9 January, 2025

News Briefs for Jan. 17

by | 17 January, 2024 | 0 comments

In his note that accompanies NewThing’s annual report for 2023, lead visionary Dave Ferguson reported, “This year alone, we were able to start and sustain 1,059 church planting networks and helped plant 22,663 new churches!”

NewThing is a global church multiplication movement. “NewThing exists to be a catalyst for reproducing disciples, leaders, churches, networks, and movements, with the dream of planting a church in every community of people around the world,” Ferguson said.  

NewThing doesn’t actually plant churches. Instead, Ferguson said, “We come alongside movement makers . . . to activate their big dreams to achieve maximum global impact. . . . We equip leaders to start and sustain reproduction at every level with the goal of planting new churches.” 

Learn more about NewThing’s global impact by viewing their annual report.

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European missionaries and Christians associated with the Restoration Movement gathered Jan. 2 to 6 for the Mid-Winter Rally held at the Castlewellan Castle Christian Retreat Centre in Castlewellan, Northern Ireland. Dr. Rick Cherok, executive director of Celtic Christian Mission, hosted this year’s MWR, and David Faust was the main speaker. 

In 1964, Italian missionary Guy Mayfield launched the Mid-Winter Rally, and it has met regularly at different locations throughout Europe since that time. 

This year’s theme was “Be Thou My Vision” and about 50 people attended. In addition to daily sessions, MWR participants toured beautiful locations in Northern Ireland, visited sites associated with St. Patrick and C.S. Lewis, and spent a day in Belfast. Next year’s Mid-Winter Rally is also slated to meet at Castlewellan Castle.

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Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Mo., will host its Preaching-Teaching Convention Feb. 19-21. The gathering, which is designed “to help leaders lead better longer,” will feature main sessions, worship, and workshops.  

The theme is “Among the Lions: Trusting in God When You’re Trapped in Babylon.” Among the speakers will be Nate Bush, Dudley Rutherford, Brian Jobe, J.K. Jones, Ashley Weece, and Jason Poznich

Registration cost is $130. Virtual registration is $50. Learn more and to register at occ.edu.

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Kairos Church Planting has hired a familiar face, Bruce Bates, as its new executive director. Bates has served Kairos as director of coaching for more than a decade and had been serving as interim executive director for the past two months. Bates succeeds Ron Clark, who had led Kairos since 2019.

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