New Planter Spotlight: Sam Low

The Low Family

How have you seen God working in your life?

I met Jesus when I was 14, at that point my family begun to self destruct, even though I struggled to live a visibly christian life in that season God was an undeniable anchor for me. He used those years to show me the truth that there is no greater treasure than knowing Jesus and being known by him. Since then God has graciously opened doors for me to be able to preach the gospel to others. Every time I get to declare the sufficiency and majesty of y risen saviour God is feeding me with a deeper confidence in his love for me, an increasing desire for eternity and an uncontainable conviction that Jesus is the only hope for humanity.

How have you seen God working in your family?

Our entire family life has been in the context of full time ministry. Sally my wife is a gift from God, we have endured suffering and celebrated fruit together and every step she has displayed a faithfulness and steadfastness that reflects the God she trusts. God has blessed us with two amazing boys, Bailey and Hudson. I love watching God slowly but surely reveal himself to them and the boldness and peace that childlike faith brings.

How have you seen God working in your church?

God has been so kind as to gather people eager to be on mission and to sacrifice for the sake of the kingdom. The provision of families to grow our kids ministry and most importantly the number of unchurched and de churched people he has brought into our sphere. Despite COVID 19 and lockdown restrictions we have established a community on mission and are preparing for our first baptisms in February. God has used an unpredictable year to humble us and remind us repeatedly that he is faithful and good beyond our wildest imagination, we are discovering in a fresh way what it means to find rest in him even as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

Church Mission & Vision

City on a Hill Gold Coast exists to know Jesus and make Jesus known Vision: Our vision is to reach the Gold Coast with the gospel of Jesus. We see a gospel driven movement of churches. Churches that are united by a burden for the lost, who trust in the power of the gospel to transform people, who take risks for the sake of seeing people meet Jesus and who are uncompromising in their commitment to reaching lost people with the gospel of Jesus. We see a church where the Holy Spirit’s work is obvious as people come under Christ centred biblical preaching which leads to repentance and faith. A church where sin is confessed and lives are transformed to be increasingly like Jesus. We see people gathered from a wide range of diverse ages and backgrounds in deep and substantial relationships whose foundation is the gospel. A community that weeps and rejoices together, a community united in knowing Jesus and making Jesus known. We see a church that empowers, equips, values, gives opportunities to and celebrates all of God’s people using their time, talents and treasures for the sake of the kingdom. A church that invests in and trains the next generation of gospel leaders for our movement, city and world. We see a church that loves and serves the least of these with concrete practical support. A church so compassionate that it is driven to meet those on the margins. A church that is valued by the city and impacts the culture of the city it is serving. We see a church that is empowered by the Holy Spirit. A church joyfully dependent on God through regular, passionate and bold prayer. A church that is fearless in its mission, innovative in its method, joy filled and life giving to all who encounter it. This is the church we believe God desires, the city needs and the church we are, in his strength, hoping to lead.

If you would like to know more please check out our website: http://www.cityonahill.com.au/goldcoast

Sam Low

New Planter Spotlight: Louis Glazebrook

The Glazebrook Family

How have you seen God working in your life?

I am thankful for how God has further opened my eyes and given new life to the great commission, in His grace He has let Jesus' parting words take a stronger grip of my heart. I have sensed God leading me in being both bolder and gentler, peaceful and more patient as well as clearer and more confident in engaging with people who don't yet know Jesus like they could. I am also thankful for the way God has been so loving to me in steering the right books, people and podcasts across my path at just the right time. Through the most recent season of learning I feel He is growing me to be able to serve, minister, love and lead those that are lost, seeking and looking for hope.

How have you seen God working in your family?

It is amazing to see my wife and 3 daughters continue to grow in their love and trust in His sovereignty, guidance and immeasurable grace. I see a growing love for Jesus in them all as we seek to more greatly understand His love for us. Stepping out for the sake of the Kingdom has meant I been able to witness them get the joy and get the vision for sharing the gospel with their friends, school mates and family.

How have you seen God working in your church?

I am thankful to be able to say with confidence that God has equipped and is growing City on a Hill Surf Coast to be a people who have a generous hearts, gospel vigor and evangelistic zeal. Perhaps though the most evident work of God at work in our hearts is a spirit of unity and adaptability which has been evident since COVID restrictions have been easing in our state. Practically this attitude has been evidence in what I have been encouraged to see as people have embraced change and the new ways of us being able to exist as a gathered church community. We currently are doing outdoor services in a different venue with a smaller music team, with no firm roster or guarantee that we'll be able to new week and their positive and thankful attitude has been astounding.

Church Mission & Vision

Know Jesus and make Jesus Known.

If you would like to know more please check out our website: https://cityonahill.com.au/surf-coast

Louis Glazebrook

New Planter Spotlight: Logan Poirier

The Poirier Family

How have you seen God working in your life?

God has been really pushing me past my comfort zones. As I am hearing and processing his call on my life, I’m having to take big steps of faith outside of what is comfortable for me. Through this process he is revealing gifts inside of me that I never thought I had and he is showing up in the areas that I am lacking, providing the necessary means to press on. This is true of ministry work as well as being the husband and father I am called to be!

How have you seen God working in your family?

God has provided my wife and I with our first child who is now about 1 1/2 years old. His provision and guidance over the process of raising a newborn has been encouraging in such a tough time. My wife and I have grown closer together and been able to navigate a new season of life in a way that loves each other well despite the occasional hiccup. God is drawing us closer together and us as a couple closer to him as we continue to lean on him for strength, guidance, wisdom and grace!

How have you seen God working in your church?

God has been showing up in some incredible ways through the church. As Eleventh Element is a bit of a different church model, there are still occasional question marks and things to process through but God continues to provide. He has strategically placed us in a large community of lost people with countless opportunities to share the Gospel verbally, but also just through the way we love on the community. We have seen an increased presence in the recovery community as well which was a bit unplanned, but has produced another avenue through which we can provide a pastoral presence.

Church Mission & Vision

Our mission is to provide a pastoral presence to the fitness community. Our goal is to reach those in the fitness community who have not yet experienced the love and grace of Jesus. Simultaneously, our goal is to provide opportunities for individuals to address their physical health as well. We like to affirm the biblical truth that we are created in the image of God and therefore should be working to take care of our physical bodies. Additionally, the recovery community is huge in this area and the harvest is plentiful; we would love to increase our presence in the recovery community providing spiritual and physical guidance. Success looks like people in these communities coming to a saving faith in Christ. We envision Eleventh Element church plants emerging in different gym locations across the area providing us the opportunity to pastor the community well. Ultimately, the goal is to see the culture of these communities shift towards a deeper understanding of how to live their lives in light of the Gospel.

If you would like to know more please check out our website: http://www.EleventhElement.org

Logan Poirier

New Planter Spotlight: John Thompson

The Thompson family

John Thompson

How have you seen God working in your life?

This question always reminds me of something I heard John Piper say "God is always doing 10,000 things in your life and you're probably only aware of like 3 of them." This has certainly proven true for me, as I often see God's hand more in the rearview of my life than in the present. At the same time, in this season of my life I see God pressing into my soul the need for greater dependence on Him. I know that I'm supposed to be dependent, and in many ways I am. Yet God has been gracious to show me that I (we) live in a culture, and function within a ministry culture that values doing things for God over being with God. I (we) know that Jesus is the One building His church, and yet I've become keenly aware of how quickly I (we) can go from that into believing that all of this hinges on us. The Lord has been gracious to help me see that lasting fruit only comes when being over doing are in proper order. I'm thankful, because when I lean into that, it frees me up to just enjoy being His son.

How have you seen God working in your family?

“God doesn't call the person, He calls the family." Often said, yet easy to forget. My primary ministry is my family, not Kainos. That's another truth I know, and yet it takes work! Thankfully, the Holy Spirit has been kind to teach me and to help me remember my priorities. For the first decade of our family, I served in the US Army and my frequent absence meant my family paid the highest price. Sadly, when we transitioned into vocational ministry that pattern came with us. But by God's grace, and through the help of people who love us, we have learned to fight for that time. He has taught me (and still is!) to set boundaries and to seek rhythms that are sustainable for our family. Abi and I have regular date nights and we strive to be intentional with our children, both together and individually. We are also grateful that God really does call the whole family and are excited to involve our kids as often as possible. We are also thankful to have learned some of these things before jumping into planting, as we have found that the pressures of planting expose that gaps in our lives. We are grateful we get to journey together and are hopeful for God's continued grace.

How have you seen God working in your church?

We are still early in the planting process and in the life of our church. That said, we have seen God's hand most clearly through difficulty and our inadequacy! We have had so many obstacles along the way but Jesus has shown up every single time. We are planting a multiethnic church in arguably the most diverse community in Georgia. This comes with unique challenges but also beautiful opportunities. We aren't there yet, but we are thankful that the Lord has given us a foundational team that reflects much of the diversity of our community. We are watching God move in incredible ways, in the people He's drawn to our team, in the relationships that have formed and in the favor He's given us with people around us. We are seeing our people develop a greater hunger for community and a stronger faith through the trials. We are grateful that God has let us see His Spirit work and to create within us all a longing to know Him, to engage our neighbors and to see people come to know Jesus. Our prayer is that God would fan this flame. He has done great things, and we are prayerful and expectant that He will continue to do them!

Church Mission & Vision

We are planting Kainos Church in Lilburn. Lilburn is arguably the most diverse city in Metro-Atlanta, in the 5th most diverse county in Georgia. Though it has a deep spiritual climate, it is also robustly pluralistic. We believe Jesus wants to raise up a church in our city that sees people reconciled to Him, themselves and to one another. We believe that all of humanity is created in God’s image, to bear His image, and to reflect His glory. We therefore believe that diversity (ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic) is not a human construct but rather a Kingdom reality. We want to intentionally pursue the diversity of our community and champion the diversity of God’s global Kingdom.

OUR VISION: To be a church for all people, from all places, for one purpose.

OUR MISSION: To share and experience the newness of Christ in Lilburn and with the world.

OUR PRIORITY: Prayer. We believe there is power in prayer. We believe there is power in a praying church. We want prayer to be our lifeline, not our safety net. We believe that God holds everything in His hands and that with Him all things are possible (Job 12:10, Matthew 16:18). Because this is true, prayer and total dependence on God is our only real hope.

OUR STRATEGY: Love for Jesus, leads to living for Jesus. Fueled by this, our strategy is simple: to gather for worship and community, to equip through holistic discipleship, and to send God’s people to the places God’s called them.

If you would like to know more please check out our website: http://www.kainos.church

New Planter Spotlight: Aroldo Filho

The Filho family

Aroldo Filho

How have you seen God working in your life?

I’ve been raised by a Christian family that have taken me to every Sunday sermon and church activities, therefore I was surrounded by Christian people. But only by the age of 13 years I’d came to understand that believing in God was a personal decision that I was meant to make. Ever since I can see God changing and transforming me from an adolescent full of insecurities, needing attention and using of deceives and lies to please others to a man full of awareness of God’s love and so secure in him that can admit my flows and work on it with his help and grace. Today I live the challenge of moving away from friends and family pursuing the dream God has showed us. A dream that has been coming reality day by day, through God’s power and directions, and not through my power or knowledge. Although He has been testing and challenging all my skills and abilities, as I’m a young pastor, pastoring older and more experienced people, but people who have been sharing this challenge with me. It has been a privilege to see God’s care for me and my family providing the daily food and all our needs and the people he calls to pray for us which has been teaching me how close and attend he is, and it has fueling my faith and my awareness that he is the lord of my life and history.

How have you seen God working in your family?

We are a Young couple, married for 3 years and in a relationship since 2011. Mother and father of a 11 months old boy named Caleb. We have always understand the challenge of creating a new family culture together, as each one of us brings our family’s culture as background, but we have trusted God as the focus and mean to create our own ways of relating and sharing our lives. The first year was full of conversations and adjustments learning how to live together, sharing duties and responsibilities and learning a particular challenging to me: how to talk about feelings, as I’ve always kept mine to myself. The arrival of my son and this new phase of my ministry has taught me that time is a precious gift that we must be diligent in it’s administration. My wife and I have been working in our family time with God and with our date time which have changed since the baby and we have been working on focus more on each other, but gracefully, through all these process and adaptation we have seen the presence and mercy of God in our lives.

How have you seen God working in your church?

Been head of a church plantation has been a challenge and privilege. We have moved 300km away from our friends and family changing home but also culture and climate, from a hot and seaside reality to a countryside, mountains cold one. It has been fantastic to work with the core team and to see their growth and dedication to the goals we have establish together. Since we have arrived we have received many offers of help, which we have accepted and they helped us installing, unboxing, cleaning up and so on. They have showed their dedication to the project and God not only serving with their skills and time, but also with their finances as they used their economies to advance the future income of the church partners to meet our moving costs (which will be returned as soon as the financial support of our partners arrives). The core team has already showed a new perspective of the importance of reaching to non-believers with a loving and kind approach. God have gathered people with different skills and gifts and have challenged each one of them to step out of their comfort zone heading to a church plantation full of unknown and mystery, but fueling all of us with excitement and courage from His spirit.

Church Mission & Vision

We understand we must be a relevant church that communicate clearly the Gospel of Jesus, using a understandable communication and being welcoming, biblical while preaching the redeemer sacrifice of Jesus in his birth, life, death and resurrection. Being a benchmark church when it comes to the bible centricity theology, yet communicated with the local culture, welcoming those attracted by the preaching of the gospel. We commit to God and are at His command to reach his still lost sons and daughters. We strive to be multipliers of churches, planting and supporting other churches in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro and the entire world wherever Gods lead us to invest our resources.

If you would like to know more about Igreja Presbiteriana Caminho Real send an email to:
aroldomalta@gmail.com