ABOUT
Here’s how the idea of Contact4Impact came about.
After the 1996 Promise Keepers Clergy Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, three pastors from Peterborough, Ontario started meeting weekly for prayer. Glenn pastored Gilmour Memorial Baptist, Frank pastored Calvary Pentecostal and I (Karl) pastored Living Hope Christian Reformed. Occasionally, we had dinners with our wives. We got our leadership teams together for dessert and prayer. And our churches got together for worship.
Other pastors in the city got curious (maybe even jealous) and wanted in. So we organized a four-day Prayer Summit and Church in the City was born. 20 churches and 10 Christian ministries in Peterborough committed to be and do church together. We had weekly prayer meetings, monthly leadership meetings, quarterly worship services and regular outreaches to the city. For example, Peterborough experienced two hundred-year floods and Church in the City was able to be there to show the love of Jesus to our neighbors. We sent out volunteers to clear basements, cut out drywall and host free laundromat days. As the church made contact with the city, the church made an impact on the city.
When Church in the City worshipped together, we noticed that people from the various congregations began to recognize each other from their circles of influence. Maybe they worked together at the same factory or taught together in the same school or lived together in the same apartment building. So as a leadership team, we leveraged these relationships for the Kingdom and started Missional Prayer Cells—at least two people committing to pray for and witness to their natural network.
Classrooms were prayed through and students began to behave and achieve. Alpha programs were started at city hall and people came to Christ. Miracles happened and a weekly prayer for healing service was started at the regional hospital. The yeast of God’s Kingdom was working its way through the dough of Peterborough, Ontario.
That was the prototype of Contact4Impact. The idea is simple and biblical—join together in living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.
John 4:35-36
You know the saying, “Four months between planting and harvest.” But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!”
How about you? Are you ready to experience the joy of the harvest?
How about inviting others to join you as a Contact4Impact Team?
How about introducing your church to Contact4Impact?
How about influencing your city with Contact4Impact?
How Can I Help?
My name is Karl House. Anita and I have planted churches near Toronto and Tampa. Now we’re back home in Grand Rapids, Michigan planting The Way MicroChurches—a growing family of simple churches in Grand Rapids and beyond.
I’m here to support you as you explore and begin your Contact4Impact Team and live a PRAYER > CARE > SHARE > DARE lifestyle. You can reach me at (616) 287-3722 or ForContact4Impact@gmail.com.