Friday, November 25, 2016

Black Friday


Today is Black Friday.  And while the name comes from retail businesses recognizing that it's the day in the year that they finally see black ink at the bottom of the page, it has also come to have a somewhat dark overtone, hasn't it?  The day after America "pauses to be thankful," millions of people "rush to be greedy." People wait in lines for hours overnight to be the first to push into the local retailer to get the best deal on a flat screen TV to replace the one they got last year.

This rather bleak opening to the "Christmas Season" has sadly spread around the globe like a viral pandemic. It is tragically indicative of the nearly-complete loss of the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ.

This year, I want to be different. Instead of craving more presents, I want to crave more PRESENCE.

When God told Moses in Exodus 33 to lead the children of Israel away from the base of mount Sinai, where He had dictated the Law to Moses, the Lord said, "Go to the land I have promised your fathers...I will send my angel ahead of you, and I will drive out the inhabitants of the land that I have promised to you...but I will not go with you, because if I am with you I will destroy you, because you are a stiff-necked people" (verses 1-3).

The promise of an angel going ahead, and all the enemies being driven out would have sounded pretty good to most all of us...but not Moses!  He said, "Lord, if you will not go with us, we will not leave this place. It is Your presence that makes all the difference!" (verse 16).

As we begin our journey toward Christmas, 2017, let's not go without God's presence. Of course He will be present - He is omnipresent, everywhere at all times. But there is a difference between God being present, and being in God's presence!  

A. W. Tozer wrote: "The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God, and the church is famishing for want of His presence. The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter His Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged. This would burn away the impurities from our lives as the bugs and weeds were burned away by the fire that dwelt in the bush."

This Christmas Season - Crave More Presence!

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Winter 2016: Spiritual Generations

Winter 2016: Spiritual Generations
In Isaiah chapter 6, the prophet has a dramatic and overwhelming vision of God on His throne. He response is one of utter humiliation before the awesomeness of God. After His repentance and subsequent redemption, Isaiah hears God say, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” To which Isaiah responds, “Here am I, Lord, send me!”
Mission and ministry are all about people. In previous updates we have shared the stories of some of those whose lives we have seen God touch in amazing ways. In this update, we want to share how God us using those people to reach more people with the power of the gospel!
 
Xiannan - sharing the gospel with
fellow students in Darmstadt
We told the story of Xiannan in our Spring, 2015 update. He’s a PhD student in Material Science at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. After attending church services and Bible studies for more than a year, Xiannan accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior. A few months later, in a Bible study, he shared that he felt his purpose was “to return to China and tell others about Jesus.” But his chance has come before his return!  On a recent sightseeing bus trip with other Chinese students, and as they travelled, other students asked this bright, young, man to share with them why he had become a follower of Jesus…and he got a chance to share the gospel with them!  
Tianye - bringing the gospel to her mother in China
We told the story of Tianye in our August 2015 update. Tia and her husband Jason, a Chinese-American believer, attended the church regularly, came to a LIFE Group, and Tia met with some women at a Friday morning Bible study. But she was not a believer in Jesus. God was at work in her life, however! One evening at LIFE Group, Tia shared that she had given her life to Jesus, and had asked Him to be her Savior. Recently, Tia had a chance to fly back to Bejing and spend weeks with her mother who was being treated for cancer. Tia had a chance to read the Bible and explaining faith in Jesus. Her mother has not yet come to faith – please pray for her!
Imants - reaching the science community
Imants is a brilliant PhD student from Latvia, doing groundbreaking work in his field of material science, specializing in magnetics (we call him “Magneto!”).  Imants has a passion to bring the gospel to the largely atheistic world of science.  He has prepared papers and lectures with PowerPoint presentations to discuss topics like creation, supernatural miracles, and other theological topics with his colleagues. When the Lord asked, “Who will go for Me, to the science community?”  Imants answered, “Here am I, Lord, Send me!”


Diane reading the Bible to her
father in Taiwan.
Diane is a young believer, baptized at our church in September of last year. In August of this year, during a worship service, she asked us to pray as she went home to Taiwan to be with her father who was suffering from terminal cancer. She asked us to pray that she would be able to share the gospel with him, and that he would trust in Jesus. We gathered around her and prayed. A few weeks later, she sent a text message that he father had come to faith, and been baptized in the hospital. A few days Diane wrote, “Dear Bob, my father went to heaven already, he smiled, he’s happy.” Just this week she wrote, “I am writing an article about my father’s story. I will send my article to a Christian newspaper. I am so glad that my father became a Christian before he died, and now he is in heaven.” 

Thank you for your support of this amazing ministry to the international, English-speaking community in Darmstadt and the surrounding region. Your prayers, encouragement and financial support make you a vital partner in this work. These great stories of personal faith, and of faith shared with others, are part of YOUR faith story, too!  Rejoice with us as we marvel at all God has done and is doing in the lives of people from “every nation under heaven gathered in the city.” (Acts 2:5) 

San Jose, Costa Rica

IBC Annual Meeting. We were privileged to be able to attend the annual convention meeting of the International Baptist Convention in San Jose, Costa Rica in late October. It was the first time that the IBC has met outside of Europe for its annual meeting, and reflects the growing global impact the group is having. 
Part of our time in San Jose was committed to the Multiply Conference, a gathering of church planters, coaches, leaders and supporters. We spent the entire conference focusing on recruiting new church planters. We have no shortage of cities to reach with the gospel – from Lima, Peru, to Barcelona, Spain to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and, of course, Mannheim, Germany (our particular focus). The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few!
Will you join us in prayer for the Lord of the Harvest to raise up new church planters – to lead us to them, and them to us? Will you join us in recruiting new planters and pastors? If you know someone – a pastor friend, a family member who has a heart for missions, a student in your church who has a desire to serve the Lord – anyone God puts on your heart and in your mind – Please send their information along to us!  Or have them go directly to our Church Planting web connection. It’s called Catalyst, and the link is:

Financial Update

We have entered our sixth year on the mission field, and there has been some attrition in our support over the years. About 60% of our monthly support is being met from our supporters back home. The church in Darmstadt has stepped up to meet the need, so far. But one of the dynamics of International Churches such as ours is that people leave after 1-3 years as they complete the studies or their job assignment changes. This can greatly impact the financial stability of the church.

Will you consider joining us in our efforts to reach the English-speaking International Community of Darmstadt, Central Europe and, as you have seen from this newsletter – the whole world? Please pray for God’s provision for us, and for His guidance for you and your family.  

Here’s How to Support our work:

By Check
Make checks payable to: Converge
In the memo line of the check, please note account # 133261.   Send checks to:
Converge Worldwide Attn: J. LoGalbo
2002 S. Arlington Heights Rd.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
-OR-
Automatic Withdrawal
Set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account for contributions.  Here’s how:
Contact Jennifer LoGalbo
Telephone: 1-800-323-4215
Email: Jennifer.LoGalbo@converge.org
-OR-
EASY Web-based support! Go to:
www.convergeworldwide.org/give/133261 to set up a one- time, or ongoing support from your debit or credit card.
Text Box: Here’s How to Support our work:
By Check
Make checks payable to: CONVERGE 
In the memo line of the check, please note ACCOUNT # 133261.   Send checks to:
Converge Worldwide Attn: J. LoGalbo
2002 S. Arlington Heights Rd. 
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
-OR-
Automatic Withdrawal
Set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account for contributions.  Here’s how:
Contact Jennifer LoGalbo 
Telephone: 1-800-323-4215
Email: Jennifer.LoGalbo@converge.org
-OR-
EASY Web-based support! Go to:
www.convergeworldwide.org/give/133261 to set up a one- time, or ongoing support from your debit or credit card.