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St Louis Church On Creative Edge
St. Louis, Missouri, is famous for its landmark arch - a huge structure overlooking the Mississippi River and welcoming people to America's mid-west.
Yet the city is also known for its churches. One of the city's most significant churches - and definitely one of its most rapidly growing - is St Louis Family Church, led by pastors Jeff and Patsy Perry.
The church is situated on a large property on the outskirts of town, in an area which is now fast building up and becoming a major residential and commercial centre, with the largest strip mall in the nation nearby.
Not long after building on the land, the church was submerged under several feet of water during a once-in-a-century flood in 1993. The trial was turned into a triumph when the church launched Service International, an NGO dedicated to rushing practical relief to disaster-stricken areas of the US and the world.
In the past few years, the organization, fully manned by the church, has given speedy and ongoing relief to victims of the New Orleans disaster and other national emergencies, as well as major events overseas.
Mal and Davina Fletcher recently visited St. Louis Family Church. Pastor Jeff said: 'I've wanted Mal to come for a long time, ever since we met at a conference in Los Angeles some time back. I believed he would bring a definite word for our church.'
Mal spoke to a major men's event, an all-church study event and all Sunday services.
At the men's event, which saw one of the church's venues packed to capacity, Mal shared on building a culture of confidence in business and family. The response was very enthusiastic, with men from all walks of life expressing their heartfelt thanks for the content and the passion with which it was delivered.
The study event saw Mal speaking as a futurist on the major shifts likely to emerge in Western societies over the next decade, and how the church can prepare now to influence the future.
On Sunday, Mal shared about the true nature of vision in scripture.
After the visit, Mal said: 'Because I knew Jeff Perry, I had some idea of what the church might be like before we arrived: creative, community-focused and very future-friendly. But I can honestly say it exceeded my expectations.'
'These people are, in typical mid-west fashion, the real deal! They're building something that's truly engaging some of the big challenges of our time, both at home and abroad.'
Pastor Jeff and Patsy also host a monthly Bible study in Hollywood for people involved in the movie business - actors, screenwriters, producers, directors etc. This event, which was launched six years ago, attracts around 400 people each month, providing influential creative people with sound Bible teaching.
For more information on St. Louis Family Church, visit www.slfc.org.
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