In Bend, Oregon, a new Alliance church plant called Catalyst Life Alliance is taking root under the leadership of church planters Crystal and Jesse Garnett. The couple held their first pre-launch gathering on 16 August 2024, and the young congregation has since celebrated three baptisms and its first child dedication.
Church planting sits at the heart of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the largest member of the global Alliance World Fellowship. The Garnetts describe a winding road of more than two decades — through military service, congregational ministry, and hard seasons of healing — as the preparation that led them to plant. They say they felt led to Bend, a fast-growing city in central Oregon, where they want to serve the wider community and, in their words, “redeem the image of the Church” in the city.
The couple describe Bend as hard, rocky soil that can feel lifeless, and the work has brought struggles with discouragement and doubt alongside encouragement. They report that the plant has witnessed healings, walked alongside people through deliverance, and seen chains of addiction break, while drawing young and newly believing members. Catalyst Life has also hosted multi-denominational worship nights that gather believers from several churches, and the family continues to serve regularly in the community.
Source: Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA USA) — cmalliance.org
