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Check out this awesome interview with Andy Needham! Andy is a New England native who spent the past two decades serving in ministry roles from church leadership, to nationally touring worship artist, to launching and leading conferences. He loves connecting, creative communication, and coaching. He currently serves as Vice President for Converge Northeast, helping start and strengthen churches here. His wife Bethany and kids Josiah and Mercy are crazy, and he wouldn't have it any other way! Andy's Website Converge Northeast's Website

Our friends Stephen Hay and Meghan Kinter with Just Cause Collaborative provide expertise, strategy development and training for non-profits in the areas of marketing communication, funding and systems so you can focus on what's most important to you - executing your mission! Hear more of their story in this latest episode. This year they are producing our Northeast Leadership Summit recap video. You & your crew can sign up today here: www.necollaborative.com/NLS22!

Bernie Elliott is planting a church in Baldwinsville, NY, and we want you to hear his story! We're also supporting Covenant Church (www.covenant315.org) by giving away 50% of the profits from our annual Northeast Leadership Summit (#NLS22) coming up on Nov. 5th, 2022 at Berean Bible Church in Greene, NY. You and your crew can sign up TODAY here: www.necollaborative.com/NLS22.

Pastor Derek Sanford serves as Lead Pastor of Grace Church in Erie, Pennsylvania (one of the snowiest cities in the country!). The emphasis of his ministry is building up and equipping leaders to walk in their God-given calling. He has served in ministry at Grace since 1995, first as Youth Pastor and then as Executive Pastor before serving in his current role as Lead Pastor. He also created a ministry called ServErie that has mobilized over 50 churches and organizations to address the needs of the greater Erie area. Derek is a graduate of Taylor University and holds a Masters of Theology degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Derek married his high school sweetheart, Kim, who runs a construction company (she wields the power tools in the family) and has three amazing kids, Caleb, Chase, and Ayden. As a washed-up athlete, Derek still enjoys old-man sports like golf and racquetball. See more about Derek's ministry here: www.dereksanford.com. He's also one of our breakout speakers for the Northeast Leadership Summit on Nov. 5th - sign up your members, key leaders, teens & volunteers today here: www.necollaborative.com/NLS22!

The need for North American church-planting is at an all-time high. Dr. Ken Davis has dedicated decades of his life to training, mobilizing, coaching and empowering planters to move the Gospel forward into hearts and homes across this nation - especially the Northeast! He directed a ministry called Project Jerusalem that planted 10 churches in Northeast America, and NEC was birthed from this ministry’s legacy. Check out his interview with Tim Madeira & Dan Nichols!

Karl Vaters has been in pastoral ministry for 40 years. He is the teaching pastor of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship, a healthy small church in Orange County, California, where he has ministered for over 28 years with his wife, Shelley. They have three kids and two grandkids. Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com. His heart is to help pastors of small churches (up to 90 percent of us) find the resources to lead well, and to capitalize on the unique advantages that come with pastoring a small church – something virtually every pastor will spend at least some of their ministry years doing. He also believes that big and small churches can and should work together more often – to the benefit and blessing of everyone. He's written these four books below: The Church Recovery Guide: How Your Congregation Can Adapt and Thrive after a Crisis 100 Days to a Healthier Church: A Step-By-Step Guide for Pastors and Leadership Teams Small Church Essentials: Field-Tested Principles for Leading a Healthy Congregation of Under 250 The Grasshopper Myth: Big Churches, Small Churches and the Small Thinking That Divides Us

Revitalization is hard work that requires a very long time investment and gritty perseverance, but it's totally worth it! Listen to Pastor Sal Maiorana's story & wisdom on church revitalization in the Northeast as he's led Waymart Church in Waymart, PA from a handful of people to hundreds of people with lives changed for eternity and significant spiritual fruit over the last decade.

In this episode, NEC’s directional team (along with WRGN’s Tim Madeira) recap God’s faithfulness through 2021 with some exciting previews for NEC’s ministry in 2022! Learn more here: www.necollaborative.com.

The Northeast Leadership Summit (#NLS21) is coming up on Saturday, November 6th at Berean Bible Church! Sign up you & your crew for #NLS21 here: www.necollaborative.com/NLS21. David Whiting will be our keynote speaker, and David is no stranger to Northeast America. Hear more from David in this interview & here’s a short bio below: David served as a youth pastor for over eight years in Harrisburg, PA, then served as the lead pastor of Northridge Church in Rochester, NY, for over fifteen years. In 2016, he moved to Houston, TX to consult with churches through the Vanderbloemen Search Group. While there, his youngest daughter was diagnosed with cancer. The move to Houston became a huge blessing as MD Anderson (arguably the top cancer hospital in the world) was only 25 miles from their home. Once chemo was complete, David began to wonder what future God may have for him. That resulted in him connecting with New Heights Church in Vancouver, WA. Each weekend over 3500 people attend the five-campus church. His passion is making more & better disciples.

Division in the American Church is at an all-time high, but that is not Christ's plan for His Church (see John 17). In this episode, we review Francis Chan's latest book Until Unity with Pastor Brad Travelpiece from LCBC Church - a dynamic church in PA with 16 locations throughout the state. Listen as NEC's Dan Nichols & WRGN's Tim Madeira discuss the book with Brad and how we can play major roles in bringing healing unity back to the American Church! Until Unity Book LCBC Church 

Grace Bomb is a nation-wide movement of intentional acts of love motivated by Jesus, and in this episode - founder Pat Linnell tells us more about all that God's doing through this incredibly powerful discipleship tool for you and your church! Hear more of Pat's story & stories of transformed lives as NEC's founder & president Dan Nichols and WRGN's general manager Tim Madeira interview Pat. Get more info at the links below too! Grace Bomb's Website Get the Grace Bomb Book

Hear more from our friend Mandy Chapman with Care Portal, a ministry that creates connections for isolated children by bringing together the family, church and community to create a holistic, healthy approach to caring for kids - because every child matters! Learn more here: https://www.careportal.org.

Visionary leaders Steve Lutz and Jonathan Weibel share their amazing ministry Front Yard Mission that is catalyzing a #LoveYourNeighbor movement across the Northeast! Front Yard Mission's Website

Answering hard questions about sexuality, gender, identity, and so much more is really difficult today. In this episode, author, scholar, and professor Nancy Pearcey (who personally studied under Francis Schaeffer) sits down with WRGN's general manager Tim Madeira & NEC's president Dan Nichols to get real about these really tough topics and share lots of great content from her amazing book Love Thy Body! Love Thy Body Book Nancy Pearcey's Website

The new cultural narrative regarding the Bible no longer says it's irrelevant. Now the cultural narrative says the Bible is evil. In this interview, NEC's president Dan Nichols and WRGN's general manager Tim Madeira interview Pastor Dan Kimball about his book that helps unbelievers and believers alike understand the Bible better in a rapidly growing anti-Christian culture. Dan Kimball is originally from the Northeast, hailing from NJ! He is the author of several books on leadership, church, and culture. He was one of the founders of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California where he still serves on staff. He is also a faculty member at Western Seminary and leads the ReGeneration Project, which exists to equip and encourage new generations to think theologically and participate in the mission of the church. He is married to Becky and has two daughters, Katie and Claire. His passion is to see Christians follow and represent Jesus in the world with love, intelligence, and creativity. He has a master’s degree from Western Seminary and a doctorate degree from George Fox University. He enjoys comic art, punk and rockabilly music, big band jazz, pre-1960 gospel roots music, Ludwig drums and Zildjian cymbals, Ford Mustangs, bowling, Sun Records and 1930’s though 50’s Universal Monster Movies. Dan's Website Buy the Book

Take a quick journey through Ephesians with NEC’s President Dan Nichols to re-discover God’s game plan for His Church.

NEC cares deeply for the spiritual health and longevity of pastors and ministry leaders, and this episode features one of our soul-care coaches Jamie Overholser who serves the deeper needs of ministry leaders in partnership with Standing Stone Ministry. This conversation is extremely helpful for pastors and ministry leaders who are facing decision fatigue, exhaustion, and potential burnout. Feel free to reach out to Jamie here: jamie.overholser@gmail.com.

Safe Place Ministries provides guidance and care to those who serve in any definition of ministry. Listen to co-founder Bethann Miller share about this vital counseling ministry with WRGN’s Tim Madeira & NEC’s Dan Nichols! https://safeplaceministry.org/

Kevin & Alisha Greene and Joey & Cara Wright are church planting in the Northeast along with their lovely daughters, and NEC is honored to partner with them in their journeys forward! Kevin’s plant ConnectUs Church is launching weekly services on Sunday, Jan. 31st in Lancaster, PA. Joey is in the internship phase & prayerfully looking to plant in either Paterson or Newark, NJ. Learn more about their stories in this episode and get in touch with them here: www.ConnectUschurch.org joeyrwright@icloud.com

One of our NY churches asked NEC's founder & executive director Dan Nichols to preach on the topic of abortion for Sanctity of Life Sunday on Jan. 17th. Wherever you're coming from on this personal, painful, polarizing and often private topic - this episode is for you! Below are links to resources Dan recommends in the episode... Reversing Roe Documentary on Netflix Phil Vischer/Skye Jethani Abortion Video Unplanned Movie Love Thy Body by Nancy Pearcey Why Pro-Life? by Randy Alcorn Abortion by R.C. Sproul Reimagining Pro-Life - YouVersion App Reading Plan Making Life Disciples Training by CareNet Care Net Pregnancy Centers