January/February 2017 Newsletter
Plant Utah
We kick off the new year with excitement and anticipation of what God has in store for Plant Utah. We currently have two church plants going and are gearing up for a third. In 2017 our prayer is to find a church planter/missionary and team for Salem, UT. Salem is a base community for two other mountain cities. These 3 cities combined have a population of over 20,000. There is no Evangelical Church in any of these cities. We are hoping to find churches to partner with us in supporting a church plant in this area. Matthew will spend this year traveling to share the vision and mission of Plant Utah and develop networks of churches and organizations that have a heart to plant churches where there are none.
Matthew and I also traveled to Texas to participate in a church planter assessment in hopes of discovering the best way to assess potential church planters. This was an immense blessing to us as we met with 11 individuals who have or are planting churches and are heavily involved in the processes of church planting.
We left Texas knowing we had 11 more people on “the team” who believe that God is going to use Plant Utah in mighty ways! We are also excited to have 3 mission teams headed this way in the coming year and can’t wait to share our ministry with them.
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Financial Update
Thanks to one-time gifts from last year we have come closer to meeting our families missionary budget for this year. While we don’t know what 2018 will hold financially we are trusting for His provisions when that time comes. This increase allows Matthew to work a lot more for Plant Utah which we haven’t been able to do since we started this journey. The ministry is growing and so we are thankful that we will be able to work at it more so we can meet the growing needs.
Also, thanks to an extremely generous Christmas offering from First Christian Church in Sandpoint ID, our current transitional housing project is fully funded! God truly blesses His work in surprising ways.
You can find updates on our individual church plants and other opportunities for ministry in Utah below.
Utah Valley Church
2016 was a great year for our first church plant, Utah Valley Church (UVC). We had the privilege of sponsoring and participating in a Community Christmas Concert Series every Friday in December. This was not a “church” event, but we personally made ongoing relational connections with over 10 non-Christians from the event. Most of these connections have led to gospel sharing moments or visits to church.
We pray everyday that the Holy Spirit will move in the lives of those in our community and also for those lives to cross paths with ours. We see these prayers answered all the time! As 2016 has come to a close and a new year has been rung in, we look forward to what God will do in Spanish Fork and beyond in 2017. We’re currently in a sermon series titled “Multiply” that is focused on becoming disciples who make and multiply disciples. We’ll be launching a new sermon and small group series from Andy Stanley called Starting Point in March. This series will reach out to those who have questions about God, Christianity, and the bible by providing a safe environment to ask the tough questions.
One of our goals for 2017 is triple the number of our community groups. These discipleship/community groups engage their neighborhood and workplaces and disciple those that God has put in their path. Please continue to pray for our community.
We are also looking to hire a part-time Worship Leader/Missionary this year! Look below for more details.
The Crossing – Grant and Terri Clark
2016 was a year of getting settled into our neighborhood and community. Grant spent much time working for Frito-Lay away from home and ministered to those in other towns across Utah and Nevada. Terri spent the year seeking God, through Bible study, and personally building her jewelry business (it’s not about the jewelry, but about serving and ministering to women) and getting to know our neighbors!
Grant was able to change his position with Frito-Lay so that he could be home every night. Since then, we have had more time to minister to others as a couple. We currently attend a study on how to talk to Mormons who are searching for the true Jesus and a couples Bible Study. In addition to that, Grant leads a men’s study group and Terri attends a women’s Bible study. Grant uses his days off to meet with other pastors around the Salt Lake Valley and does what Grant does-loves on, encourages and connects pastors and people.
2017 will be a year of more ministry. We are praying for God to direct people to us to be able to help us get The Crossing off the ground. Our goal is to begin church gatherings in our home by the end of 2017. We have had several people say they are interested in attending once we get something going. Pray for God to reveal His perfect timing in all of this!
Job Openings & Internships
Worship Leader/Missionary
We’re looking for a gifted musician with strong vocal and instrumental ability who can effectively lead fellow musicians and the congregation to worship God through a variety of musical styles. This person is also someone who has the heart of a missionary, an interest in cross-cultural ministry, and a willingness to connect relationally with people from the LDS religion.
You can view the job description and find an application at https://www.plantutah.com/worship-leader.
Church Planter/Missionary
Are you a completely committed follower of Jesus? Does developing authentic life-long relationships come natural to you? Do you have a history of making disciples who make disciples? Are you financially responsible and keep minimal or no debt? Do you adapt easily to new cultures? Are you a risk taker? Have the ministries that you’ve led experienced substantial growth? If you’re interested in church planting and can say “yes” to these questions, contact us through our website today! www.plantutah.com
Radio Ministry Internship
Interested in Radio Ministry? Consider an internship!
The Key Radio internship program is not a typical radio internship. The main goal for the station is not necessarily preparing interns for the radio broadcasting industry, but instead focused on developing hearts and minds for Christian, or evangelistic ministry.
By design, our program is flexible and relaxed in an effort to encourage spiritual growth, leadership development, and godly relationships.
Internships are part-time and unpaid.
Call Heather Zander at 801-374-5210 for your informational packet today.
For the sake of the gospel,
The Andersons
