Gathering in South Jersey

Pastor Phil Henry was one of two pastors called in the September 2008 Presbytery meeting of the New Jersey Presbytery to start new churches in South Jersey—Phil’s call was to the suburbs of metro Philadelphia, in Gloucester County.

Having raised the minimum budget over the course of the next six months, the Henry's sold their house in Tucson, AZ, in May, 2009, and moved to New Jersey in June.

After arriving, Phil, Polly, and their six kids stayed in the old manse at Fairfield PCA in Fairton, NJ, while commuting to Gloucester County to find a house, register the kids for school.

Now residing in Sewell, New Jersey, the Henrys have hosted a dozen get-togethers, including an open house at which more than fifty people attended (a mixed group of believers, neighbors, and some non-Christians as well). (Click below to read more...)

Additionally, Phil has met with local pastors, local and regional PCA believers interested in the new ministry, pursued further church planting training through a network called Acts 29 (www.acts29network.org), and continued to visit area churches seeking to complete the fundraising goals for 2009.

God is growing the team of laborers for this new ministry. A volunteer now helps as a bookkeeper/office manager for the new church and a young man has come alongside Phil as an "assistant to the pastor."

Settling in has taken longer than the Henrys realized. Fundraising has been slower than expected. Plans to make inroads into the lives of lost people have sometimes been frustrating.

Despite discouragements like these, Phil and Polly are inspired to see God gathering a people who love Jesus and His Gospel together in South Jersey.

By God’s grace, the groundwork has been set to begin, in 2010, to “reach the lost for Jesus through authentic Christian living.”

• weekly “launch team” meetings will be held at the Henry’s home on Sunday nights starting in January
• Gospel communities will start in several area towns this Spring
• monthly Sunday morning preview worship services will begin when God provides a worship leader, hopefully by February or March
• weekly worship services will start on September 19, 2010

This new church aims to be a place where our neighbors who don't know Christ, or who don't attend church at all, will be able to discover God's goodness in the powerful story of God in the Gospel and in the lives of His people.

For more information on the church, visit www.gatheringinsouthjersey.com or email Phil at pastphil at gmail dot com.

Thank you for praying!