Follow-up prayermail

Dear Friends,
The meeting in Hennef was intense but also illuminating. We were hoping that all the members would attend but it ended up being just a handful including the couple that had quit. They were very open and shared their hearts. Angelika, the wife, told me that she thought the SPARK presentation was very good but on the way home that night she told Hans-Theo, her husband that it showed her very clearly that church planting was not for her. Her passion is youth work and she wants to continue doing that in their present church. Hans-Theo admitted that he was simply overwhelmed with the work and stress that planting a church brings with it. With a demanding job and a large family, he just can’t see how he could do it.

Wolfgang and Petra are not disheartened. They accept this as from the Lord and are just as committed to the vision if not more so. Please continue to pray for them as well as for Angelika and Hans-Theo and for the other two couples who are taking a time-out to evaluate their involvement. Sue and I are having Wolfgang and Petra for supper on Monday, so we will be able to encourage them and talk about where to go from here.

Please pray for the SPARK presentations I will be doing tomorrow in Leverkusen and later this month in Solingen. Pray that God will work. Also praise the Lord with us for an exciting opportunity that has opened up: On May 30th I will be presenting SPARK at the national board meetings of the German Baptists in Berlin. They have given me an entire hour! Pray that SPARK would capture their imaginations and ignite their hearts. Pray that this will lead to open doors in the local churches.

Some people have asked when Sue will be having surgery. It is planned for May 8th. The doctor said she should plan on staying in the hospital an additional 3 days and then another 10 days recovering at home.

Blessings,

Jason (and Sue)

Dear Friends,
Please pray for the church planting team in Hennef. I shared the SPARK presentation with them a few weeks ago and it raised some disconcerting questions among some of the participants. One couple has come to the conclusion that their hearts are not really in the right place to be planting a church. They abruptly decided to quit the group. Two other couples were so distraught by this that they decided that they needed to take a time-out to pray and see if God really wants them involved as well.

Please pray for the meeting tonight. Pray that God would encourage Wolfgang (leader) and his wife, Petra. Pray for wisdom for me as I seek to help them through this crisis. Pray that God would help us to work through this so that the church plant can move forward.

Please also pray for Sue. She will be having surgery the beginning of May to remove her uterus due to the growth of a 6cm Polyp. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and for a speedy recovery.

Thank you for standing with us.

God bless,
Jason (and Sue)