Welcome to the latest issue of the Wider Church Prayer Letter. I hope you find this prayer letter useful in praying for the wider church. The first of several changes to the wider church prayer letter will be found in this issue, that being ‘articles to read.’ It is hoped that links to several articles relevant to the wider church will be included with each issue from now on.
Other changes to come will probably included a focus on a particular country or ministry, Outpost BookAid news and more. Hopefully this will add to the overall value of the news and prayer letter by bringing more information that will assist believers in praying for and supporting the wider church.
ARTICLES TO READ:
This project involves Pastor Richard Denham and an article relating to it can be found on in one of Rob Gerard’s mail groups. One of Pastor Denham’s articles has appeared in the Aussie Outpost’s Mail Group. Read this article at the following URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thegraceworldview/message/166
The Editora Fiel Web Site (Adopt a Pastor Site):
http://www.editorafiel.com.br/english/
Read this article by Richard Denham at the following URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AussieOutpost/message/623
MEXICO
Pastor Severiano Flores works among the Triqui people in Mexico. These people are considered the most dangerous and violent of the Mexican tribes. A number of churches have been planted in this region by Pastor Flores. In doing so the Flores’ family has suffered great persecution. Recently Pastor Flores’ wife was killed in a particularly violent attack, having had her throat cut. She died in front of her children. There are six children in the family. Please pray for Pastor Flores and his children as they come to terms with the loss of their wife and mother.
ISRAEL - VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS - ANTONY SIMON
The work in Israel is continuing and growing, with more people coming to meetings in Kiriat Gat and meetings soon to begin in Tel Aviv, Lord-willing. Meetings have also begun in a hospital in Beer Sheva, where people are being warned by locals not to attend. Please pray for all these works.
FIJI - SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
Pastor Vijay Chandra and the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church minister to both Fijians and Indians in Ba, Fiji. The church is slow growing and the church longs for further missionary workers to assist in the ministry. Please pray for this work.
SPAIN - GANDIA - IGLESIA BAUTISTA EMANUEL
Christian materials have now been given to over 5 000 people in the Gandia area, with more unbelievers coming to the church. Soon the church will be working through the book of Ephesians.
PAKISTAN
Christians continue to find living in Pakistan difficult, with Christians often being attacked. The country is largely Islamic, with many being militant Muslims, some even have links to terrorists.
KAZAKHSTAN
Believers in Kazakhstan face an uncertain future with the government continuing to move toward an increasingly anti-Christian stance.
SRI LANKA
Typical of persecution in the sub-continent area, Christians in Sri Lanka continue to face anti-Christian forces. Christians are increasingly coming under physical attack. Some have suffered beatings and death threats.
ARGENTINA - CARLOS PAZ - DON AND GAIL DONELL
Recently a series of outreach meetings were held in and around Carlos Paz, with assistance from visiting Reformed Baptist pastor Omar Ramos from Chile (Santiago). The church in Carlos Paz was blessed with several apparent conversions as a result of the Lord’s grace and the instrumentality of these meetings. The church continues to grow. Please pray for these new believers including Felix and Pablo. Pray also for Romina who has been interested in hearing more of the Gospel.
INDONESIA
Militant Islamic forces are continuing to terrorise Christians in Indonesia, though much of the more obvious forms of attack have died down. Christians are concerned that Sharia Law will eventually be en-acted in Indonesia.
In other news from Indonesia, the Indonesian New Testament is now ready for printing, with some 50 000 to be printed over the next year. Please pray that these will be used of the Lord.
PHILIPPINES - NAGA CITY
Naga City is a city of some 100 000 mainly Roman Catholic people in the Philippines. There are now two Reformed Baptist works in the city, one under the oversight of the Moonwalk Reformed Baptist Church and the other under the oversight of Cubao Reformed Baptist Church. The latter is currently led by Agnel Collao, a former Pentecostal minister and a student of the Grace Ministerial Academy. The current meeting place is a small building with a palm leaf roof. There are about 20, mostly very poor people who attend the church planting work. There are a number of outreach meetings in surrounding centres, with a lot of interest being shown in the gospel.
VIETNAM
Christians continue to suffer persecution throughout Vietnam. Christian leaders are being killed and are going missing, leaving families without a father and churches without a pastor. Montagnard Christians have been raped and suffered various other forms of persecution including shock treatment for being Christians.
More Information: http://mnn.gospelcom.net/article/5143
TANZANIA
Some 36 million people live in the East African country of Tanzania. Among this number are over 150 different language groups. It is thought that about 20% of the population are Evangelicals of one form or another and another 20% Roman Catholic. There is freedom of religion in Tanzania.
Prayer points include a need for Biblically trained pastors, as well as places to actually train men for the ministry. There is also a need for Bible translation work and continuing missionary activity.
Militant Islamic groups are growing in influence throughout Tanzania, with Islam making up some 30% of the population. There are also a large percentage of people following primitive native religions.
LAOS
Christianity has been spreading among the Bru people, a small minority tribe of Laos in Asia. As a result authorities have been coming down on believers in their area. The Laotian government is determined to destroy Christianity in Laos. Chemical weapons have even been used against the Hmong Christians. Believers have been arrested and some forced to other areas in an attempt to isolate them from other believers. The Lord in His providence actually used this forced removal to bring people to salvation in the new area.
ERITREA
Believers are continuing to suffer persecution in Eritrea, with believers being arrested for taking part in Christian meetings. There are currently over 200 Evangelicals being held in Eritrea for not renouncing their Christian faith.
In other news from Eritrea a large group of teenage Christians at a military training camp have been detained in shipping containers for having Bibles. Several have been released after signing documents denying their Christian faith. The rest of the group is refusing to sign the documents.
SOUTH AFRICA - EINFELDTS’
Rene and Sonia Einfeldt are now back in the United States considering their future role in South Africa (if indeed there) with their sending church. A meeting will be held in early November with the church. Various items are currently being stored in South Africa as they pray and think over their future. Please continue to pray about their situation.
TOGO
The West African country of Togo now enjoys religious freedom. However, Christian missionaries and workers are few and far between, and Bible translation work continues to be needed. There are some 5 million people among 75 different people groups (with forty different languages) represented in Togo. Some 10% of the people claim to be Evangelical Christians. 25% are Muslims and another 25% belong to local religious beliefs.
INDIA - KARNATAKA - BIBLICAL BAPTIST CHURCH
The Biblical Baptist Church was planted in 1958 and is currently pastored by Billa Nelson Babu. In the year 2000 the Baptist Bible Institute was opened to assist in the work of evangelism and teaching. Evangelism is a daily activity in and around Karnataka, with the believers sharing a common goal of reaching the lost for Christ and of planting new churches.
There are now four village house churches, five Sunday Schools, four women’s fellowships and two youth clubs in the area. Prayer and Bible study is held on Wednesday nights, with times of prayer and fasting on Friday nights. The church also seeks to assist the disadvantaged in the community through providing food whenever possible.
India is basically a very poor country, with the believers struggling to makes end meet for their own families, let alone supporting the ministers and ministries of the church. Please pray about this situation and if possible assisting the work where possible. Financial aid is needed to complete the church building project (currently held up because of a lack of funds) and the usual ministries of the church.
NIGERIA
Christians in the African country of Nigeria continue to face harassment from Islamic extremists. Recently a number of Christian villages were attacked with a number of Christians being killed. The Christians in Gombe State were attacked for resisting the Islamic Sharia law that has been imposed in most of Islamic northern Nigeria.
TAJIKISTAN
In the Islamic dominated former Soviet republic of Tajikistan there is freedom of religion, however pressure is continuing to build from surrounding Islamic states such as Iran for further Islamic influence.
There is a very small, yet growing number of Evangelical Christians in Tajikistan. Evangelism is allowed in the country, but no missionaries.
Other prayer points include the printing and distribution of the Bible and other Christian books in the Tajik language.
CHINA
Persecution continues in communist China with 170 Christians recently arrested in Nanyang, in Henan province. Most of these believers, having been warned, were released. However, those identified as leaders in the house church movement remain under arrest.
SYRIA
Some 17.6 million people live in the Islamic country of Syria. Though largely Islamic (90%), there is a measure of religious freedom. Only 0.1% of the population is considered to be Evangelical and these are closely watched by the government. Please pray that more missionaries will be allowed into the country and that for longer periods of time. Pray also for our brethren who face enormous pressure from their Islamic countrymen.
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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