Arizona Church Plant

Arizona Church Plant

Join the Mejia’s on their journey to Chandler, AZ

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Meet the Mejias

We are Ed and Maggie, originally from Brooklyn NYC, and have lived in Lancaster, PA for 12 years. We have three kids: Joseph, Elijah, and Olivia. Ed has served in pastoral ministry since 2019 and gradually began feeling a call to church planting. In 2020, we started praying about moving to Arizona because of how the desert climate would provide relief for some health concerns. Through this process, the Lord stirred in us the vision of planting a healthy, gospel-centered church in Arizona. In the last 2 years, as we continued to pray, God opened doors for Ed in serving in a Church Planting Residency for further development & confirmation to plant. The Lord has done above and beyond all we could’ve hoped for or imagined.

Why Chandler, Arizona?


Population: 275,987
Median Resident age: 34
Identify as Churchgoers: 30%

Chandler is one of the biggest suburban regions in the Phoenix Metro area. Many tech companies have moved into the area which employs a large millennial workforce. Downtown Chandler is the center of the city that brings a diverse community together. When we visited, we saw young professionals burdened with deep anxiety around ambition addiction, career crisis, and choice overload. We saw a homeless community in need of a church to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We also saw a Spanish-speaking immigrant community concerned with practical needs and a second-generation rising that does not know the God of the Bible. The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University noted that “only 4% of millennials possess a biblical worldview.” But we have a gospel for all. Our vision is to serve and share the gospel, preparing for many to come to saving faith, for lives to be changed, and for Jesus to be glorified!

The Call

We have always felt like we were called to love people from “the middle.” Growing up as New Yorkers and growing up as Christians, we’ve always felt somewhat out of place both in and out of the Church. But we grew confident that God wired us this way for a reason. When we visited Arizona in 2021 with the intention of discerning God’s call to plant, we saw God’s hand. As we met with a friend and local church planter in downtown Chandler, we began to see the needs of the people from the middle. We saw extreme poverty and excessive materialism. We saw a spiritually dark community that needs the light of Christ and a culture that embraces a comfortable, nominal form of Christianity. We asked God to give us a burden for the city – and he answered! And we know that only Jesus can bring the people of Chandler the hope, freedom, and joy that goes beyond this world.

Fertile Soil

God is already working in Chandler, AZ – and it’s encouraging to know we are not starting something new! We are joining a mission God’s already started. A sure sign of God’s work has been all the prospective ministry partners we’ve connected with. We met a fellow pastor/elder and his wife with ministry experience and roots in Chandler that are interested in partnering with us for church planting. We also learned about an established local missionary family that serves underprivileged kids in the community praying for churches to be planted in the region. God is on the move! Please pray for these and many other partnerships and divine connections to develop in the future.

Vision, Mission & Values

Our Vision: To be a gallery of grace, where Christ is treasured for generations. (Eph. 2:10)

Our Mission: We exist to create a safe place to explore, experience,
and express Jesus. We do this as we…

  • Set our eyes on Jesus. (Worship)
  • Set our hearts on one another. (Gather)
  • Set our hands to serve. (Restore)

Our Values: Centered in Christ. Called to God’s presence. Committed to community. Created for God’s purpose.

Partnerships

Living Hope Church (Shrewsbury, PA)
Anchor Church Gilbert (Gilbert, AZ)
Acts 29 (Assessment in process)

Timeline

  • 2021-2022 – Complete the church Planting Residency at Living Hope Church. Secure employment and housing for our family in Arizona.
  • 2023 – Relocate to Chandler Arizona in the first quarter of 2023, attend and serve with Anchor Church, and build relationships in the community while our family gets grounded in Chandler. We will continue working with the assessment team at Acts 29 to move forward with the process of becoming part of the network.
  • 2024 – Build a launch team in partnership with Anchor Church as well as other local partners and move toward a public worship gathering in Chandler.

Financial Needs

Year 1 – $122,831
YEAR 2 – $177,320
YEAR 3 – $183,585

Ways to Partner with Us

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