Issue no.

1, September 2009

Join us in thanking God
for His provision and
grace in our lives in the
following ways:
• We have begun meeting as a
core group of about 40 people
each Sunday to plan for the
official launch of Renewal
Church in January
• We have been able to find
people in our area who love
Jesus and are helping connect
us to needs in our city.
• We have launched 4 small groups the Lord and from church to be • That God would provide a meeting
within the last two weeks. part of Renewal Church space for the launch of Renewal
• The Usher’s found an affordable Church in January
Prayer Needs:
apartment in the same area that • That God would unite those who
• That God would provide another
we would like Renewal Church to are linking up with Renewal
elder to join in leading the vision
be permanently located of Renewal Church • That relationships would be
• Our supporters are •That God would established and built through our
continuing to give provide us with 3-5 fall gatherings on Sunday morning
to sustain the work middle aged families and special events
of Renewal Church who would be willing • That we would find favor with area
• God is sovereignly churches to develop good working
to plant their families at
drawing people relationships so that together we
Renewal to assist us in
who are can reach every man, woman, and
diversifying our core
disconnected from group. child in Greenville

worship God who gives us His Spirit so that we have

Renewed relationship with
God
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to
the fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and to
prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
Matthew 13 tells the story of a farmer
who scatters seed on different types of soil. Only
the seed that falls on good soil is able to take root
and grow.  The purpose of our Sunday
morning gatherings through the fall is to embody
this parable by establishing the roots of Renewal
Church in order to have a successful launch in
January.  We have already begun to see these roots
grow into the soil through our first services. 40-45
people have consistently attended each Sunday since
our first gathering on September 13th and many of
these are in very different life stages and various
relationships to Christ and His church. Most
attendees are 30 and under, single or newly married,
and are working their first jobs or are finishing
school. Many attendees have been disconnected from
the local church and are intrigued by the work of
Renewal, but we’ve also seen nonbelievers attend in
these first few weeks. Despite these differences, God
is uniting the hearts of believers together to
accomplish His mission of seeing every man, woman,
and child in Greenville be renewed by the gospel of
Jesus.
Matt is preaching through the book of Acts in a series
entitled “Saturate: The Making of the Church”. In
our first service, we were encouraged that God has
purposed for the church to be the vehicle to reach
the lost and the people who make up the church
are called to go and accomplish this mission in the
areas of influence in which God has placed them.
We were able to sing together in worship of our
great God who has allowed us to join Him in His
mission, and then spent time meeting and building
relationships with those who came this first
Sunday. The second service on Acts 1:9-26
challenged us to depend on the Lord through
united, persistent, and missional prayer. After
singing in worship to God who allows us to
approach Him in prayer, we took the last half hour
of the service to pray together in smaller groups
for the work that is happening through Renewal
Church. Last Sunday, we looked at Acts 2:1-13 and
were challenged with the fact that God’s Spirit is
the essential ingredient for life and the existence
and mission of the church. We sang on Sunday to
life in the church and the power to accomplish the
mission He has given us. If you would like to follow
the sermon series along with us, you can download
the messages at http://www.renewalupstate.com/
sermons or search “Renewal Upstate” on iTunes to
subscribe to our podcast.
Please continue to pray that God would unite our
hearts around the mission of God to reach the lost in
our city and that we would rely on His Spirit through
prayer to accomplish His mission.
How to Give
“Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone
as he had need.” Acts 2:45
Thank you again for your commitment to give to
Renewal Church! See the following information on
how to give:
• By check
Place a check in he pre-labeled envelope along
with a stamp, and mail to Renewal Church
• Online
Go to www.renewalupstate.com and click on
“Online Giving” at the bottom of the home
page.
We are in the process of setting up an automatic draft
for those of you who have asked for it. Look in next
month’s newsletter for information on how to give
through automatic draft.

www.renewalupstate.com

Renewed Relationships With
Each Other
“Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple
courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together
with glad and sincere hearts.” Acts 2:46
We Need You
Renewal is beginning to take shape.  We are so
encouraged by the multitude of ways that God is
proving Himself faithful in our lives each and every
day.  It is a testimony to His grace that He is
beginning to rally people around the mission of
Renewal on a weekly basis.
As we have observed the movement of God in our
midst it has become apparent that we have a
noticeable gap in the age of our congregation.  We
are a radically young group of people, engaging the
mission of God in a corporate context. However,
our desire is not simply to plant a cool, young adult
service.  We desire to plant a multi-generational
church body that can embody the fullness of the
beauty of the Church.
To that end, we would like to ask you to join us in
praying that God would provide us with a few
gospel-centered, mission-minded families who
would be willing to link up with us in the mission.  
We need a few adults with grade school or teenage
children who would be willing to join us.  Even
better would be a few older couples who trust God
to plant a new church.  As you might imagine, the
thought of leaving a stable church setting to link up
with a group of young missionaries in Greenville
can be incredibly daunting for many established
families.  Certainly issues concerning a need for
children’s ministry and stable systems can
discourage some from taking this risk.  However,
we trust that God is raising up a few families who
desire to teach and train their families to be
missionaries in their current context.   What better
way to teach one to be a missionary than to be a
missionary in your own city?
Please join us in praying that God would meet that
need.  Should God prompt your heart to consider
joining us, please let us know.  You might be the
answer to our prayer!
We believe that community is a vital part of the life
of Renewal Church and so we began meeting in
small groups, which we have branded re:groups, on
September 27th. These groups will be different for
some than the ones they may have been apart of
before because of our desire to see mission,
discipleship, and accountability accomplished
through re:groups. Our goal is for these groups to
be the front door of our church for believers and
nonbelievers through serving together in these
smaller clusters, sharing the gospel together,
helping to disciple new believers together,
challenging each other to, as Scripture says, “throw
off the sin that so easily entangles” through
accountability, and encouraging each other to grow
into maturity as believers.
There are currently four groups meeting throughout
the city of Greenville: Bailey Pearson leading at
North Greenville University, the Rutland’s leading
in their home, the Usher’s leading in their home,
and the Rogers’ leading in a public restaurant.
Please be in prayer for us as we seek to grow and
mature through these groups as well as be on
mission together in our city.
Renewed Love for Those Far
From God
“...And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.” Acts 2:47
God is providing opportunities for us to develop
relationships with those who are disconnected from
the Lord through our already established circles of
influence. He placed Stephen and Christina
Rutland in a neighborhood with many families of
diverse culture and they are beginning to meet their
neighbors for the purpose of sharing the gospel with
them. J.B. and Rachelle now have a great
opportunity to share with neighbors in their new
apartment complex. Matt, Sarah, and Bailey are
meeting with people out the in the community
regularly and are encouraged by the opportunities
God has given to build relationships with the lost.
One example comes from a great meeting Sarah had
with another mom at a park a few weeks ago. They
were both able to share their stories, and this mom
www.renewalupstate.com
and her family have lived here for three years and
are not connected with a local church. After that
first meeting, she and Sarah have met weekly to
allow their kids to play while the moms talk and
have seen a relationship beginning to develop. Pray
for this mom and her family that God would
provide opportunities for clear presentations of the
gospel.
Renewal will also be getting involved with the local
community by serving in various capacities around
the city. We are investigating schools, recreational
leagues, and service outlets (soup kitchens, etc.) to
see where needs are that we could meet as a church.
Our church partnerships are still going strong and
together we will soon be bringing lunch to teachers
at a school in the area. There are other service
opportunities on the horizon so please continue to
pray for favor from the area organizations so that
we are able to serve and share the gospel openly.
Meet the Usher’s
For the next few newsletters, we will introduce the
families that make up our core team and then begin to
give updates from each family on a monthly basis.
J.B. is a graduate of
North Greenville
University where he
received a Bachelors
Degree in Christian
Studies with a focus
in Youth Ministry.
He has been leading
worship for youth
groups, retreats, and
church services for
more than 10 years.
J.B. serves Renewal
Church as Worship
and Creative Arts Minister. He is an avid sports fan
and his favorite teams are the Clemson Tigers and
Kentucky Wildcats.
Rachelle is a graduate of Greenville Technical
College where she received an Associates Degree in
Criminal Justice. Rachelle has lived in the Upstate
for most of her life. In her free time she enjoys
photography, drawing, reading, and cooking. She is
currently a stay at home mom to their 6 month old
daughter Adelaide. Adelaide’s favorite past times
are eating, sleeping, talking, and chasing their dog
Chewy.
As a family, the Usher’s enjoy watching Clemson
football, taking road trips, going to concerts, and
playing card games. They are excited about their
roles in Renewal Church and look forward to what
God has in store for their family and Renewal
Church.