Friday, May 29, 2009

Update on New England

Recently I was in New England for a very busy program which involved meeting with the leaders of both our Boston churches, a morning meeting with additional New England leaders, as well as spending time with those emerging in leadership from the various churches in the region. It was thrilling to note the sense of mission and movement among them. Christ the King has sold their building and moved into the city of Dover. I enjoyed spending time with Simon Wong, who leads Christ the King, and noted the growing faith among the church there. Ian Ashby, who leads Harbor Church and oversees our work in New England, has expanded into another meeting site in the historic city center of Portsmouth. The meeting in the historic "North Church" building has attracted a great deal of attention and Harbor is experiencing many guests and growth.

It was a joy to spend a day teaching at their quarterly leadership training program "Project 100." The packed hall represented our churches in New England and we were even able to provide a live video feed of the sessions to our churches in Canada! It was interesting to take questions at the end of each session, including those watching by teleconference! At the conclusion of the day we enjoyed a gathering of people from Harbor Church to celebrate the sending of Ian Jukes to a church plant in the UK. On Sunday it was a delight to preach at both Sunday meetings at Fenway Church in Boston. I love church plants, and being at Fenway church was a special thrill. Fenway Church meets in a trendy Boston bar ironically called "Church of Boston." I believe this was a first for me, preaching in a bar, and I must say I loved it. David Hill, who leads this church plant, is one of the most enthusiastic church planters I know. I love David's passion for lost people and anticipate that the rapid additions will continue.