Josh and Lauren Manning are personal heroes of mine. When I first met them, they were already doing something extraordinary when they said ‘YES!’ to God’s call on their lives. Over the years, their little fellowship in Southwest Missouri became the spiritual home to at least five language groups. That’s amazing in itself! When you consider there were 25 more people groups and languages waiting for a Gospel witness in that one county the opportunities for outreach seemed limitless!

They had big plans to reach even more in 2020… and then COVID hit. Today and next week, we revisit Josh’s beautiful, powerful, and painful story of what the pandemic did to their plans, and more importantly, how God and His people responded.

Jump forward to late 2023 when abrupt and major economic turmoil left most of the people in The Mannings’ Church without work. Thousands of recent immigrants were spread to the four winds to search for a new job and home. As quickly as opportunity had presented itself, God knew how important this chapter in the spiritual life of southern Missouri would be. The amazing and unique ministry that was Noel Community Church shuttered its doors in November. Josh and Laura themselves were left jobless and are looking for God’s next step in their lives. So their faith and fortitude are being tested again… It’s all a lesson on how important it is to seize opportunity when God presents it, and an opportunity to pray that the scattered seed will land in other fertile fields. And from there to continue growing God’s Kingdom on Earth.

If you’d like to see pictures of some of the beautiful lives who called Community Church of Noel, Missouri home, Click Here…

[Encore Presentation]