Issue no.

6, February 2010

Join us in thanking God
for His provision and
grace in our lives in the
following ways:
• Continued provision through
supporters
• Success of Meltdown, a conference
for students in which Renewal
played a part
• Partnerships beginning with local
ministries to serve Greenville as
well as church planters in the U.S.
and Scandinavia
• Centerpointe Church’s donation of
items needed for Sunday mornings
• Leaders willing to step up and
lead ministries in Renewal
Prayer Needs:
• Continued love for our neighbors
in Greenville and opportunities to
share the great news of the Gospel
with them
• Core values of Renewal to become
core values to each individual
who links up with our church
• Possibility of a building on
Woodruff Rd. or Laurens Rd. that
would locate us close to where we
want to be permanently.
• Toby Dix and his family are raising Tampa, Florida and Restoration
support so that they can work full time Church in Washington, D.C.
with Renewal. His position with • Pray for guidance as we seek out an
Rocky Creek Baptist Church ended the international missions partnership
first of January, so pray that God possibly in Scandinavia.
would provide a salary for their family • Pray for Matt’s ministry at Furman
as they take a step of faith to join with through BCM.
Renewal.
• Pray for Carl & Brooke Boyer as Carl
raises support as well to work with
Renewal in collegiate ministry.
• Continued drawing of a wide variety
of people to join with the mission of
Renewal.
• Pray for our fellow church planters
beginning Covenant Life Church in Items donated from Centerpointe Church

Renewed Relationship with God
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to
the fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and to
prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
We began the month of January by wrapping up our
“In the Flesh” series where we took a hard look at
Luke 4 and the role Jesus played as the perfect
missionary. Matt suggested that all of us, who wear
the name of Jesus, are intrinsically hardwired to be
missionaries and, as Renewal Church, we want to be
intentional about fleshing out God’s desire for us to
share the Gospel, not just on the local scene, but
nationally and worldwide.
After studying Jesus as Savior, King, Model, and
Missionary, we started a new series focusing on the
core values of our church. It is of great importance to
us that Renewal Church is built on a strong
foundation, and, to that effort, it is essential that we
have a sound understanding of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. We must have heart knowledge of the fact
that, through Jesus, God made it possible for us to see
and to appropriately respond to how great He is! As
a church, we want to create a culture of people who
esteem God rightly. In order to do that, we must read
and treasure His word, corporately and individually.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that, “All Scripture is
breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every
good work.”
We ended the month with a couple of gatherings
where we engaged in intense and specific prayer. As
a church, we began by “gazing on the beauty of the
Lord” (Psalm 27:4). We spent time praying for God to
be gracious to the Dix and the Boyer families as
they continue to raise support; we gave thanks for
those who have decided to partner with Renewal
Church and we asked for discernment for those
who are still deciding; we prayed for guidance as
we continue our search for a meeting space to call
our own; and we praised God for the equipment
that He has provided us through Centerpointe
Church. God is so good!
Answered Prayer through
Centerpointe Church
We are so thankful that our Great God hears our
prayers and answers faithfully! We have been
lifting up our needs to Him concerning the
physical items needed to launch in our own
building. God has faithfully answered over the
summer through individuals who have donated
specific items and recently through Centerpointe
Church who donated about $20,000 worth of
equipment to Renewal Church! Some of the items
they graciously gave are instruments, computer,
sound equipment, stage lighting, children’s items
like pack-n-plays, a glider rocker, bookshelves and
swings, communion supplies, a copy machine, and
much more! We are so amazed and grateful to
receive this gracious gift! Please join us in praising
God for His blessings to us!
How to Give
“Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to
anyone as he had need.” Acts 2:45
Thank you again for your commitment to give to
Renewal Church! See the following information on
how to give:
• By check
Place a check in the pre-labeled envelope along
with a stamp, and mail to Renewal Church - 201
B. West Butler Rd. #151, Mauldin, S.C. 29662
• Online
Go to www.renewalupstate.com and click on
“Online Giving” at the bottom of the home
page. Click “Register” to give a one time gift.
• Automatic Draft
Go to www.renewalupstate.com and click on
“Online Giving” at the bottom of the home page.
Click “Register” to complete your automatic
draft.
A few reminders:
• All gifts are tax deductible
• Please make us aware of any address changes or
changes to your giving so we can make the
necessary adjustments. Send an email to
church@renewalupstate.com to update your
information!
**We are in the process of mailing annual
contribution statements. Please let us know if you
do not receive one or if there are mistakes on your
statement that we need to revise. We have had a
few issues getting statements correct for those of
you who gave with Paypal. We apologize for these
mistakes and are working them out so that you
receive a correct statement. Thank you for your
patience.**

www.renewalupstate.com

Renewed Relationships With
Each Other
“Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple
courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together
with glad and sincere hearts.” Acts 2:46
Our first meeting of servant leaders, those who will
take on primarily Sunday morning ministries in the
church, occurred in January and we were very
encouraged to see who turned out to give
leadership to these ministries. These leaders will
oversee ministries such as nursery, preschool
activities, hospitality, communication and
technology, set-up and tear down, and finances.
Seeing those partnering with Renewal take
ownership of ministry within the church is very
exciting to us and we look forward to seeing these
leaders develop their abilities as God uses them to
impact our church.
Snow on the campus of North Greenville University
We also held the first meeting of our Board of
Directors for Renewal Church who will give
oversight and accountability to our pastors until we
establish elders who will take on that role in the
future. There are seven members on this board and
will meet semi-annually for the first two years of
our church by which time we hope to have elders in
place. At this first meeting, they were greatly
encouraged to see how God has provided and
moved in the hearts of those connected with
Renewal. Matt and Toby presented our list of goals
for our first year and provided and update on how
we are going about meeting those goals. They also
gave the board a detailed report of our attendance,
budget, and finances. Thank you to those of you
who participate in this board! We appreciate the
time you take out of your schedule to support us in
this way!
Renewed Love for Those Far
From God
“...And the Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.” Acts 2:47
“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and
growing…”  Colossians 1:6
Renewal Church has been in awe watching God use
her to see His Gospel spread.  This past month we
had the privilege of helping the victims of Haiti by
partnering with Churches Helping Churches to be able
to financially give to the Haitians in their time of
need. We know your hearts have also been touched
by this tragedy and we encourage you to read about
how Renewal Church is challenging others to be
involved. You can read more at http://
www.renewalupstate.com/blogs/renewals-
response-haiti.
Also during the month of January, Renewal was
able to help the Meltdown Student Conference be a
great success.  Toby Dix, a new pastor on staff, has
led this conference in Pigeon Forge, TN, for the past
twelve years.  Students grades 6 to 12 attended the
22nd-24th, to
hear the
Gospel
shared
through the
preaching of
the Word
with Jeremy
Kingsley,
singing with
Jonathan
Elrod and December Radio, laughter with Bean &
Bailey, and entertainment with illusionist Jared Hall. 
God saved many young people this weekend and
we are very thankful to have been apart of His
work.
One of our core values as a church is to partner with
missions opportunities locally, nationally, and
internationally and we are excited to see how God
has opened an opportunity for us to partner with
Scandinavia.  A vision trip will soon take in January
2011 to see where we can get involved in this area
where much of Christian history originated, but is
now a missionary graveyard and a place with few
believers.  Please begin praying for this trip and for
opportunities to spread the Gospel in this area of the
world.
Please also continue praying for the upcoming trips
to Washington, D.C. and Tampa, FL.   Our college
students will be in D.C. in March during their
Spring Break where they will work with Restoration
Church.  Renewal will be in Florida with Covenant
Life Church this  summer assist them.  You can find
more information and prayer needs about these two
churches at www.restorationchurchdc.com  and
www.covenantlifetampa.com 
Meet the Rutland’s
Stephen and Christina
Rutland are
newlyweds who have
decided to begin their
marriage by
immersing themselves
in ministry. When
approached with the
chance to be a part of
the core team of
Renewal, both were
excited for the
opportunity to serve
with friends and help
build God’s church in
Stephen & Christina were Greenville.
married August 3, 2009
Both Stephen and Christina are new to the upstate
and are excited to build their home here in
Greenville. Stephen, a registered nurse and
graduate of Lander University, works in the
emergency room at Greenville Memorial Hospital as
well as serving in the music ministry of Renewal
Church. In addition to having a passion for leading
worship through music, Stephen has also
discovered a heart for missions. He is now serving
as a project coordinator for Renewal’s upcoming
ministries to Scandinavia.
Christina recently graduated with a degree in
theatre from Clemson University. Currently she
serves Renewal as an administrative assistant as
well as handling the financial responsibilities of the
church. She has also been blessed with a part time
job at Haywood Mall which affords many
opportunities to meet new people and build
relationships with people in Greenville
Being a part of Renewal Church has proven to be a
humbling, challenging, and thrilling experience for
the Rutlands. God continues to use Renewal to
strengthen and bless Stephen and Christina’s

“As you come to him, a living stone

Toby Dix and family prayed over as they were commissioned
from Rocky Creek Baptist Church to be a pastor with
Renewal.
rejected by men but in the sight of
God chosen and precious, you
yourselves like living stones are being
built up as a spiritual house, to be a
holy priesthood, to offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus.”
-I Peter 2:4-5
Some of the items donated from Centerpointe Church

www.renewalupstate.com