S
Letter from PJ
2
Planting
3
Conferences
7
Hubs
9
Feature
13
GlOBAL TEAM
PJ & Ashleigh Smyth, Stephen & Anna Van Rhyn, Rigby & Sue Wallace, Ryan & Kate TerMorshuizen, Alan & Rynelle Frow, Brian & Rachel Barr, Donnie & Jill Griggs and Matt & Grace Hosier.
STAFF
1
Bryan Hart
John Van Hoof
Polly Murphy
Roger Curran
Ruth Rolar
Vicky Allen
Cath Junor
North American Implementer
UK finance
Communications
Africa and Global Implementer
North America finance
UK Implementer
Graphic Designer
Dear Friends Looking back on 2018, our faithful heavenly Father has outworked 1 Corinthians 3.6-9 amongst us: 6
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.
7
So neither
the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow… ... For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. Together we have planted seeds of vision and poured out the strengthening water of partnership, and God has made it all grow in both quality and quantity - individuals, churches and potential new regions of churches. Our partnership of churches now includes over 100 churches in North America, Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia. In the UK we now have churches and/or church plants in England, Scotland and Wales, including churches in Cardiff, London and most recently Glasgow. In Africa, our partner churches in Madagascar, Kenya and Tanzania continue to make excellent progress in challenging situations, and in South Africa a number of established churches have planted out new congregations in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and East London. Our North American partnership has recently planted Monument Church into the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. They have also welcomed a number of established and fledgling churches into their number. Maybe the biggest recent highlight has been a sizeable community of churches in India and Nepal linking arms with us in partnership. It is a massive privilege to learn from them and to support them in that extraordinary part of the world. Paul wrote to the Romans about the joyful reality of being mutually encouraged by each other’s faith (Rom 1.11-12). By God’s grace we are experiencing that more and more together as we press out with the gospel to the end of our streets and to the ends of the earth. On behalf of our Global Team, thank you for your faith and partnership in Christ Jesus and his mission. Much love,
PJ and the Global Team.
2
BEACON BAY Claire and Arno de Bruin were called 13 years ago to take over the leadership of a church with a rich history of mission and the Gospel in East London, South Africa. The transition had its challenges but with the help of amazing friends and Godly men they were able to re-focus on mission and the Gospel. About three years ago they changed their name to Everyday People - their synonym for missional community. They’ve grown into a city church with folks travelling from across the city to services and, having many life groups on the East side of town, decided to plant a congregation there in the suburb of Beacon Bay in 2018. The new congregation meets in an amazing facility, St. Nics Church. The planting group are going strong and have been able to welcome in new members already. They’ve struck a chord with many ‘prodigals’ who have wandered from church for many years who are now re-engaged and loving it. Only five months in they are just under 60 folks of which 40+ were new. All through personal, missional living and relationships. No leaflet drops!
Arno De Bruin
Common Ground Langa Common Ground Church, which now has 9 congregations, has planted its 10th congregation into the oldest township in Cape Town, Langa. We are very excited to have a missional core group that has been gathering throughout the year of 2018. Officially on 17 February 2019, Common Ground Langa will formally launch as a beacon of hope into this pocket of the city. We are very excited by what God is doing and the people He is bringing together. We are trusting God for great things! Ryan TerMorshuizen
3
Havelock By God's grace and provision One Harbor Havelock launched Easter Sunday (April 1) 2018. In our first year OHC HVK people made a significant impact on our city and Cherry Point Marine Base. We filled local food pantries with 500 boxes of local farm produce; sent 200 boxes to needy children around the world through Operation Christmas Child; started a community group on base; kicked off our youth ministry with 20+ kids! When Florence hit our city officials reached out to us for help. We were able to assist them in passing out FEMA emergency packs and fresh water to hundreds of families. We also provided helping hands to homes ruined by flood waters. The disruptions of summer and hurricane Florence brought some crazy attendance swings which finally began to steady at the end of the year. We are thankful to God and amazed at the 195 people coming on any given Sunday, as well as the 2 baptisms and 6 new professions of faith. We look forward in faith that God is going to do abundantly more with us in the years to come. Jesse Kincer
GOD FIRST IVORY PARK 2018 was an exciting year as we set out to plant Godfirst Ivory Park after a year or so of contemplating the move. It is our first plant out of Godfirst Tembisa. Now 8 months into it we are grateful for the progress we've seen. It's been exciting to see our members participating in various ways. Expansion is stretching and we felt it, but our people have stepped up. There have been salvations and additions to the initial group that we sent. More and more people continue to arrive in the area from various parts of Gauteng. A fellow Advance church has helped us with funds to buy four shipping containers which we are in the process of developing into a meeting space and children's venue. This is a lot more convenient than the marquee we started with which we put up on Sunday mornings and brought down at the end of the service. We look forward to 2019 with prayers and expectation for more people to be saved and added to the congregation! NK Mahlanyane 4
One City Pine Town At One City Church we have had an amazing few years. A merge, a plant, plans to build our own venue - all seemingly on the go at the same time. Having a home for the church has been a priority for a while, but it has been a slow process. Even in the midst of this, as a eldership we have had a deep conviction from God to not slow down on mission. In terms of a home we know God is doing His work, but what is God calling us to now? Gospel advancement! Our church is the fruit of gospel planting adventures and so our desire is to continue. That brings us to Pinetown. There are 90 000 people in Pinetown and the neighbouring suburbs and not enough churches. Added to that, around 30% of our church lived in the greater Pinetown area and so there was a great affection for it. On 2nd September One City launched One City Pinetown. Initially at a 5pm time slot, but their aim was to ultimately find a morning venue to grow into. For the first two months they had a number of invitational events as well as normal church services. They are enthused, excited and ready for what God is going to do. Steve Rothquel
Monument Church In the second half of the year, under PJ and Ashleigh Smyth's guidance the Monument Church plant core group began to gather with a view to launching in the new year. After several months of planning, they successfully launched in January 2019 with a core group of over a hundred and a Leadership Team of eight. The name reflects their desire to impact the Greater DC area as they point people to Jesus, plant Churches and push back darkness in the DC metro area. Please be in prayer for this new church. PJ Smyth
5
Glasgow Grace When we arrived in Glasgow in August we didn’t know where we would be living, we had a team you could fit in a mini-bus and no idea what lay ahead. Before we left the south coast of England, we had received a prophetic word that the lights would change ahead of us, turning green as we go. Only a few weeks ago someone had another really similar word, encouraging us that God goes ahead of us. Looking back, we can see that’s exactly what He has done. God provides people. We have become so used to God having already shaped people’s hearts and thoughts to the vision of Glasgow Grace before we meet them that we are finding that it’s becoming the norm. It’s been incredibly humbling to see Jesus building His Church and a privilege to be part of a team with a passion for God’s glory and Glasgow’s good. God provides houses. We’d lost out on a buyer for our house in Poole just weeks before we left. It was also the same day we were going to put a second offer on a house in Glasgow. The first few weeks were spent at friends, relatives and out of town. But, a flat came up at a reduced rate right in the heart of the city that’s been a great spot for getting people together. God provides places to meet. The vision God has given us for Glasgow Grace is to meet centrally on Sundays with mid-week groups meeting in homes scattered across the city. That meant finding a venue in the city-centre that’s a great space for inviting our friends to church. After a lot of walking around the city and talking to all kinds of venues, we have at last found our first Sunday venue, The Studio right in the city center. Our first meeting there will be on the 20th of January and we can’t wait to get started! Iain Kennedy
FINANCE
BREAKDOWN OF Direct gifts to church planting Direct gifts total: $222,280.00
6
CONFERENCES Conference offerings: $15,600 In 2018, the African region hosted a 4 day event in Durban, South Africa. The first portion of the event saw lead couples gathering for 2 days together. These are really helpful times for church leaders to invest in relationships with peers, an opportunity hard to come by in the ordinary churn of busy calendars. After a brilliant two days of brotherhood, the group moved across town to Westville, where Eldership teams and church members joined us for the main conference. The conference included great sessions from a host of Advance church leaders, including: PJ Smyth, Steve Van Rhyn, Mbonisi Malaba, Ryan Saville and Rigby Wallace. A huge priority at these events is making room for relationships to strengthen and so mealtimes and coffee breaks are generous. The host team from One City Church did an incredible job of setting the scene for these moments. At each conference, there is an opportunity for those gathered to give toward a continental offering. This year, funds raised have been channeled toward church planting on the continent. In a powerful moment, those who were currently leading and involved in plants on the continent were invited on stage. We are so excited about the huge number of new churches being birthed in Africa, and celebrate the faith of our brothers and sisters who have answered God’s call on their lives. We can’t wait for the Africa conference in 2020, hosted in Johannesburg! Roger Curran
In February of 2018 Advance had its first India and Nepal regional conference in Kathmandu. For 4 days over 400 hundred people came together, some of whom traveled for two full days to attend, to express their partnership through prayer, worship, sharing of stories, and training. The gathering included over 40 churches, most of whom are already partnering with Advance. It was just a few short years ago that we were connected with only a handful of churches that we had the opportunity to help through training and resources. Over the last few years, we have seen strengthened churches accelerate their reproduction of new leaders and churches. The size of this conference speaks to the rapid multiplication of church plants in the region. The gospel is advancing in beautiful ways in this part of the world. There are already 3 church plants expected to launch in 2019. This year we are moving from a combined regional conference to two conferences running back to back, in India and Nepal. Brian Barr
7
Conference offerings: $42,800
Around 300 leaders and church members gathered together in Southampton over two days in October 2018 for Advance UK Conference. This year’s theme, Leaders That Last, brought with it a host of provoking, motivating and honest sessions. We were served so well by all our speakers, and the standard of teaching across these days was outstanding - particularly noteworthy were the sessions from Steve Van Rhyn & Matt Hosier. We also had the privilege of hearing from John Hosier and Rigby Wallace - veterans in the faith who have walked in faithfulness, who have seen fruitfulness in life and ministry, and who are still pursuing Jesus fervently. Some other highlights include a panel discussion led by Nicky Cornford with women in various stages of life sharing their experiences of lasting through the challenges of marriage, singleness, the marketplace, church planting and life; celebrating and praying for Grace Community Church, Porthcawl as they officially partnered with Advance; and a faith stirring time of praying for all that God is doing and will do in partner churches in Tanzania, Kenya and the United States of America. The weekend was a great chance to soak up the buzz of new church plants across the UK and the world, to celebrate new partnerships, strengthen existing ones and to rejoice over story after story of God’s Kingdom advancing around the globe. We’re so grateful for friendship with churches like Kings Cross Church who hosted this event for us so well. Vicky Allen
Conference offerings: $97,060
At the 2018 Advance North America conference we found strength in our gathering. The strength of three hundred hungry souls thrusting our hands toward heaven in worship. The strength of twenty-six nations united under the name of Jesus. And the strength of men and women who shared their struggles and stories to spur us, connect us and embolden us for the next leg of the race. The 2018 Advance North America Conference was a compelling picture of churches partnering together as we raised over $90,000 in one offering to support and empower key churches and leaders on our continent. We soaked up the sun of SoCal, which doesn’t disappoint, even in October. We enjoyed beaches and barbeques, but most of all we found ourselves leaning forward, swept up in the momentum of a movement that is gaining traction in our part of the globe. From LA to Toronto, Washington, DC to Southern Florida and Houston to St. Louis, twenty-five churches represented the growing partnership that is Advance North America. The warmth of thoughtful hospitality from our host Southlands Church and ongoing reunions with distant friends made being with family the final ingredient to a rich and lasting memory that will linger until next time. Join us in 2019 as we gather in Southern California once more to see all that He has in store. Erik Santiago
8
HUBS W estern C ape H ub C elebration The Western Cape, a province of South Africa, is home to over 20 Advance partner churches and congregations. For the first time the hub hosted a combined event, inviting all of our churches to gather together. New Gen Church, located in the town of Somerset West hosted the event, creating wonderful space for families to relax and picnic after the service. Terran Williams served the gathering with a call to mission in the region, alongside updates from around the world. It was fantastic to see people from across the province enjoying a boerie roll together, old friends catching up and kids going wild on the jumping castles. More than that, it was inspiring to be reminded that we are on mission in partnership with others, and that our partnership has matured into a real force for good in the province. Roger Curran
N orth A merican E ast & W est coast regionals East Coast The East Coast group gathered in Oriental, North Carolina in April. In addition to our partner leaders we had a number of church leaders who were looking into partnership along for the time away. The getaway together included input sessions from the Barrs, Griggs and Tapping couples. Each tackling important facets of ministry, marriage and longevity. We had plenty of fun together, including a dance party! It was great to have room to strengthen relationships, to catch up on everyone’s news and to spend lots of time praying for each other and our churches. Donnie Griggs West Coast Churches on the West Coast were hosted by Southlands Church, in Southern California. It was a great moment of pause to connect and strengthen our Gospel partnership. One of the highlights was time praying together on a hillside, as well as an outing or two to local parks and beaches. In addition to filling our relational tanks, we enjoyed input from PJ Smyth and Alan Frow, speaking into marriages, team dynamics and evangelism. We also had a number of church leaders from the region join us who are not partners, but are considering future partnership. Alan Frow
9
G auteng H ub Family C amp At the end of August 2018 the churches from around Gauteng, South Africa, gathered at Forever Resorts in Bela Bela for an amazing weekend together. We were privileged to have Terry and Wendy Virgo with us from the UK as well as Mosala and Makhosi Balatseng from KwaZulu Natal. The large meetings together worshipping God and sitting under Terry and Mosala's teaching were memorable, and God certainly spoke to many. All the while the hundreds of kids and teens had a blast with their own programs running concurrently. The venue ensured that there was much fun to be had, living close to friends from home churches enabled a sense of togetherness amongst the crowds. The weekend was a highlight in the year where many felt that they had been "up on the mountain" with God before heading back into the grind of everyday life. Churches were strengthened and relationships built that will serve our longer term ambitions of wanting to plant many churches together across our region. Greg Tait
10
U K E lders weekend This year’s UK Elders event was held in the beautiful seaside town of Poole, Dorset. We started our time together, as all good times should, in a steakhouse connecting with old friends and new friends. It was the first time at an Advance UK event that all four areas of the UK were represented – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These times to connect together and to build genuine friendships are foundational to who we are as a movement. Generously hosted by Gateway Church, we gathered together on the Saturday to worship Jesus. It was great for the UK team to be joined by PJ Smyth who flew over from the United States to share honest wisdom on cultivating healthy eldership teams. In the busyness of leading in our families, our workplaces and in our churches, it was invaluable to have the time to stop and be provoked in our thinking. How do we lead ourselves, model Sabbath rest and cultivate healthy teams. Ensuring that we can thrive in our leadership and not just survive. Vicky Allen
11
E ast A frica H ub G athering In March 2018, leaders from four of the Advance churches in East Africa and Madagascar gathered in Nairobi, Kenya for the Every Tribe weekend. The purpose of this time was to connect relationally and to learn from and strengthen one another. One of the highlights of this time was the Sunday morning. Members of the the host church, One Tribe, all came wearing colorful clothes representative of their tribal dress. The sermon slot was divided into three breakout sessions. Tank from Madagascar spoke powerfully on being a ‘People of the Word’. Blake and Rachel, also from Madagascar, wisely and practically unpacked what it means to be a ‘People of the Spirit’ and Sheshi and Trudie from Dar es Salaam shared out of their first hand experience on being a ‘People on a Mission.’ It was an absolute feast and the church plant in Nairobi was massively strengthened and encouraged! Later, the lead couples from each of the churches took a couple of nights away together. This was a really special time of iron sharpening iron and provoking one another towards love and good deeds. It’s so exciting to be on a mission together to impact the nations! Mbonisi Malaba
A sia- Pacific G athering This past November 2018, leaders from India, Thailand, and Australia gathered together in Phuket for the first AsiaPacific Advance regional gathering. The event was also attended by Advance leaders, Alan & Rynelle Frow and Steve & Anna van Rhyn. It was a great time of rest and relaxation for leaders who had been running hard in very difficult contexts. There was much strengthening and encouraging for the road ahead and a lot of excitement about what God is doing all over the world and how God might use the new Advance connections for His glory in the Asia-Pacific region. Through all the wonderful relational times over delicious food, a real knitting of hearts and mutual admiration and support developed. Everyone walked away with a genuine desire to grow our friendship and see what function develops. The leaders who attended the conference are now committed to supporting each other and seeing Gospel partnerships form. To those ends, plans are already being made for the leaders to visit each other's cities and towns, with visits to India-Nepal, Chiang Rai, and Adelaide being discussed for 2019. We are so grateful for the new friendships and eager to see the Kingdom advance in our region! Daniel Yu
12
feat u r e Hurricane Florence relief effort by One Harbor Church In the wake of Hurricane Florence, God is providing One Harbor Church with a unique opportunity to serve and love our community. We are partnering with a Christ-centered disaster relief organization called Reach Global Crisis Response (RGCR) to work over the next 12-18 months in assisting some of the people in our community who were severely affected by the storm. In the initial few weeks after the hurricane, work consisted of tree and debris removal, tarping roofs, and gutting homes which were flooded. Subsequently, we have transitioned towards rebuilding homes for the poor and uninsured. RGCR will be helping to facilitate and lead non-local volunteer teams who will come for a week a time, not only to fix homes, but to establish relationships with homeowners. Long term, we will be creating response teams which can follow-up with those homeowners by focusing on caring for their emotional needs and introducing them to the good news of the gospel. If your church would like to give financially toward our efforts, or send a team of volunteers, please contact Bryan Hart at bryanh@oneharborchurch.com. We feel burdened to steward this opportunity according to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and we so appreciate your prayers for us. To date, One Harbor church has been able to assist over 400 homes in our communities affected by the hurricane. We have 5 homes in which we have been able to do a substantial amount of inside rebuilding. We have completed 10 roofs with many more on the list! We have been able to accomplish all this work with the volunteers that God has provided to us and with the financial donations from our community. We have plenty of weeks available for volunteers left this year.
13
FINANCE
Total 2018 income: $366,000 TOTAL 2018 OUTFLOWS: $321,928 Directs giving $222,280.00 Support services $99,648.00
SURPLUS: $44,073
"Direct giving to church planting accounted for 69% of total outflows, and support services 31%."
Breakdown of SUPPORT SERVICES
All 2018 financial figures provided are based on 12 months of actual income and expenditure. All Advance Global funds are accounted for by 3 trusted churches (One Harbor, Christ Central, Commonground) on 3 different continents and audited according to local standards of good financial practice. 14
15