Mars Hill Fellowship Church featured in Boston Globe Article on Church Planting
Mission field: Boston
Evangelical groups see region as fertile ground for ‘plant’ churches
by Erica Noonan
Copyright 2010 by The Boston Globe
Published: Sunday, December 19, 2010 / Globe West Edition
WATERTOWN — Within the walls of a traditional New England church that saw its longtime membership diminish and depart in recent years, a new band of faithful is growing quickly.
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Mars Hill Fellowship Church in Brookline is another new, fast-growing church. However, its planting organization is just a few miles away, at Jubilee Christian Church on Blue Hill Avenue in Mattapan. Jubilee, with approximately 6,000 members, is one of the largest Protestant churches in New England, and has set up a second congregation in addition to Mars Hill, church officials said.
The pastor at Mars Hill, the Rev. Joseph Ardayfio, and his wife, Ophelia, were young-adult ministers at Jubilee and wanted to establish a new church specifically reaching out to college students and young professionals.
Mars Hill held its first services last Easter, using rented space in a Holiday Inn; the location was chosen because of its close proximity to the MBTA, making it easier for members living in Allston and Brighton to attend.
This will be the first Christmas for the congregation, which has doubled in size to nearly 60 members since the spring, said Ardayfio. In addition to Sunday morning services, Mars Hill offers networking groups and seminars to help young adults reconcile their work lives with their Bible-centered beliefs.
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