The cynical preacher in Ecclesiastes 1:9 comments that “there is nothing new under the sun.” Perhaps from his jaded perspective in time and place it seemed so, but the Lord of the universe declares that he makes everything new. His mercies are new every morning as Jeremiah states, and He does new things in new ways as Isaiah records. A God who can design a billion billion snow flakes and never repeat himself or create billions of people in His image with nary a duplication is certainly into new things. In a similar vein it’s a new day in the Church. The faith is alive and growing around the world. It looks different in each place, but there is one Lord. Our part in this revival may look to some like nothing new or nothing at all, but be assured God is at work doing new things across the CGGC. This is certainly true on our mission fields, but it is no less true in the USA. Sometimes we can’t see the snowflakes for the snow or the faces because of the crowd. Let’s take a second look, a closer look at what God is doing.

Early last week I participated in two meetings that clearly indicated for me that it’s a new day in the CGGC. Monday we hosted the lead teams for church planting and church renewal and invited our newest church planters to join us. Most of the meeting consisted of sharing what’s happening around the regions in renewal and planting. I wish you could have been there, but I’ll briefly recap.

• Allegheny: The region deployed a part-time field director for renewal (Dennis Arndt) on October 1. He is currently working on a renewal agenda with several churches in the region. In addition a church plant is coming in Latrobe as is the affiliation of a pre-existing congregation.
  
  
• Eastern: On November 1 the region employed Mike Smith as a field director for planting in the New England region. The region is launching two new plants (Mosaic and Manheim) and projects a third in Harrisburg this year. They’ve also trained 16 intentional interim pastors.
  
  
• Great Lakes: Bill Shoemaker, the regional director for church planting, is working with two projected church plants for 2010, one in Columbus and the other in Rawson, OH.
  
  
• Mid-west: Jeff Rockey, the region’s part-time field director for renewal is working with several congregations to effect transformation. Lifespring Church and Pastor Fran Leeman are overseeing the planting of new CGGC congregations in Joliet, IL and Sheboygan, WI. 
  
  
• Western: Justin Meier serves as a field director for church planting. He’s identified several planters, two of whom will be planting new CGGC churches, one in Kansas City and the other in San Antonio, TX in 2010. He is also developing The Greenhouse Network to resource planters.
  
  
• Mid-South: Alan Hawkins, pastor at our Frazier’s Grove church in Mississippi, is encouraging the Mt Carmel church nearby to become an active CGGC congregation.
  
  
• California: The San Diego Hispanic church plant continues to do well.
  
  
• Hispanic/American: The commissions along with Cross Cultural Ministries approved Caleb & Christina Acosta as directors of Latino ministries. In the past three years the Acostas planted three Hispanic churches in the Lancaster, PA area and started the CGGC work in Venezuela.
  
  
• Miami, Florida: Paul & Michelle Raghunandan are expanding outreach at End Times Ministries.
  
  
• Lahaina, Hawaii: Dave & Kenda Kapaku are creating a discipleship multiplication movement.

If you do the math, across the CGGC-USA the potential right now is that we’ll add a dozen new congregations this year. It may not sound like much, but it’s a great start on our goal of 100 new viable congregations this decade. I’m also praying for the revitalization of 100 existing churches.

The other event that gave indication to me that it’s a new day in the CGGC was the We Believe meeting held on Tuesday. The group met to review the current draft in light of the comments garnered from the regional hearings. From this meeting a redraft will be produced to be put before the General Conference in June. What impressed me greatly was the spirit of the meeting. Even though some very sensitive and potentially fractious theological issues came up, the tenor of the discussions remained harmonious. Everyone sought wording to express the church’s core teaching while allowing for diversity of thought on the finer points. I had to think how much this attitude differed from what I recall thirty some years ago when I began ministry. Praise the Lord; we’re seeing the faces again. It’s a new day!

Pastor Ed