23,552

That's the number of people who attended on Easter Sunday at a church started in the last twenty years with the help of Orchard Group. Among that number are individual stories of people who have heard the good news of Jesus for the first time, people who have found a family they can belong to, stories of renewal and second chances, stories of working in God's Kingdom.

734

That's the number of those people who were baptized last year! Several churches, including Collective Church (pictured below) celebrated baptisms on Easter Sunday.  What a perfect way to visually represent the new life we have through the resurrection of Christ!

MORE APRIL GOOD NEWS:

Many churches post record attendance on Sunday. New City Church hosted outdoor Holy Week services, including a Maundy Thursday dinner (shown below). 2,850 came to hear the good news of Jesus on Resurrection Sunday!

"Utah is a unique state. Over 90% of the people in Utah do not follow Jesus. Missio Dei was started because we want to see that changed." Kyle Costello led the launch of Missio Dei Community in 2010. Last month, Missio Dei expanded to add a campus in South Jordan, in the Salt Lake Valley south of the city. Kyle shares, "We have seen God move, and this is a way we can move forward in strength. Sharing resources between these two campuses allows us to raise up more leaders to further impact Utah."

In a city primarily known for its importance to the Mormon church, Missio Dei is creating a space and connection for gospel life. The combined resources and energy of these two churches have the potential to impact their region!

Renewal Church in Chicago moved to a new space on the west side of Chicago. Upon moving, their attendance nearly doubled! Lead planter Derrick Puckett has cast a vision for a church that bridges the racial divides in Chicago through embodying unity in Jesus. Check out what a typical Sunday looks like at Renewal Church here.

"Establishing new churches has always been deeply challenging, and it is always accomplished only by God’s grace."

Luke Greer, our Director of Partnership, shares similarities between the mission of the church in Acts 14 and church planting today.