Welcome to our new format for ‘The Aussie Outpost Wider Church Prayer Letter.’ I’m hoping that this will present to our readers a more presentable and mobile format that will be of greater benefit in our prayer lives as we remember our brethren around the world. This format will also save me a lot of time I believe and should be available from the web site in this format from now on.
Of course you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to read this format, which can be downloaded at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Let me know what you think.
UKRAINE - GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
Of interest to the church in the Ukraine (and Russia) is that a couple of weeks ago I received permission to post a number of articles in Ukrainian and Russian to the website I begun on behalf of the Grace Baptist Church in the Ukraine. I have these available on the site and hope they prove helpful to you Vitaly. Keep an eye on the site at:
http://particularbaptist.com/Grace/index.html
IRELAND - REFORMATION IRELAND
The Reformation Ireland website has undergone a makeover. Keep an eye on the website at:
http://www.reformationireland.com
A new Reformed Baptist work has begun in southern Dublin, with seven adults and four children attending. The group is known as the 'Ballinteer Baptist Meeting.' On Sunday evenings the group is studying Acts, while in the mid-week meetings the group is studying John.
Richard Bennett will be visiting the Greater Belfast area between May 11 and 13, 2003. Reformation Ireland will have a bookstall at some of the meetings to be held. More information is available from the Reformation Ireland website. Please pray about these meetings.
For photos of the Reformation Ireland team in action and to meet the team, visit:
http://www.reformationireland.com/gallery.htm
http://www.reformationireland.com/committee.htm
INDIA - BIBLICAL BAPTIST CHURCH
Pastor Billa Nelson of the Biblical Baptist Church in New Colony, Bhadravati, informs us that his wife Ruth is now recovering after her recent serious illness. This is something that we can be thankful for, as well as rejoice together with our brother. Billa asks that we also pray for Israel who has a blood clot in the brain and is currently in hospital at Bangalore.
Also pray for the church's building project and for the spiritual growth of new converts in the church. The church has gained a loan enabling them to put a roof on the new church meeting place. More funds are still required to continue the rest of the building project and to meet loan repayments. If you are able to aid the church in India, please contact me and I'll pass on details of how you can assist the church at Bhadravati.
In an email I recently received from Billa, he said:
Last Sunday, we as a Congregation went inside the new Church building in thanking and praising God for all His goodness in enabling us to erect the roofing for the new Church building.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - UKARUMPA - COLIN AND DIANNE LORD
The Lord family has now arrived in Papua New Guinea to take up their role with ‘Bible Translations.’ They are seeking to teach music to the children of the various translators and support staff of the mission who live in Ukarumpa. Please pray for them as they settle into their new roles and during this transition period.
Dianne Lord is also teaching the 2-3 year olds in Sunday School
SOUTH AFRICA - GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH - ROD AND SARAH PERKINS
The Grace Baptist Church is currently moving towards a state of independence from missionary support. This process will take place over the next three years. The church has been operating for about seven years.
The church is also seeking to build a meeting place and is seeking a place to use in the interim.
Please pray about both the matters that have been raised above.
INDIA - JASON AND JEMIMA DEUTSCH
The church needs as many good books as possible for its library. Any course notes that can be made available for the use of the church will be appreciated also. These can be sent to:
Jason and Jemima Deutsch
Flat No.38, Daffodil Co-op Housing Society
Godrej Skygardens,
Takka Panvel,
Maharashtra 410 206
India
ARGENTINA - VILLA CARLOS PAZ - DON AND GAIL DONELL
The Donells’ have been living in the capital of Argentina (Buenos Aires) in order to establish relationships with people in order to discover just where God would have them establish their church planting ministry. They have now established a work at Villa Carlos Paz in the Cordoba province. They have been there since June 2002. Please pray for them as they continue this work in a dry and barren spiritual place.
RWANDA
The small country of Rwanda is in eastern central Africa, surrounded by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Congo. It is populated by 7.3 million people, including the Hutus and Tutsis peoples. The country was the scene of the worst ethnic cleansing attempt in living memory, when Hutus attempted to wipe out the rival Tutsis in the 1990s civil war begun by the Tutsis people.
After the atrocities of the 1990s it is hard to believe that 90% of the population claim to be Christian. 20% are said to be Evangelical.
Prayer points include the obvious racial tension that continues to this day (especially tensions involving Christians). AIDS is also a major concern for Rwanda, as it is for most African countries.
IRAQ
Whatever position you might take on the war with Iraq, whether it is for the US led invasion or against that invasion, we need to be praying for Iraqi Christians. This persecuted minority will not necessarily be better off under an American installed government, for Iraqi extremists may very well further persecute them as ‘Westerners.’
There are believed to be several thousand Reformed Christians in Iraq, with some groups in Bagdad itself. Iraqi Reformed Christians are highly motivated and earnest in their attempts to reach out to others in the country.
For an article on the church in Iraq, visit:
http://www.gospelcom.net/who/merf/articles/iraqChurches.htmlFor an interesting article on the history of Christianity in Iraq, visit:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2003/mar7.html
SOUTH AFRICA - BETHESDA OUTREACH MINISTRIES
HAMMANSKRAAL - RENE AND SONIA EINFELDTThe Einfeldts’ are hoping to have a land-based telephone line in their home in the near future, which will allow them to have Internet access at home, with the aid of a second-hand computer they recently picked up. The computer is coming in handy for various lesson preparations also.
Another house is being prepared at Bethesda Village for the orphans, with Rene Einfeldt involved in work on that. The village seeks to provide accommodation and other needs of orphaned children (especially due to AIDS), with the view of leading them to Christ. In other news at Bethesda there are zoning problems with the new site for a village.
Current national house parents at the village are Pastor Elias and Mamitjie Mateni (who have just taken up the role) and Jones and Lenah Phago. Christina Motsisi is an assistant to the house parents. Please pray for them in these roles.
Sonia Einfeldt has cut back her involvement with Bethesda to a couple of days each week in order to pursue outreach in the community. She has a number of useful contacts and is developing literature for distribution. Opportunities have opened up for Rene to assist in the evangelisation of several French-speaking people also.
The Einfeldts’ are attending a small church to the north of Pretoria, where Sonia is playing the piano.
SAMOA
Samoa is an island nation northeast of New Zealand in the Pacific Ocean. The nation has a population of some 180 000 people, mostly native to the islands. It is an extremely poor country, relying on foreign aid for survival.
Samoa has freedom of religion with most people professing Christianity of some sort. However, Mormonism claims some 35% of the population. The church in Samoa is largely nominal.
Please pray for believers who are seeking to witness in their communities and for those that have moved elsewhere as missionaries.
SAN MARINO
San Marino is one of those very small countries in Europe. This one is within Italy, with a population of 28 000 people. Most of the population is Roman Catholic as you would possible expect.
There is freedom of religion in San Marino. However, evangelisation is frowned upon in San Marino. There are no Evangelical churches in the country. Christian missionaries have been deported for preaching in the country.
JORDAN
Christian workers in Jordan have become concerned in regards to the war in Iraq. Some have left, while others have stayed in the country. There is a thought that the Jordanian military will keep things fairly well under control, as they have in the past. However, recent footage from Jordan suggests an increasing fury against Coalition countries and forces, with growing violence in public protest rallies evident.
VISIT US ONLINE
Please visit The Aussie Reformed Baptist Outpost online at:
http://particularbaptist.com/index.htmlThe Outpost Wider Church Awareness Site can be found at:
http://particularbaptist.com/wider/widerindex.htmlFor email contact and further information regarding aid to the various ministries mentioned in the prayer letter, Kevin can be contacted at:
nrbcpastorkev@yahoo.com.auIf you are of Reformed Baptist persuasion and would like to add news of your church or work, or add requests for prayer to this prayer letter, please contact Kevin on the above Email address.
For 'snail mail,' write to 'The Aussie Reformed Baptist Outpost, 27 Middle Street, Cardiff South, NSW, Australia, 2285.
We thank all sources of information that have made this prayer letter possible and ask the church at large to commit to praying for one another. Brethren, please pray for us.
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10/10/2006
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