Paolo Hugo

Pray With Us | 3 New Churches in Australia!

Maybe you already know this but in case you don't, Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth are getting new churches! Each of these churches are just getting started and already are experiencing so much beauty and revival. Tap on either of the images below to hear directly from these leaders

Pray With Us | Baptisms Down Under and a Staff Update

Society Church in Melbourne, Australia only began gathering this past fall and have already seen so many baptized! Beautiful stories of redemption worth celebrating like this one of a young man named Ryan: After moving to Melbourne from the UK, Ryan began to attend Society Church. Ryan soon decided to

Annual Report 2025-2026

The Annual Report is here! We are truly grateful for the blessings of 2025 and for all that is to come in 2026! A word from Brent Storms, Orchard Group's president: I recently went back through an old prayer journal to confirm a specific date. It was November

Pray With Us | Almost a year old, 99 baptisms

"Don't Believe in God? Move to Seattle." By Paolo E.T. Hugo In 2015, NPR wrote an article that suggested that if people want to explore personal beliefs without any traditional institution, pursue spirituality outside of organized religion, or completely detach from cultural and family-of-origin affiliations

Pray With Us | Hear from Ricky & Rosie of the Las Vegas Project!

Video: In our last newsletter, we introduced Ricky and Rosie Harris who are starting a new church in Las Vegas in 2026. Now you can meet them both in the latest video! Baptisms before launch The St. Petersburg Project in Florida has its grand opening this fall, and it has

Pray With Us | Meet Ricky & Rosie Harris of the Las Vegas Project!

We are excited to share the Las Vegas Project with you! Ricky and Rosie Harris long to see a multi-ethnic, multi-generational church that radically loves Jesus, relentlessly loves people, and lives every day on mission in their favourite city. Team Harris has lived and served in cities across the country,

Third Thursday: Trace Church in Colorado Springs Waves the White Towel

After a sabbatical following the COVID-19 season, Pastor Aaron Pennington of Trace Church in Colorado Springs felt led to offer a clear, visible invitation to respond to the gospel every Sunday. He wasn’t drawn to quiet, private gestures like raised hands—he believed surrendering to Christ should be a

Third Thursday: One million lives impacted by year 2034

Suncrest Christian Church in St. John, Indiana, set out to impact one million lives through church planting by 2034. Now, Lead Pastor Greg Lee believes they may double that number if current momentum continues. “It does almost no good just to start one church,” he says. “This is about a

Third Thursday: Meet Daniel & Deborah Malone of the Dublin Project!

We are excited to share the Dublin Project with you! The Malones have a dream of seeing the halls of heaven filled with Irish accents! Daniel and Deborah met a long time ago at their local youth group in Dublin. Although they were from opposite sides of the city, they

Annual Report 2024-2025

The Annual Report is here! We are truly grateful for the blessings of 2024 and for all that is to come in 2025! A word from Brent Storms, Orchard Group's president: In 2024 alone, your support provided resources for 32 churches in 17 different states, 7 countries and

Third Thursday: Pray for new churches in 2025!

This month we hosted our annual gathering for church planting couples. Together these leaders were able to share with one another, learn from each other, worship together, pray for each other, and take some time for rest. You Join us in praying for the new churches starting these cities in

Third Thursday: Merry Christmas, Friend!

This season, may your heart rest in the unshakable beauty of God’s love—a love that meets us in every season and fills even the darkest moments with light. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 4, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and

Third Thursday: Meet Levi & Nadia Marychurch of the New Zealand Project!

We are excited to share the New Zealand Project with you! Levi and Nadia Marychurch are embarking on an exciting journey to plant a new church in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand – located in the picturesque Bay of Plenty. They are passionate about building a church that embraces Māori culture, fosters

Third Thursday: Meet Philip & Rachel Moore of the Paris Project!

We are excited to share the Paris Project with you! Philip and Rachel Moore are planting a new church in Paris's 5th Arrondissement (or district). The area remains Paris's center for higher education, with 80,000 students, yet there is currently no church serving this district.

Third Thursday: Meet Chris & Kathleen Dew of the St. Petersburg Project!

We are excited to share the St. Petersburg Project with you! Chris and Kathleen Dew are moving to St. Petersburg, FL to plant a brand new church in the heart of the city. Together with AJ and Liberty Holt, this talented team looks forward to embracing the people of St.

Third Thursday: Meet Emmanuel & Marlene Dominguez of the Washington Heights Project!

We are excited to share the Washington Heights Project with you! Emmanuel and Marlene Dominguez grew up just 10 blocks away from each other in Washington Heights, NYC. They met at a dance school and became friends, sharing a love for Jesus, culture, dance, NYC, and people—which made them

Fourth Friday: Meet Daniel & Alina Bocancea of the Bucharest Project!

We are excited to share the Bucharest Project with you! Bucharest, the capital and largest city of Romania, is a vibrant city with 2.3 million people. Known as “Little Paris” (Micul Paris) due to its elegant architecture and sophistication, it’s a creative city rich in history and culture.

Third Thursday: Meet Rudi & Mirjam Opoku of the Hamburg Project!

We are excited to share the Hamburg Project with you! The unchurched, post-Christian, and multiethnic nature of Hamburg mean that the city has great need and great opportunity for new church planting. This has inspired Rudi and Mirjam to start a new church that helps new people to discover the

Third Thursday: Launch Sunday in Denver!

This past month, DEVO Church (formerly known as the Denver Project) celebrated their first Sunday! The weather was perfect, the welcome team embraced the community, and the kids had an absolute blast. One kid had such a sweet time that upon checkout, one of the teachers overheard him pleading with

Third Thursday: Annual Report 2023-2024

The Annual Report is here! We are truly grateful for the blessings of 2023 and for all that is to come in 2024! 0:00 /0:46 1× A word from Brent Storms, Orchard Group's president: Last year we celebrated the launch of four new churches. And I’

Third Thursday: Pray for new churches in 2024!

This month we hosted an annual gathering for church planting couples. Together these leaders were able to share with one another, learn from each other, worship together, pray for each other, and take some time for rest. Pray This year new churches are being started in Denver, Bergen County, San

Third Thursday: Merry Christmas!

As the warmth of Christmas surrounds us, I find myself reflecting upon the timeless words from Matthew 19:14, But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Christmas, much like these words from Jesus, is

Thank YOU for 75 years… and beyond!

Thank you for letting me share these messages from church planting leaders with you this week! So many people around the world are encountering the good news about Jesus — many for the first time — through the churches that your prayer and giving are helping to establish. We are grateful for

Thankful for 75: Hear From Brent Storms

So far this week you've heard from some amazing church planters… now here's Orchard Group's president, Brent Storms! 0:00 /1:45 1× Dear Friends, I’m writing today to ask for your help. As you may know, this year marks the 75th Anniversary

Thankful for 75: Hear from Jordan Rice

Paolo Hugo (Orchard Group's Media Creator) here again to bring you even more things to be thankful for this week! Each day this week we have been celebrating 75 years of church planting by sharing with you some stories from New York church planting leaders. Yesterday you heard

Thankful for 75: Hear from Bert Crabbe

It's me again – Paolo, Orchard Group's Media Creator. We're in day two of Thanksgiving week where we're thanking God for a fruitful 75 years of church planting ministry! Yesterday you heard from Lou Pizzichillo who planted a church in New York four

Thankful for 75!

My name is Paolo Hugo, and I help to create the content that tells the stories of churches planted with Orchard Group. We are so thankful for 75 years of ministry starting new churches in cities that need them. This week of Thanksgiving, I'm excited to be sharing

Third Thursday: Meet Jake & Kaelia Vayda of the San Diego Project!

We are excited to share the San Diego Project with you! Jake and Kaelia Vayda are planting a new church to reach their vibrant city. They share, "While San Diego has much movement in areas like education and the arts, there is still little movement in the area of

Fourth Friday: Launch day for 3 churches!

This month, three churches celebrated their 1st gathering! Counterculture Church in Portland, Refuge Church in Ojai, and Rū Church in Tampa. The turn out for each of them was amazing! We're so excited for all that the Lord has yet to accomplish in these cities through these churches.

Third Thursday: Meet Justin & Ashley Weece of the Brunswick Project!

We are excited to share the Brunswick Project with you! Justin and Ashley Weece have a burning passion to see the people of Maine discover a new way of life through Jesus. Throughout their marriage, they have prayed about and pursued their calling to someday plant a church together. The

Third Thursday: Introducing Brandon and Malia Cobb of the Bergen County Project!

We are excited to share the Bergen County Project with you! Brandon and Malia Cobb want to be used by God to cultivate the Garden State, and they are preparing for a new church in the Bergen County area of greater New York City. Over several years, Malia and Brandon

Third Thursday: The Good News in Florida

Since 1948, Orchard Group has carried a high value for helping to start new churches in the places that most need them, and what began in the New York City metro has branched into other areas as well. One of those areas is Florida, the state that consistently ranks among

Third Thursday: Meet Nate and Michaela of the Denver Project!

We are excited to share the Denver Project with you! Nate & Michaela Gay believe that God can do extraordinary things through ordinary people. They believe that because it’s their story. During Nate’s military career, he and Michaela found themselves stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where Nate was

Third Thursday: The Good News for New England

Since 1948, Orchard Group has carried a high value for helping to start new churches in the places that most need them, and what began in the New York City metro has branched into other areas as well. One of those areas is New England, the region that currently has

Third Thursday: Big launch day for the Boise Project!

Last month, Oasis City Church (formerly the Boise Project) held their first public Sunday gathering! Over eight hundred people showed up and took a next step in growing in faith and in connection with the church. Thank you for all the ways in which you've partnered and prayed

Third Thursday: Celebrating Planters & Partners!

This month we hosted an annual gathering for church planting couples. Together these leaders were able to learn, pray, share with one another, and take some time for rest. This year Rick & Jamie Atchley spoke, and they were able to share so much wisdom all about their decades of

Third Thursday: Christmas 2022

By Tanner Green, Orchard Group's New England Regional Director Empathetic Power Christmas is as needed as ever in 2022. While we've moved beyond of some of the difficulties of the pandemic, this year has not been immune to darkness: loss, regret, grief, and exhaustion persist. Darkness

Third Thursday: Meet Landon & Brooke of the Boise Project!

We are excited to share the Boise Project with you! Landon & Brooke Hairgrove desire to plant a church community where people can find purpose, passion, identity, and direction for the God-given gifts on their life. They are excited to carry out this mission on the beautiful city of Boise,

Third Thursday: Meet Jesse & Rebekah of the Portland Project!

We are excited to share the Portland Project with you! Jesse and Rebekah are passionate about communicating in ways that resonate with friends and neighbors who are new to the gospel. The Huffington Post has called Portland “the most irreligious city in America” — the kind of statistic that only emboldens

Third Thursday: Launch Sunday for Ferguson and West Palm Beach!

This Sunday, both The House and SoFlo Church will be having their first Sunday services! Launch Sunday is a milestone that we love to highlight and celebrate.  Thank you for the ways in which you've partnered and prayed with us and these churches. We are so excited for

Third Thursday: Meet Kyle & Joy of the Ojai Valley Project!

We are excited to share the Ojai Valley Project with you! Kyle & Joy Costello love to see God do new things. In early 2021, they began to see that God was calling them to step out and plant a new church. The more they prayed, the more obvious it

Third Thursday: Celebrating City Coast Church!

This July, we celebrate with Fairfield County's City Coast Church as they have been beginning monthly gatherings leading up to launch. They've met in town, at an elementary school, and on the beach!  It's been an incredible success. Leslie Welke observes: It has been

Third Thursday: First Baptism Sunday at the new Camden church!

This month, we are thrilled to celebrate with Accelerate Church where 31 people baptised into new faith in Jesus! It's incredible to see all that God is already accomplishing in this community that's less than a year old. Visit Accelerate's Instagram for even more

Third Thursday: Meet Isaac & Vanessa of the Tampa Project!

We are excited share the Tampa Project with you! Isaac and Vanessa Petit Frére are passionate about places where people are skeptical or even hostile toward Jesus and his church. Their enthusiasm is infectious: “If only we could show them something they haven't seen before, something different. If

Third Thursday: Resurrection Day!

West Palm Beach Fun! This season has been a blast. The West Palm Beach Project [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/west-palm] (now officially named SoFlo Church, after its location in South Florida), hosted an event that drew over a thousand people to get to know their community, enjoy some Easter fun,

Third Thursday: History Makers Launch Day!

Spring is right around the corner, and we already have beautiful things to celebrate. History Makers Church [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/greater-miami] had their official launch last month! More than 350 people were present as the new church shared in song, teaching, and fellowship. We are thrilled to witness the

Annual Report 2021-22

Download the Annual Report ↓ Get the .pdf with photos, stories, and stats! Orchard-Group-Report-2021-22-1.pdf 5 MB download-circle [https://blog.orchardgroup.org/content/files/2022/02/Orchard-Group-Report-2021-22-1-1.pdf] More than 30 years ago, Tim Keller started Redeemer Church in Manhattan, and he recently retired with decades of ministry experience in New

Your Mission: We've Got Your Back

What does Orchard Group do best? How does it serve the mission of church partners and vision of church planters? New churches have been planted with Orchard Group for more than 70 years, and over the decades we've zeroed in on four core areas of practice. While some

Third Thursday: New churches are planting more new churches

Happy New Year! We hope that you've had a great 2022 so far. As you know, we love to celebrate the ways that God works through new churches in their communities and beyond. One of our favorite things a new church that goes on to help plant more

Third Thursday: New Churches Preparing to Launch in 2022

Christmas is right around the corner, so first, the Orchard Group team [orchardgroup.org/about] wishes you and yours a very Merry Christmas! There have been so many things to celebrate [https://blog.orchardgroup.org/tag/newsletter/] in new churches this season. Now, we begin to look forward to the

Video: Meet Lenny & Jennie of the Ferguson Project

Lenny spent much of his time growing up Ferguson, a community in greater St. Louis, where his father had planted a church. As he grew older and developed relationships, he fell in love with the city and its people. Ferguson is a beautifully diverse city with charm and neighbors that

The Latest: A New Church for Oakland

This Fall has been one of the most fruitful seasons ever for our church planting team. As we've shared in the last couple of updates [https://blog.orchardgroup.org/the-latest-more-new-churches/], new churches [https://blog.orchardgroup.org/the-latest-exciting-season/] have launched Sunday services in cities across the country. The latest

New City Church Launch!

We are celebrating along with New City Church which just officially launched in Oakland! Planters Gabe and Kari Garcia share, > This past Sunday was a beautiful picture of the goodness and kindness of our gracious God who has been leading us in this journey every step of the way.

Why Church Planting?

Christian missions efforts have a rich history of creative and fruitful outreach across the world, and individuals and churches have an ocean of possibilities as they consider how to invest their resources. Why should church planting be an integral part of that mission? With so many good options, why choose

The Latest: More New Churches!

As we shared in the last update, this Fall is a season for many churches to begin regular Sunday services. Over the past few weeks, Accelerate Church (Camden) [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/camden], Beacon Church (New Hampshire) [https://twitter.com/OrchardGroup/status/1441398480732184576], Hope Church (Baltimore) [https://blog.orchardgroup.org/

Launch Sunday for Reunion Church in Manhattan!

We're thrilled to add Reunion Church in Manhattan to the list of churches that have launched this Fall! Russel and Katie Rader share: > LAUNCH SUNDAY! What a day it was. We sang. We met new friends. We participated. We are being drawn together to participate in a

Hope Church Baltimore Launches!

Hope Church Baltimore, led by church planters Joshua and Ericka Symonette,  officially launched on Sunday! Hope's team shares: > "Hopeful & grateful for all that is to come. It was so awesome and encouraging to see and feel the enthusiasm. Thank you to those who have joined

Accelerate Church Launch Sunday!

We celebrate with Accelerate Church in Camden County, NJ! Launch Sunday highlights:

Video: Meet Charlie and Leslie Welke of the Fairfield County Project

Charlie shares, > We are the Welkes, and when we found Fairfield County, Connecticut, we found a place that fused the city with the coast, and we began asking whether or not this place needed a new church. New England has a rich spiritual heritage: it’s the birthplace of

The Latest: An Exciting Season for New Churches

‌ As the summer season gives way to Fall, many church plants find themselves transitioning out of the pre-launch stage and into the exciting season of launching regular Sunday church services! In fact, the next couple of months are shaping up to be some of our busiest ever: Accelerate Church (Camden)

The Latest — A Growing Team

We are excited to announce the addition of two new staff members to Orchard Group! Tanner Green will begin serving in September as Regional Director for New England. Tanner has been serving as the Founding and Lead Pastor for SouthPointe Christian Church near Providence, RI for the past nine years.

The Latest: Peace and Prosperity in Planting

At the heart of church planting is a commitment to "Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you... Pray to the Lord for it..." (Jeremiah 29:7) We believe that God has called us to be at work in the world, helping to

Announcing a New Partnership for New England

Dear partners in ministry, I am excited to announce a new partnership that I believe will strengthen and accelerate the church planting efforts in New England for many years to come. Orchard Group will be contributing our leadership, staff, and expertise to Restoration House Ministries, a New England church planting

Video: Introducing Ernest and Sarah Grant

Ernest and Sarah Grant share their vision and excitement for the upcoming launch of Accelerate Church in Camden County, NJ. You can help plant a new church in Camden County. Partner with Ernest and Sarah [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/camden] to establish Accelerate Church.

The Latest - New Life, New Churches, New Prayers

New Life As churches shifted to online last year, our team wondered if there would be a burst of new baptisms as physical gatherings relaunched. Now, as churches across the country and world are regathering, it sure looks to be the case. In Chicago, Miami, New York, San Luis Obispo,

Plan A: Watering and Planting

In a little paragraph in a letter to the church in Corinth, history’s most well-known church planter provides some important insight: > What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

The Latest: May News

We couldn't be more thrilled to announce our commitment to back Ernest & Sarah Grant to establish a new church for Camden County, NJ [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/camden/]! Introducing the Camden County Project Ernest & Sarah Grant and familyThe Grant's church planting journey started with

Introducing the Camden County Project

"Vision" is a picture of the future in the present. Especially in the early days of a church plant, casting vision as clearly as possible is critical for achieving alignment and unity on a new team. Church planters Ernest and Sarah Grant are casting vision right now for

Plan A: Churches Planting Churches

There is so much to celebrate about the work of church planting: leaders applying their God-given gifts, new people encountering the good news, local volunteers and staff being developed, and — of course! — new believers following Jesus. Church planting frequently brings about another wonderful thing: new churches investing to help start

City Church OTR Launches!

City Church OTR in Cincinnati officially launched on Easter Sunday! We celebrate  with this church as they form a new community in the Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. Co-pastors Chris Marlin and Tyler Chernesky share: > The theme of our Easter Celebration was "Not finished yet..." We felt this was reflective

The Latest: April News

There is so much to celebrate about the work of church planting: leaders applying their God-given gifts, new people encountering the good news, local volunteers and staff being developed, and — of course! — new believers following Jesus. Church planting frequently brings about another wonderful occurrence: new churches that invest in new

Plan A: Living the Book of Acts

Header photo: Paris [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/eglise-saint-lazare], where a new church has been established in recent years in partnership with Orchard Group. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of our favorite church planting passages in the Bible is in Acts 14:21-26: > They preached the gospel in that city and won a

The Best Kind of Motivation

Right now, Orchard Group is backing several church planters who have left secure jobs at established churches in order to pursue a vision of planting a new church. Why would someone voluntarily trade security for fragility, or something known for something ambiguous? Church planting often requires these kinds of big

The Latest: March News

Header photo: Preview service at History Makers Church (Greater Miami) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God continues to move in and through new churches that you are helping to establish! This month, we want to highlight some of the ways church planting leaders have been at work in Greater Miami and in Oakland: Greater

"God has shown us once again just how good he is"

By Luke Greer, Director of Partnership Receiving truly good news is a delight — all the more so in the middle of a prolonged tumultuous season. As our team here at Orchard Group began preparing last year to publish our annual report [https://blog.orchardgroup.org/orchard-group-report-2020-21/], I was a bit

Orchard Group Report 2020-2021

It’s hard to think of very many aspects of normal life that haven’t been disrupted in the past year. Yet, one thing has never been disrupted, and never will be: God is still at work in our world!

The Latest: February News

It's hard to imagine a more unprecedented year than 2020. Yet, God's work through new churches remained constant. In 2020, thousands of people heard the good news about Jesus for the first time, hundreds came to new faith and were baptized, and local communities were creatively

Celebrating One Year at Community Church

This article is contributed by Lou Pizzichillo, lead planter of Community Church [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/long-island-project] on Long Island. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote these words. If you stop and think about them for a minute, they’re pretty extreme. In Ephesians 3:

January News from Orchard Group - A Letter from Brent

Dear Friends and Partners, How many things in your life were disrupted in 2020? Maybe you had to stop going into the office for work. Maybe you lost your job. If you have kids in school, your routines were certainly interrupted. Maybe political strife unsettled your city or your relationships.

Christmas 2020: Not Foreign to the Christian Story

By Luke Greer, Orchard Group's partnership director. In many ways, much of what we have experienced in 2020 is not unlike the historical backdrop that Jesus was born into. In Jesus’ day there were entrenched interest groups, social unrest, competing ideologies, mutual distrust across ethnic lines, and profoundly

Video: Meet Joshua and Ericka

You can become a partner [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/baltimore] with Joshua and Ericka to plant a new church in Baltimore!

The Latest: December News

This season reminds us of "good news of great joy" that came for all people (Luke 2:10). Together with you, we plant churches so that more people everywhere might hear the good news that a Savior has come for them. It's for this very reason

Oakland Project's Thanksgiving Giveaway

How did you celebrate Thanksgiving this year? Food? Family? Football? The Oakland Project [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/oakland-project/] did all that and more, as they organized a Thanksgiving Giveaway to help provide basic Thanksgiving items for over 120 families in their community. This team is in the process of preparing

The Next Chapter: Collective & Icon

This post is part of the "Next Chapter [https://updates.orchard.group/tag/next-chapter]" series, where we share about the “Next Chapters” in the story that God is writing through new churches. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Each time you partner to plant a new church, you make a number of “firsts”

The Latest: November News

You play a vital role in good news being shared in places where Jesus isn't yet widely known. This is why we're so eager to share with you about our newest church plant project! Introducing the Baltimore Project Joshua & Ericka and familyOver the past two

Celebrating God's Work at City Church Lagos

In a bustling city of over 20 million, City Church exists to "Love Jesus, Love People, and Love Lagos." Lagos is one of the largest and fastest-growing cities [https://updates.orchard.group/church-in-the-worlds-fastest-growing-city/] in the world, and we count it a privilege to partner with Femi and Tosin

The Next Chapter: True North & Community Church

This post is part of the "Next Chapter [https://updates.orchard.group/tag/next-chapter]" series, where we share about the “Next Chapters” in the story that God is writing through new churches. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As our team continues to reflect on “The Next Chapter” that God is writing through

The Latest: October News

This past month has marked the celebration of new beginnings at many Orchard Group churches, as well significant milestones at others. Join us in celebrating with these churches and in praising God for his good work! Celebrating New Beginnings On September 13, City Church Over-the-Rhine [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/cincinnati-project/

Celebrating New Beginnings at City Church OTR

On September 13, City Church Over-the-Rhine [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/cincinnati-project/] launched their preview services in Cincinnati! These services are designed to provide an opportunity for people to explore what their church is all about. Over 80 people turned out for their first preview service! We continue to be encouraged

Celebrating New Life at Trace Church

Trace Church [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/trace-church/] in Colorado Springs recently had the joy of celebrating 18 baptisms. Join us in rejoicing with them, and in celebrating the new life that these brothers and sisters have found in Jesus!

The Next Chapter: Reunion & Renaissance

This post is part of the "Next Chapter [https://updates.orchard.group/tag/next-chapter/]" series, where we share about the “Next Chapters” in the story that God is writing through new churches. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Right now in Manhattan [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/manhattan-project/], Russel and Katie Rader are working

Celebrating One Year (2020-style)

2020 has been a year like no other. Yet, even in the midst of unusual and unforeseen circumstances, God has been faithful to preserve and advance his church. This week, we have a tangible example of God's faithfulness with the first anniversaries of both Icon Church [https://orchardgroup.

The Latest: September News

The church has always been characterized as a people who gather, united by their shared love for Jesus. This continues to be true even as a pandemic has caused this "gathering" to take on many different forms throughout the world. Even with present limitations, churches are still finding

Not Limited by Four Walls

At its core, the church has always been characterized as a people who gather, united by their shared love for Jesus. This continues to be true even as a pandemic has caused this "gathering" to take on many different forms throughout the world. We love seeing the creative

Ways Unimagined: God's Work at The Gathering Harlem

This article is contributed by the staff of The Gathering Harlem [https://orchardgroup.org/projects/the-gathering], which launched in 2017, led by Kenny and Shanika Hart. Header photo courtesy of Anthony Geathers [https://www.instagram.com/anthonybgeathers/]. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The vision that God gave The Gathering Harlem (TGH) for 2020 was

The Next Chapter: Crossway & SLO City

Throughout this year, we’ve taken a moment to look back at past church plants and to look forward to current church plants. (Browse other features in the Next Chapter series [https://updates.orchard.group/tag/next-chapter/].) This month, we’d like to continue celebrating how God is writing the

The Latest: August News

Even as much in the world shifts around us, the church's core mission to make disciples remains constant. The same central aim endures: to share the good news about Jesus with as many as possible through the establishment of new church communities. Church planter Russel Rader in Manhattan

Into the Fray: Praying for Planters

Then Jesus told his disciples...that they should always pray and not give up. (Luke 18:1) While thoughtful plans and strategies are necessary, if God is not ultimately at work through them, they will produce little lasting fruit. This is why we are thankful for the thousands who pray

Grieving Losses and Pressing Forward

This article is contributed by Russel Rader, who is preparing to start a new church in Manhattan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > “How lonely sits the city that was full of people!” –Lamentations 1:1 From March to April of this year, it is estimated that over 420,000 people left New York

Finding Creative Ways to Connect in Greater Miami

In the midst of this unique season of physical distancing, church planters Terrence & Emma Mullings are pressing forward with fostering community and building momentum for the launch of a new church in Greater Miami. Here are a few snapshots of life from the past month from the Greater Miami