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March 2024 New Horizons

Current Issue

Mother-Daughter Church Planting

 

Contents

Mother-Daughter Church Planting

Gospel Fruit at Grace Fellowship

Trial by Ordeal

Write a Letter to the Editor

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Mother-Daughter Church Planting

The session and members of Calvary Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Glenside, Pennsylvania, had been considering the possibility of planting a daughter congregation for some time. Attendance had risen above three hundred. When pandemic protocols were introduced in spring 2020, however, the discussion took a different path. Calvary decided at that time to support some presbytery efforts rather than start one of its own. In April 2022, seminary student Nate Jeffries asked if his upcoming internship might be shaped in such a way as to allow him to participate in the first steps of planting a church. The session approved the concept and asked Nate to lead a home group for families interested in exploring the possibility. I was privileged to be among the participating members. We began with three interest meetings that took place during the summer. Each meeting featured presentations on chapters from Planting an Orthodox Presbyterian Church , with discussion following the talks. A midweek home group began ... Read more

Gospel Fruit at Grace Fellowship

Three years ago, I told the story in these pages of the beginning of Grace Fellowship Church in Zeeland, Michigan (see “One Church Planter’s Journey,” May 2021). A daughter of Harvest OPC in Wyoming, Michigan, Grace Fellowship was planted in 2018 as a recipient of the Seed and Sower Fund. In 2023, we concluded support from the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension. What’s the best way to tell the story of our development and growth over the last five years? Since “people are more important than things” (to quote John Shaw), I’d like to tell the story from the perspective of the various people here whom God has been transforming through the power of the gospel. Needy and Needed But before I do that, I want to share two truths that have been foundational to Grace Fellowship. The first comes from Ed Welch, who says that we in the church are both “needy and needed.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said this, repeated this, and have gone back to this in these first five ... Read more

Trial by Ordeal

The word “vindication” doesn’t seem to be an important word in Scripture—it most prominently appears in 1 Timothy 3:16, which says that Christ was “vindicated by the Spirit.” And yet, few would say that the theme of the resurrection is not important: “If Christ has not been raised, then . . . your faith is in vain” (1 Cor. 15:14). Understanding vindication not only better explains the New Testament’s frequent references to the Old Testament predicting Christ’s resurrection (Luke 24:45–46 and 1 Cor. 15:3–4), but it also gives us a strong gospel understanding and comfort as we approach death. Christ’s Resurrection Predicted In Luke 24 and 1 Corinthians 15, we are told that Jesus had to rise from the dead, according to the (Old Testament) Scriptures. Where do we in fact find the prophecy of Christ’s resurrection in the Old Testament? There are references to Christ’s resurrection in the Psalms (see Psalm 16 and Psalm 22), but none that mention the word “resurrection.” ... Read more

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