2 Years of Ministry

This past week, on July 19, we passed the two year mark of our work in Panama and in Latin America.

It’s been two years of ups and down, highs and lows, all the time believing in the promise of God that called us here.

To revisit our purposes and the promise of our calling, here is a summary.

The Calling and the Promise

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed. . . . just as it had been said to him “so shall your offspring be.” .  .  .  . He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:18-21).

I’m not Abraham, but the Lord reminded me that he gave us a calling and promise when we were called here.

We came to Panama with a calling

to Ignite the Church in the Americas in the power of the Holy Spirit to passionately fulfill God’s call to reach the nations.

This plays out in three parts

1.  Evangelism training.

We give workshops in personal evangelism and church growth for individual churches, individuals, and also regional groupings of churches.

Workshops vary in length from 2 hours to a full weekend.    This training is taking us all over Panama, and into other countries.

The Lord has also opened to the door for training missionaries for cross cultural missions, whether in the home country with immigrants, or abroad.

2.  Serving Mission Teams.

Over the past two years,  we served a team from Seacoast in Charleston SC and then one from Richmond VA this year.

We are praying for more open doors to partner with local mission organizations that bring teams to do outreach in our city.

We firmly believe that street evangelism is not to be disconnected from a local church and we serve a local church to help in this area.

3.  Teaching Children’s Ministry leaders.

The whole family is involved in children’s ministry leadership training as the Lord opens the doors.

We continue to pray for more open doors in this area that Brenda may be able to give more presentations and grow her webiste.

As part of the promise given to us,

Panama was to be the hub from which we operate.

Panama is the airline transportation hub for Latin America, and as such, we live close to the airport.

Our ministry is international in scope, continuing to give evangelism training in the US and in Latin America.

Time in Venezuela, Nicaragua, the US, and next month Guatemala.  Costa Rica remains in discussion, as does Colombia.

Amazed at God’s care

Through it all, we’ve had to rely on God’s provision from God’s people.

There have been times we have faced the end of our bank accounts in under 45 days.

Yet there appear surprises in the mail that continue to sustain us.

Planning for the future

We are grateful for the support that has been given to us over the year.

We need to grow it to a sustainable and somewhat predictable level to free us up to ramp up more ministry.

Our budget for this coming year is about $3500 a month.  $5000 a month would enable us to save for the future.

We are not quite there and ask you to join us in praying for more supporting churches and individuals.

We ask you to pray for more paid evangelism teaching engagements in the US with churches and regional governing bodies.

How can you respond?

1.  Download and print our partner response form

You’ll need a PDF reader to view it.

Print it out and stick it with your devotional materials as a prayer reminder of what God might be calling you to do with us.

Whether you choose to donate or simply pray for us, still print this out.

You can print and distribute to mission committees and prayer groups.

2.  Donate.

• By Credit card: Automatic recurring contributions or make a special offering by visiting our support page.  I’ve put up a video screen cast to show you how.
• By Check: Mark your gift for the Mission to Americas.  Make check payable to PRMI and mail to PRMI, P.O.Box 429, Black Mountain NC 28711

We need people to join our monthly team as well as one time gifts.

Our desire

We long to see the church in the Americas equipped to do the work of evangelism.  We invite you to join with us as you are called and empowered by the Lord to do so.

First Time here?

Funding Our Work

A friend of mine said this the best in his most recent letter to their supporters:

I really do not like sending out urgent pleas for help – it is rather humbling.

But I am so committed to doing this work that God has called us to and we are all seeing such wonderful fruit that is giving glory of Jesus Christ that I am willing to ask for help.

First from God and next from all of you!

I know that humbling feeling.  I’ve been wrestling with God over it for a few weeks in my own prayer time.

As we step into July, our work here faces a shortfall in its monthly support, as well as short term project needs in the next 60 days.

The global economy affects our work, much as it may have affected you personally.

Praise the Lord for Sufficient Provision

We give glory to God for how He has supported us through his people and the work of EvangelismCoach.org since we first moved here 2 years ago July.   The work here has been sustained for nearly two years without pleas for urgent support.

We’ve seen

• Timely gifts,
• Hallway offerings
• Offerings at events
• Paid speaking engagements,
• Online Book sales (How to Welcome Church Visitors)
• Several supporters join our team monthly – without being asked.

We’ve seen the end of our bank accounts and timely last minute provision out of the blue to sustain us a few more months.  We can give story after story of last minute provision from surprise sources.

We can also promise you that living by faith this way is also very hard on the intestines – the body still feels the stress, even if the mind is at peace in trusting God.

So many of you believe in and support our work that has taken us into 4 different countries (with a 5th one coming this August) to give evangelism training in two different cultures.

As you have walked with us via our newsletter or intercessors list you’ve heard how we’ve seen

• People come to faith in Christ,
• Some healings, both physical and emotional
• Church members refreshed and encouraged to share their faith
• Several kairos moments of ministry where the Lord has used us to advance His kingdom

We can tell lots of stories.

Learning from Paul

When Paul went to Corinth, he worked alongside Aquila and Priscilla, making tents and doing ministry on the Sabbath. Once Silas and Timothy arrived, he was able to devote himself full time.

Paul didn’t start full time in his new city.  Instead, he had to establish his base of support, either from his business, or from another form of support.  In this case, I think he was able to grow his business to the point of handing it off to someone else to manage.

Paul had to be bi-vocational for a while, before being able to be full time in ministry.

This is the season we are in now – building support and building our business to the point of setting us free to minister full time here in Latin America.

The Reality of the Present

While we have seen sustaining provision to cover our immediate expenses, we’ve not yet had enough to set aside funds for future needs that we see coming.

We have some urgent project needs connected to us being here that we simply have no savings to cover.

We are asking God for provision and look forward to being able to tell stories of this provision.

We’re working at trying to use our business to generate revenue but the economic climate of the US has canceled all my speaking invitations at least through October.

What you can do

We need

• to expand our monthly support base and
• A generous outpouring of gifts in the next 60 days to meet some urgent needs connected to us being here.
• Invitations to do paid evangelism training in regional conferences.

Here is what you can do.

• Give thanks for all the gifts that God has already sent and pray for His blessing on all those who enable this work through prayer, participation and giving.
• Please pray that we will have wisdom to be good stewards of every penny and ask the Lord to move people to give.
• We need to pray in an average of 3,000 a month just to keep everything going.  5,000 a month would be ideal to help us save for August 2010 and not be in this situation again next year.  And every gift helps!
• So please pray for provision in the form of regular monthly small gifts! Each one makes a huge difference and we are so grateful for all those who already do give like this.  Your dollars go much farther here in terms of buying power for groceries and fresh fruits.

Here is how you can act

1.  Download and print our partner response form

You’ll need a PDF reader to view it.

Print it out and stick it with your devotional materials as a prayer reminder of what God might be calling you to do with us.

Whether you choose to donate or simply pray for us, still print this out.

You can print and distribute to mission committees and prayer groups.

2.  Donate.

• By Credit card: Automatic recurring contributions or make a special offering by visiting our support page.  I’ve put up a video screen cast to show you how.
• By Check: Mark your gift for the Mission to Americas.  Make check payable to PRMI and mail to PRMI, P.O.Box 429, Black Mountain NC 28711

We need people to join our monthly team as well as one time gifts.

Our desire

We long to see the church in the Americas equipped to do the work of evangelism.  We invite you to join with us as you are called and empowered by the Lord to do so.

Incoming Mission Team

This week, we’ll be working with a mission team from Richmond Virginia. They come from Crestwood Presbyterian Church.  The leaders, Rob and Janice Burns are long time friends of ours, and they are bringing a team of around 25 people to serve.

Youth With A Mission Panama is providing all the logistics of the trip.  We are grateful for their cooperation and organization.  That enables our family to give our selves to the team and serve them as needed.

Pray for good weather for the team outreaches.

Pray for Saturday’s park outreach with the church we are planting.

Pray for other outreaches that are on the schedule.

As with most teams, this is the first time out of the country for many of them.  Pray they will be able to enjoy their experience and that some will begin to discern a full time calling into missions.  Some will experience culture shock, so pray for the grace for the leaders to help them process it.

Teaching Events in May

The season of networking in Panama is producing fruit.  I’ve been doing some teaching and preaching in April and upcoming, here is the mix for May.

Schedule

May 9-10
Cross Cultural Missions Conference – Colón

May 18
IPET in Colón, Verbena Church – Evangelism

May 23
Celebration of Baptism

May 25
IPET in Colón – Worldview and Cross Cultural Missions

May 30/31
IPET in the Darién Province, Sermon on Sunday

Missions Congress

The Cross Cultural Missions Congress will be in the city of Colón, the place where the gospel had it’s beginnings in Panama and an area that has had a special blessing from God for spread of the gospel.

Immigrants from all over the world are have settled in Colón and many have risen to positions of influence and power.  There is a growing Muslim presence and economic influence in the city, and one of the best schools in the eyes of many in Colón is the privately funded Arab College.  Other people groups from India and China, as well as the West Indies and the Caribbean have settled there.

In the last four months, HIMF (Hermandad Iberoamericana de Misiones Fronterizas) has opened up four mission training schools in the province of Colón, with approximately 70 students in that province, made up of

• Pastors
• Cross Cultural Missionaries
• Teachers
• Support Workers

The missions academy is named “Panamanian Institute for Crosscultural Studies.“  The acronym in Spanish is IPET.   HIMF is a Latin American sending agency who’s goal is to raise up missionaries from Latin America to other parts of the world.

The missions Congress is geared towards casting a vision for international missions – both abroad and at home – and recruiting another 80 students to join its classes and grow in its missions calling.

Gathered around the theme of Acts 1:8, we desire to cast a vision

1. For Global Missions as seen in Scripture
2. Help the people of God fulfill the Great Commission in their calling
3. Awaken, guide, and give God’s people tools to reach into other cultures
4. Recruit future students for further training in cross cultural missions at home and abroad.

I will be sharing the teaching responsibilities with pastors from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Panama.  On Sunday, I will be preaching in a local church, with one of the outreach teams from IPET, casting a vision for missions and for the Global day of Prayer (May 31).

My particular theme is on the “Reaching my City for Christ.”  I’ll be sharing some of the strategies I’ve learned while church planting in Richmond VA and here in the city of Panama.

Prayer

Here is how you can pray:

1. Safety in transportation.  A new highway has opened up.
2. Provision – we will rent a car for the weekend.  With fuel and food, our costs to participate will run about $150-$200.  Pray that provision will come.
3. Clear Communication
4. That people would grasp the vision for missions.

Women’s Day Event

Saturday March 28, Brenda is helping to organize a women’s day event at a local hotel.

As part of our ministry’s outreach efforts to build relationships with unchurched people, she and a team are planning a morning of fellowship, breakfast, games, and even some door prizes (which is customary at events like this here).

The main goal is to connect with people and introduce them to a new church that is in the pre-launch stage.

Tickets are $10 to help share the cost of the event and will be held at the Four Points Sheraton about a block away from our residence.

How to pray for this event:

Pray for new and genuine relationships with unchurched people.

Pray for our ability to follow up and continue to connect.

Pray for ongoing relationships out of that group.

Church planting in Our Context

I live in a city of nearly 1 million people.

I prayerwalk the 3 neighborhoods regularly and have discovered a few observations:

• Less than 5 churches in the entire area.
• Condominium towers from 4 stories to over 50 stories.
• Very popular night clubs and restaurants.
• Streets known for hookers at night.
• A smattering of single family houses.
• Lots of office buildings
• Lots of pedestrian traffic during the weekdays.
• Very empty on the weekends.
• Residents generally middle to upper middle class.

Housing

Apartment towers have 24 hour security and access to them is by being buzzed in by a resident.

High density housing even among single family houses means that your next door neighbor’s wall is likely less than 3 feet away if not directly attached as row houses.

Single family houses are hidden behind walls and gates.  Windows and doors are covered with iron bars painted to match the color scheme of the house.  Border walls have razor wire or broken glass in the cement to keep people from walking on them.  Some families have their own private security guard that sits at the entrance.

Privacy and fortress like security is a key description of housing in our neighborhoods.

People

As we people watch in some three or four parks, we see families, lots of children, and nannies.  The parks begin to fill up with people as the afternoon wears on, and the sun starts to set.

Live-in nannies are common in our part of town who are likely receiving salaries of about $300-400 a month.

Some parks seem to attract more children with their parents.  One park seems only to attract the nannies and children.  It’s an observation to keep watching.

Questions in our mind

• How do we build relationships with our neighborhood?
• How can we discover the community needs as we are in the parks?
• What kinds of park-based outreaches can we do to start ministering to the need?

Would you join us in prayer as we seek to discern this?  We are participating in Launching a New Church in the city and this is part of our prayerful discernment about our neighborhoods.

Ignite Evangelism Training Project

We have an awesome opportunity to expand the reach of our ministry and we need your help to do it.  This eight minute video will explain it.

(Note: If you would rather read, simply click here for the download PDF.  If you have low bandwidth, it might be better)

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

[If you cannot see the video, you do not have the Adobe flash player installed for your browser.

Thanks for watching our video and choosing to respond.  Here is how.

1.  Donate towards our $18,000 portion.

In addition to our monthly support, this will provide a 6 month part time salary for me to write, edit, teach, and revise the course.  A portion of this will go towards project expenses such as filming and travel.  A tithe will also go to evangelist training.

2.  Prayer

We need intercessors for this particular project who will join the team.  We are compiling email addresses that we can use for this particular project.  You might choose to stay on as intercessors for us, but the call is for this project.

3.  Volunteer test run.

You might be able to volunteer your church for a test run of this project.  Either the 10 week video and / or the Ignite renewal event.

Respond

Please fill it this response form.  Instructions on how to donate, if you so choose, will be available after you submit this form.

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Launching a New Church

Last night, we had our first leadership team meeting for Family Center International, a new church plant we are helping to launch in Panama City.  It’s vision: Influencing Lives, Transforming Nations.

After a brief study on 2 Corinthians 9, we went over the business plan launch strategy, discussed evangelism goals, and spent time praying for this new infant of a church.

About the Church

From it’s foundational documents

Family Center International is a church of influence, power, and relationships that will carry the gospel to the families of the earth and teach them to be and make disciples that love God and love their neighbors as themselves. . . . inspiring people to live an abundant life (John 10:10b)

A church of INFLUENCE: We believe that God has called us to be salt of the earth and light to the world.  We want to be an influence in families, businesses, government, arts, education, and culture.

A church of POWER: We believe that God’s power is great and is manifested through those who believe in Him.  Our power is not with wisdom or strategies of this world, but is the message of Christ and him crucified.  We will work in the wisdom of the Father, the work of Christ on the Cross, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

A church of RELATIONSHIPS: We believe that Jesus came to restore our relationship with the Father and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.  We seek to bring people into a relationship with God first and then in right relationship with themselves and with their neighbor.

We dream of a church:

• Passionate for God, full of faith and life.
• Passionate for Worship and Intercession.
• Passionate for people
• Passionate for evangelism
• Passionate to influence the culture.
• Passionate to grow in Small Groups
• Passionate to grow and develop a strong leadership to impact our culture.
• Passionate to mobilize leadership to plant churches for people without church.

Reflecting on our role

Though we had originally planned not to plant a church here, it appears that part of God’s plan for us is to come along side the lead pastor and his family and help this church get started. 

We found ourselves listening to the plan, setting dates for fasting and intercession, growth targets and discussing evangelism strategy.  We both found an awakening in our hearts about serving here.

Join us in prayer for this little infant church . . .