By Mike Bradley, ARC Director

As Director for the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC), I want to thank you ARC leaders and your congregations for your financial support thus far in January and February. It is very helpful to have a consistent, monthly financial stream to enable us to carry out our mission to empower leaders and congregations to live fully into their God-given destinies through building kingdom friendships and strategic alliances, assisting in the development of leaders, and providing ministry training for the members of congregations.

From time to time I will send you an update on what’s happening throughout the ARC. Following is a short bullet-point update to inform you of some of the things going on in the ARC these days:

• ARC leader, Kevin McClure, recently spoke at a Men’s Retreat for our newest ARC member, Northgate Church. Northgate pastor, Steve Perkins, said the men were very blessed by what God did that weekend. Way to go Kevin and Steve!
• ARC leader, Fred Thoni is giving leadership as a site leader in a new School of Ministry which focuses on Responsible Prophetic Ministry at his church, Elmwood E. Free in the St. Paul, MN area. 
• We continue to prepare for the Grace for Shame retreats for pastors and leaders on April 9-11 in the Southwest and April 15-18 in the Midwest. I honestly believe these are going to be among the most worthwhile retreats I have ever attended in all my years in ministry. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to make time to be there. You will leave better equipped to minister God’s freedom to people in bondage to toxic shame; and there are literally thousands in our ARC churches and millions in our American culture. In addition, you will leave more refreshed as you rest in peaceful retreat settings, spend time in unhurried worship, enjoy being with other like-minded leaders, and experience God encounters in personal prayer and prophetic ministry. See you there! 
• We are in the process of beginning to prepare for two regional gatherings in 2014 which are open to not only ARC leaders and Friends of the ARC, but to all the members of their churches. We will host one in the Southwest and one in the Midwest. The focus in 2014 will be on evangelism with the intent being to help cast fresh vision for congregational and personal evangelism; and to help all ARC churches develop and put in place intentional, strategic initiatives for sharing the good news of what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. 
• We are currently working to plan regional youth retreats in the Midwest and Southwest. Both retreats are in the initial planning stages. More details will be coming soon. 
• ARC Ministry Teams continue to be sent into congregations to assist in leadership development and ministry skills training for the members of congregations. 
• ARC leaders and congregations are hosting leadership development classes, partnering with The Master’s Institute Seminary. Most recently classes were hosted at Wonderful Mercy Church in Gilbert, AZ and Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach, CA. 
• We are also providing leadership and ministry skills training for the members of ARC churches and Friends of the ARC by partnering with the School of Ministry (SOM) from The Master’s Institute. ARC congregations currently host School of Ministry sites at Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach, North Heights in St. Paul, MN, and Elmwood E. Free Church in the St. Paul area. Next year we will partner with SOM at Penasquitos Lutheran Church in San Diego, CA, Bridgewood Community Church in Blaine, MN, and possibly at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Midland, TX and back at Elmwood E. Free for another year. 
• Ongoing pastoral care continues to be provided for ARC leaders through visits with pastors on a one-on-one basis by phone, and by google+ video; and through ongoing Life Together Days in three regions in the country; and through the planting of Life Together Groups which meet on a weekly or bi-weely basis. 
• We are excited to be working with new church plants who are becoming part of ARC. We are partnering with Life Together Churches (ARC member, Tom Hilpert) and Family Room Churches (ARC leader, Kevin McClure) to provide relationship and support to the leaders of these new church plants. 
• We are in the process of welcoming new congregational members into the ARC: Northgate Church of Ramsey, MN-Pastor Steve Perkins and Radiant Church of Garden Grove, CA-Pastor Jeremey King. 
• We also are welcoming new individual members, the most recent being Pastor Chris Byars from Florida, and Jude McClure, a student at The Master’s Institute Seminary.

These are just a few snap shots of what’s going on in the ARC. We will continue to uphold you all in prayer, and continue serving and helping to empower you in the purposes of God for your lives. Be sure to let us know if there is any way in particular we can serve you. You can contact me at: safeplacemb@gmail.com. God bless, empower, and guide you all!