October Newsletter 2016

Plant Utah Update

Matthew and Nehemiah will be heading to Missouri next month. Here is a general rundown of their trip and they would love to see you!

November 13th – Cabool Christian Church

November 14th – Pastors and Leaders Luncheon – Cabool, MO

November 19th – Workshop at ICOM about church planting in Utah

November 20th – Hillsboro Christian Church

We are also in the preparation phase of a new church plant in Salem, UT. We are looking for churches and/or individuals to partner with us to bring the Gospel to a city that has NO evangelical church. Please spread the word and check out this video!

There’s more, so keep on reading! Our intern, from this summer has shared a little about his experience. We also have an update about Utah Valley Church, The Crossings, and a financial update on Plant Utah.

Insight From Our Intern

By Christian Stewart

When I sat down to write this article about my experience in Utah, I thought It would be quick and easy; but it wasn’t. I thought I would just type out a few of the things I got to participate in over the summer and how they impacted my life, I would mention how different the culture is in a place where less than ½ of 1% of the population believe in the Jesus of the Bible, and maybe I’d make a joke about crazy Utah drivers. But when I sat down to start writing, the words just wouldn’t come.

So, I began to really think about all the things I experienced over the summer. And I asked myself, What’s the one thing that impacted me the most? When I asked myself this question, I knew exactly what I wanted to share with you all.

While I was in Utah, I got the chance to do a little bit of hiking in the mountains. There’s a trail just outside of Provo that I got to hike a couple of times (once with some friends and once with my dad) that leads to the top of Squaw Peak. It’s a tough hike, especially for an inexperienced hiker like me! It gets really steep in spots, and when you’re hiking it, it feels a lot longer than it really is. The first time I hiked it, there were several times when I wondered if the view from the top was going to be worth the hike, and I even thought about giving up a few times. But I’m glad I didn’t!

When we got to the top I knew instantly that the view was worth the hike. Squaw Peak stands 3,000 feet above Provo, Utah. From the top, on one side, there is an amazing view of the mountains.  But it was the view on the other side that really took my breath away. From this peak, you can see basically all of Utah County with Utah Lake and more mountains in the backdrop.

As I stood there, 3,000 feet above Provo, and looked out across Utah County, I saw a lot of things. I saw businesses, I saw schools, I saw houses, I saw cars, and I even saw a couple football stadiums. But, what I really saw wasn’t businesses, or schools, houses, cars, or football stadiums. No, what I was really seeing was people. As I looked out across Utah county what I really saw was over half-a-million people.

Each and every one of these people is individually loved by God. He loves each of those 500,000 people in Utah County so much that he sent his son to die for them and pay for their sins so that they can live for eternity with Him. They have all been given the same gifts of God’s mercy, grace, and love that he gave to you and me. But, the problem is, 99.5% of them don’t know it. Out of the half-a-million people in Utah County, almost half-a-million of them don’t know the Jesus of the Bible; and that has eternal consequences.

As I stood there on Squaw Peak thinking about these things, God broke my heart for these people. He made me realize just how desperately Utah needs faithful disciples who are on fire for Jesus, and who will share the Gospel with these people who are loved by God. UTAH NEEDS JESUS!

Utah Valley Church

Some have asked if we are changing our vision for ministry here in Utah. The answer is “no”.  While our main focus is still small group/missional communities, we knew that God was asking us to “cast another net”. After much prayer and talking with those we met in the community, we realized we needed a neutral place people could come to hear the Gospel message. We had a list of criteria we felt like needed to be met before we could commit to this endeavor. God answered everything on that list!  We found a perfect place in Downtown Spanish Fork, and we contacted the owner about renting his property. We spent a couple months discussing logistics and expectations. It was a roller coaster of yes, then no, then maybe, back to yes, no again and finally yes…with a stipulation. The owner wanted a trial period. So, in July we began our 3 month trial period. I am happy to share with you all that God has answered yet another one of our prayers! Our trial period is over and both parties are in agreement to make this a long term arrangement!

New things are happening and new things are still to come. We are currently hosting a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and have 9 people signed up! It has been an encouraging and challenging time. We are also in discussion regarding a Celebrate Recovery ministry. So many hurting people and this is an area that is lacking here in Spanish Fork.

Over the last month, we have had new families EVERY SINGLE WEEK! The majority of them have come back for a second and third time! So many of these families have been searching for a church to no avail and to find one in their own community has them ecstatic! Again, God is answering prayers! Please continue to pray for us that we can meet the spiritual needs of this community and also for a Worship Leader!

The message hasn’t changed, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few”. Please pray to the “Lord of the harvest” to send workers! Your prayers are powerful and effective. Thank you again for petitioning, constantly, on behalf of our family, our community and our state.

The Crossings

Grant and Terri Clark are the lead planters for The Crossings church in West Jordan, UT. They have been on Utah soil for a year now. While things haven’t gone quite like they had envisioned, God is shaping His Story in their lives and ministry. The connections they have made in circumstances that, at the time, seemed frustrating have impacted their lives and the lives of those they encountered. Please be in prayer that Grant’s will get a local route with his company so they can continue with the story God is writing in their lives.

Financial Update

Five years ago when we (The Andersons) began this journey we knew it would be amazing, challenging and downright terrifying at times. We also knew that God had clearly called us to a specific place, with a specific purpose. I have shared before that Utah County has not been kind to church planters in the past. Many don’t last beyond a couple of years. As we prepared to come to Utah we believed that God was asking us to do more. Plant Utah was born out of that call and desire He placed in us. We are not only here planting a single church, we are here to help start a church planting movement in cities with little to no evangelical presence.  We do encourage our planters to be bi-vocational, as it provides a way into the community. While our ministry with Utah Valley Church as been effective and within our capabilities, our ministry for the bigger vision of Plant Utah has been not as effective as it could. Up to this point we are still doing this part time but we feel everyday that this endeavor needs to be full time. We need to be able to train and equip new planters coming. We also need to be able to connect with other churches who will come along side Plant Utah to plant other churches. We are currently 43% funded, which is a huge blessing. We would love to be 100% funded so that we can commit to Plant Utah full-time! The ministry opportunities are countless! Please consider being a part of our Pray, Send, Go Team. Pray for our ministry, our missionaries, and our communities. Send finances and/or workers. Go to Utah and be a part of a core team committed to love people and disciple them in their walk with the God of the Bible. We need lead people but we also just need willing people!  Again, thank you for your prayers and know that Matthew and I pray for you all regularly!