This morning, our entire staff gathered to share stories and to catch vision from Perry. We even had the staff team from Florence with us via streaming video. (That was pretty cool.) We took almost an hour just to encourage each other with stories we’ve heard or seen throughout the life of the church. Here’s just a sample of what I heard:

  • We received an email message to Perry from a 10-year-old girl. Her mother recently died. She heard a recent message where Perry talked about the death of his mother when he was young. The girl asked, “How do I get over this?”
  • A church in Africa contacted us to let us know they’ve encouraged their folks to write the names of friends and family on the walls of their building. They’re praying for them to accept Christ. We did the same thing at NewSpring a couple of years ago.
  • Someone shared the story of parents who were celebrating their son’s recent salvation experience.
  • “My dad and mom accepted Christ” on Sunday at NewSpring.
  • Another person recalled meeting a guy years ago. He spent time in jail. Now his life is completely different. “God’s changed his life.”
  • Another person described watching an older couple walk into a service with their grandchildren. Both the grandparents accepted Christ in that service.
  • “For years she’s been praying for her mom.” Her mom accepted Christ.
  • She heard him say, “Because of the way they treated me, I have to go to church now.” She said with confidence, “Next Sunday, he’ll be here.”
  • Another person explained, “He quit his job to be a full-time volunteer at our Greenville campus.” He’s serving on our production team. During a recent service, he was watching the television monitor in the production area and saw his son commit his life to Christ.
  • “God’s healing their marriage.”
  • “He tried to kill himself three years ago. Now he’s coming to NewSpring. He’s attending the new believer’s class. God has changed his life.”
  • “My brother was dealing with drug problems. He was homeless. Now he’s volunteering at NewSpring.” He has said, “Jesus is the answer. Because of that, I don’t crave drugs any more.”
  • “We’ve seen life change on a grand scale.”
  • Another person explained, they accepted Christ in their home while watching a service on the Internet.
  • “They found financial stability through the counseling at our church.”
  • They were unchurched. She told her husband, “If that’s what they’re going to talk about, we need to go to that church.”

The stories go on and on. Really. I wish there was a way for you to hear and see all of them. What an encouragement and an inspiration! It’s why I do what I do.

There are two ways to measure the health of a church. One is by the numbers. I’m convinced healthy churches bear fruit and grow. The other way to measure health is by the stories of life change.

God is up to something big at NewSpring. I’m honored and humbled to be a part of this story.

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