When driving into the city of Atlanta, you may see many church buildings that once housed striving and vital congregations. Today, many are empty or have very few people in attendance. Of the approximately 878,000 people that live inside the perimeter over 700,000 do not attend church. In 1965, there were 166 Southern Baptist churches inside the I – 285 perimeters. Today, that number stands at 38 while the population has increased 25%. UACP is a cooperative effort of Atlanta Association of Southern Baptists and Atlanta Metro Baptist Association to engage urban lostness by intentionally planting relevant, reproducing congregations inside Atlanta’s perimeter (ITP) that produce community transformation. Lexington Baptist Association churches are encouraged to be a part of this effort by connecting with a church plant.
Few, if any, of the church planters associated with UACP are fully funded. Many of them have given up successful careers and well-paid jobs in order to be bi-vocational church planters. Lexington Baptist Association's vision is for every LBA church to connect with a UACP church plant. Connecting can mean anything from intentionally praying for them to sending a mission team once a year to providing occasional or regular financial support. LBA strategy has two main focus areas:
- Each LBA church is asked to connect with a UACP church plant. Your prayers, notes of encouragement, financial support and participation in ministry opportunities will bless the church planter and the community they are seeking to reach with the Gospel.
- Inside the perimeter there are communities that UACP is targeting for future church plants but at this time there is no church plant in existence. Your church can research this community, prayerwalk, do spiritual mapping and be a part of seeing a church planted in these unreached communities.
Lord, help me find my place in Atlanta – Heavenly Father, I thank you for church planters who are willing to invest their lives for Kingdom impact in Atlanta. Direct us to one specific church plant or unreached neighborhood. Help us to find our place by responding in love to this Great Commission impact opportunity. Amen.
Atlanta Partnership Prayer Requests:
1. Pray for the 750,000 residents inside the I-285 corridor that have no relationship with Christ
2. Pray for Urban Church Plant (UPC) leaders who focus on reaching the lost people inside the corridor with the gospel
3. Pray for a significant movement of God that will result in people coming to faith and churches being planted
4. Pray God will call many of our LBA churches and volunteers to join and partner with church planters in Atlanta
5. Pray God will prepare the hearts of those who are lost
6. Pray God will raise a generation of leaders whose hearts are fully committed to Him to lead the next church planting movement in Atlanta
7. Pray for the churches in the greater Atlanta area that are located outside the perimeter will catch a vision of reaching their own city for Christ
8. Pray God will provide the resources to plant churches that has a vision to plant other churches
How Can You Become Involved?
- Select a church plant or potential church plant are and pray daily for that plant or soon-to-be plant.
- On your trips to Atlanta, spend a half day prayerwalking a church plant neightborhood or prospective church plant neighborhood.
- Send a team to assist a church planter with a project.
- Send a team during June or July to help conduct evangelistic events - block parties, sports clinics, Backyard Bible Clubs, etc.
Some examples of Kingdom Connection Projects are:
- Neighborhood events (art fairs, neighborhood festivals, block parties)
- Camps for kids (Backyard Bible Clubs, art, music or drama, tutoring, sports)
- Breakfast On the Go (coffee and donuts to neighbors on their way to work)
- Scripture distribution at July 4 fireworks displays
- Collecting food in the community for food banks
- Car care for single moms (change oil, check fluids and tire pressure, etc.)
- Construction projects (church facility fix-up, neighborhood dog parks, etc.)
- Garden projects for lower income residents
- Community beautification (painting, planting, mulching, trash pickup, etc.)
Go to www.uacp.net for additional church planter information.
For more information, contact David Lee at (803) 356-2543 or david@missionlba.org