Eleven years ago, we quit our job, left the comfort of our home and church, and moved ourselves with two children in diapers to Los Angeles to be missionaries to the urban poor and plant churches. We celebrate all that God has done in that time!
God gave us a vision to plant 12 churches in 12 years. While we planted our first church, Fuente para las Naciones, a predominantly Spanish-speaking church called to the barrio amongst the immigrants of South LA, we learned a lot and began to build deep relationships and trust with the community, other churches, and emerging leaders. Now through Evangel (our School of Urban Church Planting) and our network of urban churches we have been able to coach and train dozens of leaders impacting many corners of this vast county (L.A. Country is the largest in the US and makes up ¼ of the population of California), which has led to the planting and strengthening of dozens of churches. Whether it is helping train and coach a church planter and his team or raising up the next generation of leaders from within our own church it is a joy to be able to empower those called by God enabling them to do what they likely never would have had the opportunity to do without an organization like World Impact.
World Impact empowers urban leaders and partners with local churches to reach their cities with the Gospel. Now moving beyond planting only 12 churches in 12 years we want to see a healthy church for every community of poverty – we are looking way beyond Los Angeles, even beyond the US. Over the next 3 years, we as World Impact, are positioning ourselves to empower 50,000 workers in communities of poverty. Just like we can not likely plant a new church every year on our own we understand the power of partnership and multiplication.
Coming alongside men and women that are called to ministry to train, equip, encourage, and coach them is a powerful way for us to multiply our impact. We love being able to invest into the Kingdom in this way. Thinking about all the time and effort that goes into launching a new church, while exciting and life-giving, we know we can do so much more for a city and our needy world when we multiply our efforts. Through Evangel, and other programs we are running, we are raising up those that are called to plant and minister in these dense, complex metropolitan areas of the world.
This month we ask that you pray for our upcoming Evangel schools. Due to concerns with COVID-19 we are piloting an online version of our intensive church plant school and hope for even greater participation. We will continue to offer the same rich content, coaching and group breakouts in a new platform. Pray for the teams, one of which we are sending from our own church, to connect with God and His heart for the lost. Also, pray for a strong vision of healthy church reproduction to be caught by the leaders and their teams as well as the power of the Holy Spirit to fill them up and lead the way to another community impacted by the Good News!
Thank you for your faithful support in prayer, in finances, in encouraging us and sharing what we are doing with others. May God keep you close in His will. God bless!
