December 2020 Newsletter
The Great Corona Revival
Wow! What a year! Sometimes I feel at such a loss for words. I have never in my lifetime seen such division. Not only does our nation appear to be divided but the church at large seems to be divided. There is fighting about politics, masks, meeting in person, etc. It is so hard at times to not feel disheartened by the angst surrounding me. However, I know perspective and faith are key to keeping the right mindset and “heart-set”. While listening to a sermon on Matthew 9:35-38, over a decade ago, I learned a great perspective that has stuck with me. When Jesus looked at the crowds, He didn’t see problems, He saw opportunities: opportunity for The Gospel to change lives! Matthew and I coined a phrase way back when the world shut down. We not only wanted to challenge our perspective but encourage others to find opportunities. Hence the last nine months we have affectionately referred to this era as The Great Corona Revival. This was an opportunity for revival! This continues to be an opportunity for revival. What perspective will you choose today? Will you allow the yuck around you to defeat and deflate you or will you start looking at each situation as an opportunity for grace and gospel? “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:19-20
2020 Recap
Despite the craziness of 2020, this has been an epic year for ministry. Plant Utah hosted its first Church Planter Assessment Center here in Utah. We were so grateful to do this in collaboration with The CEA (Christian Evangelistic Association). We had four couples who completed the assessment process. These four couples were sent to plant churches in Washington, Oregon, and Utah. It was such an exciting time and a great reminder that The Kingdom continues to advance NO MATTER WHAT!
We moved The Dilldine Family to Vineyard, UT, in May to begin a residency with Utah Valley Church as they prepare to launch The Neighbor Church! They have had such favor in their neighborhood and in the barber school Blade attends. Check out Blade and Beard for all of your beard needs and also to learn more about Blade’s desire to love the people of Utah in his co-vocational ministry approach.
Our fifth church plant is happening in 2021!!! More of that down below!
Utah Valley Church continues to make and multiply disciples. We have baptized 12 people in 2020 and have recently acquired a small meeting space two doors down from the theatre we are currently renting. We will be able to use this space not only for children’s ministry on Sunday mornings, but also throughout the week for youth gatherings, recovery meetings, men’s and women’s Bible studies, and so much more.
The Crossing in West Jordan continues to partner with Courageous Church as they build and develop their team.
Gospel Life has released a series of videos to engage with their community in St. George. The Harris family definitely didn’t let ‘Rona keep them from moving forward with their church plant. It just looks a lot different than originally planned. We are also thankful that Cody is slowly recovering from his stint with Covid.
Welcome, Murray Family!
We would like to welcome the Murrays to the Plant Utah family! Chris and Megan Murray, along with their five kiddos, live in Santaquin, UT, where there is NO evangelical church! They will begin a residency with Utah Valley Church this month as they prepare to launch The Grove Collective in Santaquin. The Murrays are Utah natives and know first-hand the challenges of ministry in Utah. They are an amazing family and we look forward to sharing more about them and the demographics of Santaquin in the coming months.
How Can You Pray?
We continue to covet your prayers for the marriages of our planters, their families, and the communities they are serving.
Pray for those navigating leaving religion for a relationship with Jesus. It is a long, hard journey.
We also could use prayers for finances. We had to cancel our spring fundraising tour due to Covid and so we are way behind in fundraising for our remaining 3 church plants. Our goal for each church plant is to raise $30,000/year for 5-7 years. We would love to raise $300,000 by the end of 2021. If you know of a church interested in potentially partnering with us to plant churches let us know. We will be traveling quite a bit in 2021 and would love to meet you and share with you the ministry of Plant Utah.
We cannot thank you all enough for your encouragement and partnership over the years! The Spirit is stirring in this valley and beyond!
