Over the past several years, Sovereign Grace Ministries has developed relationships with a few pastors in the Dominican Republic. This includes Miguel Núñez, who leads a church in Santo Domingo. Miguel and the ministry he leads are featured in the video below, which is the second film we featured as part of our 2011 Mission Fund presentation.
The video ends with an overview from Dave Harvey of the many other ways in which God has been faithful to work through this family of churches in 2011. If you're a member of a Sovereign Grace church, thank you for the sacrificial service in your church, as well as your financial support, that have made much of this work possible. For more about how the Mission Fund money is spent, or to give a gift, you can visit the Mission Fund overview page.
For nine years, Sovereign Grace churches have provided training, pastoral support, and financial assistance to a pastor named Manolito and the churches he leads in Cuba. (One of the pastors, Al Pino, shared about this at length at our Pastors Conference in 2010.) Manolito has become a dear friend to those who have visited Cuba, and it has been a privilege for us to partner with him through visits and numerous events in Cuba. These events have included conferences on marriage and worship, and others designed for pastors and youth.
The video below, which is one of the two films we featured as part of last year's Mission Fund presentation, is an opportunity for Sovereign Grace church members to see and hear from the people in Cuba who have benefited from donations to the Mission Fund over the years. On their behalf, thank you for your investment in the advance of the gospel!
Check back soon for a Mission Fund video about the Dominican Republic.
February 22, 2012 by
SGM Staff
Categories: International | India
Several weeks ago, a group of members from six Sovereign Grace churches participated in a twelve-day medical missions trip to India. The team worked with pastors in India and ran several medical camps, serving a total of around 2,500 patients during their time in India. Here’s an update from Steve Bickel, the pastor who led the trip:
We served...doing medical camps both in Ahmedabad and the southern foothills of the state of Gujarat, even going to a few remote areas where the gospel either hasn't been heard and/or there had never been medical camps before....
The team averaged around four hours of sleep per night and the amount of traveling was intense. We traveled mostly by bus and SUV for a total of over 30 hours while in the country. God’s grace and mercy truly allowed us to work those long hours together and to see about 2,500 total patients. We saw many conditions from snake bites to leprosy, HIV to scabies, lice to ear infections....
We are thankful for the opportunity we had to serve in India and also for some, the opportunity to see and experience a new culture. Most importantly though, we were able to help local leaders and pastors spread the Good News, by “softening the ground” for these pastors to go back in the villages and preach the gospel and start new churches.
Praise God for this fruitful trip! Along with Steve, we are grateful for the opportunity this team had to serve the practical needs of the people in India and help pave the way for future gospel ministry.
Photo by Flickr user mckaysavage, licensed under a Creative Commons license.
We recently got some exciting news from our church in Ethiopia, Covenant Life Church Addis Ababa. Senior pastor Mo Adugna spearheaded an effort to hold preaching and evangelistic meetings in the Millennium Hall, a large auditorium in Addis Ababa. Mo and his church set the date for April 13, advertised the meeting, worked with area churches, arranged worship, drama, and preaching. But even they were surprised when 22,000 people showed up.
There were so many people that the police eventually had to turn people away. Wondy Getahun, another pastor at Covenant Life Church Addis Ababa, wrote to us,
Our main aim was to preach the gospel and also to impact the city with the Word of God. And the Lord did it. There were many unbelievers who came, and we believe they were touched; they said they could come again. We also felt the impact on our Sunday meeting: we had to rent more chairs that day, and on the Sunday following our meeting at the Millennium Hall, 24 new people wanted to learn about the gospel and gave their lives to Christ….The Lord has opened an unbelievable door.
We got a lot of encouragement from evangelical churches….We were very happy because we believe that what matters most is the local church. All of this work goes hand in hand with the local church….
Please pray for Mo, because he is shouldering a very heavy burden, but we know that it’s for the glory of Jesus.
In May, they held another Wednesday meeting that drew 16,000 people. Please pray that the Lord continues to draw people to himself through the gospel, and to build ever-increasing unity among the churches of Addis Ababa.
Mo and Wondy both attended our Pastors College before moving back home to Ethiopia in 2003 to plant Covenant Life Church Addis Ababa. For more on the church and their vision for Ethiopia, check out this video we produced in 2008 as part of our annual Mission Presentation.
Last year at our Pastors Conference we shared that God has opened a door for Sovereign Grace Ministries to plant a church in North Africa. We are currently in the process of giving additional training to the men who are leading this effort, as well as giving them an opportunity to visit Sovereign Grace churches to build a prayer support network and potentially recruit members to join the planting team. This is the final of three blog posts to answer some of the most frequent questions asked of team members during these visits. Previous topics: "Is this plan a shift in our missiology?" and "Why are we planting a church there, and why now?"
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Who is going and how does someone apply to join the team?
I wish you could personally meet each member of the team and spend some time getting to know them—it’s a godly crew who love the gospel. For most of them, joining this team represents serious sacrifice—leaving family, uprooting from an otherwise comfortable life for a more risky one, career shifts, and the list goes on. And while the team is already formed, we are still in the process of securing visas and processing other necessary paperwork for their relocation. Sharing information about these members could endanger their safety and require a major shift in the timing of the church plant. Not only that, but it could also have serious consequences for the safety of the Christians in the region to whom they’ve previously ministered. Please pray for this team even though you don’t know their names!
What I can tell you is that we are still looking for one to two more families or singles to join the team. If you want to explore this possibility, contact the senior pastor at your church and ask him for the team profile (which describes some of the things we are looking for in candidates) and the application forms. With those documents in hand, you can begin the process:
- Examine the profile and invite others to do this on your behalf as well
- Fill out the application
- Ask your pastor to fill out the pastoral recommendation
- Contact us for instructions on submitting the completed application documents
If you have questions about the application process, or if you're not a member of an SGM church but want to apply for the team, please contact us.
What will ongoing care look like for the church-planting team?
A primary reason the team is taking time to build a partnership with SGM is because they wanted to deepen the care they receive as they work there. By developing a larger church-planting team, they will be able to more effectively care for each other. There are also some local believers in North Africa who will extend fellowship and care to those on the church planting team. The prayers and support of SGM churches will also play an important role in the team’s care. Finally, Kenneth Maresco is responsible for providing the team with care and counsel after they launch.
Ultimately, of course, our greatest comfort is found in knowing that God himself will care for the team. The Savior has promised that he is with us in our going, so as we labor to make disciples in North Africa, we have the promise that he will be with us always, to the end of the age. With confidence in the unrelenting faithfulness and goodness of God, we eagerly entrust those we send to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build them up and give them an inheritance among all those who believe.
How can I pray for the team?
For the church in North Africa: that the Lord will strengthen the faith of believers, increase their hunger for his Word and fellowship, and use the present turmoil in that region for the building of the church. And pray for the work of the gospel: that the team would be completed and assembled, that God would strengthen them with faith and courage, protect them, and raise an army of prayer warriors who long to see God glorified in North Africa and among the nations.
If you want to get more regular prayer requests, please contact us.
Last year at our Pastors Conference we shared that God has opened a door for Sovereign Grace Ministries to plant a church in North Africa. We are currently in the process of giving additional training to the men who are leading this effort, as well as giving them an opportunity to visit Sovereign Grace churches to build a prayer support network and potentially recruit members to join the planting team. This is the second of three blog posts to answer some of the most frequent questions asked of team members during these visits.
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Does this plan represent a shift in our missiology, and will we be recruiting other missionaries to send to unreached people groups?
Is it a shift? Well, yes and no. "Yes" in that it represents an additional shift of resources and attention to unreached people based upon our relationship with this team. But "no" in the sense that we have already taken other encouraging steps toward unreached people groups. We have done this through our financial support of certain ministries, our training and support of church planters in certain parts of India, and our work among unreached people in Burma through a Pastors College graduate named David.
Yes, it is a shift for us to take men without a history of leadership in our churches and send them to foreign soil. It is also a shift to send an American team into another country to plant a church, but it appears to us that God has ordained this relationship for a time such as this. And this venture doesn't represent a fundamental shift in our missiology; our missions strategy continues to emphasize these principles:
- Identifying and sending men who appear to have a proven gift in apostolic-type ministry
- Planting churches rather than sending individuals
- When possible, training indigenous leaders rather than transplanting those who don't know the language, would be perceived as cultural outsiders, and may face greater geographic, cultural, or linguistic barriers than an indigenous leader
- Maintaining association with a specific denomination or family of churches (in our case, Sovereign Grace Ministries), rather than interdenominational mission work
These same principles have informed our planned involvement in North Africa:
- The team leader appears to have a proven track record of planting and supporting churches in Asia and North Africa
- The existing team has requested a larger church-planting team than what they previously had in North Africa, so that they are not alone
- Certain team members are in many ways established in the culture and language of the country to which they're going
- These men have expressed their deep desire to be trained doctrinally, sent, and supported by Sovereign Grace Ministries
At the same time, we also want to be quick to acknowledge that having a primary strategy for missions does not mean we rule out everything that falls outside this strategy. Our primary strategy will be carried out most effectively with methodological flexibility, not methodological snobbery. If Christ is proclaimed, in that we rejoice. This is all the more true when it comes to working among unreached peoples and other situations where the ideal methodology cannot be perfectly maintained. When gifted leaders with years of experience and proven effectiveness in other nations are interested in partnering with us to plant churches in those nations, we are always interested in exploring the possibilities. (Spread the word!)
Last year at our Pastors Conference we shared that God has opened a door for Sovereign Grace Ministries to plant a church in North Africa. We are currently in the process of giving additional training to the men who are leading this effort, as well as giving them an opportunity to visit Sovereign Grace churches to build a prayer support network and potentially recruit members to join the planting team. This is the first of three blog posts to answer some of the most frequent questions asked of team members during these visits.
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Why are we planting a church in North Africa?
As a family of churches, we love the gospel and want to see the name of Jesus Christ honored among those who do not know him. We also want to see churches planted and nations reached for the glory of God. We want to make his saving power known. And, yes, there are many places that need churches! So, why North Africa?
Primarily it's because it appears God has opened a door to reach that region. Most of our international work involves equipping indigenous pastors to build local church planting movements. Over the years, though, we've sought to also be sensitive to where God is establishing relationships that position us to serve unreached areas and people groups. God has provided us with just such an opportunity in a part of North Africa. We're excited about a developing partnership with a few qualified men who will lead the mission. And, it's been incredible to watch our family of churches come together to provide training, financial support, and prayer for the North Africa team—this partnership gives us confidence to move forward with the endeavor and trust God with the results.
Given the instability of North Africa, is this really a good time to plant a church there?
Great question! Thanks for asking this particular one since I think it reveals a heart to care for the people we are sending to North Africa. We have carefully followed current events abroad and in North Africa in particular. We have not only prayerfully considered whether the location is right, but if the timing is right. Of course, our goal isn't to intentionally seek danger and we certainly don't want to put anyone in harm's way. At the same time, spreading the gospel is inherently dangerous, and church planting among Muslims in North Africa will, inevitably, involve heightened risk. As a result, we've concluded that it does not seem best to allow the cultural and political stability of a region to determine whether we take the gospel to that place. We also don't see waiting for peaceful times as a pattern in the New Testament. With that said, we do move forward cautiously, trusting God that he is leading us according to his plan and timing.
We don't know how long instability will remain in North Africa and whether things will get better or worse in the future. We do know there are brothers and sisters there who need care and spiritual leadership. And we know there are many men and women in North Africa who have never heard the saving message of Jesus Christ. We believe we can help by sending the church planting team to this troubled region sooner rather than later.
As the man leading the North Africa church planting team said, "Jesus commands us to make disciples of all nations, not just the ones that are safe. Unreached nations are unreached for a reason: they are inherently hostile to the gospel. They will never welcome us. We don't just lower our shoulders and go in blindly. But if we allow our evaluation of a favorable political climate and a craving for security to have authority over Scripture we will never go. Jesus promises us a hostile reception. He also promises to be with us. That is all we get. And that is enough."
C.J. Mahaney, Dave Harvey, and Jeff Purswell will travel to the Dominican Republic in August to speak at Por Su Causa 2011, a conference for Latin-American Christians hosted by Ministerios Integridad & Sabiduría. They will join speakers Miguel Nuñez, Sugel Michelén, and Otto Sanchez to address the topic, "A servant for his glory."
The conference will be held August 13–15 in Santo Domingo and is free for all attendees. If you want more information, visit their website or contact them via Facebook or Twitter.
If you'd like to know more about our activity in the Caribbean, you can read recent updates from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, or watch the story of Cedric Moss, a pastor in The Bahamas who attended our Pastors College in 2007–2008.
In late March a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck northeast Burma, killing more than 70 people. We recently posted prayer requests for Burmese churches and an opportunity to give. Here’s a more recent update from David, who leads a church-planting ministry we partner with in Burma:
Two of [the churches] sustained major damage…Though there are no casualties from those churches, at least 18 families have lost their entire homes and some 30 families also suffered significant damage to their houses….
In an interview with a lady from the church, she told us, “Our house was made of wood and bamboo with a thatch roof. When our house collapsed, no one suffered major injury as the building materials are very light. Today, we sleep under the tree as the local authority warns us to stay away from any building.” When asked what worried her most, she replied, “We have planted some crops on the hills or terraces not too far from our home. Many of our crops were destroyed because of a landslide and trees falling. This damage will hurt us for several months as our livelihood deeply depends on our farm land.”
….[One leader writes] “In one village, the church was so badly damaged that we have to meet at the house of one of the members. For most people, the church building is often part of their identity in the midst of Buddhist pagodas in the region. For them, to lose their church is somehow to lose their identity. It has been a difficult time for them. But I know God’s grace is with them. I can only encourage them from the Word.”
A truck was hired and some bags of rice and several hundred large water bottles were transported to the affected villages for distribution. Many people were very hungry and thirsty, as most people lost their homes or dare not go into their homes. And there are no convenient stores to purchase food and water.
Please continue to pray for those victims. Many people still live in temporary tents due to fear. Please pray also for the two congregations that lost their buildings.
You can donate to our disaster relief fund for Burma here. And whether or not you can give, please pray with us that God will provide for these believers, protect them, and cause the good news of Jesus Christ to spread widely in this region.
Photo: An open-air prayer gathering after the earthquake.
On March 24, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck northeast Burma. Since then we’ve heard from David, who leads a Burmese church-planting ministry we partner with. Some of the churches he leads are in that area. David let us know that a number of church members were injured in the earthquake and several are still missing. At least one pastor’s home, along with all his possessions, was destroyed. Church buildings were damaged as well, and two of them were destroyed.
When disaster affects churches we partner with in ministry, we often open our disaster relief fund so our friends can contribute to the need. Today we opened the fund for Burma, so if you’d like to give financially to help restore these churches, you can do so here. Your donations will go to the church-planting ministry David leads, and will be used in their rebuilding efforts.
And whether or not you can donate, please join us in praying Psalm 67:1-3 for these churches: that God will restore them, provide for them, and protect them, and that his saving power will be known in Burma.
Photos: Earthquake damage in northeast Burma.
For more about church planting in Burma, see our report from February on medical outreach and pastoral training and a report from southern Burma last year.