Woke up at 5am on Monday to head out to Troy, NY for an Acts 29 Regional Meeting. I got to bum a ride with 3 other church planters from Philadelphia. I loved getting to meet up with these men and hear of what God is doing in and through them in our city. I probably learned just as much from sitting in a car with them for 10 hours as I did from the presentations that were made. A huge highlight for me was being able to see Matt Kruse and some of the other guys from Boston.
So funny, if we went to Seven Mile Road Boston today, it would be a very different church. I wouldn’t know half the people. That’s awesome. I had dinner with some of the guys from Liberti Roxborough. I have been hugely blessed by the way missional churches in Philadelphia really rally and encourage young church planters.
I’ve heard so many horror stories of Gospel-starved insular churches with dwindling vitality that are threatened by new churches and feel the need to mark their territory. My encounters in Philadelphia so far have been wonderfully different. Over dinner, Doug Logan (lead pastor of Liberti) repeatedly extended me an invitation to bang with them* till we got started. Really grateful for the pastors and churches that surround and support 7 Mile Road. Got home after midnight, but well worth my time.
*bang with them
1. urban slang meaning to hang out together, spend time together, to participate in ministry together
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