MNA is resetting, revisioning for new seasons ahead, as we seek to promote the progress of the gospel alongside PCA churches, presbyteries and networks across the United States and Canada. To learn more about our work, watch our new video
Church Renewal through Loving Your Neighbor,
featured in this issue of MNA Online
MNA deducts no service fees from gifts designated to specific projects or designated to MNA staff members. The administrative cost of this service is supported by undesignated gifts to MNA, or gifts to the
MNA Ministry Support Fund (MSF)
. Please consider
giving to MSF
, so that MNA may continue to make 100% of designated gifts available to their intended recipients.
Mission to North America
PO Box 890233
Charlotte NC 28289-0233
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Church Renewal through Loving Your Neighbor
Along with Church Planting and Missional Partnerships, Church Renewal is a core commitment of MNA. Two PCA churches with stories of gospel renewal – through engaging with neighbors in their diverse communities – are Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church in Flintstone GA, led by Pastor Dan Gilchrist; and Grace Church PCA in Dover DE, led by Pastor Jonathan Seda and Associate Pastor Kenny Foster. The speakers in
this 9-minute video
know firsthand the beauty and challenge of bringing different people together as one body, worshiping and serving the Lord.
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Why Women Need Parakaleo Training
"Other than cooking I feel like I am not trained to do the church job I find myself in… the lack of training makes doing ministry more stressful than it needs to be."
Thank you! Because of the 2016 PCA Love Gift, over 40 women received partial scholarships to attend a four-day Parakaleo intensive training retreat. They included women in church planting, campus ministry, pastors’ wives, chaplain wives, seminary wives, missionaries and women’s ministry leaders.
Read what participants had to say.
You'll also find dates for upcoming trainings.
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Raising Up Minority Leaders through The PCA Unity Fund
Out of 4,882 Teaching Elders in the PCA, only 1% are African American, .8% Hispanic American, and 10% Korean/Korean American. The PCA Unity Fund aims to increase these numbers through training, mentoring and developing minority leadership in the PCA, primarily through providing tuition subsidies to support training at reformed institutions. The beginning stage of The PCA Unity Fund – seminary tuition subsidies - is now underway. Your generosity can help raise up this new generation. To learn more about The PCA Unity Fund, visit our new website at
https://pcamna.org/unity-fund/, or view the
video. Interested in applying for a tuition subsidy? The next application period begins September 1, 2018 and runs through January 31, 2019.
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Engaging Disability Offers Online Training for Churches and Families
Each of the following training conference calls lasts approximately one hour including a presentation and a question/answer time with the staff.
Ruling Elders: Understanding your Role in Facilitating Disability Ministry in Your Church Context
Thursday, August 23, 2018
8 pm ET | 7 pm CT | 6 pm MT | 5 pm PT
BUDDY TRAINING FOR VOLUNTEERS, PARENTS, AND CHURCH WORKERS
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
8 pm ET | 7 pm CT | 6 pm MT | 5 pm PT
PEER BUDDY TRAINING FOR KIDS AND YOUTH
Thursday, August 30, 2018
7pm ET | 6 pm CT | 5 pm MT | 4 pm PT
Taught by Ashley Belknap, Director
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Let Your Neighbors Know They're Welcome at Your Church
Christ for All Peoples makes the multilingual
Jesus Film DVD
available in bulk at extremely low cost - or sometimes no cost (contact them about the "Saturate" effort). Getting ready to start - or restart - ESL classes this fall? Slip information about the classes in with the DVD. What a great way to let immigrants in your community know! Are you an immigrant congregation - or do you host a congregation that worships in another language? What an ideal way to partner in making the Gospel accessible to all in your community! The DVDs have most of the major languages spoken in the US all on one disc!
Long after your outreach, the DVDs you left with your neighbors may be used by God to draw them to himself! Will you be ready to welcome them if they make their way to your church? Contact Pat Hatch,
MNA Refugee and Immigrant Ministry
Director (
phatch@pcanet.org
) for resources to help your congregation to get ready to welcome those from other cultures the Lord might bring to you.
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Record Number of Chaplains Attended Annual Chaplains Training Event
Sixty-six (66) Chaplains and thirty-four (34) Spouses attended our annual event at Smyrna Presbyterian Church, in Smyrna, GA June 9 – 12. 2018. Dr. Peter Lillback and Pastor Kevin DeYoung were our featured speakers. Susan Hunt also spoke to our Chaplain Spouses. You may listen to their presentations on our website at
here.
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Do Something Wonderful this November
Help empower those in crosscultural ministry and ministry to the poor through a contribution to the
MNA Thanksgiving Offering. Grants funded by the Offering help support internships and staff development, as well as providing benevolence funds so that churches can reach out to those in need in their community. Read some of the stories of how the Offering has helped. We encourage giving as individuals but also as churches. Churches can order copies of the Thanksgiving Offering Brochure to distribute to their congregation.
Click here to learn more. Ready to help? Click on one of the buttons below to
donate or
request brochures.
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August 31-September 2, Reformed Theological Seminary, St. Louis MO. Leadership Development Resource Weekend (LDR)
is for men and women, ministry leaders, volunteers, pastors, and church families who desire to address core concerns in Black communities. People of all ethnic backgrounds and denominations are welcome to attend.
How do we stand firm in the gospel when we are weary from contending for racial equality? And what does it mean to stand together when our ideologies differ? This year, we’ll discuss how standing together in the gospel emboldens us, moves us to radical prayer, frees us to forgive, and bids us to rest.
Click here
for more information.
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Jeannette PA
Church planter Nate Keisel and his wife Amber are in Jeannette PA in a diverse neighborhood where they are making friendships and nestling into the community through works of development, education, and mercy ministry. Nate says “We have an amazing opportunity in this community to show that the gospel not only reconciles people to God, but in so doing, reconciles us together as one body in Christ. Even among people groups that historically have experienced racial tension. You know, like Jew and Gentile. Or, in our context, black and white. But I'm also realizing that this takes a lot of sensitivity, including putting myself in others' intellectual shoes, so to speak.” You can read more about
Mosaic Community Church here.
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Buffalo NY
Jim and Carol Furey are in Buffalo NY planting
Christ Church. Jim is creative in finding ways to meet people in the community and provide platforms for interaction. Regarding one of these opportunities, Jim says “We recently began one-Sunday-per-month worship gatherings at our local fire hall / banquet center and have been seeing 25 to 40 coming. There is God-honoring momentum taking place. We're seeing not-yet-Christians, unchurched folks, coming to our worship services and weekly Bible studies, thirsty for the gospel. There is an enthusiasm taking place of people asking /wanting to know about Jesus and eternal life.
Click here to read more about how Christ Church is meeting new people and opening doors for the gospel.
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Milford CT
Curran and Abby Bishop moved to Milford CT to plant a new church in 2017 and are now laying the groundwork for the church. They’ve relished the opportunity to make friends in a variety of ways, including Rotary and historical reenactment groups. In the least churched region of the US, the church has to go to where the people are to make an impact, and the Bishops have “jumped in with both feet”. Curran sends this report to share “some of the opportunities God has given us for making connections and building relationships, we hope it conveys our excitement at what God has been doing.
Click here to read more.
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MNA SecondCareer Seeks Volunteers to Help Ministries
MNA SecondCareer Ministry has a variety of opportunities for lay people to assist in Church Planting all around the continent. For example, Rev. Mick Leary, pastor of All Nations Church in Charlottesville VA, is seeking a Website Content Manager to manage their website and keep it up to date. This job could be done over the internet from the volunteer’s own home with no need to travel
.
Needs are everywhere. Learn more about this and other opportunities at
www.pcamna.org/second-career
or contact Gary Ogrosky at
gogrosky@pcanet.org
(phone 770-695-4811).
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Puerto Rico - Scheduling Volunteers for 2019 Now
The work of rebuilding in Puerto Rico in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria continues. The needs are still great with some areas of the island still without power. The local PCA pastors and leadership are requesting volunteer teams to come and assist with a specific, targeted area. They have also set up a strong volunteer staging site to house volunteers who come to assist the in their work. Click here for more information about the specific project they are working on,
the
La Hormiga Project
. If you are interested in serving, please contact Sherry Lanier at
slanier@pcanet.org
for more information. To see a video about the situation and current need in Puerto Rico, please
click here
.
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Considering Church Planting?
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“I’m leaving feeling that this is one of the best things I’ve seen going on in the PCA.” Considering Church Planting? Then the MNA Assessment Center is for you. The cost of assessment is less than half of one month’s salary and operating expenses for a typical church plant, and a very wise investment that individuals, churches and presbyteries can make in starting a new church
. The next open Assessment date is
November 13-16 with an application deadline of September 10. Please plan ahead! An absolute three week lead time minimum is required prior to each application deadline in order to apply, and we often run at capacity. Not convinced? Here are a few more kudos for MNA Assessment…
“The assessors were the most valuable component of the AC… The week was stretching, revealing, humbling, Christ-glorifying and sovereignly used of God...Getting the opportunity to learn from others in church planting and peers interested in serving the Lord in a similar way. It doesn’t happen often in the “real world” context and I felt supported and encouraged and challenged…Great time. Exceptionally organized and facilitated. So much grace and love for those attending…I loved assessment, was encouraged and I’m leaving feeling that this is one of the best things I’ve seen going on in the PCA.”
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Know someone who's moving? Be sure to suggest they
check this list of new church plants around North America as they look for a new church home. Don't see a new plant in a possible destination on the list? Contact us (678-825-1235) and we'll try to find out more information for you! You may also want to visit the
PCA Church Directory for a list of established churches.
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Check Out Our Other Publications
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Pray for Our PCA Church Planters
The Intercessor is a quarterly letter with prayer requests from PCA church planters and MNA Ministry Leaders. The requests are organized by week, making it easy to follow along in individual or group devotions. They have expressed many times how grateful they are for prayer support.
Click here
to read online, where you will also see subscription options.
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Subscribe to Multiply and Learn More about MNA
Multiply, available as both a print or email newsletter, goes out three times a year and brings you news from the church planting field as well a special features on MNA ministries. Our summer issue focuses on MNA Staff and Ministries reports.
Click here
to read. Want to subscribe?
Click here
- it's free!
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