Hello Planters,
Last weekend I had the opportunity of working with Phil Brown and Glenn Townend in Western Australia – equipping another 8 or 9 church planting teams. On arriving in Perth, we went straight to a Chinese restaurant in Koondoola (a suburb) to meet with the All Nations Fellowship planting team (about 25 people). This multicultural church plant started only one year ago – but they have already birthed a new church with another 20-25 attending. The next day Phil and I spent a couple of hours each with 4 church planting teams – including one at Curtin University and an Aboriginal planting team. There are now 15 or 16 plants from previous schools conducted in the last two years. The 40+ people who attended training this last weekend represent a variety of new initiatives – church plants, house churches, emerging missional groups, multicultural plants and ethnic church plants. Andrew Hamilton, National Forge Coordinator, and Danelle, his wife, joined us to share their experience of planting in suburbia.
Glenn is the leader of the Adventists in Western Australia – and they follow a clear path providing vision, training, coaching, financial support, resources and empowerment for this wide range of growing initiatives. It is a culture of encouragement.
Be courageous & faithful,
Peter Roennfeldt
CHURCH PLANTING NEWS – 1 May 08
News stories, resources, websites & equipping – including:
Sausage Sizzle Success
Celebrate Messiah with a Passover Seder!
Inside Out in Yeovil
Candlelight Productions – a missional initiative!
Country Town Church Planting
North Perth Adventist Church – becoming a “church planting church”!
Three Is Enough Groups!
More Stories: Check out more stories on www.newchurchlife.com.
Sausage Sizzle Success: A sermon on Reaching Out to the Community by school-teacher Kasey Howard motivated Sera to start a BBQ Ministry. She chose a suburb where the people “have lots of trouble in life and feel unloved.” Sera sought sponsors (and they sought her out when they heard about her plans!) and letterboxed the area. Sometimes as many as 100 people come along on a Sunday morning to experience great food, great company and a sense of belonging. Some donate bread and cold drinks. “Three children have become a part of Northpoint Community and attend Northpoint Kids Church as a result of the BBQ and they love it,” says Greg Pratt, one of the planters at Northpoint Community Church.
Celebrate Messiah with a Passover Seder! Celebrate Messiah Australia is a team of Jewish Christians committed to bringing the message of the gospel to the “original messengers.” On Passover Day (Saturday, April 19) Living Waters Community Church plant in Melbourne hosted a Passover Seder (meal) – and Barry Buirski shared a very powerful, gospel message. It is planned that this will be a regular community outreach for Living Waters.
Inside Out in Yeovil: Some years ago Dana and Leslie King moved into Yeovil to plant something new for God. What started as a caring ministry from their home and community school has expanded into a church plant called Inside Out People and a community charity, Time Out Together. Time Out Together has teamed with two other local charities to provide Newstart from Inside Out – supporting people in restoring their flats and houses to a “more livable condition” and also assisting with healthy living skills, health screening, cooking demonstrations, etc. Time Out Together operates a drop-in-center and a large bus/coach that provides a mobile activity center for children, youth and families – bringing relational values to the streets each evening. Dana reports, “Our projects for children and young people in the school holidays have taken off and they are relied upon by hundreds of families.”
Candlelight Productions – a missional initiative! Candlelight Productions is a secular theatre company run mainly by Christians – an incarnational missional faith community. It is centered on the arts – and committed Christian and non-Christian artists work together to present positive art in the Melbourne arts community. Every show begins with prayer and most of the not-yet-Christians join in. For more info, visit www.candlelightproductions.com.au
Country Town Church Planting: James Alagappan asked the members of his Kellerberin church (in the Western Australia wheat-belt) if they would support a new church plant in their town. Two families responded. They letterboxed part of the town and now have about 25 people attending, with 15 new from the community. James spent 10 days in prayer and fasting and the Lord has given a number of practical strategies including a talent night for the community. Three people are preparing for baptism.
North Perth Adventist Church – becoming a “church planting church”! This North Perth (Western Australia) church is supporting the planting of two new churches at the present time – (1) OASIS – a church plant on Curtin University and (2) a church plant for the 86,000 people from the countries of the former Yugoslavia in Perth. The Oasis project leader, Sven Ostring, has accepted the role of the Coordinator of the Multi Faith Office at the university. A team of part-time Bible workers conduct spiritual surveys to connect with and support students. They also support a free bread distribution program for students – featured in the campus newspapers.
Three Is Enough Groups! Todd Hunter, former CEO of Alpha USA, has launched a new ministry to focus on spiritual transformation, helping pastors and lay leaders reach a generation disenfranchised from the church. His first major conference to be held in Minneapolis on May 16-17 (see Conversational Evangelism below) which features evangelism pioneers Mark Mittleberg, Becky Pippert, Dan Kimball, Garry Poole & Rick Richardson. Jim Henderson (Off The Map) will produce these conferences.
RESOURCES, WEBSITES & EQUIPPING EVENTS –
United States
GODencounters Conferences – prayer & devotion! Go to IGNITION http://ignitionblog.wordpress.com/ and the GODencounters website http://www.GODencounters.org for devotional entries and for the Conferences available. Read the missional challenge at http://ignitionblog.wordpress.com/2008/04/14/parties-for-prostitutes-3am/ .
Conversational Evangelism Conference – 16-17 May 2008 in Minneapolis/ St Paul (USA): check out http://conversationalevangelism.net/ for more details on this conference hosted by Todd Hunter.
Australia
Resources:
Church Planting – blog with Dave Lawton: http://davelawton.typepad.com/my_weblog/
OIKOS resources: OIKOS is a network that supports house churches – and new ways of reaching people in our culture. Bessie Pereira coordinates this ministry – and the attached ‘flyer’ provides more details and contact points.
CHURCH PLANTING NEWS
Peter Roennfeldt