update october 2024

 Dear Friends,

Here is an update of what has been going on in our lives and ministry.

Seminary Celebration
We recently had the joy to be a part of the Giessen School of Theologie (FTH) 50 year celebration where Jason is on the board.  On Friday night there was a moving presentation of the history of the school - dating back to it's roots in GEM. On Saturday there was an open house for the general public. Hundreds of visitors enjoyed tours, mini lectures from some of the faculty, a bouncy castle and much more.  It was a great day with wonderful weather. The growth of the school and and the impact it has in Germany and beyond are unbelievable.  Praise God with us for his rich blessing on this vital institution.
 

The Eyes have it!
As many of you know, Sue had eye surgery (cataracts) last month. We are so thankful for all your prayers. She is recovering well. The whole healing process takes 6-8 weeks, so she is going to need a lot of patience as her eyes and brain adjust to the new lenses. She is amazed at how bright and vibrant the world is. Please continue to pray for optimal vision at the end of all this.

Closing a Chapter
15 years ago, along with a group of creative people, we started a church planting experiment we called the “Cologne Project” (Kölnprojekt). We felt led to start a free church incorporating liturgical worship services with modern expressions. It was wonderful to try new things and before long we built a network of local jazz musicians who played in our services. The focus was on God’s Word, simple worship with lot’s of candles, liturgy and jazz.

The church grew slowly but steadily. We didn’t attract many believers - probably due to our approach - but that was fine with us. We hoped to reach unbelievers and people who grew up in a traditional church, but had lost their way. Then came the corona lockdown. People left the church. We tried to win them back but to no avail. Those that remained were faithful and we all loved gathering together. But alas, the challenge of continuing the experiment became something that we all began to question. And so, after much prayer, we decided to close the church down. Our last celebratory worship service was September 29.
 

 

We are sad but also thankful for all that the Lord has done. The investment in people’s lives remains eternal. A German Christian leader told Jason recently that they are so thankful for people like us that are willing to take risks and try creative new things - many of which may not be long-term, but through which we all learn and many are reached with the Gospel.

Opening a New Chapter
Jason will continue doing outreach and discipleship through the Pastorenatelier, where he has become an accessible pastor and counselor for a large part of Nippes, the quarter of Cologne that we live in.  His pastor’s heart will not be stilled, so starting October 6 he will be offering a biweekly reflective hour at the Pastorenatelier on Sundays, with Scripture readings, impulses, prayers and music as an outreach ministry to the people of Nippes and greater Cologne.  Please pray that many would be spoken to, who would normally not consider attending a regular church service.

Additionally, he is again taking an active roll in mentoring German pastors and church-planters in the region.  He has been invited by the Ev. Free Church of Germany to take on this roll, but he will also offer his services beyond to other denominations.  His many years as a pastor and church planter, along with his extensive network and contacts make him especially suited for this roll.  He will also continue his participation on the board of the seminary.

The Current 8-year Plan
We’re not getting any younger! These ministries will continue for the next 4 years in Germany. We are then planning to move our household and ministry back to the US and settle in the Denver area, close to our oldest son, Sam. From there Jason will continue the mentoring remotely with at least 3 trips per year to Germany to visit church planters - coinciding with the Seminary board meetings. He will also get involved with the Friends of the Giessen School of Theology in the US, helping to raise funds and promote the school and also help out the GEM mobilization department - with a focus on Germany.

We are very grateful for your faithful support over the years. We thank the Lord for using us in the lives of so many people. Your partnership has been essential. We are in need of additional support. If you are interested, here is a link to our present missionary support need. We are eager to see how this next chapter will unfold.

Thankfully yours,

Jason and Sue

update july 2004

 Dear Friends,

Jason was invited to attend this year's Evangelical Free Church Inland Mission staff conference at the end of May. He had been asked to simply make himself available to the 30+ German church planters in attendance as an unofficial mentor and coach. There were times of learning, reflection, sharing, worship, prayer and fun together. He had a great time and was able to get to know several of them and share stories and lessons learned. It is so encouraging to see their passion and creativity. The Lord is definitely building his church in Germany!
 

Starting the english conversation group last fall has proven to be a wonderful way to meet new people and get to know them. The conversations on Sunday afternoons are never planned and end up covering a wide range of topics although we do try and steer clear of politics and religion. That being said, Jason has been able to share the gospel many times - in small doses - in a very relaxed way. Now he has felt led to start a second group on Tuesday mornings for seniors. Please pray for a good start and even more relationships to be started as we continue sharing about the hope that is within us.
 

Jason has had the Pastorenatelier for almost 12 years and God has blessed that ministry location many times over. But we want to share with you about a difficult challenge he has had from the beginning - the neighbors who live directly above him. They have complained about a variety of things that have happened there - but mostly about the “noise” that sometimes happens when there are ministry events. Early on, Jason had to block their email address because of their nasty words. He has tried to meet with them to talk, but they refuse and even decline to reciprocate a simple, polite “guten tag” at random encounters on the sidewalk or when taking the garbage out. The landlord, who is very supportive of Jason and his work in the Atelier, finally started suggesting that they look for another place to live as they tend to complain about all the other neighbors in the building with whom Jason has a good relationship. Recently he posted the words “is forgiveness possible?” on the side of his mailbox where everyone can see it as they enter the building. Please pray that the Lord would intervene and bring some kind of breakthrough with this couple.
 

Thank you for standing with us.

Jason and Sue

update may 2024

 Dear Friends,

In January, we had a great start of the English conversation group up after the new year, with 7 in attendance. After talking about what we did over the holidays, someone asked Jason about his feelings (prediction) about how 2024 will play out. He started out by saying that he thinks we always need to have hope. He then said that hope is more than wishful thinking and proceeded to tell them about the hope that Christ gives us. (Lesson from Evangelism 101: provide a service. invite people. let them ask you questions. answer them.)

Jason was asked to do the funeral for the friend of yet another neighbor. It was a freezing cold, clear, crisp day in January. He really doesn’t know them very well and didn't know the deceased at all, so he simply told them about the Lord and shared His word around the grave.  Pray for the seeds of the Gospel to take root in people's hearts and that God would comfort them in their grief.

Through Michelle, our local catholic priest and friend, we have found a new place for the church to meet, which we are presently testing. It is the fellowship hall of one of the nearby churches. The cool thing is that it is very close to the PastorenAtelier and all the contacts we have made over the last few years. We recently had our first service there.  To start with, we will only be there twice a month - but there is the possibility that this could increase as time goes by.  This is a great answer to our prayers, and we are hopeful for a long-term situation.

Jason cooked a big pot of lamb stew on Maundy Thursday for folks from the English conversation group, our small group, and our church - along with our special guest, Jon Burns, president of GEM. We had a blessed time of conversation and fellowship at the table in the PastorenAtelier closing with communion as we reflected on the last supper of Christ with his disciples. Please pray that God would continue to work in the lives of all who were present.

Another good question from the English conversation group recently: So why in the world did you come to Germany in the first place, Jason? He then told them about coming here as a young man to go to Bible School and in the process getting to know Germany as he travelled around with a music outreach group. He saw lots of amazing and beautiful church buildings but also the dearth of churches that were once vibrant, alive, and growing. He explained to them how we felt God calling us to come and be a part of changing that situation by starting new churches. A couple of them shared about their negative church experiences here as the others nodded agreement. When that happens, we always try to keep it personal and not take part in any church bashing. We didn't come here to criticize the existing church but rather - to offer an alternative and to share the gospel in word and deed.

Jason has been invited to attend this year's Evangelical Free Church Inland Mission staff conference, which will take place at the end of May. He has been asked to simply make himself available to the 30+ church planters in attendance as an unofficial mentor and coach. There will be times of learning, reflection, sharing, worship, and prayer together. The theme of this year's conference is a play on German words that translate to: ”He builds”, which are based on a quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: "No man builds the church, but Christ alone. Whoever wants to build the church is certainly already at work destroying it; for he will build an idolatrous temple without wanting to and without knowing it. We are to confess - HE builds. We should proclaim - HE is building. We should pray to him - HE is building.” Please pray for good connections at this conference for the sake of the Gospel and the church Christ is building in Germany.

Your Servants,

Sue and Jason

christmas update

 Christmas in the midst of loss

Dear Friends,
This Christmas has been one of farewells and loss for us. After a long struggle, a colleague of Sue's died of a brain tumor. As far as we know, he had not made peace with God and was carrying a lot of regrets to the grave with him. Sue was able to share the gospel with him over the last few months, and our prayer is that he surrendered his life to the Lord in his last days.

This week we said goodbye to dear friends and missionary colleagues who the Lord has led to another part of Germany. We send them on with God's blessing, but we will dearly miss them in life and ministry.

The next day, we laid to rest our friend Kalle. There was a very large crowd of mourners who gathered for the funeral. Jason fought for control as he began to speak, but the Lord helped him get a grip as he started into the story of the resurrection of Lazarus. Kalle wanted the gospel preached and that is just what Jason did.  It was a very meaningful time of celebrating Kalle's life and offering comfort and hope to the mourning even as we mourn with them. We will miss Kalle greatly.

The comfort of knowing that Kalle entered into glory when he died, reminds us of what Christ left behind when He came to earth that very first Christmas -"emptying himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." (Phil. 2) It was a painful sacrifice for Him to leave the riches of glory behind to be born in humble surroundings. His sacrifice for us began then and continued through his death on the cross. Jesus knows our pain like no other - and that is a great comfort for us.

 

We need your help! We are truly grateful for the Lord’s provision for us over this past year. Many of you are a part of that blessing. We try not to talk about our financial needs in these updates, but as the year draws to a close we would like to encourage you to give generously toward our ministry. In order to fund the Pastorenatelier for another year we need $14,400. It costs $1200 per month for rent, utilities, supplies, etc. So much of our ministry happens there. It is the place where our relationship with Kalle began.In order to fund the Pastorenatelier beyond this next year, we need 12 people who will commit to giving $100 per month. In addition to that, we are lacking $800/month in personal support. Here is a GIVING LINK.

 

We wish you all a blessed Christmas celebration and a happy new year!

Gratefully,
Jason and Sue

December '23 update

 Dear friends,

We had a great worship service on the first Sunday of advent. 3 days before, our pianist had to cancel because of sickness, but was able to find an awesome substitute for us - an amazing young jazz pianist in his early 20's who grew up in east Germany. Paul had never been to church before in his life. He definitely heard the gospel as we went through our liturgy and I preached from 1 Corinthians 1. After the service he told us that what impressed him most was the loving fellowship that we all were having before, during and after the service. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

Jason is part of a whatsapp group of 18 people who are looking after Kalle. Most of them are not believers but have gathered around him in a wonderful way. Last weekend he decided to read some scripture and pray with Kalle and the whole group via an audio message. Beside Kalle himself, there were all kinds of thank-yous and emojis with hearts and praying hands in the group chat. One woman said: "Thank you from me too. Even as a non-believer, your words do something to me. PEACE." Please continue to pray as Kalle's days among us draw to a close.

The window of the Pastorenatelier is decorated. Check out this short video for a close up look at the bottom ledge - eye level for all the toddlers who walk by with their parents. Here is the link.

We need your help! We are truly grateful for the Lord’s provision for us over this past year. Many of you are a part of that blessing. We try not to talk about our financial needs in these updates, but as the year draws to a close we would like to encourage you to give generously toward our ministry. In order to fund the Pastorenatelier for another year we need $14,400. It costs $1200 per month for rent, utilities, supplies, etc. So much of our ministry happens there. In order to fund the Pastorenatelier beyond this next year, we need 12 people who will commit to giving $100 per month. In addition to that, we are lacking $800/month in personal support. Here is a GIVING LINK.

We wish you all a blessed advent.

Gratefully,
Jason and Sue

november 2023 update

 Dear friends,

Jason has come to understand himself as the pastor of 2 churches. We have our small Evangelical Free Church - Cologne Project - which we love. But during the week we engage with the neighborhood where the PastorenAtelier is. We engage with and care for people who are far from God but also for many who are seeking the Lord and involved in helping us help people. On Thursdays is our small group and he cooks up a pot of soup and we read the Bible together and discuss what God is trying to say to each one of us.  We end by praying with and for each other. Because it is just off of the farmers market, there is a steady flow of folks passing by and we have seen God use the daily encounters with both new and existing contacts to draw people to Himself. Please continue praying for this strategic ministry.

We also want to update you on our brother Kalle who is dying from lung cancer. He is not doing well. He has lost a lot of weight, and his strength is waning. He is on morphine for the pain which is tricky for a recovered drug addict so he asked the neighbor lady to keep the meds with her and just give him his daily dose. Jason visits him regularly and always brings him leftover soup from our Bible study group - sharing scripture and praying with him. Please continue to pray for Kalle as he continues down this difficult road. He recently told Jason that he is so looking forward to seeing Jesus. Jason replied: He is looking forward to seeing you too, Kalle!

The english conversation group continues to go well and we are so glad we decided to do this. We have new people every week. Without prompting, they are asking great questions that give us the opportunity to share the Gospel in small doses. One guy even came to church several weeks ago!

We are truly grateful for the Lord’s provision for us over this past year. Many of you are a part of that blessing. We try not to talk about our financial needs in these updates, but as the year draws to a close we would like to encourage you to give generously toward our ministry. In order to fund the Pastorenatelier for another year we need $14,400. It costs $1200 per month for rent, utilities, supplies, etc. So much of our ministry happens there. In order to fund the Pastorenatelier beyond this next year, we need 12 people who will commit to giving $100 per month. In addition to that, we are lacking $800/month in personal support. Here is a GIVING LINK.

Gratefully,
Jason and Sue

september update

 Dear friends,

In June the first church plant that we helped start in Cologne-Porz celebrated their 30-year anniversary! Our two successors along with their spouses were also present. We are so grateful for these couples who have continued to invest much in this church. It was such a joy to share in this celebration.  As we watched a presentation of all that God has done in the last 30 years we were overwhelmed by the impact of the DNA (evangelism, discipleship, and church-planting) that we implanted back then, which has been and still is at the heart of this church.  There are multiple people who have gone out from this church to become pastors of other churches or planted new churches – in Germany and other countries.  Many have come to faith and been baptized, including a number of Iranian immigrants.   To God be the glory!

Many of you have been praying for our friend Kalle, who has lung cancer. He reluctantly started chemotherapy. It was really rough on him, and he decided to stop after a third of the treatments. He is slowly recovering from the nasty side effects. He knows that he is in the Lord’s hands and is trusting Him with his life. We are still praying for healing but ultimately that the Lord would show His power in and through Kalle and be glorified.

Please continue praying for Emrahil, our Turkish brother who we baptized 6 years ago. He has had chronic back pain for months. He is reluctant to have the surgery doctors are recommending but he does receive shots to manage the pain. In addition, he has been extremely sad lately as the major earthquake in the spring destroyed so much in his hometown of Antalya - including the family home.  Although most of his family was spared, and uncle and cousin were killed. A big bright spot in his life is that the German justice system has recently expunged his records of all his previous crimes, freeing the way for him to pursue various jobs that were out of the question with his earlier record. Praise the Lord with us for this and pray that God would now open up new possibilities for Emrahil.

I spent an hour or so recently getting to know Tom, an actor who stumbled upon my shop. We had a very interesting chat. He opened up to me about some things and I was able to share the Lord with him in small doses. We also talked about him doing an evening of readings here on the subject of grief. His mother, a devout catholic, committed suicide when he was 12. That traumatic experience left him not just with overwhelming grief, but also jaded in regard to church and God. Pray that the Lord would draw him to Himself. He has expressed interest in visiting our church.

Finally, please pray for the startup of the English conversation group in the Pastorenatelier on Sep. 10. As we serve the community by offering this, we also hope to make some new friends with whom we can gradually begin sharing the gospel.

Gratefully,
Jason and Sue