For more on the vision behind the Philadelphia Church Planting Initiative, read First Steps Towards Church Planting in Philly.
Written by Church Planter Scott Newcomer
Somehow, it has already been about eight months since Mhei and I began this church-planting journey here in South Philadelphia.
We began last September to lay the groundwork for an eventual church plant and it has been an exciting (and at times, challenging) experience. We continue to take our vision from Luke 4:18-19.
While the following provides a general update, there are many God stories that I’d love to share if you’re interested—feel free to reach out! Praise Jesus for what He is doing in my life and the life of my family during this season.
The Weekly Meeting
Among the biggest things we are celebrating is a new ministry birthed in our home, the “Weekly Meeting.” Coming from the corporate world, I’m the guy who actually likes meetings, so the idea of naming our group in this way (with credit to John Wesley’s Class Meeting and other examples) really resonated with me. Simply put, the Weekly Meeting is a time when we gather for prayer, fellowship, reading the Bible together, and encouraging one another. We have had a consistent group of ~10 people from several faithful families meeting for over three months now, and recently marked the milestone by taking communion together.
Outreach
For obvious reasons, outreach has been a major part of my focus, and I don’t expect that to change! Having the time available for intentional relationship building over coffee and meals, as well as the margin for spontaneous conversations on the block, has helped me to try to learn to be present to others in the way we see Jesus being present in the gospels. More formally, I’ve also had time to volunteer as an employment mentor for newly arrived refugees and a “Pretzel Dad” at our sons’ school—a role that combines several of my loves.
Partnership
This assignment has also provided a wonderful opportunity to see what God is up to in many other churches, both Alliance and non-Alliance, in and around Philadelphia. At last count, we’ve visited nearly 20 churches in the past eight months and made strong partnerships with several ministries here in South Philly. A highlight has been the family worship team God has established with Mhei leading, our sons James and Joshua on piano and bass respectively, and myself on trombone, which has led worship at three Philly churches. We are convinced that worship will be a core part of our ministry and look forward to how God will use our family in this way.
From a developmental perspective, the partnership I have experienced with EPD has been a major blessing. As part of the Exponential Multipliers Learning cohort, I’ve received training on leading ministries that focus on disciple making, mobilizing, and building capacity. The cohorts, as well as the Exponential Conference, which happened in March in Orlando, have been immensely helpful in networking with others around the country who are embarking upon similar ministerial journeys.
Next Steps
As much as we have loved this season of partnership, it also has been challenging. In some ways it feels like we have joined several churches, including the one that is hopefully emerging from our home, and it makes us look forward in hope to what this new gospel expression will look like in the future. The next few months will be very focused on finalizing vision and strategy in the form of a development plan, with a goal to start in earnest as a church plant in the fall. We also look forward to spending a few weeks with our family in the Philippines over the summer, including meeting a new niece and nephew!
Prayer Requests
With my son James nearing the end of high school and a church plant in visioning, it is a very future-oriented, somewhat weird season. Please pray for us to keep focused on what God is doing now, and for our faith and trust in Him to remain strong despite high levels of uncertainty.
Please also pray for God’s vision and guidance for the development plan, both as it is created and executed.
Please pray for partners who would join us in this ministry (including those we are actively outreaching, have networked with, or don’t even know about yet!).
Please continue to pray for protection from the enemy and family unity.
Please pray that our time in the Philippines will be helpful for rest, reflection, and vision.
Thanks for reading! Please feel free to reach out if you’d like more information (you can connect with me on Facebook here). If you’d like to sign up for our Newsletter, you can do so here.