MISSIONS

 

Ambassadors Football - Caleb

The month of March has been back home in the UK.  We’re in an unusual situation of waiting to hear on news of Miriam’s visa, but are absolutely loving where God has us now.  Spending time together, back home in London, with friends & family has been such a blessing.  The role of the church is such an important one and at this stage of life it is inspiring to be able to stay with Geoff & Julia.  They have welcomed us with open arms (as well as Edgars, another Ambassador who was denied his visa and is here for a few weeks), seeing their work for the church up close (with church accounts, member care, and many other practical matters), is a great reminder about what the church has done (and is doing) for us and how it’s so important to be there for the church as the body of Christ.  

Caleb is working remotely with a busy summer coming up, with potentially a tour to Peru at the end of next month and programs throughout summer that will involve over 3,000 people.  Meanwhile Miriam has been able to go back to work at St. Bartholomew’s hospital (which was incredible as an opening became available just as we arrived home) for the short term.  The Easter 5 churches service was amazing and it’s been wonderful to be back.

Caleb & Miriam

 

 

 

Barnabas Fund

Here are a few snippets of the latest news from Barnabas Fund. For more in-depth news from around the world, please visit their website: www.barnabasfund.org/en/news

LAOS—District officials enforce law to enable house church to reopen

Your prayers are already having an impact as the small house church in southern Laos attacked by residents and village leaders in February is now reopening under the protection of district authorities. On Sunday 4 February a mob of residents and village authorities tore down the house where Christians in Kaleum Vangke village in Savannakhet province’s Xonboury district were gathered and interrupted the worship service (see Prayer Focus Update, March 2024). The attackers also burned Bibles and other documents. Ministry of Public Security officials have since stepped in to protect the Christians’ right to worship, a resident of the village and church member stated at the end of February. “[The officials] announced that from now on, our fellow Christians can resume worship,” he said. “So, starting this week, we’re rebuilding our place of worship. Right now, we’re putting wooden planks back up.” Another churchgoer added that while the building is being repaired, the church will still meet for worship. “But the village authorities and other non-Christian villagers are still threatening us, threatening to tear down our place of worship again,” he said. “But we are getting stronger now. We’re not afraid to get together at that house anymore.”

Praise God for the swift answer to your prayers as the district authorities did indeed uphold the law that gives Christians in Laos the right to conduct services. Give thanks also that our brothers and sisters have received Divine encouragement, not only to build on the cornerstone of our faith, but also to begin physically rebuilding their place of worship. Pray that Christians in Kaleum Vangke will stand firm in their faith without being frightened by their opponents and that regular worship will be firmly established (Philippians 1:27-28). Pray that their steadfastness will encourage Christians throughout rural Laos, and that there will be no further evictions of Christians from their villages.

 

Mission Care - Geoff, Fay, & Phil (and the Pastoral Team)

Recently, there have been a number of changes in the residents at Willett House and Homefield, after many months of relative stability. Please pray for me (and Jonathan and Georgina) as we get to know the new residents and find the most effective ways of communicating with them. I rely on the notes that I make about my visits to residents, because there is far too much information for me to remember. Making notes takes time, but also gives my mind a rest. Pray for all of the pastoral team that we will structure our days wisely.

Pray for relative K who is very sad about the progress of her husband’s condition. I met her at the funeral of another resident, where K heard clear gospel messages from the various contributors.

Phil

 

 

 

Alastair & Helen -

OM Ireland

It was great to have Phil here for a visit, and for him to see Lacken House, meet some of our colleagues, and an opportunity to meet with Paul, our Director. We are going through lots of changes here on the team, but we continue receiving Short Term teams and processing finances!

St Patrick's Challenge was a great outreach with 12 international participants. We provided training and the team worked with two churches in Athlone and one in Ballinasloe. The churches were thankful for the extra help which meant they could be in the parades, to tell the story of Patrick and give out tracts. The team also met with a long term OMer in Dublin who does sketchboard evangelism near to O'Connell Street every Tuesday.

Alastair travels to Germany from 9-12 April for European Leaders Group meetings. The football season is underway with training, and matches start in a few weeks. Community chess tournaments take place this month which Alastair will be overseeing.

Some big news about the Big Red Bus:

Since the late 1990’s, the Big Red Bus has been an integral part of the ministry here at OM Ireland. Its bright red exterior, banner of international flags, and vivid display of John 14:6 have been seen everywhere from Cork to Donegal, from Wales to England and Scotland, and all places in between. But every ministry tool has its season and it’s time to say goodbye to the current Big Red Bus. We are now in the exciting phase of looking for a new vehicle! This can feel like a big change for many people. But the heart of our ministry is still the same. Paul, the OM in Ireland Director, shares, “The main thing to know is that we’re continuing the same mission. It’s not about what type of vehicle we have, it’s the message that matters - and we have the best news for the people of Ireland!”

Alastair & Helen

 

Jamie & Michaela - OM France

What we have been doing in recent months

In February, Jamie, Michaela and Jude flew to Guadeloupe (leaving Aya and Ezra with Jamie’s parents in London) to represent OM at a youth conference. It was an encouraging time with a large youth turn-out and good collaboration between churches and mission organisations. We ran an OM stand where we shared with the young people about what OM does and how they could be involved.

In March, we were able to spend a weekend with Fireplace Church, which we will be joining from this coming summer, at their annual weekend away. It was so good to be able to spend more time with them and get to know them a bit better.

Over the Easter weekend Jamie helped to run an outreach training and activity (going out into the street and interviewing people about their religious beliefs), and with the worship team at an OM youth event (Teen City).

Michaela recently restarted her French lessons (after a break because of Jude’s arrival!) and her tutor was really impressed with how much she has improved!  Please keep praying that God would continue to bless Michaela’s language learning so that she becomes more and more at ease in French

Future plans

While we were away with Fireplace Church we were able to speak with the church leaders, who have been praying about where the church plant we will join in the summer should be based. God has led them to the area around Versailles (in the South West of Paris), which has a population of around 115,000 people and only five churches (one of which is Portuguese speaking). That is a ratio of 1 French-speaking church per 28,750 inhabitants. In order to reach the target set by the National Council of Evangelicals in France (CNEF) of one church per 10,000 people, there need to be 8 more churches in the area...there’s work to do!

We are both excited about this new move and the new challenges and opportunities it presents, particularly being able to be a part of seeing God grow his kingdom in France, and nervous as Versailles and the surrounding areas are a notoriously difficult place for churches as there is a significant resistance to talking about and considering faith and religious ideas.

Now we know where we will be based we can begin looking for houses/apartments and schools. We can also finish working out where Jamie will do his training and with what frequency: intensive (2 weeks per semester) vs part-time (a few days a week).

Prayer points:

Thanks:

  • We know where we will be and with whom from the summer!

  • For the conference in Guadeloupe and how God used it to speak to the young people

  • For Fireplace church and the weekend away which was a great time of getting to know people and being refreshed spiritually

Ask:

  • For God’s guidance and provision for housing/schools. Versailles is not cheap, but we trust that God will provide for us as He has many times before!

  • ·For the Olympic outreaches and other events coming up between now and the summer. That God would be preparing us and the hearts of the people that He is already working in in Versailles.

Jamie & Michaela

Mary - Cameroon

Cameroon/Nigeria prayer points

We meet up with Bruce Cox and his wife Kathy again, as they continue on home leave in Australia. In their last email (early March), Kathy wrote:

We're grateful to God for…

  • a lovely, God-honouring celebration of the life of Bruce's dad, Charles Cox, on 26 February in Sydney

  • a delightful, relaxing and insightful time of Sabbatical Leave in Tasmania over five weeks!!

Please join us in asking God for...

  • the long-awaited recording of the voice parts for the Jesus Film in Iceve! The script has been ready since about October 2022, people have gradually been selected to read parts and have been practising them ... and now it seems the recording of those parts is set to take place shortly in Nigeria! Please pray for all the many logistics needed - people being well and travelling to Obudu, the recording team coming from Jos, provision of mattresses to rig up a recording room, provision of meals and accommodation for all who are coming, the 20 or so voice actors to say their parts correctly and expressively (and in the lip-synch time available), unity, equipment to work, the Holy Spirit to work, and so on!

  • guidance for Pastor Napoleon, who is organising it all.

  • a good last week of Sabbatical Leave for us and an enjoyable time doing three weeks of Group Service for WBT Australia, as well as speaking at our partner church here in Melbourne, Bundoora Presbyterian.

Thanks for your partnership!

Kathy and Bruce

This recording of the voice parts for the Jesus Film in Iceve may already have taken place – let us pray too for the final editing process, and that the Jesus Film may soon be viewed by Iceve speakers in Cameroon and Nigeria, and further afield. To date, Pastor Napoleon and others have been using the audio version of Luke’s Gospel in Listening Groups with encouraging results.

I should also include recent good news from the Beyers in this edition. Last month they wrote of possible imminent surgery for Annette.  Annette has written (19th March) after successful surgery: “Yes, it’s true – this is Annette writing from home!!  I still have a few weeks of recovery ahead of me, but the progress has been steady and encouraging so far.  What a joy it is to be together at home again.  We continue to be in awe of what God has done and continues to do.  Thank you for your prayers and the many other ways you have upheld us and our family on this long journey. We are feeling so incredibly blessed and humbled and grateful – just writing these words brings tears to my eyes.”

Thank you for faithfully upholding these servants in prayer!

Mary

 

Josh—TTG AF / SASRA / Woolwich Congregational Church

Towards the Goal - Ambassadors Football (Animator)

I would appreciate your prayers as I go to Kenya mid-April to train a group of 90 pastors and coaches how to use the TTG material. We received a very encouraging video from a young man in Brazil, who said how much he has been enjoying using the material - and how he wishes he had seen it growing up! The feedback from our Easter animation has also been a great encouragement from all that have seen it around the world! The combined total views on both the main video and the series of shorts we put out is over 15,000 - which is more than we could have imagined beforehand! Thanks so much for your prayers and support of me in this project.

 

SASRA (Scripture reader)

I’d love to share some encouragements from recent weeks. Soldier M is leaving the army soon. He has plans for the future, but patiently listened as I told him that without Christ in the center of his life - and reconciliation with God - he would not find fulfilment. I explained the gospel to him. He took a Bible. Soldier L attended the Bible study, and we looked at the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee. Leo wanted to know what ‘righteousness’ and ‘justified’ (words in the passage) meant. He understood that we are not saved by our own righteous deeds. He allowed me to gently challenge him about the way he sometimes takes the Lord’s name in vain. These are just two of many examples of the opportunities that the Lord is giving - please pray for changed hearts and more open doors!

 

Woolwich Congregational Church (Pastor)

It’s been an encouragement last few months with some great street evangelism and abortion education display work with CBRUK. When going out on the streets, I asked the Lord to give me conversations with Muslims and JWs. He answered abundantly more than I could have hoped - giving me a convo with an Afghan Muslim who used to work with the British in Kabul (where I was based!), and then five different JWs! Please pray for more boldness and open doors - and that more members of our congregation would want to come with us onto the streets! I have a number of Saturday talks over the next month (men’s breakfasts and evangelism evenings) - please pray for energy and the Lord’s blessing upon the work.

Josh