Join Us at Expand Network’s 70th Anniversary Celebration!
On Sunday, November 8th at 4pm, we invite you to join us to celebrate 70 years of God’s faithfulness through Expand Network! We will eat dessert together, hear a special message as well as a few inspiring stories, and share an opportunity to partner with us through giving.
This event will be held at the Tigard Campus of Northwest Christian Church, located at 13405 SW Hall Blvd, Tigard, OR 97223.
We are beyond excited to welcome Dr. LeRoy Lawson as the featured speaker. Dr. Lawson was the first church planter sent out by Expand Network (formerly NWCEA), becoming the founding minister of Tigard Christian Church (now part of Northwest Christian Church). He later served as a professor, pastor, and interim pastor in several states. He and his wife Joy currently live among their family in Wentzville, Missouri. We look forward to hearing a word of encouragement from Dr. Lawson, and hope you will consider joining us in celebration!
To RSVP, email info@expandnw.org
Unless the Lord Builds…
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Psalms 127:1
For seventy years Expand Network (formerly known as Northwest Christian Evangelistic Association) has been in existence to expand God’s kingdom for God’s glory. Over the last seven decades, there have been many faithful board members, executive directors, staff / support team, church planters, and church / individual kingdom prayer / financial partners that have served faithfully. And as a result, people have been connected to Jesus and His Church. Pastors have been encouraged, disciples have been trained and new churches have been started! And I am confident, if I had the chance to speak to everyone involved, everyone would agree with the writer of Psalms 127:1…
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.”
As Expand Network prepares to celebrate seventy years of ministry, I am so grateful to each person who has contributed to doing their part in the kingdom expansion. Because God has been faithful to building his kingdom, for his glory, in and through the people and churches of Expand Network, the kingdom of God is coming here on earth as it is in heaven!
Thank you for being faithful in praying, giving, and partnering with God, through Expand Network, as He continues to build his kingdom for his glory!
Looking forward to celebrating seventy years of ministry with all of you with the hope and prayer for God to continue to expand his kingdom for another seventy years. Because an encounter with Jesus changes everything…
Sean Thomé
Executive Director
Prayer Is The Strategy
Two years ago with the encouragement and insight gained from reading Greg Pruett’s book, Extreme Prayer, God led Expand Network to implement a “prayer strategy” which we intend to renew every year until Jesus returns and which becomes the centerpiece and central strategy for everything else we do. That first year we successfully established three prayer rhythms. On a daily basis, we offer specific prayer for our ministry, our planters, and our partner churches. Every week on Wednesdays, we invite each other to an opportunity to fast “from one meal or one thing” in support of those specific petitions. Thirdly, we host a monthly “Hour of Prayer” videoconference.
That was 2025.
Luke 5:1-11 has been the Scripture around which our 2026 prayer focus coalesced. That miraculous catch of fish in “deep waters” which “astonished” Jesus’ disciples. So in 2026 we have prayed to be “astonished” by God as He…
- Invites us into more and more opportunities to partner in new Kingdom projects
- Bears astonishing fruit in all our church plants and partner churches comprised of both new believers and more members becoming disciple-making-disciples
- Provides overabundantly for the financial needs of our ministry of encouraging pastors, making disciples, and planting churches
This year God has called us to add an additional rhythm to our ongoing strategy of prayer which we are calling “The Expand the Kingdom Hour of Prayer.” This, we very much hope and pray, is where you come in.
With our 70th Anniversary Gala coming on November 8th, our hope is that on Saturday, November 7th, as many of our church plants and partner churches as possible (and any of the rest of you as well!) will gather a group of prayer warriors from among your church or ministry for one hour of prayer focused upon the requests mentioned above. Any hour of the day will do! Could be a breakfast, a lunch or a dinner gathering, or anything else in between. One hour, all over the world, any and everyone connected with Expand Network, gathered before God’s Throne, seeking God’s astonishing movement among us.
Interested? Willing and able? Please reach out to me! I would love to help you plan and hear what hour of the day on November 7th you will set aside to join us expectantly in His Presence, for the expansion of His Kingdom!
Grateful for your continued partnership,
Wilson Parrish
Director of Pastoral Encouragement and Prayer
Ministry Story: Joel and River Hills Church
Back in 2020, Joel and Sean Thomé were working together to train some of the members of River Hills Church. This church – a growing congregation in Gresham, Oregon – wanted to make sure that they were meeting intentionally. And while not every aspect of the training applied to every single member of the church, a thought occurred to Joel and his staff:
How could they ensure that their members were engaging in intentional discipleship every time they met together?
Through some trial and error, Joel worked closely with Sean to make the training experience better and better. But something else has changed at River Hills. Every group that meets together regularly – small groups, women’s groups, men’s groups, youth groups – they all follow the same format: studying intentional discipleship through scripture. The biggest difference has been seen this year in the youth group – students are eager and hungry to read the word. And young youth leaders – often college students – are learning to follow the Spirit’s lead as they intentionally disciple the next generation of Jesus-followers. As Joel says, they are realizing “they don’t need to be theologians to lead a conversation about Jesus.”
Because of your partnership with Expand, young people are being transformed to follow Jesus.
A New Church Plant: Northern Pines Christian Church
This summer has been a season of new beginnings for Northern Pines Christian Church and for two families who have followed God’s leading to Flagstaff. Jeremy and Alyssa Peters made the move in mid-May with their two little ones, Noah and Grace. A few weeks later, in early June, Marcelino and Liz Canuas relocated with Marcelino II and Trinity, while their middle son, Manny, remained in the Valley to continue his schooling. Our families are in different seasons of life, but we have been brought together by a shared love for Jesus, a heart for people, and a desire to faithfully serve the community God has called us to.
For the Canuas family, the journey to Flagstaff came after years of ministry at Christ Church of the Valley and several years of sensing God stirring something new. What began as a stirring eventually became a clear calling to plant Northern Pines Christian Church. The Peters family brings their own story of service, from military and healthcare backgrounds to serving and leading in the local church. Jeremy and Alyssa have joined Northern Pines as part of the core team with a heart to love people, make disciples, and help build a multiplying church here in Flagstaff. Together, our families have stepped into this season with a lot of faith. Moving, changing jobs, helping our kids adjust, leaving behind familiar relationships, and starting again in a new community hasn’t always been easy, but we continue to see God’s faithfulness in every step.
Northern Pines is still at the beginning of its story, and right now much of this ministry looks pretty simple – meeting people, sharing meals, having conversations over coffee, opening our homes, praying together, and building genuine relationships. Our desire is not simply to start another church service, but to grow a disciple-making community where people learn to walk in the way of Jesus. Where disciples make disciples, pastors train pastors, and churches plant churches. We are incredibly grateful for everyone who has prayed for us, supported us, encouraged our families, and helped make this journey possible. We believe God is already at work in Flagstaff, and we are grateful that He has invited our families and all of you to be part of what He is doing.
