Greetings to all the brothers and sisters of our federation and beyond. I’m Collin Welch,  minister at Madison Reformed Church in Madison, Indiana, where I live with my wife, Nicole, and our kids, Calvin (6) and Ingrid (3). It’s an honor to share with you about the work the Lord is doing here. We are a plant overseen by Westside Reformed Church (Cincinnati) and just over a year into our formal labors here.

What God’s Done:
Madison is my hometown, and an area with no nearby NAPARC churches. After a couple years of sending newsletters to friends and family about the possibility of planting a church, I led a study on covenant theology in the summer of 2019. From this study, two families—the Lichlyters and Malcoms—agreed to join a core group, which began the following summer. We hosted several events in the fall of 2020, began informal prayer services in the new year, and have now been gathering for formal worship services in the evenings since April. That same month, we added a morning Bible study. Our gracious God has helped us navigate the ongoing difficulties related to Covid19, opened doors with other congregations, and given many opportunities to share the gospel. We are thankful that the Lord has begun this work.

What He’s Doing:
As of this writing, we have five families in membership, including my own. We give the Lord thanks for this, especially because of how often people seem interested, only to depart suddenly. This summer, we have had the opportunity to host VBS. With our small size and lack of resources, this would not have been possible without the kind help of Jim Iwema at Reformed Mission Services and the team of 17 people he brought with him! They not only served us, but also our community through service projects.  We don’t yet know the impact of these efforts, but the town has been very grateful, and I have had ongoing interactions with some of the families who came to VBS. In the midst of these efforts, it has been a great pleasure to lead services each week and to see lots of “lightbulbs” turn on through the Spirit’s illuminating work.

What We’re Asking Him to Do:
Please consider taking up these requests in your own prayers as you’re able.
That the Lord would:

(1) Grow us in Christian maturity and keep us united during a culturally challenging time.
(2) Help us choose outreach events wisely.
(3) Enable us to reach residents struggling with
addiction.
(4) Provide churches and individuals willing to help us financially during these early
years. 

“To Him who is able to do far more abundantly that all we ask or imagine, according to the power that he works in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations, unto ages of ages. Amen!”