Last week I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the National UMC Planters Conference in Denver. The gathering included church planters and developers from across the connection, who got together for learning, community building, and worship. I participated in workshops led by planters in incredibly diverse circumstances and I believe that the church planting ministries of the United Methodist Church are going strong.  Revival, recovery, and worship are happening and God is blessing it!

On our final day, our planting cohort from the NTC went to visit Free Spiritual Community, a UMC church plant for ‘Addicts, Loved Ones of Addicts  and Spiritual Refugees.’ It began with a group of those in recovery, with a pastor that shared his story of addiction, and has become a whole church (worshiping on Saturday nights), with a cafe, and recovery meetings available to those in need. Y'all, the coffee, roasted on site, is some of the best I've ever had.

It was inspiring to feel the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in that place, a safe place and sanctuary for so many who struggle with invisible wounds.  I invite you to pray for Free and the community gathering there, with people from all over the Denver area!  One of the threads that tied all of the church planting stories that I listened to last week was this: all new UM Church starts begin through the generosity of United Methodist members and local churches.  Free currently worships in an old church building owned by another UMC in town!  THAT is the story of many: former church buildings being repurposed for new communities to reach new people.  That's resurrection power in the neighborhood.

Send your bread out on the water because, in the course of time, you may find it again. [Ecclesiastes 11:1]

I can also state, that as a UMC Pastor, I have never served a community that didn't pay 100% of their apportionments … Apportionments that go right back into the conference mission field and beyond to further grow the Kingdom of God among the new generations around us who haven't heard the whole story of God's everlasting love for them.

As my family and I dream about the church we'll get to partner with the Holy Spirit to start in Krum, Texas we know one thing for sure: we'll be taking all of the love we've been given through our church, our friends, and our family, and sending it forward into our new city for the Glory of God. And the coffee will be delicious.

In Christ,

Jarrod

The Center for Church Development is helping us getting started with a matching grant that will give us $2 for every $3 we raise (up to $30,000). That means, every $3 you give turns into $5.  Your gift now, if you can, will help us to start our ministry in Krum on a firm foundation. Click the button below to give through the donation portal of the North Texas Conference. On the ‘church donation’ line, you can put your amount, and type in KRUM in the field next to it.