April News from Orchard Group – A Letter from Brent

Dear Friends and Partners,

Thank you so much for prayerfully investing in new churches, especially during this challenging season. Your prayers are making an even bigger impact than you realize. Your support is helping new churches in some of the cities most rapidly impacted by the coronavirus - New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, and many more. These churches are on the front lines of pointing people to Jesus, building community in creative ways, and serving the pressing needs of the most vulnerable.

We want you to know that, among other proactive measures, Orchard Group has taken the following immediate steps: First, our staff has quickly and significantly reduced non-essential spending. Second, our Board of Directors designated a pool of funds that can be used to make special grants to some of our newest and neediest church plants. Some grants may be given to help purchase equipment that will enable them to serve their communities well during a season of social distancing and virtual gatherings. Some grants may be given to help our new churches that experience significant loss of income due to the circumstances. In short, we are working to be both fiscally responsible and financially generous.

Two weeks ago, over 30 leaders of our most recent church plants gathered via video conference to share best practices during this unusual season. I was so proud of the way our leaders offered their best ideas to benefit each other. All of them have their attention focused on how to best be the church – pointing people to Jesus, keeping people connected, and serving others in love. I couldn’t be more hopeful and optimistic that God will use this crisis to strengthen his Church.

Jesus promised that he would build his church and that nothing, not even the gates of hell, could stop it. We have never been more confident of this than we are now. Your investment in new churches is participation in this very promise from Jesus. Thank you for your continuing partnership in establishing new churches!

Brent Storms, President and CEO