From Jeff Anderson

Here is an excerpt from a letter that Jeff Anderson, the conference superintendent sent out to all the pastors:

We know from the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) that we are to go and make disciple. Did you know that church planting is one of the most, if not THE MOST effective ways to introduce people to a life of following Jesus Christ? Did you know that in the last 20 years our new congregations account for only 20% of the total number of congregations but they account for over 40% of the total number of people attending church in the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada?

I would ask that you add Winnipeg and Pastor Gerald and Judi Froese to your prayer list. By this September we will have a new church plant starting Winnipeg, MB. In addition, we are in dialogue about two other potential church plant sites. Pray that our ECCC leadership will be wise in determining where we are to go with our church plants!

I also want to remind you that mission is both global and national. Pray with me for the Pluims in Ecuador. I attended this years CBC-Ecuador Commencement and got to hear again of the Pluim’s passion for the Ecuadorian church as well as for their ministry at CBC.

Another continent away, in Africa, we continue to have a link with the newly forming Covenant Church of Kenya through Alberto and Lisa Zepeda. They are seeking wisdom as to the best way to help this group of churches grow in maturity. Pray for this group of churches thousands of kilometers away.

Finally, I want to ask that you think briefly about leadership development. God’s words to Isaiah are just as relevant today “Whom shall I send…” (Isaiah 6:8). We believe that God calls women and men into vocational ministry. A key part of leadership development is identifying and encouraging those within our midst who sense a call to ministry. We are beginning to see more of our “home-grown” folks moving into ECCC leadership positions. Pray that this trend will continue to grow!