Church Planting News:
The ECCC Leadership Board has an objective to plant one church annually and facilitate one prayerful adoption of an existing church. We plant churches because we truly believe that people need Christ and that planting new churches is the best way to introduce new people to the good news of Christ. God's most effective tool at displaying the gospel in our local communities is churches that are filled with people whose lives have been transformed by a relationship with Jesus. To support the Leadership Board in this mission, our conference has initiated a Church Planting Task Force, comprised of Kendell Arndt (Melfort, SK), Steve Waldschmidt (Strathmore, AB), Jeff Anderson (Winnipeg, MB), Glenn Peterson (Sarnia, ON), and Jody Castle (Chestermere, AB).
Last month eighteen Covenant pastors and leaders participated in the Church Planting Congress in Winnipeg. It was a rich time to dream and plan together, and to interact with a variety of speakers and workshops on planting missional churches in the consumer culture of our Canadian context. (To read more, visit http://thecongress.ca/) The ECC Dept. of Church Planting has just expanded its approach to coaching church planters and held a training intensive in early December to develop coaches for church planters. Gerald Froese (Edmonton, AB) and Glenn Peterson attended and are newly trained as coaches to walk alongside the Canadian Covenant's church planters.
Here's an update from Evan Dewald, Pastor of Lake Ridge Community Church:
"Things have been going very well here in Chestermere. We are thankful for a great school to meet in for our Sunday night services, to date we are almost 3 months into providing a weekly place to worship for the community of Chestermere. In that time we have experienced some growth and are seeing people come to a deeper understanding of God's presence in their everyday story. We have been very fortunate to have several gifted musicians join the church and through the help of generous givers we have purchased a sound system that will work for many years to come. As is the case in Church plants we make plans and work towards them trusting that God is a part of this work. We have definitely sensed that the Spirit of Christ has been in these plans to serve to our neighbours and the needs of the greater community. Many doors have been opened to get involved and we are doing our best to serve Christ by saying YES to even the simplest of tasks. Please pray that God would send more workers, with a heart for Jesus and the community so that we might be able to love those who don't know Jesus. Oh ya we would also love for you to consider sending a little cash along with your prayers for church planting. Multiplying our communities of Faith to greater serve the world is definitely on the Heart of God." --Evan Dewald, Chestermere, AB
There is a great sense of anticipation and purpose in the ECCC regarding church planting. Please pray for our newest church plant in Chestermere, for the Leadership Board & Conference staff, and for Church Planting Task Force as we seek to bring many new people into Jesus' kingdom through healthy Covenant church plants across Canada.
submitted by Steve Waldschmidt
Church Planting Task Force