Each month, staff disciples from western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island gather in Hartford, CT, to pray, preach, sing, eat and discuss how to stay unified and help all of our churches be our best for God.

This past meeting, held on November 20, featured Sajjan Sharma – evangelist for the Pioneer Valley congregation – as the master of ceremonies. Following several upbeat songs and a prayer, Saj led us through a time of good news and ministry idea sharing. Tales of baptisms, prayer chains and calendar planning filled the room, as we all took notes in anticipation of passing on this exciting info to others in our local congregations.

The message of the day was preached by Matt Webber, new staff member for the Storrs, CT, congregation. We often hear lessons about how to handle hard times and failure, but Matt spoke about “How To Handle Success.” Verses like Proverbs 27:21 challenged us all – “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.”

As is our custom, following the two-hour meeting, another lengthy time was spent in eating lunch together and bonding. Ephesians 4:16 speaks of “supporting ligaments” in Christ’s church. These are formed and strengthened in many ways and by many disciples. However, one of the highlights for the staff is our monthly time of connection and unity with each other.