The Bible makes it clear that, through the work of the Spirit, healthy Christians reproduce other Christians. In the same way, healthy churches produce other churches. At Falls Baptist Church, we are grateful for the churches God has allowed us to be a part of starting. At The Nelson Center for Preaching and Church Planting, we are excited for the opportunity of being a part of a new church plant in the beautiful city of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Pastor Ron O’ Bryan, the founding pastor of Manitowoc Baptist Church, came to Pastor Van Gelderen and asked him to prayerfully consider starting a church in Manitowoc and expressed a desire for Manitowoc Baptist to be a part of this new church. In God’s timing, Pastor Van Gelderen had already been praying about starting a church there and it became quickly obvious that God had been directing the steps of this endeavor. Early on in this effort, and after many, many years of faithful service to the Lord, God called Pastor O’ Bryan home. His son, Attorney Brandon O’ Bryan, assured Pastor Van Gelderen that Manitowoc Baptist was still very much interested in this journey.

While God was at work in the hearts of the members of Manitowoc, he was also working in the heart of Missionary Chris Sanderlin, missionary to Cameroon, West Africa. As a result of extremely difficult health issues, it was necessary for Brother Sanderlin and his family to come off the field for an extended period of time. Through this series of circumstances, the Lord provided the pastor for the new church plant, Maritime Baptist Church.   

A team from Baptist College of Ministry and Seminary have been giving their time on the weekends to promote the new church plant through outreach and Bible Studies. Several hours every Saturday have provided the time for the three men and two women to make many contacts in the community. It has been encouraging to see the response from the people to the team, and there is much optimism moving forward.

Additionally, another church has reached out to Falls Baptist about being a part of this project. It is nothing short of miraculous to see the way God has been bringing all of these people together for this one common purpose. Maritime Baptist is in the final stages of acquiring a building and establishing a starting date so we ask that you join us in prayer for this glorious step forward in reaching Wisconsin with the Gospel.