Church Planting is a serious business- it’s like mountain climbing where some rocks are firm while others crumble directly beneath you. It’s challenging like nothing else, yet the views are like no other. You can actually see heaven invading earth, as well as humanity in all of its humanness.

This is our diary of church planting in England- the north of England- 10,000 miles from our hometown in Australia. It starts at the end where storms erupt and rocks give way- eventually uprooting us back to the land that sent us. It then shoots to day one of year one – the day we arrived at Heathrow Airport and caught a train to the northern heartland of Britain to start a church in a place where we knew no one.

The first 10 years records the successes and failures, the gatherings and the dispersing, the mountains and the valleys, all made worth it by the breakthroughs both large and little. The second 10 years takes the listener on a whirlwind tour as we plant new congregations here there and everywhere, seeing, by year 14, a thousand people in our weekend services.

The final years saw the church peaking with over 2000 in our services over 10 locations. STRANDED then crosses over into the terrain that finally triggered a war for our future- battle lines were drawn and darkness descended. But none of this is just our story- it's the story of everyone who dares to step out in faith to go to places they’ve never been, to see dreams come true that many have never dreamt - it’s the guts and the glory, the power and the providence working hand in hand for an eternal future.

It’s a holy journey but not for the faint hearted.

(My not to miss six part online church planting course called 'The Survival Guide' is available now at davegilpin.store. You can follow me on Instagram or Facebook @davegilpin)

Jenny Gilpin

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