New Planter Spotlight: Sinethemba Hliso
Sinethemba Hliso
Khanya City Church
How have you seen God working in your life and church plant?
The last few weeks leading to the Khanya launch, we had about fifty people in our core team. Twenty of them pulled out just before we launched for various reasons, and another eight soon after we launched because of new jobs outside of Johannesburg. I was left discouraged, and thoughts of doubts about whether the church plant was a good idea or even if God wanted me to go through with this plant started to creep in.
Little did I know that God was shaping his new core and a church (congregation) that was best suited to reach the community we were targeting. New people who just moved into the area who were looking for a church got connected and began to serve and form part of our core team. These new people immediately started to invite to the church their family members, neighbors, friends, and classmates. The church quickly grew to about ninety members by the end of the first year and a core team of forty people.
When we were envisioning Khanya City Church, we wanted it to be different from the one we came from because we were convinced that we needed to be effective in reaching the inner city. God cut us down first and brought the people of his choosing to reach the lost in the city, and for that I give praise to God. His ways are indeed better than mine.
God has humbled me in this new journey by showing me my limits and my need for other people to accomplish the church’s mission. I’m learning the need to delegate, to communicate my thoughts and desires to people, and to trust people more.
What is your church’s mission/vision?
We are a family that is visible; genuine; that loves God, and loves the city; that rejoices for the display of God’s glory.
Church Website: khanyacitychurch.org
For further information, please contact Sinethemba at khanyacitychurch@gmail.com
New Planter Spotlight: Benjamin Sheldon
Benjamin Sheldon
The Sheldon Family
How have you seen God working in your life?
I was raised in a Christain home and during my early 20s, my faith became my own. God was faithful to me and held on to me despite my unfaithfulness to him. My story is one of God's grace, over time, irresistibly drawing me to see my sin and need for the mercy of Jesus. Jesus has become more and more beautiful to me throughout my life.
How have you seen God working in your family?
Alison and I have been married for 14 years and have 4 children. After eight years in the Marines, time at seminary, and moving to CT to plant a church, we have seen the Lord work in our lives in many ways. One of the key places He worked in our lives has been in our local churches. We were discipled and challenged in each of our churches in our marriage and family life. I will be forever grateful to the pastors and members who invested in us and our family through the years. This was the work of the Spirit, convicting, guiding, and comforting us. I trust God will use my and my family to minister to his people as we have been.
How have you seen God working in your church?
We moved to southeastern Connecticut to plant a gospel-centered church for our region. This area has few churches and is among the places nationally with the lowest number of people who attend a church of any kind. Our group is in the pre-launch phase of church planting. We continue to pray and seek the Lord's guidance on when to begin our worship together. Currently, we are meeting mid-week for fellowship, study, and prayer. We have seen God work in gathering people for this group. We pray with the expectation that he will continue to establish a church that ministers the presence of Jesus to us and our neighborhoods.
What is your church’s mission/vision?
Christ Presbyterian Church of East Lyme exists to minister the presence of Jesus Christ through our worship of God, our fellowship and community, and our service to each other and our region.
Church Website: http://cpceastlyme.org
For further information, please contact Benjamin at bsheldon@cpceastlyme.org
New Planter Spotlight: Quentin Bernard
Quentin Bernard
The Bernard Family
How have you seen God working in your life?
Since day one, church planting has been simultaneously extremely tough and spiritually rewarding. I’ve seen God transform and purify my motives week after week through hardship and support my motivation and my joy by being in the very privileged role of church planter, seeing people come to Christ and others, letting Him reign more extensively over their hearts.
How have you seen God working in your family?
The sacrifices that my wife has been and is still willing to endure in order to see the birth of l'Église Hochelaga and the proclamation of the Gospel go forward have been a true example and inspiration for me. We are also blessed to see our three kids being very motivated and joyful all along about seeing more and more people getting to know Jesus in Hochelaga.
How have you seen God working in your church?
We have seen both very perseverant and strong Christians join the core group, having the patience to stay attached to a local church in an area with almost no Christians, and very new believers (or unbelievers in progress) join us and discover the Gospel. Our Bible giveaways weekly have born good fruits, and many people got the know the church after receiving a free Bible at the market. We baptized a first convert in August 2022 and are eager to see more turning to Jesus.
What is your church’s mission/vision?
Accelerating disciple-making and church planting in Hochelaga- Maisonneuve, Montreal, the Francophonie, and the whole world.
Church Website: http://www.eglisehochelaga.com
For further information, please contact Rafael at info@eglisehochelaga.com
New Planter Spotlight: Rafael Cruz Inacio
How have you seen God working in your life?
In each new cycle in my life, I see God's action clearly. I am fully convinced of God's work in my life, His call to cooperate in church planting. This conviction has been growing more and more, and I know that God, through his Spirit, has equipped me with the gifts and abilities to face the challenges of planting a new church. The Gospel has been fruitful in my heart, and in my family, and we are very satisfied and happy to have been, as a family, called to be church planters. I know that I am a terrible sinner undeserved of such grace, and as I encounter the Lord's goodness towards me, I dedicate myself in love and gratitude to the Lord's service.
How have you seen God working in your family?
I am grateful to God for our family. Evelyn, my wife, has grown a lot at this point in her life, growing in her devotion to God, using her gifts and abilities in the church, leading the worship ministry, taking good care of the children, and constantly assisting me in the ministry. We have three children, Pedro, 14 years old, already confessed Christ as Lord and Savior and was baptized; Benjamin, 7 years old, recognizes the Lord as his Savior, but we are still discipling him for baptism, and our youngest boy Joaquim, the three are constantly taught and corrected by the Gospel. Throughout the process of preparing for the planting, we instilled in their minds that we are a family of church planters and that as disciples we are called to live in obedience to Jesus and make disciples who make disciples. We see their growth in understanding of the Gospel of Jesus every day.
How have you seen God working in your church?
Something we've been saying among ourselves, in the council of elders, and in our leadership. The hand of the Lord is upon us. We started our meetings with that vision in November 2021, we preached the Gospel, and our friends began to arrive, they believed in Jesus, some already considered themselves believers and came from other churches, but without conviction of their salvation and were unaware of the true gospel. We baptized people, and we saw the good hand of the Lord until it was necessary to find a place, due to the growth and organization for the launch of the church. We were seized with fear and questions about where the resources would come from since we were 10 people and rents were high. But God has been faithful, bringing all the financial resources we need. For example, financial support from SRC. We always pray that the Lord does not let us be discouraged in boldly preaching the Gospel, and we ask that he supplies financially so that we are able to advance in the spread of the kingdom and in making disciples. He has responded and expanded our faith in incredible ways. We see God's care since the first chair, the investment in equipment, renting the new space, and buying new chairs. God's good hand is upon us.
What is your church’s mission/vision?
We exist to help people to know God, live in the community, and serve in the world. We build churches passionate about Jesus. In the next 10 years, we want to plant 22 churches in the metropolitan area of Florianópolis, the capital of Santa Catarina. There are 22 cities with about one million and five hundred thousand inhabitants. Our State is among one of the least evangelized regions of Brazil.
Church Website: https://www.instagram.com/avivapalhoca/
For further information please contact Rafael at avivapalhoca@gmail.com
New Planter Spotlight: Peter Kamau Gikunju
Peter Kamau Gikunju
How have you seen God working in your life?
I was born in a 'fairly Christian family' though it was not until the age of 15 years old when I believed in Christ as my savior, I was not very clear then on sin and grace but over time I have grown in understanding His grace and the depth of my sin and have continued to be struck at what He is doing in me and through me. Over the years, I have been learning to trust and lean on Him. Even now through this church planting phase, he has been working in me, teaching me patience and his love for me and even others.
How have you seen God working in your family?
I have a young family, Ezra is now 3yrs, and Neema is 1 yr 8months, Rose and I have had tough and good times. Children especially changed a lot when they came but God has been helping us to grow in our parenting roles and even to love and take care of the children. Family has been a good field of training us in our godliness and patience and the experience is great and encouraging. Rose is hospitable and loves welcoming people to our house and that has helped me a lot in church planting as we have had to open our homes to many members and even visit people in their homes, we are praying that our kids will grow not just in stature but also in love with the Jesus we preach!
How have you seen God working in your church?
We planted the church last September, and about 25 of us were commissioned to go out. In the last couple of months the words of Jesus to disciples " I will build my church.." have become very real for us as we have seen God work in ways we never imagined or planned for. A lot of unbelievers, unchurched have come to the church with a good number becoming believers, we have had so far Baptised 15 believers, the church family is growing with numbers having grown four-fold. God has also used the church to reach the local community, with many children as well turning every week to hear the gospel. Our small missional communities have been very key in becoming loving communities where people get to know one another deeply and reach out to friends and neighbours. We have seen many of our members become eager to serve one another and to be involved in what God is doing and also grow in their faith.
For further information please contact Peter at info@gpcwaiyakiway.org
The Gikunju Family