Dear Friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that the Darke County Anglican Mission has halted its Sunday morning services. These three years were full of God’s blessings—we saw Him do wonderful things among us. Yet we also recognized that it was time to bring our ministry in Ansonia, Ohio, to a close, as the last of our anchoring families felt called to another church family. As we discern exactly what is next, it is clear that we need to find the next group to take ownership of the building that we have been so blessed to worship in and allow this chapter of ministry in Darke County to close.

As the planting family, our hearts are heavy. At the same time, we trust that God has something for us—beginning with healing and leading to a new way to serve His kingdom together. For me specifically, I remain a member of the clergy of the Reformed Episcopal Church, and I expect that my status will shape what comes next, though we do not anticipate moving out of the area.

In the meantime, I hope you will join us in celebrating all that God has done in and through us: our Sundays spent worshiping and receiving Holy Communion, our many baptisms, and our Wednesdays in prayer. During our final service on September 28th, I shared that since starting services Advent 2023, we had around 90 Sunday services (most with Holy Communion), we saw 17 Baptisms, 2 Confirmations, 2 Holy Weeks, Easters and Christmases. The families who walked with us in this work have moved to new congregations and continue to have their faith nurtured with other vibrant church families. 

Regarding your giving, I will be working with Tithely and the other platforms we use to close down our giving portal once we have a plan in place for the building, as we have some continued costs associated with the building (gas, electric, landscaping, and minor repairs). Any money left after that has been completed will go back to the REC100 fund to be used in other church planting projects. If you would like to redirect your giving to other ministries before then, I completely understand. Thank you for walking with us on this journey. We could not have done it without your support.

While we did not expect this, we have to believe in the providence of God in this closure. We also believe that God still has something special in mind for us. If you would like to be in touch with me, my cell phone number and email remain the same. I would be glad to hear from you and to learn what God continues to do in your life and household.

Thank you again for standing with us in prayer, encouragement, and generosity. We are deeply grateful. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all evermore. Amen.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Sincerely,

Andrew Costa+

andrew.luis.costa@gmail.com

740.707.3343