Plans are in place for the launching of preparatory worship services for Point of Grace Church on Sunday, October 23, 2011. Cleveland and Loretta are being sent out from New Vision Church in Bowie. To view pictures from the grand opening click here
Converge churches in the Metro D.C. area are praying and seeking to assist. Converge MidAtlantic is also standing with this couple as a new lighthouse for Christ will be opened up in a needy and high potential area of PG County in the Metro DC area.
Cleveland Morrison's history for our Conference of churches goes back nearly 18 years, as he was one of the founding members of New Beginnings Community Church in Mitchellville, MD, our first church plant in the Metro DC area. Loretta has been involved in our District as a leader in our School of Women's Ministries, and in various roles in their church. What a delight to see how God's hand has been on this couple. We are especially grateful that the burden and vision for church planting has grown even stronger over the years. Please pray for Cleveland and Loretta and the Point of Grace church plant. Pray that their team will grow and that the foundations for a strong ministry will be established in the Beltsville, MD area in the coming weeks.
For nearly 15 years, Converge
church planting leaders have prayed that God would raise up a leader to reach
the Filipino-American community in and around Virginia Beach, VA.
The vast military bases bring Filipino Americans to this expansive
area. The need for Christ centered, Bible based churches is
great.
In 2010, Ruel and Eve Navarro moved from a growing church planting ministry in Detroit, MI to the Virginia Beach area. Over the past 12 plus months, they've networked with many people. They've led numerous Bible Studies in homes and in churches. They've witnessed to many of the life found in Jesus. Already in this pre-launch stage, individuals and families have come to faith in Christ and have followed Christ in baptism.
In seeking to find a suitable place for worship, God recently opened up a wonderful door of opportunity as a church facility in the heart of their target area became available for use. Worship services are planned to begin on Saturday evenings. The ReGenesis team is excited to preliminarily launch public worship, and to reach out even more aggressively to unchurched individuals and families in their community. Pray for Ruel and Eve and their team as this "soft launch" worship is launched!
Sunday, October 16, will mark a historic event in the life of New Beginnings Community Church under the leadership of Pastor Michael and First Lady Twanna Henderson. On this Sunday, New Beginnings will open up its first multi site campus in the Charlotte, NC area.
Over the 11 years of the church's history, New Beginnings has grown to a worshiping congregation of over 2500 people. Two amazing building programs have sought to provide space for this rapidly growing congregation. Now, in an effort to facilitate more growth and to also reach out in an even more effective way, New Beginnings will open up a new campus in the Indian Trail Community about 20 minutes from the current location in Matthews, NC. One of the public school facilities is being rented. A strong leadership team is in place. Nearly 300 people who are currently attending New Beginnings live in the area of the new campus. Worship will be live, and the preaching by Pastor Henderson will be streamed from the home site to give a "live" sense for all who attend.
Dan and Tonya White moved back home to Syracuse in 2010 for the purpose of
planting a missional church in the urban community of their home
town. Syracuse has one of the highest percentages of unchurched
people of any city in the U.S. Some are reaching those living in the suburban
and outlying settings of Syracuse, but no-one is seeking to reach the urban
community right in the heart of Syracuse.
Enter Dan and Tonya White and 6 families who all moved to join with the Whites to plant Axiom Church in this needy and difficult place. In late 2010, Converge MidAtlantic got involved in partnering with this missional group of city dwellers and their leader.
During the first 9 months, Dan was determined to train leaders, many of whom he hoped would take on the challenge of leading "city groups", or missional communities in and around Syracuse. City groups would be "the church of Jesus Christ" in the midst of a needy and lost community. Individuals and couples would meet in homes every Sunday for worship, for study, for justice activities, for hospitality in their neighborhood, and for sharing meals together. There would be a definite rhythm to the way members of Axiom would live their lives, seeking to live with purpose and intentionality for Jesus.
After 9 months of training, four city groups were launched in June of 2011. In a very short time, each group has grown to nearly 20 people meeting weekly in homes. Community is being built. Neighbors are being touched with Jesus' love. The light of the Gospel is beginning to shine in a dark and forgotten city. Later this fall, or perhaps around Christmas, Axiom's rhythm will include a monthly combined worship experience with all of the city groups coming together on a Sunday morning.
Perhaps most interesting is the
story of the house Dan and Tonya have been able to
purchase in the heart of urban
Syracuse. This home,
once a staging ground for drug dealers and
gang activity has now become a staging center for the mission of Jesus Christ.
Neighbors who knew of the darkness and evil activities taking place in this
house, have immediately noticed that love, truth, and justice are at
work. They've seen the light of the Gospel overcome the darkness
of the enemy. Indeed, Christ's mission of redemption and
reconciliation is at work in Syracuse.
Converge is honored to play a part in prayer, in coaching, in financial backing, and in encouragement as Axiom Church reaches its community with the powerful life changing good news of Jesus.