Dear Friends,
Here are some of the things happening in our lives:
The Pastor's Atelier
The grand opening on February 16 was a blessing. Over the course of the evening 50 guests stopped by. In addition to our ministry networks, several of our old and new neighbors came. The atmosphere was relaxed and there were lots of good conversations and new connections made. Thank you for praying for this. Please continue to pray as this new ministry context keeps growing.
In the last couple months 3 different prayer groups have been initiated at the Atelier. Our church plant has begun a monthly morning prayer gathering. Kristi has started an artists prayer group that I host. And just recently, I have started an early morning mens group with a few of my friends and neighbors - some of whom are not yet believers. It was so exciting to see them respond positively and indicate their desire to meet every week (Tuesdays at 7am). One of the men commented that although he was very suspicious of the Christian faith he could envision meeting regularly like this in the Atelier, i.e. but not a church.
We have discovered that people seldom make a decision for Christ in an instant. Usually it is a series of mini-decisions - in other words, a process. In the near future I hope to start a discovery bible study with some of our contacts who are interested to help them along in their process.
GEM German field leadership
After 6 years of being GEM Germany field leader, I felt that God wanted me to move on. With ca. 30 missionaries (pictured below at our recent yearly retreat) and a constant flow of people interested in possibly coming to serve, it was a lot of work in addition to our work in church planting and evangelism. We are grateful for having had the privilege of working with such an inspiring, talented group of people. God has already raised up a wonderful new leadership team from within our ranks. Please pray with us for a smooth transition and for even better things to come. Pray for me to be in step with the Spirit as to how to invest my time now that I have more capacity for church planting, evangelism and discipleship.
CMP Assessments
From Feb. 20-23 I took part in the yearly City Mentoring Program church planter assessments. There were 20 German and international candidates including spouses and fiancés. I was one of 9 assessors responsible for observing and interacting with these promising young potential church planters as they went through preaching, team, evangelism and conflict resolution exercises as well as intensive interviews. The goal is to identify those who are gifted and called to either lead church plants (or even initiate church planting movements!) and those who are called to be a part of a team. We are so thankful for the present wave of interest among Bible school and seminary students for church planting. Please pray that this trend would continue and increase exponentially.
MA Intercultural Competencies
After much thought, prayer and research - Sue has decided to pursue a Masters degree. She applied and was accepted at the Donau University Krems (near Vienna). She attends her first of 10, fourday modules next week. She is excited about the program but nervous about returning to school after so long. The subject matter applies directly to our ministry in Germany but also to business English training. Please pray for her as she jumps into this. Pray for strength and for the adjustment to being back in school.
As Easter draws near we are reminded once again of the hope the resurrection gives us. We pray that God will bless you with a renewed sense of that power and hope!
Your missionaries,
Jason and Sue
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