Water the Plants Prayer Summit
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Water the Plants hears from new church movement supporters at inaugural Prayer Summit

The Water the Plants initiative was born out of New Church Ministry’s vision to support new church plants within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Because our ministry seeks to train, equip, assist, and multiply emerging and affiliating congregations and leaders, we understand that supporting them is essential. So, in July of last year, our team started Water the Plants. Based on 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I have planted, Apollo’s watered, but God gave the increase,” this initiative calls together 1,000 intercessors to pray for new worship expressions.

“Connecting with God and others that have the same passion for new churches,” says Bernice Rivera, Oregon and Southwest Idaho’s New Church Ministry Associate, “is a source of energy for me.” 

Every Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM EST and Thursday evening at 9:00 PM EST, participants gather on the phone.

“I have been so grateful during these past months to be able to be on the prayer line,” shares Rev. Dr. Joanne Bynum, the Associate Regional Minister in the Pacific Southwest Region.

But with only 11 minutes to pray for general and regional ministers, as well as new faith communities and their leaders, there’s little time for chitchat.

Recognizing a need for fellowship, Rev. Dr. Joi Robinson (Associate Minister of New Church Strategies and Water the Plants Coordinator) organized and hosted the first-ever virtual Water the Plants Prayer Summit on March 6th. Attendees included prayer intercessors, prayer call leaders, regional new church chairpersons, congregants across the United States and Canada, coaches, and others.

The event kicked off with introductions, where attendees displayed their prayerphenalia, including keychains and wristbands, over Zoom. “Panelist mode” came next, where a husband-and-wife team told the group how prayer influenced the development of their new church.

“Through prayer we can say that Gold helped us to prepare a place of worship,” testify Soriliz Rodriguez and Francisco Ramos (pastors of Iglesia Cristiana Casa de Refugio). “Through prayer our ministry flourished.”

After viewing a presentation on Soriliz and Francisco’s new congregation, various members of the wider church prayed for those affected by COVID-19, clear mission, vision and values, and strong resources, stewardship and finances.

The second half of the Summit followed a similar structure with prayers and testimony, in addition to a live musical performance. It also gave witness to how powerful and prevalent prayer is for both church planters and New Church Ministry itself.

“I knew clearly what God was telling me to do, but I wasn’t sure. I went to Leadership Academy seeking confirmation,” remarks Rev. D. Marie Tribble, who launched Restoration Community Christian Church. “After our week together, it was in that closing prayer that God began to affirm the work that had already begun.”

Pastor Terrell L McTyer (Minister of New Church Strategies) closed out the event, thanking those present and calling on them to join the next Water the Plants Prayer Summit, scheduled for Saturday, June 5th at 1:00 PM EST. 

Nadine Compton Pentecost Offering

You never know what’s going to happen with Kesh ‘Oved Faith Ministries

What makes a new church unique? How can Disciples do church the new way?

The answers are as diverse as the congregations in formation across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.

But one thing is common: launching a new place of worship is difficult. It’s especially difficult in the middle of a global health crisis, when gathering in an intimate space with fellow congregants is made next to impossible. So why would someone take this leap of faith?

Continue reading “You never know what’s going to happen with Kesh ‘Oved Faith Ministries” →
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Throwing out the agenda at the Hopeful Economics UnConference

With over a year of remote working experience, many homebound workers are wary of signing up for yet another online event due to “Zoom fatigue.” Passively sitting in front of a screen while a stranger shares information or fumbles with a poor Internet connection leads many of us to multi-task, largely ignoring what’s taking place in front of us. With that in mind, New Church Ministry and EDGE: A Network for Ministry Development organized their recent virtual gathering, the Hopeful Economics UnConference, so that both participants and featured guests could actively inform and lead the topics of discussion.

Using Whova, an event management software, attendees explored trends in the nonprofit sector, systemic change issues, and the relationship between faith and social enterprise. As they grappled with “hopeful economics,” or making the world’s assets and abundance work for everyone, Pastor Terrell L McTyer, Minister of New Church Strategies, kept up the energy as the Master of Ceremonies.

Getting into the right mindset

To prepare registrants for an agenda filled with deep discussions and challenging sessions, the first day was structured as a pre-conference. After an introduction from Pastor Terrell and Rev. Michael Blair, Executive Secretary of the United Church of Canada, speakers presented two different streams for folks in communities of faith and others in social purpose organizations. Those in the faith stream learned some social justice history and discussed economics, from conversations on the global economy as “God’s Economy” to the economic impact of churches. They also heard from Darnell Fennell of the National Benevolent Association, who shared what social enterprise has to do with faith, and Presbyterian Church USA, which shared some tips and tricks on creating partnerships.

Social purpose organizations focused on social enterprises and pitching for partnerships as well, with additional conversations on place-based innovation in rural settings and making equitable financial decisions that particularly affect BIPOC.

As participants waited for the second day of the UnConference, they were encouraged to visit the exhibitor booths online and engage with one another over discussion boards. According to Whova, the UnConference had more interactions than the average event on its website.

Creating new connections

The second day was full of opportunities for attendees to change their perspective on collaboration.

The two morning sessions were described as fishbowls, designed to bring people of faith and those in the social sector together to discuss the meaning of “hopeful economics.”

The afternoon session saw attendees play an interactive thinking game. Split into breakout rooms and given hypothetical resources, they were asked to address “attitudes to mental health.” The various groups found creative ways to make the “mission possible.”

Closing out the UnConference

As in the previous day, the final day of the Hopeful Economics UnConference ran morning and afternoon sessions, but this time, participants set the tone. Three breakout rooms were made available for them to join, each with their own specific discussion topic. Attendees were encouraged to drop into whichever group that appealed to them and move among groups as they wished. In total, 12 topics had been covered and attendees truly adhered to the UnConference ethos, keeping open minds and adapting to a sudden change in schedule.

Keeping the hopeful spirit alive

For three days, our ministry, together with EDGE, witnessed people across the United States and Canada form meaningful bonds and demonstrate thoughtful approaches to small discussion groups. We heard from incredible panelists and were uplifted by the enthusiasm of participants from various denominations. As many of us move into several more months of working from home, we continue to be inspired by those increasing their impact and addressing community needs.

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From Ghana to Kentucky: How One Pastor Learned to Abide in Christ

On a Sunday afternoon in early December, Rev. Foster Frimpong, the founder of Co-Heirs with Christ Missions in Lexington, KY, was ordained while participants looked on over Zoom.

This would be an unorthodox way of conducting such a process in any other year, but for 2020, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and still marked a milestone for the Ghanaian pastor.

Immigrating in 2009, Rev. Foster was initially unsure of what to do with his life. His eagerness to carry out God’s work was not shared by the company he kept at the time, so-called “prosperity preachers” who exploited their congregants. Even when Rev. Foster brought attention to this, he became, in his words, “like the only pebble on the beach,” unable to see any good in the Gospel of prosperity. This led him to doubt himself.

“However, as I sought the Lord’s guidance in prayers, the Holy Spirit used this Psalm to instruct me,” recalls Rev. Foster. “I followed and settled down.”

Psalm 32:8-9
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
  I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
  whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle,
  else it will not stay near you.

And God was silent for a while.

Over the next few years, Rev. Foster felt a strong calling to join the Seventh Day Adventist church but was eventually drawn to the Disciples.

“I immediately wanted to be a part of [the church] because it fits with what I grew up believing,” he says.

And it supported him in turn.

In 2014, the Kentucky region brought Co-Heirs with Christ under care as a church in formation. Rev. Foster also enrolled at Lexington Theological Seminary.

“I have been led to meeting wonderful and humbled leaders who are true shepherds—serving the church,” says Rev. Foster. “And I have learned to simply abide in Christ.”

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Introducing the Water the Plants Prayer Summit

Since last summer, Disciples from across the life of the church have been praying for the new church movement.

New Church Ministry’s (NCM) church-wide Water the Plants (WtP) initiative has faithfully gathered together prayer intercessors every Tuesday morning and Thursday evening on the phone to prioritize the spiritual discipline of prayer and ask God to care for new congregations, as well as congregational, regional, and general ministers of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. We are grateful for this dedicated team that supports new worship expressions.

Become a prayer intercessor with Water the Plants

NCM is excited to introduce our inaugural prayer-focused virtual event, the Water the Plants Prayer Summit, on Saturday, March 6th, 2021, from 1 pm to 3 pm EST. 

Attendees will pray for restoration, strength, transformation, creativity, rejuvenation, and connections. The gathering will include teaching, scripture, musical and spoken word performances, and so much more. Participants will experience testimony from various church planters on how prayer has influenced their emerging collectives’ development.

With NCM Associate Minister and WtP Coordinator, Joi Robinson hosting the event, our first ever Prayer Summit is a unique opportunity not to be missed. It is our hope that participants will leave feeling closer to their faith and one another, inspired to clarify their vision and mission, and with a renewed passion for experiencing a meaningful prayer life.

Schedule and guest list

5:00          Summit Introduction – Joi Robinson

30:00        Fellowship/Testimony – Nerleb Likisap, Francisco Ramos, Soriliz Rodriguez

5:00 Prayer – Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), OGMP, General Ministries – Lori Tapia

5:00          Prayer – Regions – Bill Rose Heim

5:00          Prayer – Leadership, Vision, Mission, Values – Syvoskia Bray Pope

5:00          Prayer – Resources, Finances, Stewardship – Rosario Ibarra

—–

5:00          Scripture Shower – Adria L. Patterson

5:00          Prayer – Creativity, Innovation, Training – Joey Ctto

5:00          Prayer – Coaching, Connections, and Relationships – Judy Cummings

5:00          Song – Dean Phelps 

20:00        Fellowship and Testimony – Luis Threat

5:00          Outro – Joi Robinson

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