Over the weekend I had the privilege of joining up with 2000 or so owners of NewSpring Church from all over the state as we converged on the main campus in Anderson, SC for an event called Launch.
Our pastor shared the history of NewSpring as well as vision for the future. The very first thing he wanted us to understand was the faithfulness of God. He told us how God gave him the vision to start NewSpring in 1996. He showed us a picture of the living room where 15 people began to meet in 1999. As he shared the details of the uncertainty and fears that sometimes plagued him and the leadership, God was always faithful.
The statistics that amaze me the most are the growth. From those 15 original people God has done miraculous things. On Sunday, August 11, 2002, 506 people were at church at NewSpring. On successive Sundays the numbers were 970, 1096, 1247, 1505, 1548 and 1600. In six weeks the church tripled in size with no advertising, no social media, and no website to speak of. This was purely a God thing!
And God is still doing the miraculous. We now have eight campuses with plans for more. Why? Because God is bringing people who are far from Him and setting them free through faith in Jesus. And when they meet Jesus they begin to take their next steps. They get baptized, they join small groups, they serve others as volunteers, some eventually end up on staff.
The campus I attend is 50 miles from the home church in a community with a church on just about every block. Many church people don't like us and the way we do things, yet we have seen 910 people confess "Jesus is Lord" in the 15-16 months we have been here. God is faithful! He WILL do what only He can do when we submit to His leadership!
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