Continuing our new “Praying for our Partners” series with Crossway Fellowship Church, of Athens, Georgia, USA.

See also: Part 1 & Part 2 for background info.

Paul Cooke (Crossway’s senior pastor) and I were at the Sovereign Grace Pastor’s College together way back in 2000-2001, and I recently asked him a few questions to give us some insight into how we can best pray for Crossway Fellowship Church.

Nathan:
“Can you describe for us the general state of people towards church and towards the gospel in Athens?”

Paul:
“Most people here in the South have a “family heritage”. Their granddads or great-granddads probably played some type of role in a “Southern Baptist” church of some sort. They know the “Jesus story”, so that makes them Christians in their eyes. Many can quote Scripture and can even relate the gospel story to you, but few actually believe and live lives changed by it. It is almost like Christianity is just a passed down tradition.”

Nathan:
“Can you tell us about a significant area in the life of Crossway where you’ve seen God at work, for which we can rejoice in and give thanks for?”

Paul:
“We’ve seen a number of new converts and a consistent stead growth in new members. We are still seeing a number of people moving here from all over the eastern United States, which is very encouraging. Some have come from other Sovereign Grace churches, and some not.

In October and November 2008, we also experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as never before in our midst, that was very broad, which included a great deal of repentance and reconciliation taking place, as well as numerous charismatic evidences (tongues, prophetic ministry, etc). This lasted about 6-weeks and has continued to bring fruit in and beyond our church.”

Nathan:
“Can you share with us three specific prayer requests for Crossway Fellowship Church?”

Paul:
“Firstly, that God would bring and provide more leadership to the church, specifically pastoral.

Thirdly, I will go on my annual prayer and planning time in February and would greatly desire God to freshly fill me with His Spirit, to gain a further vision for what He wants us to do here in Athens.”

Nathan:
“Is there any other interesting or important things that you think we should know about you or Crossway fellowship Church?”

Paul:
“I have Lyme Disease, and its affects can be broad and numerous. If you guys would pray for God’s healing and sustaining grace that would be great!”

Nathan:
“Paul, Darby and the people of Crossway – on behalf of Grace Church, it’s our pleasure to lock arms with you and partner in this great gospel work, and we are delighted to be able to support you through prayer! May God richly bless you!”

We will be praying for Crossway Fellowship Church during our church prayer meeting on Sunday evening (7pm) 1st February 2009.

First up in our new “Praying for our Partners” series is Crossway Fellowship Church, of Athens, Georgia, USA.

A bit about the church.
In 1999 a few men went to Orlando, Florida to meet with the leadership of Metro Life Church (a Sovereign Grace Ministries church) envisioned and hopeful to someday have a Sovereign Grace church planted in the greater Athens area. After a number of meetings and much prayer, God made it clear that His desire was to have a new church planted in Athens and he was sending Paul Cooke to lead that church.

Paul Cooke serves as the senior pastor (and only pastor) of Crossway Fellowship Church. He carries responsibility for all pastoral care, church finances and administration, counseling, youth and parents, giving oversight, care, & training to care groups.

Paul and Darby, and their family of 5 children, moved to the Athens area in June of 2001 after 10 months of being at the Sovereign Grace Pastors College in Gaithersburg, Maryland. They came to lead this handful of families in realizing God’s desire for just such a church. After 3 months of preliminary meetings CrossWay Fellowship Church held its first public meeting the Sunday after 9/11, 2001 in Oconee Youth Playhouse.

In February of 2003, after outgrowing the Playhouse, we moved across the street into to a new facility, Oconee County Primary School.

Sensing the Lord’s clear leading to move closer to downtown Athens, Crossway Fellowship moved once more to its present location, Clarke Middle School in Athens, GA in February of 2006. Strategically located to reach students from the University of Georgia, upper and middle class residents, as well as the economically-challenged.

The church has a very diverse make-up including, among others, African Americans, Caucasians, Chinese, Cuban, French, Armenians and Bulgarians! They are approximately 70 adult members and 45 under 18’s, and average attendance is around 150 or so on any given Sunday morning.

One of the great joys of the church is the “Crossway on Campus”, the church’s college ministry, reaching out to students at the University of Georgia. This area of the church continues to grow steadily!!

Next time… how we can support and pray for Crossway Fellowship Church.

See also: Crossway Fellowship Church (Part 1) – For further background.

First up in our new “Praying for our Partners” series is Crossway Fellowship Church, of Athens, Georgia, USA.

A bit about Athens & Georgia
Southern state Georgia – nicked named ‘The Peach State’ – is the 4th state of the USA, covering 58,910 square miles, and has a state population of over 7 million people. Georgia generally enjoys a good climate and good weather – not too cold winters and sunny, hot, muggy summers.

Athens lies about 60 miles east of Atlanta, the state capital. Locals describe Athens as ‘a large town with a small town feel‘. Athens is situated in one of the wealthiest and most sought after counties in Georgia, close to the University of Georgia.

Athens boasts a population of approximately 100,000 people, with a racial make up consisting of mainly whites (64%) and blacks (28%).

The town is surrounded by country and farm lands on one side and the historic town on the other end. It is the home to such notable features as the only remaining one of two double-barreled canons produced during the American Civil War (pictured right) and the famous “Tree that Owns Itself“.

The bulk of the jobs in Athens are in education, government employment or agriculture. (Georgia is the largest producer of peaches, peanuts and pecans in the US.)

The classic southern stereotype of Georgia is one of folks who drink sweet [iced] tea, speak with strong southern accents, eat fried chicken, listen to country music and drive big red trucks with a big UGA Bulldog bumper sticker (see left) on the back!

One of Georgia’s claims to fame is that it is where Coca Cola was invented, and where the girl scouts organisation began! Famous sons and daughters include music sensations such as the B52’s, R.E.M and Widespread Panic.

More specifics on the church coming in the next post…

We’re pleased to announce something “new for 2009“!

As you know, we enjoy the privilege of gathering together twice per month on Sunday evenings to prayer for our church, and our gospel mission in this fair city of Bristol.

As you should also know, Grace Church is part of a wider family of churches, led by CJ Mahaney (pictured right), known as Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Our “new for 2009″ is an attempt to bring these two things together. So, starting once per month from February, we going to be taking some time out during one of our prayer meetings to highlight and pray for one of our “sister” Sovereign Grace Churches.

It’s a great way for us to connect to our wider mission and partnership being part of Sovereign Grace, and its great for us to support other churches, praying for God’s grace, strength, favour and kindness upon those we will probably never meet this side of heaven.

The week before the prayer meeting, we’re going to be highlighting one church here on the blog, providing some background information about the church – where they are, bit of church history, a who’s who, etc… and then we’ll be handing out some pointers during the prayer meeting to help us pray effectively!

It’s going to be a great opportunity for us! So keep watch here as the first church is coming later this week…

JOIN US SUNDAY MORNINGS, 10:30am – THE VASSALL CENTRE, FISHPONDS, BRISTOL.

Full details here.

Following Peter’s message from Sunday on Faith, the words of Spurgeon…

“Beloved friends, let us never look upon our own unbelief as an excusable infirmity, but let us always regard it as a sin, and as a great sin, too. Whatever excuse you may at any time make for others—and I pray you to make excuses for them whenever you can rightly do so—never make any for yourself. In that case, be swift to condemn.

It is a very easy thing for us to get into a desponding state of heart, and to mistrust the promises and faithfulness of God, and yet, all the while, to look upon ourselves as the subjects of a disease which we cannot help, and even to claim pity at the hands of our fellow-men, and to think that they should condole with us, and try to cheer us.

It will be far wiser for each one of us to feel, ‘This unbelief of mine is a great wrong in the sight of God. He has never given me any occasion for it, and I am doing him a cruel injustice by thus doubting him. I must not idly sit down, and say, This has come upon me like a fever, or a paralysis, which I cannot help; but I must rather say, This is a great sin, in which I must no longer indulge; but I must confess my unbelief, with shame and self-abasement, to think that there should be in me this evil heart of unbelief.’”

—Charles Spurgeon, “Unbelievers Upbraided” (a sermon on Mark 16:14)

(HT: Pyromaniacs and Of First Importance)