At its core, the church has always been characterized as a people who gather, united by their shared love for Jesus. This continues to be true even as a pandemic has caused this "gathering" to take on many different forms throughout the world. We love seeing the creative ways churches
We plant churches because we want people everywhere to know Jesus [https://orchardgroup.org]. In 2019, Renaissance Church [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/renaissance-church/] expressed this core motivation as it reached many more people with the good news about Jesus. Their two worship services reached an average of 500-600 people each
We're rejoicing with Renewal Church [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/renewal-church] (Chicago) and Renaissance Church [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/renaissance-church] (NYC) as they celebrate their five-year anniversaries. Both of these churches are already to the point of being self-sustaining [https://blog.orchardgroup.org/tag/self-sustaining/], one of the most important indicators
I don’t think it’s presumptive to say we all like the feeling of being helpful and feeling as though we make a difference in other people’s lives. We like the idea of someone standing on an award stage and declaring that they couldn’t have done it without us.
Congratulations to our church family at The Gathering [http://www.orchardgroup.org/church/gathering-harlem/] in Harlem, New York City! They celebrated their one year birthday in September. The Gathering has grown in numbers, but the leadership is also excited about the spiritual and emotional growth they've seen in their people.
It's just the beginning for The Gathering [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/the-gathering] in Harlem. Their launch Sunday was filled with energy and excitement, with over 260 people in attendance. Lead pastor Kenneth Hart preached powerfully from Luke 5 on being a "church for the unchurched." Jesus was proclaimed and at
“Walking into a church again was uncomfortable.” Meet Jema from Renaissance Church [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/renaissance-church] in NYC. Jema appeared to have it all: great friends and family, a good job in a world-class city. She did everything she could to feel complete and happy, yet something was missing.
For the past ten days, the live feed of April, a pregnant giraffe, has captured the attention of 40 million people around the world. 40 million! Perhaps you’ve seen the news pop up on TV or in your Facebook feed. Funny enough, not much has happened (no sign of