NOLA Update (March 12, 2023)
On Sunday, I updated our church about the New Orleans church plant. A summary of the update is outlined below.
News
- Completed our branding (logo, design, landing page for website – GraceBibleNOLA.org)
- registered as a corporation with the state of Louisiana
- opened a bank account so we can start receiving donations + giving through the website
- Put together a Support Letter
- Describes what we are doing, explains how we got here, and tells potential supporters about the city
- Intended launch date: November 12, 2023
- My family’s last Sunday in Arizona (Lord willing) will be October 29th.
- Before our departure, I am planning to preach verse by verse through the book of Haggai, followed by a single sermon on October 22nd in preparation for our departure
The Core Team
- Began meeting in June 2021 with about a dozen households
- Were prayerfully considering relocating to New Orleans to establish a church there
- Of those families, we have narrowed down our core team who is committed to going:
- Derek and Pam Robinson and Judy Heddens (Derek’s mom)
- Diana Allen
- Matt and Janelle Schneider
- Nick and Britney Dudley
- Schylar Reed and his fiancé Lydia are still a strong possibility.
- Wedding is scheduled for June 10th in Huntsville, AL.
- Schylar and I graduated from The Expositors Seminary in 2020
- Diana and Nick + Britney Dudleys expect to be in New Orleans in November when the church launches
- The Robinsons plan to arrive in January after the kids’ fall school semester ends
- The Schneiders plan to join the team as soon as Daniel is adopted out of foster care.
- Please be praying that they would be able to adopt Daniel this year
Miles family
- My family and I have moved in with Kyle and Ashley Frazey until they depart for New Orleans
- We are using our home as a short-term rental through Airbnb and Vrbo to save money for property in New Orleans
- We will be traveling quite a bit (I’ll be preaching and raising support on these trips:
- Later this month we’ll visit Cornerstone Church in Jackson Hole, WY
- Next month Emily and I will be in New Orleans; I’m speaking at an event for pastors about biblical counseling
- From mid-June through the month of July, we will be driving across the country to visit like-minded churches in Houston, TX, Lynchburg, VA, New York, and Jupiter, Jupiter, FL
Financial need
Start up costs = $25,000
Legal/entity set up
Equipment
Marketing/signage
Core team moving expenses
Operating Costs = $165,696
Pastoral salary + benefits
ministry expenses
Rent
Administrative (software, subscriptions, books/resources, accounting, etc.)
Supplies
Total = $190,696
- To help raise these costs, we are selling “Spurgeon in Louisiana” t-shirts
- To give directly to Grace Bible Church NOLA , visit https://gracebiblenola.org/give/
Prayer requests
- That Matt and Janelle Schneider will be able to adopt Daniel soon
- Schylar and Lydia Reed’s engagement and marriage (June 10th) and that God would help them discern if and when they should labor alongside us in New Orleans
- That God would give us wisdom in preparing to go
- That I would be diligent in shepherding duties here as well as in preparation
- Safety and strength during my family’s upcoming traveling schedule
- That God would bless our support-raising efforts