Three key individuals attended the Newark Evangel School of Urban Church Planting this summer. Their plans are to plant churches in Connecticut, Queens, Brooklyn, Northern New Jersey, Newark, and, Jamaica. Here are some snapshots of their experiences:
Persecution to Empowerment
Oliver is from Bangladesh and was persecuted for being a Christian. He lost his land, his job, and his home all because he is a Christ-follower. He and his family were beaten and harassed and eventually fled to America for their safety. Now he wants to plant first-generation Bengali churches in his community. Plans are in the works to meet with his church leadership and talk through how to translate material from Evangel and The Urban Ministry Institute as well as train and equip their leadership to plant four more churches.
Called to Authenticity
Oldson has lived in Newark for 22 years and like many, he was looking for a way out of the violence and poverty he experienced daily. Eventually he found a way out and learned that every city has difficulties, but the Gospel remedies them all. He began to feel a burden to share the hope of Christ with those still stuck in violence and poverty. Oldson felt a call from the Lord to share the Gospel with second generation immigrants like himself in an accurate, accessible and authentic way. The Evangel training and mentors helped to not only encourage but also equip Oldson to live out this call.
From Discouraged to Equipped
When Desmond first connected with World Impact in Brooklyn, he was close to giving up. He has a seminary degree and was ministering in a tough neighborhood called Flatbush. While he was a gifted evangelist, many others didn’t understand what he was doing for the Lord. When a World Impact missionary encouraged him that he was exactly the type of person we were looking to partner with, it boosted Desmond and helped him continue on.
He is a perfect example of how God uses the Evangel School of Urban Church Planting to further train and equip men and women who he has already gifted and called. Through Evangel, Desmond’s efforts can move from evangelism to discipleship to raising leaders. Eventually, the goal is to transition the church into the care of these new leaders so Desmond can start all over again in another church plant in another neighborhood.
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