God's Been Taking Us "Back to Eden" This Fall
October 2024 Ministry Newsletter
My wife Shepard and I are in a really cool season of life where God is intermingling our ministries and interests in a fresh way:
Since the summer we have been hosting Tuesday night gatherings at our home with worship and Bible study.
We recorded a Presence Pioneers podcast season together called “Back to Eden”. The episodes have been releasing this fall. As always, our paid subscribers get twice as many episodes.
This past weekend, we hosted our first Back to Eden Festival here in eastern North Carolina, a Christian homesteading festival that included homesteading classes, vendors, and 10+ hours of worship and prayer (check out the photo below).
God is doing something really cool here in eastern NC right now, and we feel the Holy Spirit inviting us to press into what’s happening. We’ll keep you updated! Pray for us and sow into what’s happening as the Lord leads.
Matthew Lilley
Director & Founder of Presence Pioneers
Back to Eden Festival 🌿
Back to Eden Festival was two and half days of classes, worship, vendors, community, and fun in Pitt County, North Carolina. Shepard and her friends really pulled this event together, and I helped coordinate the evening worship times. A few highlights:
Friday & Saturday night concluded with 6 hours of non-stop worship and prayer in a barn with worship leaders from seven different local churches.
Saviour and Sherrill Kaonga from Overland Missions came to teach about their missions work in Congo and Zambia, where they teach locals how to take care of their land and grow their food. This opens up amazing doors for the Gospel.
One young man shared a testimony of how the Friday night message from Elliotte Pearson touched his heart profoundly. He went home that evening, spent time praying and crying with the Lord, and received deep healing in his soul.
Daytime Friday and Saturday were filled with local vendors, classes, food, and connections including a goat milking demonstration, a sourdough bread-making class, and much more.
There were loads of kids around - going on hay rides, playing on the playground, throwing frisbees, etc. Many of the children were also deeply engaged in the times of worship. One dad sent me a photo of his young son “in the zone” during worship - hands raised, eyes closed while experiencing God’s presence.
We expect Back to Eden to become an annual event, and we plan to do more frequent events (whether for Christian homesteading or extended hours of worship) throughout the year.
Testimony about David’s Tabernacle 🙏🏼
I got this encouraging message recently. I’m amazed at how God continues to use my David’s Tabernacle book to impact lives over three years after its release.
NEW From Presence Pioneers Media in October🎙️
The Seasons of Life, Timing and Transitions with Shepard Lilley [podcast]
The Restoration of Priesthood: Understanding the Kingdom of Priests by Andrew Faletti [article]
Tending the Soil of Our Hearts with Shepard Lilley [podcast]
Joy Comes in the Mourning [article]
Family Update👨🏻👩🏻👧🏻👦🏻
Upcoming Itinerary & Events ✈️
October 31-November 2 - Garden Church, Greenville SC
December 15 - Church at New Bern, New Bern NC
February 19-22 - The Prayer Room DFW, Dallas TX
April 4-5 - Phenomenon Conference, Greenville NC
