“I am about to do a new thing” Isaiah 43:19 . It's a fair guess that the prophet wasn't thinking about new church development when these words were first penned. But it's also fair to say that few biblical phrases capture more completely the excitement that new church development generates for God's people. And in the Presbytery of St. Augustine, we're excited.

The presbytery has accepted the challenge of our New Church Development committee to begin two new churches during the same year. The Reverend Dr. James Weldon (along with his wife, Jennifer) leads the work that is called Fleming Island NCD, a project located immediately south of Orange Park. The early stages of this project have lots of young families with lots of young children. On a recent Sunday the attendance was 55 adults with 46 children! The project epitomizes growth and development.

The Reverend Ed Ayers (along with his wife, Frances) is the organizing pastor for the project adjacent to the World Golf Village. This work, which uses the name Living Water, is drawing people from significant distances as they receive the spiritual nourishment of God's grace. Because few schools or other public buildings are located in the surrounding area, the option for temporary meeting space has been limited. Still, the possibilities for growth are strong, and the long range future is bright.

Both Weldon and Ayers have adopted a blended worship style which incorporates varieties of music and the use of modern technology for projecting images to enhance the Word. The prayer of the Presbytery is that sufficient growth will take place for each of these projects to be constituted as a congregation within the next year's time. Please join us in praying for Fleming Island and for Living Water