church planters. Though rigorous at times, Hess recognizes the value of the time and resources the congregation at CFBC is pouring into him. “They have really invested a lot in me
as we look toward getting to Toronto,” Hess explains. “It’s really a unique situa- tion in that a lot of churches might not be as fully invested as CFBC has been for us, and what that says about the people here is certainly not lost on us.” Nor is it lost on their pastor. For his
part, Herring recognizes the unique posi- tion his congregation is in as they come together to mobilize the Hess family with their fi nances, resources, prayers and time. “The opportunity for us to be a send-
ing church is a huge, huge thing,” Herring says. “Our investment has gone up but in response to that, our giving has gone up signifi cantly since we brought Matt and Arrica on board. That tells me that this has really resonated with the body of Christ here at our church.” In fact, the momentum they’ve gained in mobilizing the Hess family has spurred the congregation to be more on mission in their own community. The church has seen signifi cant growth in both giving and service in the last year, something Herring believes is in direct correlation to their support of the Hess family. “We’ve seen a momentum change in
our church, and God is doing a great work in our people. We are actively engaged in doing more mission work locally in Col- lierville and Memphis than ever before, and that is really exciting to see.” With the Hess fam- ily looking to make the move to Toronto this year, Herring and his congregation aren’t looking to say good-
First Baptist held a commissioning service for the Hess family and prayed for their mobilization. The church is supporting the family by praying, giving and volunteering. The Hess children are (from left) Gavyn, Seanna and Isaac.
bye. In fact, they plan to continue their support in mobilizing Hess and his family, even if it’s from a thousand miles away. “We are actively engaged in plant-
ACTION ITEM To view a video about the Hess family
go to
namb.net/video and search Matt Hess.
ing a church in North America now, and we really feel like we have adopted the city of Toronto as an unengaged people group,” Herring explains. “We fully anticipate sending groups and helping the work there however we can. We want to encourage them, bless them and be a strategic part of bringing the gospel to Toronto through Matt and Arrica.” Having a sending church not just behind them but also beside them as they
go has given a new sense of encourage- ment to Matt and Arrica. Looking ahead to moving to Toronto and fully being mobilized on the ground there, the couple hopes to carry with them the spirit of the congregation at CFBC. “The people at CFBC have a heart for missions in any form that it takes,” Hess explains. “That’s what I’ve always loved about this church. They stand on mis- sions, they stand on evangelism and, most importantly, they stand to glorify Christ. And that’s the heart we want to take with us to Toronto.” OM
Sara Shelton is associate editor for On Mission.
ON MISSION • Fall 2012 14
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