Maywood's Church Planting Partnership

My heart rejoices as God is working in our church to develop an understanding about the priority of taking the Gospel of Christ forward by planting churches that  also plant churches.  Some ask, "Do we really need another church?".  That is a fair question and the answer to that question is that we need more progressive, Gospel preaching churches.  Many churches fail to reach their community for Christ and a great deal of them exists in a self-preservation mode in which they exist just to take care of themselves.  They have lost the vision of "Becoming a people to reach people for Christ"--which is the Great Commission given by Christ.  Not all churches are faithfully proclaiming the Gospel or staying true to the Gospel message.  Currently, 3500-4000 protestant churches are closing their doors each year-- the church is in a crisis.

This year God worked through your great generosity in our Thanksgiving Offering to bless the Evangelical Free Church of Mount Morris, IL with a gift of money to help them launch a church plant in the Sterling, IL area.  Last week I was blessed to drive down to Mount Morris with one of our elders and deliver a card and that check for $15,000 to Pastor Bruce and his church family.  He was so moved and touched by your great generosity!  This week we are distributing prayer cards at the church so that we can pray faithfully for them and I look forward to some warm weather when we can drive down to Sterling, IL and pray over the area and seek God's direction for them and this church plant.

Please pray for Maywood that God would grant his favor and blessing as we seek to be a church planting church for years to come.  Pray that God would grant His vision to us in order that we would make decisions that honor His name and advance His Gospel.  At Maywood, we are committed to the authority of the Word, His Gospel and His glory!  Let us pray and labor together on this journey!  These are exciting days!

Pastor Gary