The Healing in Mission Network of New Wineskins has a new name!  We are now calling ourselves the Renewal and Healing Network. This demonstrates our sense that the work of our network is meant to be broader than healing as it relates to mission, to also encompass matters related to the renewal of individuals and communities.

What is Church renewal? It’s what happens when the love of the Holy Spirit comes alive so that Jesus becomes Lord over our whole lives; our relationships become centered on God’s love; and His mission is central to our mission. Divine healing is certainly a part of that, and we do not desire to lose that emphasis. Rather, we see it as one essential expression in the renewing work that God is doing today in His Church.

The flight home from a conference is always a mixed bag. A number of years ago, I returned from Plano, Texas, where we held our Anglican 1000 gathering affirming our commitment to new churches. I was full of vision and energy. Scribbling in a notepad on my seat-back tray, I wrote notes of new friends and old, ideas and vision, challenges and goals. Could there be a more exciting time for a minister of the gospel? We were planting churches!