Over the past two years, Grace Advance has trained and placed pastors in eighteen new churches around the country. From time to time we receive letters of encouragement, telling us how the Lord is working through Grace Advance and the pastors we place. We’d like to share one such letter with you, from a new church called Immanuel Bible Fellowship in Gainesville, Virginia. John Chester became their pastor just a few months ago, after graduating from The Master’s Seminary and the Grace Advance Academy.
The main purpose in writing this letter is to encourage the efforts of Grace Advance, and to thank you [John MacArthur] and the leadership of Grace Community Church and The Master’s Seminary for embarking on this wonderful ministry. We have been blessed by our relationship with Grace Advance, and have enjoyed the honor and privilege of meeting and listening to Bob White, Rich Gregory, Lance Quinn, and Tom Leman this year. These men are true servants of God seeking to serve the body and grow Christ’s church.
A brief history of our church: We established Immanuel Bible Fellowship [IBF] two years ago, and began praying for the Lord’s direction for a pastor. The Lord brought Grace Advance to our attention as an answer to our prayers. We were listening to John MacArthur’s teaching from the book of Mark via recordings, with some additional teaching from one of the men on our leadership team. We were meeting in a family home when the Lord graciously provided us with a church building in Gainesville, Virginia. The Lord also blessed us financially through anonymous gifts. He was opening doors as we moved forward in prayer and action when we began speaking with Grace Advance and interviewing prospective candidates for a pastor. Without a doubt, God answered our prayers for a pastor through Grace Advance.
God has used our pastor, John Chester, to draw us closer than ever to Christ. What a humble servant and true shepherd of this flock! He has the greatest desire to serve and largest pastor’s heart we have ever encountered. He’s been with us for two months now, and is expositing through the book of Colossians. He is an excellent teacher and preacher, and we are blessed beyond measure to have him at IBF. John is very willing and humble to serve in any way he can, and we know God sent him and his very dear wife specifically for us. We have grown very fond of John and Cassie and even their dog, Buster!
We know the Lord has promised to build His church (Matthew 16:18), and Grace Advance is helping to fulfill this promise. We feel so honored and blessed that the Lord chose Pastor John Chester, through the ministry of Grace Advance, specifically for Immanuel Bible Fellowship.
By His grace alone,
The Stensney Family
Mark & Kim
Luke, Lily, Lydia, Lois
Grace Advance would like to thank our church family for supporting us as we endeavor to provide leadership for new and developing churches like Immanuel Bible Fellowship. Please continue to pray for the men and their families as they promote the glory of God and spread the good news to all who will hear!
To learn more about Grace Advance and Grace Advance Academy, visit graceadvance.org.