Photo: The Rev. Ben Sharpe of the New Church of the Messiah in Durham, NC

In a flurry of activity at the end of the year and before Winter Conference, a number of new congregations have affiliated with the Anglican Mission in The Americas. They represent a mix of newly planted churches and established congregations as the AMiA continues to plant a new church, on average, every three weeks.

Christ Church, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina was planted last year by members from All Saints Church in nearby Pawleys Island. They have already been featured on the AMiA’s website ( read story) but had not completed the affiliation process until recently. The church is reaching out to a rapidly growing section of the Grand Strand, a popular water-front region that stretches from Myrtle Beach southwards to Charleston.
Under girding this launch was an intentional prayer effort, which included teams who "prayer walked' the neighborhoods of Murrells Inlet over several months, weekly prayer meetings of the launch team, 40 days of focused prayer and a 40 hour prayer vigil leading up to the Grand Opening of Christ Church. According to Senior Pastor David Bryan, this is been vital to the foundation of Christ Church. “God is demonstrating his amazing faithfulness and all those involved are looking forward with great anticipation.”
Christ Church Web Site

To the north in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina two new congregations are reaching out to a vibrant area rich with educational and high-tech opportunities that are drawing many new residents. All Saints Church in Chapel Hill was planted by Church of the Apostles in Raleigh, itself a new congregation just several years ago. According to All Saints’ Rector, the Rev. Dr. Steve Breedlove, the Chapel Hill congregation “grew out of a small group of people who met as a Bible study for one year. …the families sensed God’s call to begin the prayerful consideration of closer to where they lived in Chapel Hill and Durham.” The process led to the calling of Dr. Breedlove, who had been on staff at Church of the Apostles, as the Rector. All Saints now has a launch team of 50 adults who meet regularly, and will begin Sunday morning services when the number climbs to 60-75 individuals. All Saints seeks to make Christ known through holistic impact in the community, and the church’s structure and strategy are traditional but the style, or feel is contemporary.
Read Pastor Breedlove’s Vision for All Saints

Connect with the story of one of All Saints members

Church of the Messiah in nearby Durham has been building and moving forward for some time. Messiah’s Pastor, the Rev. Ben Sharpe and his wife Lisa returned to Durham in 2004 to plant the church, having graduated from Duke Divinity School almost 15 years earlier. Their congregation’s ministry digs deeply into the historic richness of the Church, and calls people into a community-based discipleship. “Church of the Messiah is distinctive in that the life of the congregation is lived out in what we call "Houses." Houses are more than home Bible studies. Instead they are actually miniature churches in which nurture, discipleship, and mission are lived out in intentional Christian community,” explains the Rev. Sharpe. “The Houses meet separately during the week and come together for sacramental worship on Sunday morning. We are guided by a set of "Kingdom Principles" that represent the emphases we believe the Holy Spirit has given us as a congregation.”
The Church of the Messiah worships together at Trinity School, and is an active part of the Kings Mission Network of the AMiA.
Website

Photo: Parish Work Day at Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Webster Groves, Missouri (St. Louis area) was founded as a mission of the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1999. Their growing relationship with Church of the Resurrection and the Rev. Paul Walter led them to seek oversight from Bishop TJ Johnston and seek affiliation with the Anglican Mission in The Americas. Today Holy Trinity is a ‘church plant’ of the Church of the Resurrection as they continue to move forward and grow.
The Rev. Kurt Henle is Vicar, and the church has a vision to live the Great Commission using historic Anglican distinctives and foundations of the Christian faith. Holy Trinity is traditional in the sense that it employs the 1928/1662 Book of Common Prayer and historic service music. But its focus is on outreach, supporting missionary work in both St. Louis and Rwanda. They are currently utilizing a worship space from the Wesleyan Church, but will soon sign a lease with option to buy.
Web Site

One of the AMiA’s newest churches is a concrete example of the growing relationship of the Anglican Mission to the Global South leaders in the Anglican Church. St. Cyprian’s International Church of Amarillo, Texas has joined the AMiA as part of an agreement that will allow it to be a full and active member in the Mission, but remain under the oversight of a bishop in the Thika Diocese, Kenya. The Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, is a friend and encourager of the AMiA, having attended the last several Winter Conferences and been in ongoing conversations with Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, the AMiA’s sponsor.
The church’s pastor, the Rev. John Githiga, is leading St. Cyprians in some exciting multi-cultural ministry, with members drawn from African, Hispanic, Native and ‘Euro’-American groups. “The Spirit of God us led us to reach out to immigrants and God’s people who are hurting,” observed the Pastor. “We are catholic, charismatic and evangelical.”
For more information on St. Cyprian’s International Church call (806) 570-1539

A number of congregations join the Anglican Mission as Fellowships, providing them with relationship as they establish themselves and grow towards full affiliation. New Wine Anglican Mission in Flint, Michigan has done just that, becoming an affiliated group and entering into an assimilation process. New Wines roots trace to the summer of 2004 with the formation of a discernment group. The Rev. David Kulchar, a former Episcopal priest, provided leadership as the group entered into a season of prayer and discussion. In January of 2005 two primary ‘cells’ were launched, with the intention of multiplying the cell and celebration groups. The members of New Wine currently meet in homes with a regular large group gathering on Sunday evenings. They are growing in partnership with other mission-minded churches and the King’s Mission Network, led by the Rev. Dr. Jon Shuler.
Contact them at (810) 659-0432


For more information on church planting with the Anglican Mission, or our affiliation process, please call us at 843-237-0318, or send an email to info@anglicanmissioninamerica.org

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