We are a church planting church. From the very beginning we said we were not just starting one church, New Life, but were starting a church that would start churches that start churches. Since then we”ve been able to impact thousands of churches but there are a few close to us that are more like family. One such church is Legacy Christian Church in Allentown, PA.

Part of what makes Legacy special is they are one of our “grand-daughter” churches. Our first church plant was Forefront Church in Virginia Beach. We sent two staff members and way more money than was “prudent” to start Forefront when we were less than five years old. They have since sent Richie Merritt to start Legacy. Legacy is now a few years old and we”ve come to truly respect Richie and the church he has allowed God to plant through him.

It was with great sadness we read that Richie was diagnosed with cancerous tumors in his brain AND his lungs. As if one wasn”t bad enough. The good news is that God has been on the move and while the prognosis is far from great, Richie has exceeded his doctors expectations as he has begun treatment. Yay God!

He still has a long road ahead of him and his best chances for survival (with God”s help) is by receiving a treatment which is very expensive and not covered by his insurance. This is where we come in. New Life is going to make a direct gift to him to show our support but we also wanted to give you the opportunity to give as well. No pressure. No hard sell. Just an opportunity to click here to give directly or to drop a check in the offering this Sunday with a memo of “One Love”. Why One Love? Because Richie believes in the greatest love there ever was and isn”t shy to tell anyone who will listen about how that One Love changed his life.

We know there are many people suffering from cancer and other hardships and encourage you to give of yourself generously wherever God leads you. We do not highlight Richie because he is somehow more worthy than those who are even part of New Life. He is simply a brother of ours whom we care deeply about and wish to see his ministry flourish. Regardless of what happens, his legacy will live on as his church, his God, transforms Allentown with One Love.