Reformation Presbyterian Church Update

Hello CMPC Family – I wanted to give everyone an update on our church planting efforts since our public announcement during the Missions Conference. Many of you have asked about supporting us and I am so grateful for the prayers and encouragement. If you would like to support us financially, please send your gifts through normal CMPC giving channels but designate your gift to “Jefferson Church Plant”.  

“For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice.” (Zech. 4:10a)

It’s been a little less than five months since we announced our intent to plant a daughter church in Jefferson. We have been delighted to see the Lord increase our numbers as our core group of a few families has continued to increase. We started meeting in our home in February but have recently moved to a new location, The Jefferson Clubhouse, on Sunday evenings. Over the last 3 weeks in the clubhouse, we have seen as many as 50 people joining us. This number reflects not only our core families but also the addition of several CMPC members who simply came to encourage us in the month of July.

Our time together consists of prayer, singing, study, and fellowship. We are also delighted to spend time in “Koinonia” (Greek for fellowship) every Sunday as we share food and drink together. All these activities are binding us together spiritually, as a Body. While we are already ‘the’ Church, the Lord is creating a bond of unity that we pray will become ‘a’ church; a local expression of the Body of Christ, covenanted together, for the building up of the saints and the proclamation of the Gospel.

“Contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3)

As we have been studying the book of 1 Peter, we have seen that God brings about the new birth through the preaching of the Gospel. As our young church continues to grow, we want the preaching of the Word to be central to our mission because we know it is the power of God for salvation (Rom.1:16). As a Presbyterian church, we trace our roots to the Protestant Reformation, which reaffirmed the Bible's prominence as the inspired Word of God (2 Peter 1:19-21). As a church plant in the PCA, we want to be true to the Reformed Faith and obedient to the Great Commission. We strive for a continual reformation in our own hearts, and in the hearts of our community through the living and abiding Word of God. As a reminder of our rich heritage, our abiding commitment to the Scripture, and our historic standards, we have named our church, “Reformation Presbyterian”.  

“But all things should be done decently and in order.” (1 Cor. 14:40)

There are several actions that CMPC, as well as our presbytery, need to complete/approve for us to be designated as a mission church. These actions will hopefully take place at the next presbytery meeting which will be held in September. Between now and September, an initial budget will need to be developed, CMPC will need to ‘call’ (a formal declaration to a specific work) a pastor to this new church plant, the presbytery must approve a new mission church within the bounds of our presbytery, and I will need to complete and pass my ordination exams. Please pray for these ‘logistical’ details as we want to do everything in accordance with our standards and not have any obstacles related to procedure. Please also pray for me (Jason) as I prepare for my final ordination exams to accept the forthcoming call as a church planting pastor.

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Phil. 1:3-5)

As a daughter church, we will rely greatly on the prayer, financial, and resource support of our sending church, CMPC. The Lord will need to call more people to grow His church in Jefferson. Pray that others will join us. Perhaps God is calling you to be a temporary local missionary to help us plant a church? But we do not want to build the church from other believers only. My time is limited to reach the community right now as my vocational work continues. Pray that God grants divine appointments not just for myself but for our other church plant families as well. One item of praise and prayer I will share; I recently heard from a former co-worker, who was an avowed atheist. We had many good conversations during the time we worked together, but I had not heard from him in several years. He contacted me this week to let me know that he and his family were moving to Jefferson! Pray that I can reconnect with him and that the Spirit would soften his heart to hear and respond to the Gospel.

Finally, please pray for clarity on the timing of my vocational transition to full time pastor as well as developing a budget for our needs. Pray that we can develop prayer and financial partnerships with other PCA Churches.

Thank you for being a part of building God’s Kingdom, in Jefferson and around the world.

Jason, for the Cunningham Family