God Is Doing A New Thing
Isaiah 43:16-19
16 This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,
17 who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished , snuffed out like a wick:
18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Those of us who know the impact that the Orlando Church Planting Network (OCPN) is having in Central Florida perceive that God is doing something wonderful, something new, something that we prayed for, dreamed of and now we are beginning to see the fruit.
After having three groups of Planters in English, one day I asked myself: why not have a group in Spanish? I sent out nine invitations to potential leaders and within a couple of hours eight of them had responded yes.
Two of the eight participants live in Tampa, and drive to get to Orlando for almost 2 hours after their long days of work, to return home at almost midnight to go to work again the next day. What is in the OCPN en Español that motivates such efforts?
These are some of the responses received:
A place to discover God’s call and purpose for our life and explore if church planting is part of that call.
From day one, in these encounters, we experience something special, and it is the sweet presence of the Spirit of the Lord that can be felt, not just intellectually affirmed.
Be challenged by God for a more faithful and consecrated holistic leadership life.
Being able to have a safe place to share our struggles and challenges with colleagues.
Training, content, resources and coaching relevant to the ministry challenges of the Latino church.
A space to have new friends who understand our burdens, pray for us, and encourage us to follow Jesus and lead.
Remember: when you support the work of OCPN you are helping to plant churches in Central Florida in English, Portuguese, and Spanish!
Is God calling you to plant a church? Would you be interested in helping to plant a church in Central Florida? Do you feel the call to be part of a church planting project? Do you want to receive more information?
We invite you to write to us; Carlos Peralta, carlosp@plantorlando.org or Gabriel Forsyth, gabef@plantorlando.org. We will be glad to connect with you and to share more about the new thing that the Lord is doing in Central Florida.