrating kingdom things that have happened in the region since that day (maybe even somewhat because of that day). It will also be our way of looking forward to planting more new churches for this region of the country and seeing New York become a staging center for new church planting in other global urban centers.

I just spent several days in New York City with the rest of the Orchard Group Team planning and preparing for Love Prevails. I hope that you and your church will be part of it on September 11. More to come . . . .

New Church for New York City

Watch a short video about a new church for New York City, which is set to begin meeting this year!

Support Update

Based on firm commitments, we have about 12% of our monthly support raised. This amount could go up to 30%, 40%, or more, based on pending requests.

10,000: A Number That Matters

I am the last person to think that you can measure the success of a church by the number of people in attendance -- who would think a church was doing great things if it merely stole the members from every other church in its region in order to grow large?

Yet I also know that in the Northeast church leaders have struggled for decades without the numbers to show for it, and therefore when larger numbers of people become involved in church in this region, it really means something.

That is why it is significant that last Easter Sunday there were nearly 10,000 people in attendance in churches started by Orchard Group in the Northeast over the past two decades.

While it is not about the numbers, that is one number I know from experience really means something significant.