Don: Pastor Jeff, you hosted an event at Atascadero Bible Church recently, which was a dream come true for Cathy and me. Please tell our friends what transpired.
Pastor Jeff Urke: “You and Cathy are gifted networkers, and you helped us gather the most prominent people in America when it comes to church planting among the incarcerated and returning citizens. Our dream was to share one another’s expertise so existing movements could accelerate, particularly here in California. We had representation from Texas (Epiphany Life change), Kansas/Missouri (Freedom Initiative), Los Angeles (Testimony Ministries), Prison Fellowship, and several people from our church and surrounding churches.
“We identified ingredients of a successful church plant that engages prisoners to be leaders, disciple makers, and evangelists inside prison. We also listed the elements of reentry programs that best facilitate those very leaders stepping into church plants on the outside. The right people were definitely in the room. Lastly, we were able to clarify the next steps needed to fuel the work in Texas and the Midwest, but also begin church planting in California, one of the largest prison populations in the world. And so we're thrilled about what God's doing here. It's a stream that we see God moving in and we're just attempting to step into the stream. It is a privilege to be a part of it.
“The end game in all of this is the vision of Completion Global, to see the diaspora reached. We are not just trying to equip prisoners to be successful Christian citizens. We're equipping them to go back to some of the hardest to reach communities in our country, and it just so happens that those hardest to reach areas are where the unreached people groups of the world are living. So the mission of Completion Global really ends up driving this whole project, the idea that we could see the ends of the earth reached right here in the United States.”
Don: Thank you, Pastor Jeff, it is a joy to work with you.
Jeff: Yes, thank you.
