Every summer since the beginning, The Acts 29 Church Planting Network has gathered for a week to pray, worship, consider our overall health, and dream of what God might accomplish in and through our lives and churches. This past June we gathered in Newport Beach with our wives and God was very much among us. We spent the first night in worship and prayer and I was personally challenged and blown away by the thickness of God’s presence in the room with us. The week was different than weeks in the past. Scott Thomas was no longer on staff with A29 but is serving in an A29 church and Mark Driscoll is no longer serving as President but still involved with the Executive Board. We had the opportunity to honor several men and marvel at all God has been accomplishing for HIS name and HIS glory. His grace has been made evident this year in dozens of ways here are a few of my favorites:

• There are now 450 A29 churches on 6 continents
• 9,892 professions of faith last year
• 7,033 baptisms
• 157 new churches planted
• 2,178 church plants funded via A29 Churches
• 358 Church Planters preparing to launch in 2012-13
• 108 A29 churches with church planting residencies

Please continue to pray for us as we seek to make much of Jesus and plant churches that make much of Jesus. If you are wondering how you can specifically pray follow the links to my 4 big hopes for Acts 29. 

• "Hope #1" : Plant Churches that Plant Churches
• "Hope #2" : Be Known for Holiness and Humility
• "Hope #3" : Become a Radically Diverse Crowd
  
• "Hope #4" : Be Serious about Evangelism and Conversions

For a peek behind the curtain, below is a quick video of our time in Newport.

Christ is All,

Matt Chandler

Special thanks to Laura Olson (wife of A29 pastor Eric Olson) for taking these pictures and putting this video together! To see more pictures from the retreat, visit her Flickr album.