Surf Church Collective - The Ellerington Newsletter Spring 2024
What we do
Our role is to help plant new churches in surf and beach communities around the world. With the incredible missional work of Christian Surfers over the last 40 years we have seen a real move of God within the surf world. It has always been our desire to lead people to Jesus and help them land in a local church. However, we have found that often this has been a challenge. Either there have been no churches or the local church rejects the newly saved surfer. This is where we step in to either help plant a new church, or get alongside the existing churches. We help them to better understand beach and surf culture and disciple local surfers. There are 40 million of surfers! Please consider giving to us, trying to reach this unreached people group, lead them to Jesus and get them discipled .
New Churches
With over 45 churches that are now part of the Surf Church Collective we have truly seen some wonderful growth over the last few years. However, with 40 million surfers we understand that there is much work to do - Here are some of our developing projects
Chile
Pablo and Camiloco have been pushing into this new church plant and seeing wonderful results. We are so excited to be walking with them as they dream of new places to plant churches
The Dominican Republic
Robbie O'Brien has been leading the charge here with Christian Surfers and Go ministries. We will be meeting with local church planters in September and help develop new churches this coming year.
Pavones, Costa Rica
Dennis and Kyle Leon are givng one day a month to travel to the famous surf town to pray and meet the locals. We will be there in April to do the same. We believe prayer is always the first step in planting a church
St Ives - The UK
Nathan Loxley and the crew are currently pioneering a new Surf church with the Salvation Army in this key surf town in the UK. I had the joy and catching up with them recently and “wow”, they have some exciting plans.
Ireland
Marty McNeely and his family have just been installed into Fahan Presbyterian Church in County Donegal, with special responsibility to plant a new church in West Inishowen.
Japan
The biggest group of unreached surfers on the planet! God’s hand is upon the local surfing community and soon we will see new churches. It is a joy to be talking with CS and City to City about how to plant churches
New Team Members
We are so excited to welcome new team members to our Gobal Operations Team. It is a massive step for us as we respond to the incredible opportunity that we see within the surf and beach world
The Leon Family
In January, we were delighted to welcome the Lyon-Family as the Americas area leaders for the Surf Church Collective. We had the pleasure to hike together last year on our “Mobile Leadership Conference” that takes place on the Camino de Santiago. Together, we dreamed, schemed and prayed of what could be for their continent. So we are stoked that they have joined us on the team and are heading up the endeavour to plant surfer friendly churches across the Americas.
The Cianelli Family
We are also so excited to announce that Samuel and Claudia Cianelli are now part of our Global team with the responsibility of overseeing the EMEA area with a specific focus on Europe at this time. They are a wonderful Brazilian family which God called to Portugal. They are currently leading Surf Church Porto and will be also helping us drive forward the vision of church planting. We are so blessed to have them on team as they have been a massive support to the Surf Church Collective since the start.
Prayers needed
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Protection upon the team, their families and churches.
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Funding to support their work going forward.
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New team members to help with administration, fundraising and communication.
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Wisdom for the SCC Board as they help scale our movement.
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Insight as we meet as a global team in June for a strategic review of Surf Church Collective.
FAMILY DIVIDED BUT TOGETHER IN MISSION
As a family we have always held to the believe that we are a family on mission. We currently find ourselves in Zürich, Toyko, Jeffreys Bay & San Diego all at the same time. We are divided by land and sea but united in Christ and His mission to reach the world. Here is an update on all that is happening :
Rich is a world traveler, often sacrificing home life and being together as a family for his passion to see churches established and developed. Please pray for God to renew his strength, to give him wisdom and favour. We are excited how God uses our family on mission for the surf world. You can pray for Rich’s health and well-being, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to lead this movement of churches.
Regi is the backbone of the family, always serving with a smile. She has been challenged by the traveling, not having a permanent place to call home and working through the transition of being more and more an empty nester. She is involved in countless womens lives in ministry and managing our Airbnb business. She is ‘hands on’ wherever we are, serving locally. Please pray for her as she juggles ministry, home life homeschooling and business.
Our son Mani is a delight and we consider it a privilege to have had him work and travel with us this year. He is currently working with his uncle in Switzerland to safe up to go to uni. Amazingly, he has been accepted into multiple school in the US and the UK. His dream is to study film and digital art. Please continue to pray for Mani, as the deadline to make a decision is closing in and he wants to make the right choice and raise finance to enable him to go.
Ayana has been enjoying her first year at uni in California. We are grateful to God that she has found her place to dwell and grow. She has fun surfing and helps leading her CS chapter in PLNU, which we had the pleasure to visit and speak at. She has made solid friends and is thriving, getting involved with church and ministry. Please pray for finance, so we can continue to provide for her student fees.
Upon arrival in Jeffrey’s Bay a couple of weeks ago, Indie dove into his new world of homeschooling. He has started a new curriculum and is becoming a confident independent learner. He surfs at least once a day and is loving friends and life. Please pray for his faith to deepen and develop, as he’s approaching his mid teens and his role model brother and sister have left home.
Blessing and big love from Japan,
The Ellerington Family
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