In December of last year, a member of one of our churches in New England led a co-worker to Christ.  Jane [not her real name] had made many bad life choices, and as a result she was currently in a custody battle with her parents over her elementary school aged child.

Jane immediately began to change.  In the months since her salvation experience, she has made significant changes.  Everyone who knows her has seen the drastic difference.  She has begun to work very hard at becoming a good parent.  She still has a long way to go, but she is striving to become a different person through the power of Christ's presence within her.  However, not everyone thinks the change is good.

Very recently, Jane had a court date in this custody battle.  She was trying to explain to the judge how her life had changed and how she was trying hard to be a good mother.  At that point, one of the grandparents jumped in and told the judge that Jane had suddenly become religious and that she had definitely changed.  However the grandparent didn't think that was good, because religion now guided her life and this new religious attitude would not be good for the grandchild.

The judge looked with concern at Jane and asked if she had become a devil worshiper or had joined a cult.  Jane replied, "No, I'm attending a Baptist church."  The judge looked at the grandparent and asked with a smile, "What's wrong with a Baptist church?"  The grandparent had no answer.  The judge decreed that after school was out, the child would come to live with Jane.

Unfortunately, the attitude of the grandparents in this true story is not unusual.  Many do not see religion as a positive influence.  Steve Nerger, BCNE's new Church Planting Team Leader says, "How we need new churches in areas such as this so that people can see the truth of the gospel.   What a tragedy that grandparents would think that following Christ would be a bad thing for their grandchild." 

The grandparents live in an area where Northern New England Church Planter Consultant Robby Pitt has been praying about starting a church.   A potential partnering association in the southwest US is prayerfully considering helping to underwrite the salary for a church planter for this area.  Pray that God would open doors for a church to be planted in the area where these grandparents live.  Pray for Jane, that she would allow the Holy Spirit to continue to make positive changes in her so that she could be the kind of mother she wants to be.  Pray about your involvement in church planting in New England.