East Point, GA (October 1, 1998)-The Mission to North America (MNA) Committee approved several new church planters. These men are to be sent to places as diverse as British Columbia, Louisiana, and Florida.

Jeff Lancaster has a burden for New Orleans. He stated that he is "ready to see that city healed by the gospel." He continued: "God calls us to New Orleans. . . . Fred Marsh [of MNA] believes that New Orleans is one of the two hardest cities in America to reach. . . . I want the church behind me, I want my denomination behind me."

Peter LaPointe is MNA Chairman for Southwest Florida Presbytery. While pastoring in Lutz, FL, he sensed a call to St. Petersburg. He wants to emphasize worship "with a capital 'W' so that people will know that God is in this place." He proposes worship that is a little more formal than some contemporary services, "with liturgy and excellence in music, both classical and contemporary."

John Smed, who has been the Church Planting Coordinator, has been selected to return to his native Canada. He states that he has a strong sense of elation in going to Vancouver, which he described as "the most liberal city in the world," where all possible homosexual rights have been obtained. "Canada is a desperate, desperate place," where the church is just "trying to survive." Even the Pentecostals "are discouraged." In his opinion, "there is no chance of reaching Canada by planting evangelical churches that will attract other evangelicals." He also opined that one cannot approach "with a dogmatic theology," but must use "an aesthetic theology."

Phillip Nelson has been in an apprenticeship at Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church in Matthews, NC. He is contemplating transferring from the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, an historically black denomination, in order to plant a PCA African-American congregation.