Welcome to the latest issue of the Wider Church Prayer Letter. In this issue we ask you to think about supporting the work of the Outpost BookAid ministry and in particular the various ministries already listed, such as Shalom Indigenous Foundation (Baptist Mission) in Ghana. Other churches featured include the Biblical Baptist Church and the Truth Reformed Baptist Church in India. More information on Outpost BookAid can be found at: http://particularbaptist.com/wider/bookaid.html.
Outpost BookAid ministry updates can be had via the Outpost BookAid Mail Group. This mail group can be joined by visiting the BookAid site at: http://particularbaptist.com/wider/bookaid.html. By being part of the mail group you will receive various updates relating to ministries involved in the BookAid ministry from around the world. The ministry is really an extension of the Wider Church Prayer Letter ministry at Aussie Outpost.
You will probably also notice that this issue seems to focus on Africa and India in particular. The first part of the prayer letter is dominated by information regarding Africa, with a substantial portion later on by Indian churches and ministries.
To view the Aussie Outpost Wider Church Prayer Letter in PDF format you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader that can be downloaded from the Adobe website at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
SOMALIA
Somalia is largely an Islamic country where Christians live in fear of persecution and death. The population of around 8 million people live in a culture of fear and a militant Islam, which is moving toward the implementation of Islamic Law.
There is thought to be a couple of hundred Christians in Somalia, most of whom are in hiding in one form or another. There are no missionaries in Somalia. There is a Bible translation available in Somali and Christian radio broadcasts into Somalia in the Somali language.
SPAIN
There are some 40 million people living in Spain, with about 2/3’s of the population being Roman Catholic. There is freedom of religion in Spain. The remainder of the population is essentially atheistic.
About 0.5% of the population are considered to be evangelical. There are large areas of Spain without a true Christian witness. There is a great need for missionaries and Biblical pastors.
UNITED STATES - OKLAHOMA CITY - CHRIS HUMPHREYS
A new Southern Baptist Church is being planted in Oklahoma City by Chris Humphreys and another pastor. It will be a Reformed Baptist work. The church may be called Heartland Baptist Church. Please pray for wisdom, God’s blessing, etc.
SRI LANKA
Most of the 15 million people in Sri Lanka are Buddhist. There is freedom of religion in Sri Lanka, but Christians can testify to a growing discrimination against them. Christians make up about 1% of the population. Prayer concerns include the increasing persecution that Christians face in the country, the lack of Christian witness in many parts and the governments toughening stance on mission work in Sri Lanka.
ERITREA
In Eritrea in northeast Africa, government forces have taken part in the beating and jailing of around 170 Christians. It is believed that some of these people were beaten while engaged in a Bible Study. Apparently the attack involved leaders of the Orthodox Church who are opposed to the ‘reforming party’ within the church. There are moves to try and squash the emerging independent Charismatic and Pentecostal churches and Christians by violent means.
SOUTH AFRICA
Some 43 million people live in the country of South Africa. The country enjoys freedom of religion, being pre-dominantly Christian. However, other religions are gaining ground, especially Islam from what I understand. Please remember the various churches and missionaries that work here among very needy people who face so many difficulties, including AIDS and poverty.
SOUTH AFRICA - MARTIN AND ELSABE HOLDT
The Bible Institute of the Eastern Cape in Port Elizabeth is an inter-denominational theological institution with forty one students. The institute is in urgent need of good reformed books, for the students are generally unable to have access to good literature.
A book fund has been set up to assist in the purchase of books for these brethren in the ministry in South Africa. To give money to support these needy pastors in the ministry, you can send money to the Constantia Park Baptist Church at:
Constantia Park Baptist Church, ABSA Bank, Menlyn Branch, Branch no. 335 645, Account no. 2310 161 511. Please earmark your deposit Augustine Bookfund.
The church has also continued to grow and is now looking at extending its premises. Finances are of course a concern here, yet the way seems to be opening for the purchase of the block next to the church. Please pray about this.
SOUTH AFRICA - BETHESDA OUTREACH MINISTRIES
HAMMANSKRAAL - RENE AND SONIA EINFELDTAnother 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. The zoning problems with the new site have now been solved and permission has been granted to build on the new property.
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. Fritz and Maselo have now also joined as house parents at Bethesda (taking up the role from June 2 - repairs are to be made to the house they will be using).
A number of teams from the States are currently involved in mission work with Bethesda.
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. Rene is also working on a tract that he can hand out.
The latest news from South Africa has the Muslim dominated government seeking to outlaw the reading of the Bible, prayer and speaking of God in all schools. Please pray about this disturbing development.
In a recent outreach event to the poor and homeless, the police raided the meeting. Apparently some were selling illegal homemade brew, but most were simply poor. The meeting was being held in a field which the police set fire to, driving the poor and homeless off. Needless to say the meeting could not go ahead. Most of the homeless lost what little possessions they had. A nearby church has provided blankets for these people. The people still have nowhere to live however.
The Einfeldts’ are attending a small church to the north of Pretoria (Northway Baptist Church), where Sonia is playing the piano. The pastor of the church is not receiving full pay due to financial difficulties in the church. They are also seeking to learn the Tswana language and Sonia is seeking to teach both Dorah and Daphe English.
Pray also for the children in the classes that Sonia has been taking over the last couple of months. There seems to be some satanic influence that is obviously a cause for great concern.
SOUTH AFRICA - GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH - ROD AND SARA PERKINS
The Grace Baptist Church began in 1995 and is now moving towards self-supporting ministry. Please pray for this work as the day moves closer for this to be realised.
Rod and Sara are also board members of the Bethesda Outreach in South Africa, the ministry in which the Einfeldts are taking part.
AZERBAIJAN
Evangelical Christians are strictly controlled by the government of Azerbaijan. There is an unofficial requirement for churches and other Christian bodies to be registered. However the government often refuses to register these groups. This is especially the case if nationals are included in the membership of the body as Azerbaijan is an Islamic country. Some believers have been harassed and beaten by government authorities.
GHANA - SHALOM INDIGENOUS FOUNDATION
(BAPTIST MISSION)Shalom Indigenous Foundation (Baptist Mission) is located in Africa, being led by Pastor Noah Quarshie and is associated with the Bible Baptist Church of Ghana. This ministry is also listed with the Outpost BookAid programme. Pastor Quarshie describes the ministry below:
‘The goal of our ministry here is to make the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ known to Ghanaians and Africans as a whole. To establish New Testament Baptist Churches, to provide relief services to the needy. This is accomplished through Evangelism, Christian Education, Church planting, Youth ministry, Orphan ministry and general relief ministry. The ministry is guided by a Director and an Executive Board here in Ghana and in the USA.’
The mission is currently building at its school, with work being carried out on a second classroom. Some $12 000 US is still required to complete the work.
The Grace Baptist Mission has set up an account for donations to assist in the education of the Quarshie children. Deborah Quarshie is twenty and is seeking a scholarship at the Pensacola Christian College. Money sent to assist in Deborah’s education can be sent to the mission, marked as Deborah Quarshie’s school fees.
To find out more about the ministry of Shalom Indigenous Foundation and to read an account of the life of Pastor Noah Quarshie and the ministry, visit the BookAid web site for Ghana at: http://particularbaptist.com/wider/ghana.html.
KENYA - TOM AND KAREN RICHARDSON
The Richardson family had been hoping to begin missionary work in Kenya about now but this has not been possible. In the meantime Tom will be teaching drafting and construction at The Master’s Mission. When this is completed in August, the Richardson's hope to be near ready to leave for Kenya. They hope to be living and working in and around Nairobi. Please pray about all of this as they wait on the Lord’s will for them.
SENEGAL
The West African country of Senegal is home to 10.5 million people, who are largely Islamic. However, there is freedom of religion. There are very few Christians in the country, despite missionary effort. Some 4% of the population are Roman Catholic, with 90% being Muslim.
In recent times there have been several Bible translations made available for several of the language groups in Senegal. Bible Schools have been set up and some indigenous people are now training for ministry in the country. However, large areas of the country have still not been reached with the gospel.
BRAZIL - RIO DE JANEIRO - RICH DENHAM
Rich Denham’s ministry in Brazil is to reach the leadership of the Portuguese speaking churches of Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique and Angola. He is 76 years old and served in Brazil for fifty years.
In Rio, one church has gone from being Arminian to being Reformed. It has a membership of some 300 people. The church is seeking to establish a school and to help adults to read.
A number of people have been saved in Rio in recent times, including many from the prisons. Praise God for His goodness. Apparently the Assembly of God churches are having a real impact for good in the city’s jails.
A magazine called ‘Faith For Today’ is distributed among the pastors of churches in Brazil and Portugal, both Baptists and Presbyterian, with a number having embraced the Reformed faith as a result. Articles include are by such men as J C Ryle, C H Spurgeon and A W Pink, to mention just a few. It is distributed among 18 000 church leaders on four continents.
ITALY - SICILY - JONATHAN AND ANNETTE GILMORE
There are a handful of believers in the small town of Randazzo, on the slopes of Mt. Etna. In a gospel meeting in January no-one turned up, yet three hours later an 18 year-old girl turned up, being for some reason drawn to the meeting through some rather vague comments about it. The Lord has worked in bringing one of His children to Himself without man-made arrangements. Please pray for Daniela.
There are also moves to form a national fellowship of like-minded Evangelical churches. Please pray about this development.
Pray also for the Youth Camp in Sicily from July 19-26, the family camp being held in Switzerland for Sicilians from August 9-16 and the national FEMI conference from September 2-6.
ISRAEL - VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS
Voice in the Wilderness is looking at starting a work in the Shterot area. Shterot is often hit by missiles fired by local Palestinian fighters. Please pray about the situation in this town. The ministry is also increasing its outreach efforts through their video presentations and bus tours of Christian sites in Israel. With the increase in outreach efforts and opportunities, the ministry is running low on funds.
INDIA - CENTRAL INDIA
The Lord is working in central India, bringing people to the faith in Vidarbha, as well as in the states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. Involved in the work are Raju, his wife Neha and their two sons. Raju ministers in Nagpur and oversees the work, travelling to the various towns and villages encouraging the brethren. Brother G.D (wife Mangla and their three children) pastors the flock in two villages and often accompanies and helps Raju in his travels to the churches. Sunil is laboring in the village of Pipla and Vivek in Sainagar. Bhattacharya and family live in the Eastern part of Nagpur, where he is involved in the Gospel work along with Raju. Lahu, Sukhdeo, Krishna and Dalip, as well as 10 other brethren are labouring in the various villages in the states of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
These men all labour in difficult circumstances, with much Hindu opposition to the gospel and Christianity. Orissa is the state were the Australian missionary and his children were burned to death a few years ago.
PHILIPPINES - CUBAO REFORMED BAPTIST CHURCH
Cubao continues to assist various smaller churches within their region and beyond. One church which was formerly Pentecostal has been asked to leave its premises because it is no longer Pentecostal. This church is at Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija. The church has since moved on and is now meeting in a home. The work is led by Fernan Bustamante and his wife, and another single young man named Jun. Both these men attend Grace Ministerial Academy.
Another work is one at Naga City. Here Agnel Collao leads the work (also a student of Grace Ministerial Academy). The church is looking for suitable premises to rent, but finances are a problem. Several Bible studies are held in outlying centres.
Valenzuela Reformed Baptist Church is located in Northern Manila and has just been reorganised under that name. Aries Liboro who has graduated from Grace Ministerial Academy heads the work here, being part of the Cubao Reformed Baptist Church.
Cubao is also seeking to assist a small pioneering work at Bulihan, Cavite. Steve Camara currently heads the work in this place and is a former student of Grace Ministerial Academy.
Other works include Fairview, Antipolo, Kalookan City, Tondo and Calauag.
INDIA - ROYAL AMBASSADOR ACADEMY
In other news from India, the Royal Ambassador Academy is in need of some funding support. The tyres on the jeep need replacing, being a total of about $400 US. The ministry does seek to be self-supporting, but help with this would be appreciated, please contact Aussie Outpost for more information if you are able to assist.
The academy also needs more adequate classrooms for its students. This will cost around $8 500 US or 405 000 Rupees. There are some 130 students at the academy.
INDIA - MUMBAI - JASON AND JEMIMA DEUTSCH
Please pray for Jason Deutsch who has come down with a severe form of Malaria. There is no medical cure available for it. STOP PRESS - Jason is now beginning to recover.
ARGENTINA - BUENOS ARIES - DONELLS
In a recent church service no-one turned up. This was largely due to illnesses and a lack of interest. Yet in another recent service the largest number of people to come turned up (16). Please pray for this pioneering work.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - WEWAK - M’LISS SPERO
M’liss Spero is now living on the Wewak New Tribes Mission Base in Papua New Guinea.
The Uriai tribe, located on the Irian Jaya border is perhaps the most primitive tribe in Papua New Guinea. They have requested missionaries so that they can learn about God’s Word. A team went in to examine the situation and have been invited to live with the tribe, so that they can learn about God’s Word. This will be a difficult task, especially given the language barrier.
MONTENEGRO - STAN SURBATOVICH
The church in Montenegro has been blessed with three baptisms in recent times, as the church continues to press on with its mission. Quite a number of new people have also been attending the church.
The church is seeking to register with the government, which has not yet been approved. The ‘paper-chase’ however, is continuing. By being registered the church would be able to have a bank account, advertise, etc.
MEXICO - LOS SAUCES - MIKE AND BENI GASKIN
Mike Gaskin is finding the poorer side of town more open to the gospel than the better off side. Here he has had the opportunity to speak to one woman who was determined to commit suicide - now the Lord is at work in her life. Beni is teaching the woman how to read Spanish so she can read the Bible for herself.
There are currently some four house churches formed and meeting throughout the week. Please pray for the believers who live in a Roman Catholic dominated country.
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.htmlIf 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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