As a family of churches we exist to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ by planting and strengthening churches throughout the world for the glory of God. Together, we help local churches plant other local churches to reach the lost with the gospel as one means to fulfill our mission. That’s one of the reasons that I thank God for Sovereign Grace Church in Sydney, Australia who in September 2019 planted a church about 30 minutes away in the city of Parramatta. Sending some of their best, including Lead Pastor, Riley Spring and his family, our Sydney church was motivated by the glorious mission to share the gospel with their neighbors. What no one expected was the global pandemic that would provide opportunities for creative thinking and a different dependence on the wisdom of God on how to plant a church during a pandemic. This mission video gives you a snapshot of Sovereign Grace Church Parramatta's story of grace as they seek to share the gospel of Christ with their community.

As you watch and listen, join me in thanking God for these saints. For many of us, they are thousands of miles away. And even if they are close, our stories are intertwined in a shared mission with the goal to make much of Christ and see the lost find salvation in Christ. Our shared mission knits us together.

And, of course, none of this would be possible without your consistent and faithful financial giving to Sovereign Grace Churches. Thank you for your generous support of our shared mission. If you would like to learn more about how to give, please visit us here.

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever" (Eph. 3:20-21, ESV).

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.

Late last year, Cornerstone Church in Knoxville planted a church in Athens, TN. They sent a team of folks from their congregation, along with one of their elders, Walt Alexander, and his family. Trinity Grace Church has sought to reach out to the community, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the lost. We wanted you to see a bit about what God has been doing in that corner of the world, so we produced this short mission video to give you a snapshot. As you watch it, please join us in thanking God for his grace in the mission we’ve embarked on together and how he has allowed us to participate in his plans to save folks in Athens.

We say it often, but we’re serious about it: in Sovereign Grace, a large focus of our mission is to plant churches for the glory of God. We believe that this is one of the significant ways God instructs us to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20). We don’t take God’s blessings on these efforts for granted but are so thankful to be able to see how he has allowed Walt and his church to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. May he provide many more opportunities!

We often find ourselves in a place where our gospel opportunities outrun our financial resources. Please consider financially supporting our church planting efforts by giving to Sovereign Grace Churches. You can find out more about how to do that here.

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.

Sovereign Grace is a family of churches who partner together to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ by planting and strengthening churches throughout the world for the glory of God. As we advance the gospel together, we see it’s reconciling power as sinners are reconciled first to God. But we also see the reconciling power of the gospel as people from different races and ethnicities being reconciled to one another in Christ. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the dividing wall of hostility is broken down, and people from different ethnicities are made one in Christ (Ephesians 2:14-16).

I want you to see the Sovereign Grace 1st Quarter 2019 Mission Video because it captures the reconciling power of the gospel at Risen Hope Church (Drexel Hill, PA). Risen Hope was planted in 2016 in an area just outside of Philadelphia that is ethnically diverse. It is there that God has been drawing people from over 25 different ethnic groups and uniting them as one in Christ. Yes, there are differences. Those differences are providing a context for conversations, helping one another to see each other and see Christ. Through patience and gospel love, those differences are being used to strengthen the unity that the people of Risen Hope have in Christ.

As you watch this video, my prayer is that your faith in Christ and His reconciling power only deepens your devotion to advance the gospel in your community. Consider supporting our shared mission not only through prayer but also by giving to our shared mission. For more on how you can give, and what your money supports, please visit our give page.

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.