BIG news: We’re Church Planting in Los Angeles!
Dear friends in Christ,
Two years ago, you joined us in believing that God was stirring something in Los Angeles and that, despite its endless stream of tragic headlines and the city’s reputation for profound suffering and brokenness, there were seeds of a coming renewal. You encouraged, supported, and prayed with us. And, sent by your help, we moved to Los Angeles as missionaries with World Missions Ministries (WMM) on an assignment to plant The Awakening’s West Coast International Training Base.
Now, a little less than two years later, God has unveiled an exciting new ministry assignment here. While our term with IPHC WMM is coming to a close, we are walking through open doors with IPHC Evangelism USA further into the ministry work we’ve seen the Lord begin.
Specifically, after many months of discernment and prayer, we have become convinced that the most fruitful way Erica and I can serve Jesus on the frontlines in Los Angeles and play our small part in reaching this vast city is by shifting our focus from establishing an Awakening International Training Base to directly planting a new, gospel-centered, Spirit-led, local church. Of this, we are firmly persuaded. More than that, we’re as hopeful as ever.
Our assignment with IPHC WMM and our dear friends with The Awakening will continue through July 31, 2024. On August 1, 2024, our transition to the EVUSA church-planting family, in partnership with the IPHC Golden West Conference, will begin. At that time, we will be officially designated as U.S. missionary church planters.
What does all this mean? It means simply that our calling, ministry efforts, and strategy have been further clarified. To us, church planting is missions, because Jesus’ plan to reach the whole world is for His church to be multiplied across the world. Thus, in all their varieties of work, the ultimate heartbeat of every missionary, and minister alike, is to see the birth, nurturing, and multiplying of local churches. And in L.A., a city of millions where the spiritual need is dire, we need new churches reaching new generations, new people groups, in new neighborhoods.
But this isn’t a shift from the global down to the local—it’s a wedding of the two. When we came to L.A. as missionaries, our assignment with The Awakening included not only establishing an international Training Base, but also targeting over 130 nations represented throughout L.A.’s residents—mobilizing some to reach their home countries. These things remain our desire. And in following the Lord’s leading, listening to his voice in view of the desperate spiritual need in our context, we know now that planting a thriving local church is the best way to see such desires for global missions realized while also serving, loving, and reaching our city.
To fulfill what God has placed in our hearts, we still need your continued financial support—now more than ever. Though transitioning into a new IPHC department, we will continue living as we have the past two years, directly through the financial partnership of people and churches like you. Your generosity makes it possible for us to remain here, reaching one of America’s largest mission fields while also keeping the world’s far-off mission fields in mind.
We move forward into this new season of ministry in L.A. with heightened clarity and doubled resolve. Though from a renewed strategic approach, everything you supported us in coming to do will continue to be done. We’ll still be raising up and sending out the next generation of leaders, still serving the poor and the least of these, still preaching the gospel and making disciples, and, over time, much more! God willing, many people will taste and see the overwhelming goodness and love of Jesus.
Much is to come, and we’re confident in the grace and glory of Jesus. In that confidence, we wholeheartedly invite you to continue with us. Continue believing that Los Angeles is a U.S. mission field ready for renewal. Continue following along with us in our U.S. missions and church-planting journey. Finally, and humbly, we also ask you, our partners and friends, to continue financially supporting our family as we follow Jesus into our life’s next leap of faith. We must remain fully funded as EVUSA missionary church planters to remain on the field in L.A.
To continue your financial support, please begin directing your giving the following way after July 31, 2024.
If you’re a recurring, online giver, nothing will change for you.
If you support us with checks, you will simply change whom you make the check out to: Evangelism USA (EVUSA). The mailing address and memo will stay the same. This is how it should look:
TO: EVUSA
Memo: Campbell Support Account #03201P
Mailing Address: EVUSA P.O. Box 12609, Oklahoma City, OK, 73157
We love you and are so thankful for each of you. We’re overjoyed to have you with us. We’re honored to be serving Jesus with you. We truly couldn’t do this without you.
Let’s keep going!
In Christ’s great love and grace,
Jon and Erica and Avonlea Campbell
