James Cottier is the pastor of Fountain City Church, the EPC church plant in Overland Park.  He reports that they’ve been blessed with a growth spurt this year.

      God has clearly been at work at Fountain City Church. This October we will celebrate our 4-year anniversary of worshiping publicly. This past year has been a year of encouraging growth in both breadth and depth.

      Over the past year, we have been encouraged by significant growth (by church-plant standards). Our overall involvement has increased by 38%. This spring we baptized seven people, and this month [October 2023] five children will be confirmed in their faith. In April we initiated 12 new members, and this fall we will have four home groups all filled to the max. Perhaps the most amazing thing God has been doing is growing our families – we now have just over 50 children in our congregation, and only 55 adults!

       Earlier this year a new couple, Abby and Bennet, showed up to one of our worship services. They had recently moved to Overland Park from the Pacific Northwest and were looking for a church because Abby, an Oregon native, had begun to think she believed in God.  Abby had no Christian background, but after the birth of her two boys, she started asking the big questions of life:  “Why are we here?”  “What’s the meaning of this life?”  “Is there any god who makes sense of all this?”

      After visiting our church for a few weeks, Abby made it clear to Lindsay [James’ wife] that she wanted to trust Jesus to save her and lead her, but she wasn’t sure what to do.  So over coffee one morning, Lindsay and Abby walked through the gospel, and Abby repented and believed, putting her faith in Christ.  Praise God!  A few months later, Abby was baptized, and she, Bennet and their two boys have since become members of our church.

      Stories like Abby and Bennet are why Lindsay and I felt called to church planting years ago.  Jesus is alive, his gospel is true, and there are lost people all around us whom God is calling to himself for eternal life.  Please pray for Abby and Bennet as they continue to seek to follow and grow in the Lord.

      As we head into this Fall, one of our pressing priorities is creating a plan to handle further growth.  Because of the number of young families the Lord has brought to us, we are working to better reach and disciple families in our community who have no faith in Christ or no church home.  If the Lord produces fruit and numerical growth over the next year, we will soon be outgrowing our current worship location at Meadowbrook Park Clubhouse.  Please pray for us!  We need discernment, clarity and patience.

        As God continues to build our church, we are excited to be to bringing on two new part-time staff.  Through a partnership with Cru Church Movements, we will be hiring a Director of Missional Mobilization to lead us in sharing the gospel individually and corporately.  We will also be hiring a part-time church administrator – praise God! – to help lead us administratively.  Please pray for unity and increasing fruitfulness in ministry and mission as we develop our staff team.

       Looking ahead at the next few months, we are excited to welcome FIVE newborn babies, celebrate our four-year anniversary, celebrate the coming of our Savior at Advent, and follow the Lord as he leads us into the next season as a church plant.  Lord willing, we will soon be able to set our eye on localizing by installing our first session and move deeper into long-term sustainability and mission.

        Please pray with us that over the next year, Fountain City Church will continue to see not only fresh growth but new decisions for Christ.  That’s what we’re praying for.  Please pray with us.

        We love you, Gashland, and thank you for all your care, support and prayer!