New Planter Spotlight: Juan Cotto
Juan Cotto
How have you seen God working in your life?
God has shown me his immense and unrelenting love. He has rescued me from my own vanity and made me aware of his mission to the world. I was born into a devout Christian family, but at the age of seventeen his grace reached me. Since then I have been able to serve him by preaching the gospel in many places in Latin America. Planting a church has become the most exciting task of my life and I thank God for the privilege.
How have you seen God working in your family?
By the grace of God I have a beautiful family. My wife is a tremendous help in my ministry life, my adviser, confidant, friend, and partner. My three children show me the beauty of God. They love the Lord. I know that God is doing an immense job in my children and wife to see them so happy and involved in planting a Communion Church.
How have you seen God working in your church?
We started Iglesia Comunion in 2020 during the start of the pandemic. In Puerto Rico, the restrictions due to COVID-19 were very strong. Everything was closed including temples of worship for more than 5 months. At that time we felt that the initiative would fail. But me and my plantation team decided to continue. We gave Bible studies by zoom, we created a podcast and we developed strategies through social networks. By January 2021 we managed to start our face-to-face services with 25 new people. In February 2022 we presented our first group of members with a total of 45 members of Iglesia Comunion. God has been more than faithful and generous with us. He has been- through the grace door of him.
Church Mission & Vision
Vision: To be a community of faith that is part of a movement of churches that seek to grow in the knowledge of God, have a deep experience of love with Him and His people, and develop their character to live fully as part of the Kingdom of Christ. Seeking, in this way, that only God be glorified and promoting the spiritual and social well-being of Puerto Rico, Latin America and the world, through the development of leaders and disciples. Mission: Hacer discípulos que profundicen, compartan y sean renovados por el evangelio de la gracia mediante la enseñanza diligente de la Escritura, la vida en comunidad con Dios, con otros y la participación activa en la misión de Cristo.
For further information please contact Juan at https://iglesiacomunion.org/
The Cotto Family
New Planter Spotlight: Steve Van Noort
Steve Van Noort
How have you seen God working in your life?
In the work of church planting God is stripping away all forms of self-sufficiency and teaching me that he will work in his timing. I am learning to wait upon the Lord in stillness.
How have you seen God working in your family?
My children love the lord and are growing in faith and knowledge. I see a growing evangelistic zeal as well. After one of Isabelle's 6th grade classmates mentioned her cousin committed suicide Isabelle offered to pray for her. This classmate did not go to church or even know what the resurrection was about. After a video chat about homework Isabelle read Luke 24 to her.
How have you seen God working in your church?
There are people that have walked away from church now becoming excited about Jesus again. There are men asking to be part of a discipleship group. One woman suffered a tragedy, and women part of our group rallied around her. This woman is now on our launch team. Many of unbelievers have heard the gospel. One gentleman who I met doing evangelism at a park is part of our group and telling is unchurched friends and inviting them to come to Bible study.
Church Mission & Vision
Our vision is to reach the unchurched in the north part of Metro Detroit by establishing faithful gospel-centered communities where everybody knows each other's name and shares life together. In five years we hope to be about 200 in membership ready to send 50 off to plant another gospel-centered church in the metro north area.
For further information please contact Steve at http://www.metronorthpca.com/
The Van Noort Family
New Planter Spotlight: Samuel Boateng
Samuel Boateng
How have you seen God working in your life?
I grew up as someone who had to struggle to survive almost from every front. But in recent times, the Lord has been working in my heart to learn humble dependence on him. Church planting has been one of His means of teaching my heart to depend on him daily and to learn to trust him and to move away from my natural instinct of depending on my "ability to struggle" for survival mind-set. I see myself truly growing in a deeper conviction about these things: God loves me. God is with me. God has called. God's work is God's. He is working in me to grow in total dependence on Him in all I do; and it's liberating.
How have you seen God working in your family?
We've seen our children grow in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for themselves. We are not sure how much the two younger ones (boy-7, girl-4) understand though. But we clearly see a growing consciousness about the cross of Christ and the reason for it: Jesus Christ died for them...to save them from their sin and its result. Our first daughter, 11, gets it and is trusting in Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. It is evident in a growing change of behavior. Gifty (my wife) and I maturing in being more gracious to one another. We believe, especially since we set out to plant, the Lord has united us deeply around Christ and the gospel. We have grown a lot in our hospitality ministry to others (Christians and non-Christians). I believe God is giving me a "softer ears" to listen to my wife and hear her out in our journey together. I was always too quick to speak and very slow to listen to her. I am think I am more repentant and trusting in Jesus better. I am not where I should be in this area of listening to my godly wife but I am certainly not at where I was. Praise the Lord.
How have you seen God working in your church?
People are coming to faith. Believers in Redeemer City Church are becoming more excited about Jesus and all that God has done in and through him for us. I see a desire among church members to reach out to the city with the gospel among their own circle of friends and family. There is a growing sense of love and unity and, generally speaking, a penitent attitude. We have baptism on September 12, 2021, and this has created a huge excitement about how that is giving us opportunity to invite non-Christian friends.
Church Mission & Vision
Mission: A church-planting church that makes whole-life disciple-makers of Jesus Christ for the glory of God. Vision: To be a redeemed family of servants on a mission to raise the next generation of Christ-like disciple-makers who serve their world with the gospel for the glory of God.
For further information please contact Samuel at http://www.rccaccra.org/
The Boateng Family
New Planter Spotlight: Russell McCutcheon
Russell McCutcheon
How have you seen God working in your life?
In this season of church planting, my family and I have seen God’s hand in this work. We planted during the pandemic, yet the words of Jesus have shown themselves to be true. He said He would build His church. Nothing, no- thing will stop Jesus from accomplishing His work. I am learning to trust Him no matter what it looks like.
How have you seen God working in your family?
I have seen Him work in the daily rhythms of our lives. New mercies. My mother and father have been dealing with health issues, as well as my in-laws. Our youngest has had some mental challenges, and in all of this, in the midst of tears, we daily have reasons to rejoice (Phil.4:4). Daily glimpses of grace.
How have you seen God working in your church?
God has granted us slow growth in this season. I used to want fast growth, but now I see it’s important to go slow and steady. Discipleship is vital because our goal is to multiply for the purpose of reaching our city.
Church Mission & Vision
To display the glory of Jesus Christ to all nations by making disciples.
For further information please contact Russell at http://www.reconciliationrdu.com/
The McCutcheon Family
New Planter Spotlight: Mark Pfaller
Mark Pfaller
How have you seen God working in your life?
Church planting is a very humbling process! I have I came into this new work with lots of ideas in my mind of how it would all play out and the real life version of this continues to humble me. In so many ways, with this church, with my family, with His leading in my life, It has forced me to trust God more and more, and He has been so faithful through all the twists and turns.
How have you seen God working in your family?
As our family sought to relocate to the city in which we are planting, everything started so normal (February 2020), then everything in the housing market went dead because of the pandemic (March 2020). Selling our old house was so delayed that we were one week away from losing the new house we were buying. But God gave us incredible favor: two days before the contract expired the builder extended us 30 days, and we ultimately sold our old house just in time. Praise God!
How have you seen God working in your church?
So many ways, but one that is such a praise: Launch Sunday, April 18, 2021. What a glorious day! The presence of God, the incredible worship, such a great time of worship and celebration! We had such great support from our Launch Team who served; and so many that participated: ministry partners, new friends and guests in the community as well as our Launch Team. Thankful for this special Sunday that marked a great beginning for all that God wants to do in our community through this new church.
Church Mission & Vision
Where does my help come from? You can see much of our vision in our church name, Ascent, which comes from Psalm 121, which asks this question: where does my help come from? Psalm 121 is known as a song of ascent, because of the journey made by the people of God as they traveled up to Jerusalem. It is a beautiful picture of COMMUNITY, as the people of God journey together to worship. And it is a picture of GRACE, as we face difficulties in our lives, we lift our eyes and see the answer is amazing grace: our help comes from the Lord.
For further information please contact Mark at mark@ascentdawson.com
The Pfaller Family