At a recent Newark Christian School (NCS) chapel service, there was a remarkable response: 100% of the students either committed their lives to Christ or re-dedicated their lives! These students are being challenged to live whole-heartedly for Jesus, to be prayer warriors empowered with faith and divine power. One of the stories that principal Carol Ingersoll shares is how one of the kindergartners prays, “Thank you, God, that everything is going to be okay.”
In the past year, five different Evangel Schools of Urban Church Planting were hosted in Newark. We connected dynamically with the Evangelical Bengali Church, and from that connection, school deans have been equipped who will be able to train new church plant teams in English and Bengali. One of the church planters is Pastor Andrew, who has recently launched ReNew Church in downtown Newark. About 25 people are now worshiping at ReNew Church on Sundays.
Another church planter from the Evangel School is Pastor Tony, who shepherds “Church on the Block,” a congregation in Trenton, New Jersey, comprised largely of homeless folks. Louis, one of the church members, has suffered from chronic back pain, and he walks with a cane, usually in agony. Recently, the church gathered around him and laid hands on Louis, asking God to heal him. Praise God! For over two weeks now, Louis has been walking without a cane and doing things he hasn’t been able to do for years! This is an example of how church planting leads to Jesus pouring out His mercy on those who trust Him!
We have a goal for this year to host 11 Evangel Schools of Urban Church Planting, targeting 23 different people groups. Recently we hosted training with Pastor Pierre, a Haitian church planter who is connected to roughly 60 churches. Pastor Pierre is excited about this training and we are looking forward to accelerating his church planting movement.
