We are in awe of what God has been doing amongst us as we are building with Jesus. On Sunday 4 October we will be launching our 31st Joshua Generation Congregation. This time we’re launching an Outreach Congregation in Hermanus, South Africa.
Last year God spoke very clearly to the leader of Joshua Generation Church, Andrew Selley, and his eldership team about growth. There was a strong sense that God would thrust many people out to plant, many of whom would be people who might not previously have considered this a possibility.
In response to God, the leadership team have devoted many resources to this endeavour with a focus on training and equipping people who felt they could one day be a part of a church plant, somewhere in the world. These resources include a church planting series and tools for guys in the field to use such as resources on our website, YouTube page and the launch of JoshGen Live.
There has been an investment in technology and personnel to enable a more effective online presence. Our presence online has enabled us to reach people around the world during the various phases of lockdown. A number of whom have shown an interest in partnering with us in towns and cities around the globe, likely leading to a number of additional congregations being planted in the near future. Our more recent plants include Muizenberg, Worcester, Grabouw, Hermanus and an outreach community group in Mauritius.
Our Muizenberg Outreach Congregation has been meeting together for some time now and have been seeing steady growth. A number of people who live in and around the Muizenberg area have been part of our Wynberg congregation for some time and have responded to the call to support the plant, under the leadership of Dylan Jones. Join us in praying for continued growth and for the gospel to reach and transform Muizenberg.
JoshGen Muizenberg Outreach Congregation gathering together
The Worcester Outreach Congregation kicked off last month. This congregation came about through several students not being able to return to Stellenbosch due to Covid-19 restrictions. These students have been helping leaders with this plant and have invited their families and friends to attend their meetings. This plant is the fulfilment of prophesy from several years ago; it is always exciting to see God’s promises come to fruition and we look forward to more exciting developments in Worcester. Pray that families and leaders would be added to this core group; that God would send the right people to help take it forward and help it grow in number and in influence in the town.
JoshGen Worcester Outreach Congregation during a Sunday meeting
Gordon and Mel Hicks felt a strong call by God to relocate to Mauritius. In doing so though, they didn’t want to find themselves unable to be part of a healthy church. After much prayer and discussion with the elders they have felt to establish an Outreach Community Group which will operate as a JoshGen Community Group led by Gordon and Mel. It may well be that over time this becomes a fully fledged congregation just as happened with our City Bowl congregation.
Gordon and Mel have been holding virtual meetings ahead of their physical arrival on the island and have already been seeing great fruit. The Mauritius team recently saw 8 salvations, 2 recommitments! Please pray for the Outreach Community Group in Mauritius, especially for Gordon and Mel as they arrive on the island and adjust to their new life and responsibilities.
JoshGen Mauritius Outreach Community doing life together!
Grabouw is a town that holds a special place in the heart of Andrew Selley as he spent much of his childhood there. It is wonderful to see that a number of people hungry for God and longing for healthy church have begun to gather together in Grabouw. Willem Engelbrecht, from our Somerset West congregation, is heading up this Outreach Congregation. It that has already seen its first salvation as well as a number of recommitments to the Lord and has witnessed some water baptisms. A group of 8 has grown to over 20! This necessitated a move to a new, larger venue which miraculously became available.
The Grabouw Outreach Congregation have also started 3 community groups, mostly consisting of people who were not previously attending church for various reasons. Please pray for gifted musicians and worshippers to be added to them and for the Lord to open doors for congregation to be able to be able to use parts of their facility for JoshGen Kids meetings.
Jaco Dippenaar and his family have recently relocated to Hermanus and they are in the process setting up to launch with their first meeting early next month. God has blessed them with a great facility to meet in with ample space to meet together on Sundays. You can join us in praying with them for God to change the hearts of many in Hermanus and the surrounding areas.
Jaco & Kim Dippenaar with family in Hermanus
Joshua Generation Church has now reached 31 congregations and we are continuing to grow! We share this not to boast in ourselves but to boast in our God and to celebrate His faithfulness to us. He alone could make this happen and we celebrate alongside the angels with every salvation that has come from these plants.
We want to encourage you that God is continuing to build His church and He wants you to be a part of it. Please join us in praying not just for our existing congregations but also for future congregations yet to be planted and the role that Jesus wants you to have as we advance in all that he has for us. We trust that the Lord wants to continue to do a great work in and through us – we’re excited to see how God wants to use you in this!
Planting Outreach Community Groups and Outreach Congregations is a short term strategy in response to what we feel the Holy Spirit has prompted us to do in this season. Once this season has passed we will likely revert back to our normal way of building, raising up and releasing.