Dear Friends,
Thank you for praying. Last Wednesday night we had a group of in our living room to start our first City Mentoring Program phase 1 group. It was exciting for us to see thier eagerness to learn and ask questions. There are at least 5 potential church plants represented in this group and many more if they begin to multiply, which is one of the key values we will be teaching them. Please pray for wisdom and creativity as we continue meeting and teaching. Some of them have some preconceptions that need to be challenged in regard to church planting and the ugency of being proactive while still giving the Holy Spirit freedom to lead and work.
Continue to pray for the Consultation for Church Planting this Saturday, Nov 17 in Frankfurt. Pray that the national train strikes won't affect attendance and the God would work in this diverse gathering to build His kingdom in Germany. We are praying for a 2nd Reformation in Germany!
Announcing the exciting New Reformation Tour!
New Reformation Tour Summary:
Visit the sites of events that have had a powerful impact on the world: the conversion of the Germanic tribes, the Reformation, the Holocaust and more. Familiarize yourself with exciting ministries that are working to fulfill GEM's vision: "a witnessing fellowship within reach of every European".
Travel with professors from the German Theological Seminary, a GEM partner institution, who have extensive knowledge of Germany's rich religious history. Gain a sense of Germany's present spiritual need and celebrate the beginnings of a new reformation in the heart of Europe.
Date: September 13-20, 2008
Travel Logistics: Approximately $1,995 per person; Fly through Newark to Cologne, Germany. Arrive on a Saturday and depart on a Saturday. (See more trip details below).
Travel Details: GEM will secure hotels, tickets and transportation. Cologne, Germany is the best airport to fly into. Continental Airlines is offering competitive direct-flight connections from Newark. We estimate that trip costs (March round-trip airfare from/to Newark and tour-related costs) will be approximately $1,995 per person.
We'll stay in excellent hotels and travel between sites in a state-of-the-art tour bus. No trip between sites requires more than three hours travel time. Breakfast and dinner are included in the trip cost.
Itinerary: Saturday: Arrive and get settled in Cologne.
Sunday: Cologne: See the city's Roman antiquities, its world famous cathedral, and important Jewish sites. Visit Cologne in Motion, GEM's cutting edge ministry team.
Monday: Muenster, an important center of the Anabaptist movement in Germany, and Fritzlar, site of the conversion of the first Germanic tribes under Bonifatius (the 8th century monk who chopped down Thor's oak tree and lived to tell about it).
Tuesday: The Wartburg, Eisleben, Wittenberg: Three must-see sites for anyone interested in Martin Luther and the Reformation. All in one day!
Wednesday: Berlin will come alive as you tour world renowned Holocaust museum, the Brandenburg gate, Checkpoint Charlie, the onetime headquarters of the East German secret police, and much more. Also visit an innovative church plant in the heart of the city.
Thursday: Weimar, the cultural center of Germany's Golden Age, the city of Goethe and Schiller.
Friday: Buchenwald concentration camp will shock and sadden you, but also give you insight into Germany's present spiritual state. The tour will conclude with a banquet at the German Theological Seminary and a chance to reflect on all you have learned.
Saturday: Departure.
(You are welcome to build additional days of personal travel on either side of the above tour days). Please join us on this truly unique tour!
Please contact us if you are interested or call Lynn Hoffman at GEM in Colorado at 800-436-4488, ext 139 if you have any questions.
The Weak Dollar
We are excited about all that God is doing in Germany and are thankful for how He has provided for us to serve here. We have not written about our financial needs for quite some time but find it difficult to refrain any longer. The U.S. dollar continues to hit record lows in value against the Euro almost on a daily basis. The weaker the dollar gets, the more we need just to stay even. Everything has become extremely expensive for us. Yesterday we filled up our little Honda and paid a whopping US$8.73 per gallon!
© 2007 by Prof. Werner Antweiler, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada.We would like to request that those of you who are supporting us financially prayerfully consider increasing the amount and/or give a special extra gift to help offset the shortfall that we have. If you are not yet supporting us, perhaps you would consider joining us at this crucial time. Drop us an email to let us know if you can help.
Thank you so much for standing with us as we minister and serve in Germany!
Gratefully,
Jason and Sue
