Church Plant Becomes a Reality
by USA Director Bob Larson
Editor's note — We thought this article would be a good way to follow up on the
previous story by Nathan Leierer. After stepping out by faith and raising their support,
the Lord enabled the Leierer family to launch Arise Baptist Church on May 5, 2024.

I flew into Portland on a Thursday afternoon early in May to attend the launch of Arise Baptist Church.

After raising their support to plant a new church, BIMI Reseeding America Missionary Nathan Leierer
and his family were planning and preparing for their first services in southwest Portland.

Portland is the most populous city in the state of Oregon and the third most populous city in the
Pacific Northwest after Seattle and Vancouver. With a population of over 600,000, it is the 26th largest
city in America. When the entire metro area of Portland (five counties in Oregon and two counties
in Washington) is tallied, the total population is nearly 2.4 million. About 12,000 Vietnamese people
live in the city, making it one of the largest Vietnamese populations in the country.

Arriving a few days before the opening, I had an opportunity to visit with Nathan and his wife, Jewell,
and their children. I also had the opportunity to work with volunteers (in the rain) from Westgate
Baptist Church in Tigard, Oregon. They came to help pass out Gospel literature and invitations to the
opening of Arise Baptist Church.

I appreciated the planning and preparation that Nathan and his family put into the launch of this new
church. They are presently meeting in a rented community center and their sending church (Salem
Baptist Church, Pastor Stephen Brown) did a great job of assisting in the setup, takedown and serving
of refreshments. Pastor Nate preached a great vision casting message as to what Arise Baptist Church
will strive to be in southwest Portland and worldwide. After the opening service, it was wonderful to
hear visitors saying, “I will be back next Sunday!” Please pray for this new church plant and for the
church to quickly be established and to find a permanent building to house their ministry.

Reseeding America – Summer 2024 17