We're building a greenhouse...

This might not be news to you if you receive our weekly broadcast, but if this is the first time you're hearing from the Kloppers, we're letting you know that we've decided to plant a church from our home near Reading in the UK - together with a bunch of other awesome families, we're building THE GREENHOUSE.

HOW IT STARTED

JP and I have been around church plants most of our adult lives - for some, supporting from a distance or travelling to visit and for one, involved from the early years and having the privilege of watching it grow. While we were always open to the idea of church planting ourselves, JP has been involved in the business world to a degree that led us to believe that playing a key support role was the best way for us to contribute faithfully over the years.

In 2018, we moved to the UK and have faced storm after storm: multiple school changes, losing the Tier 2 visas that brought us into the country and applying from scratch for permission to reside, multiple house moves, COVID disruptions, working for a charity that imploded around me and then last year a serious cancer diagnosis and notice from our landlord. There's a book in here somewhere but for now, suffice to say, instead of discouragement and disillusionment, we have experienced a deepening conviction that God has called us here and is using us to establish something significant for the future generations of His church.

THE JOURNEY

In October, we started meeting with a small group of families in our home, and together the community started to grow. God provided a home we could buy in a county further out from London. We moved into our own space in November and immediately started dreaming of a greenhouse space we could build in the garden and possibly meet in as a church. In parallel, the prophetic sense we have carried is that we are to diligently and patiently 'sow' seeds now for the church that will stand in 50-100 years time, to train up and 'grow' the next generation of Jesus followers and gifted leaders, to shelter, nurture and disciple (or 'tend') those who God graciously sends our way, and to be a base that releases or 'sends' people and resources into other contexts. (Note the strapline on our website)

In February, Hannah joined us as a volunteer for 6 months to help launch the kids ministry and to help as an aupair in our home. In April, we made the decision to start the application process to register as a charity with Charity Commission and landed on 'THE GREENHOUSE CHURCH' as our official name. Sunday after Sunday, we are amazed at what God has done and is doing. Particularly among our teens, we have seen multiple baptisms and a core group forming as they hang out on Friday evenings, explore apologetic topics and roast marshmallows! Two families leave tonight for Kalerwe in Uganda, hoping to encourage Rachel Mutesi in her work with Ufahari Girls, establish a relationship with her team and a foundation for ongoing partnership. You can follow the trip on Insta @help.justone

WHAT'S NEXT?

For the next few months, it is time to BUILD!

Amazingly, a marquee has been donated to The Greenhouse and is due to be installed in the garden over the next 2 weeks. We'll be planning work parties to sand floors, paint a piano and get power to the tent for lighting and heating in the winter months fast approaching. This will be tangible work with progress visible to the eye week on week.

There will be a building work on a different level though, more subtle to notice but more critical to the final result. Discipleship, evangelism and training will be happening across multiple platforms, meetings and formats as we depend fully on Jesus to purify His church, build her up and mature her to present her spotless at His arrival.

1 John 1:7

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another , and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin"

Some of our plans include hosting our second online Marriage Course, mens 'group of threes', Friday ladies discipleship, a youth series on worship over and above our Sunday series working through the signs of Jesus recorded in the gospel of John.

HOW CAN YOU PARTNER WITH US?

There are a number of ways we would love you to support us:

1. We need intercessory prayer - If you'd like to receive a weekly Whatsapp broadcast that goes out to local members and global intercessors or to join us to pray on Zoom Wednesday evenings, let me know.

2. Come visit us whenever you're flying through the UK - we're 30 minutes from Heathrow. Who knows, you might end up staying ;-)

3. You can give financially towards the next season of building (we are using a temporary account until the charity is registered and the church can set up a separate bank account) Details: W Johnston | Sort code 20-30-47 | Acc number 33760294

4. If you know of friends, family or colleagues that are based near us and might be looking for a church or open to exploring the gospel, please connect them to us or us to them.

Feel free to share this post with others and we hope to hear from you soon