Originally sent to distribution list on 3.14.24. Posting here for convenience.
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Hey friends!
Thank you for your interest in our church planting journey. For those of you recently joining us, we welcome you to our community! We treasure your prayers and support, believing each of you play a valuable role in our lives and ministry.
Thank you for your support and prayers over last Sunday afternoon. It was a great information meeting! We tried a new venue in the heart of Angier, the Depot Grounds. Not far from where we dismissed our Christmas Eve service, God gave us a perspective last Sunday of what he has done in recent months. Afterwards we dismissed to walk the community and have dinner at local restaurants.
As we think ahead for March, here are three items to note:
I. Pillar Network Church Planting Conference (March 13-16)
Sterling Tharrington and I arrived Thursday afternoon at Grace Church Miami. Planted six years ago, we’ll spend the next few days shadowing their leadership and various church ministries. They have a lot to share with the 20+ aspiring planters who are gathered here with us. Please pray for all as we learn key concepts for ministry and sharpen one another for our planting journeys ahead. Thank you for your generous financial support that makes trips like this possible.
II. Next Information Meeting | March 30
Join us after the morning service at Redeemer Community Church in Fuquay-Varina for our next information meeting (12-2pm). Though it’s largely for their people to learn about Coram Deo, the meeting is open to all prospective guests who may be interested. Our time will include updates on finances, vision casting, core team formation, facility search and more. Please join us if this time works for you. Register here. Lunch and childcare will be provided.
III. Prep for Easter at Jack Marley Park
These are exciting days! Plans are coming together to hold our first “preview service” open to the public. On Easter Sunday (April 20), we’ll meet at under a white tent on #field 2 at 10:00am.
What is more, the town of Angier is holding an Easter egg hunt on Palm Sunday afternoon (April 13). We’ve engaged the community leadership and will now serve a key role in supporting this event. Please pray for effective outreach to those attending as we prepare for the Easter service the following Sunday.
Invite your friends and neighbors for both Sundays. We’ll be sending out more details as the date draws near. For now, thank you for the continued prayer and support. We hope to see some of you there!
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Preaching
The Lord has been kind to provide opportunities for me to preach in various churches around the Raleigh area this spring. Please pray for these preaching appointments. My Sunday schedule is:
March 23 Life Point Community | Willow Spring
April 6 Fairview Baptist | Apex
*Easter*
April 27 Piney Grove Chapel | Angier
May 18 Redeemer Community | Fuquay-Varina
Giving
Thank you for your continued financial support. If you or someone you know would like to make a contribution, please use our online giving link via Church Center or send your gift directly to:
Coram Deo Baptist Church
PO Box 308
Angier, NC 27501
Our church account is now at $29,048. These funds are mission critical to provide the financial base we need to launch later this year. Thank you in advance. In addition, our residency account at Fairview is holding steady around $90k. Contributions continue to cover our expenses.
Praying
Angier Little League Baseball.
Several of our core team families are heading to the park! Some dads will be coaching, but many children will be playing. Pray for favor to be gained with town leaders and for relationships to be made while at the Jack Marley Park, the location of our Easter service.
Property Search. Pray for grace and direction as we search for a meeting location. Recently, we’ve received word that Jack Marley Park may be open to us through the summer. Pray this will be an option. We’ve also started several favorable conversations with local elementary schools that could meet our needs this fall. Further, we are looking for land. Pray the Lord guides our search.
Supporting Churches. Pray for more churches to come alongside us with financial support. We expect our 2025 budget to be near $300K. It’s our prayer that one third of those funds will come from generous local churches. If you know of a church that would be interested in partnering with us, let’s set up a meeting!
Document Formation. Pray for wisdom as I continue to craft key documentation with the help of Fairview and supporting church leadership. Bylaws, policies, website and our prospectus will be key documents among the many created.
Core Team Meetings. We’re now two meetings underway, with the third scheduled next week. Things are going great as we learn, discuss, pray and plan. Please do intercede for us as we’ll be meeting more regularly as time goes on.
Eat Local!
Living on mission requires that we do life in our community. We build relationships not to just make friends, but to share the gospel and make disciples. One easy way to meet people is to eat at local restaurants. Each month, we’ll highlight a different place to eat. This month: Mi Cancun 115 S Raleigh St. Angier, NC 27501.
One of the servers our family has befriended is named Luis. He seems to be a person of peace that welcomes our prayers and ministry. Take time this month to stop by and say hello. Introduce yourself, then talk about Jesus and church planting. Be sure to get the “live” guacamole. It’s worth it!
Resource of the Month
At the close of each newsletter, I promote a resource to help us prepare to plant. This month: How to Build a Healthy Church by Mark Dever. This is more than a resource. It’s a lead play book. Take up and read. You’ll love it.
Blessings to you. Coram Deo.