Pneuma Church Plant by Jordan Cooke
Over the last three years, our parent church, Grace Community Church in Raleigh, has more deeply embraced a longstanding vision and strategy that is both simple and grandiose. The “simple” part, at least in word, involves teaching and equipping people to be disciples who make disciples who make disciples. The grand part entails many things, including seeing people from Grace sent into every people group in the world to spread the gospel.
That’s a task that, no doubt, will be impossible without the Lord’s help. But by His grace, we’ve been making strides in various ways. One of those ways has been sending teams of friends to new areas to labor together in the gospel and “start from scratch” a local church body that will help people become emotionally, spiritually and relationally healthy followers of Jesus Christ.
It’s this mission that led a team of four of us – three from Raleigh and one from Oak Ridge Community Church in Maryland – here to Wilmington just six months ago to start Pneuma Christian Life. We want to see this city won over with the gospel, starting with the campus of UNC-Wilmington.
This campus, filled with some of our next generation leaders, is in desperate need of Christ. Drunkenness and sexual promiscuity are rampant and, in some cases, openly advertised and promoted. Many here struggle with depression and even suicidal thoughts. People here are broken in many ways. But God is moving, and He’s healing people, starting with their souls.
We rejoice that in our first six months we’ve seen over 20 salvations, baptized two new believers, and prayed for over 1,000 students and faculty. God has already added two more committed laborers to our team. The Lord is good and faithful, and we are excited to see how He will continue to restore hearts and build His church!
