During the Easter season we are collecting an offering to support the work of church planting and some of our partners. This is the first of three blog posts about this offering, posted to explain the destination of the money given and encouraging people to give cheerfully to support this offering. All of the money given in this offering will be sent directly to partners who are planting churches locally and in North America. This year the offering will be divided among three partners. Each of these posts will share a bit about our partners, and explain how funds will be used to further the work of church planting.
- The North American Mission Board and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering
- Church in Hard Places/Inner City Initiative with our partners in Acts 29 Midwest and Plant St. Louis
- Echo Church – our church plant in Washington, MO
Genesis is part of two church planting networks locally. The first is the Acts 29 Midwest Network, which is part of the larger A29 church planting network which is a diverse global family of church planting churches. PlantMidwest is the church planting arm of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association. Acts 29 recently launched a new initiative they are calling The Church in Hard Places. Here in our region the goal of this initiative is being carried out in the Inner City Initiative, a partnership with PlantMidwest and A29 in our region to focus on planting churches in the urban core of St. Louis and East St. Louis. The goal is to identify called men to plant churches, assess and train them, and then fund them at a healthy level for a good season, and provide support. Church planting in hard neighborhoods and regions of our city is extremely difficult, but so desperately needed. The brokenness of areas like North St. Louis and East St. Louis is so real, and the Gospel response is to share Christ and plant churches in these areas. Part of our offering will go to support this work in our own region.