April 20-24, 2009

To our many friends who read this blog!

Thanks for keeping up with Judy and me. We covet your prayers as we continue to dig more deeply into STADIA INTERNATIONAL-JONATHAN PROJECT!

And speaking about "digging more deeply," I will be in Orlando, FL this week with about 3,000 other folk who are committed to seeing the Kingdom of God expand- first in the USA and then around the world. The 2009 National New Church Conference has been the meeting point for ministries, parachurch organizations, churches, authors, you name it, to gather together to share insights and strategies in planting churches anywhere and everywhere.

You have read what I have written earlier: This church planting movement is huge! I am just beginning to get my arms around it all. If you would like to check out this Conference go to: www.exponentialconference.org and then click on the "2009 Exponential Program Book." As you scan the book, prepared and online for this Conference, you begin to understand what I am writing about.

I will be at the Conference with many of the leaders and church planters from Stadia as well as the Jonathan Project. A Conference like this is exactly what our mutual vision and strategy is all about! We will be able to exchange ideas, hear new concepts, meet potential collaborators in global initiatives and generally hone our ministry skills to be the most effective possible.

Please understand! The reason for all of this is Jesus Christ! This is not merely an opportunity to spend four days in Orlando! I can think of many other places I would rather spend four days- not that Orlando is a bad place because it is not. But you get my drift. We are gathering in Orlando because of what Jesus Christ has done in our hearts and lives...and we want to tell that story to as many people as possible. It is acknowledged that the best way to grow the Body of Christ is to plant new churches- nationally and internationally. And that is exactly what our vision and mission is all about at STADIA INTERNATIONAL-JONATHAN PROJECT.

Let me repeat our vision: "STADIA INTERNATIONAL-JONATHAN PROJECT identifies, assesses, recruits, trains and releases global Jonathans who will plant multiplying churches in difficult unreached people groups, within the context of who they are and what they have, without the continued, long term financial support of American Churches."

I ask you to keep the Stadia/Jonathan team in your prayers this next week. My prayer is we come away from the four days full of God's Spirit, empowered by His love and tremendously energized to accomplish the vision into which we have been called! If all of that happens it will not only be a "good week" but really, it will be a "great week!" My prayer will continue to be that what we do in the future will be anchored in what we will have heard and experienced in this week in Orlando!

Prayers and blessings,

Graydon