Orchard Group – June 2016 – What you Do Not know when you begin…
-From Brent Storms, President and CEO
You might not know why you’re doing what you’re doing now for another twenty years. Sorry. Its true.
Twenty years ago this month, my wife and I packed up our meager belongings and moved from Missouri to Massachusetts. We both grew up in middle America. The transition would call for cultural agility that neither of us had adequately considered. We were naive, but adventurous and eager.
The reason for our move was simple: I was beginning graduate school at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
God quickly opened our eyes to the need for new churches in the Northeast and Orchard Group gave us an opportunity to plant a new church near Boston. Together with a fantastic team of leaders and volunteers, we started Harbor of Hope Christian Churchin 1999. The church is thriving today.
Even as a young church, Harbor of Hope supported more new churches. We helped with the formation of a Cambodian church in our city. One of our staff members was sent out to start a church near Pittsburgh, PA. Interns from those early days ended up planting churches in Concord, NH and Burlington, VT.
We thought we were moving to Massachusetts for seminary. God used our move for something greater.
“We truly believe that the issues we face in South Africa will change when people’s hearts change.”
-Louis Scheepers, lead planter of the Cape Town Project in South Africa.
The Cape Town Project is part of Orchard Group’s Global Cities Initiative. With your help, we are planting 10 new churches in 10 global cities over the next 5 years. And you can help get it off the ground. Not only are you starting a church in Cape Town, you’re starting a church in an influential city that is committed to planting other churches.
