Pastoral search update from Germantown Hope Community Church

[Matthew Grewe]

Dear friends of Germantown Hope,

We pray spring finds you well. Our church celebrated its 12th anniversary this Easter, and we praise God for the Easter resurrection that brings the promise of life to our church and neighborhood and to God's people everywhere.

For the past year, we at Germantown Hope have been seeking direction and leadership for the future. Our elders, along with the leaders of our parent church, Spirit and Truth Fellowship, have led us in search for a new pastor. As a part of this process, Nate Morris, who served as deacon and elder at Spirit and Truth, has spent the last several months with us in Germantown as interim pastor. Nate has a powerful testimony of God's redeeming work in his own life, and has a heart and gifting for evangelism and care for those affected by addiction, prison, and the life of the street. He has led us through a study of the book of Acts, in which the church is continually challenged to put aside its comfort, stability and inwardness in order to answer God's call to serve the nations.

Germantown Hope is now in a time of prayer and discernment about calling Nate and his wife Lynn, a leader and disciple maker in her own right, to lead our church as our permanent pastoral family going forward. Please pray for discernment, patience, and wisdom as we go through this season. As you do so, please consider financial support of this work as well. We remain a missionary church here in inner city Philadelphia, and despite the uncertainty and wondering about our leadership over this time, the work of teaching, serving, baptizing, and worship on Sunday and throughout the week have continued.

If you would consider support for a specific purpose outside of our normal operating expenses, the church is in need of four new folding tables for meals and events. We would also like to begin a special projects fund for work on the church building (some of which will involve woodwork repairs and fresh paint for the front of the church next month) and for serving our neighbors, to include possible repair work on the homes of families near to the church.

Thank you for your prayers and support for this work!

Sincerely,

Matthew Grewe, deacon, Germantown Hope