November update

Dear Friends,

Last weekend our Cologne Project church family gathered for a time of fun, fellowship and workshops with our speaker, James Ros, on what it means to be a church family. James is on the leadership team of the Consultation for Church Planting and has recently moved to former East Germany to plant churches there. In his loving and personal he quietly challenged us from Scripture to foster our passion for the local church.

The New Reformation Tour I co-hosted in October reminded me once again of the huge potential Germany has to influence the world. We visited Wittenberg, where Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church; Eisleben, where he was born; Erfuhrt, where he studied law and then theology after he decided to become a monk. We also made stops at Halle, whose sons include Georg Fredrick Händel and August Hermann Francke and at Fritzlar, where Bonifatius first brought the Gospel to the Germanic tribes. We visited Weimar, the home of Goethe and Schiller. We were reminded, however, that Germany also has the potential for horrendous evil as we visited the death camp Buchenwald, just outside of Weimar.

On the inside of the entry gate are the words “Jedem das Seine” which means "to each his own" or "to each what he deserves.” This was the Nazi's twisted take on an old Greek principle of justice - considering it a justification for murdering so many people. Franz Ehrlich, the inmate who designed the gate was a German architect who had been arrested for being a communist. In a subtle act of resistance, he used a Bauhaus style font, knowing that the Nazis deplored the Bauhaus style and considered it to be decadent, intellectual Jewish trash.

Today Germany is a modern, tolerant Nation taking in thousands of refugees fleeing the atrocities in the Middle East. This is a good thing. However, Germany is a nation that has left its Christian roots. Only about 3% of the population attends any kind of church regularly. Most of the people I talk to on the street or at my atelier have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. Germany needs to see a new reformation sweep across this land and beyond. If God does a mighty work in Germany, we firmly believe that this nation could be the catalyst for the spread of the Gospel throughout all of Europe and the world.  Please continue to pray with us to that end.

Also, please pray for C., a new church attender and member of our Thursday night small group.  Last Thursday she expressed the desire to really get to know God and experience him.  As we look forward to Thanksgiving, give thanks with us for how God is going to reveal himself in her life. 

Your missionaries,

Jason and Sue

August update 2014

Dear Friends,

I have been asking you to pray for the City Mentoring Program phase one group.  In May the 8-month training that I co-led came to an end. There were 10 participants - most of them students at the Bibleseminar Bonn (http://www.bsb-online.de). It is always encouraging for me to see how God works in the hearts of these young potential church planters as they wrestle with their calling. Here are a few of their comments at the final session.

 

Arthur: I'm leaving the course with double-courage. I want to ask unbelievers questions about their faith and to listen to them, get to know them deeper. I want to dare things for Jesus. 

 

Simon: I can see how the spiritual life of a church planter needs to find its source in Jesus. I want to be much more consistent in following Jesus and see His kingdom as the goal, in which he can use me.

 

Emilius: The course has opened my eyes to the subject of church planting. The practical examples of the missionaries were very valuable. I want to conduct demographic studies of my home country, Lithuania, and share what I have learned about church planting there.

 

Stefan: The course helped me to see what the church should be and how I can best serve God.

 

Fabiana: The course has challenged me to reach out to my neighbors.

 

Raphael: I am looking forward to my contact with non-Christians.

 

Pray for these young participants as they continue on their spiritual and ministry journey, that the Spirit would move and enable them for God's kingdom.

 

In mid July I was contacted by a friend of a friend who is working on a post-doctoral project that she is hoping will eventually be presented in several churches and museums in Cologne. The Pentateuch Project is a series of photo compositions inspired from scenes and events from the first 5 books of the Bible. She wanted to do a power point presentation of the project in order to garner more support. She asked if she could do it at my atelier and I agreed. The presentation was interesting. However, even more interesting was that the local catholic priest also attended with whom I have recently had contact in regard to renting a small church building in the area that is no longer used regularly for services for our church plant - Cologne Project. We had a very pleasant conversation after the presentation. Please pray that they would make the decision to rent to us. It would be a great location for our church plant to grow.

 

Please continue praying for the “Blue evening in Nippes”. Pray that we would be able to make many new contacts for the Gospel through this event on September 5th.

 

Thank your for your prayers for us in June as we spent three weeks visiting supporting churches and individuals in Ontario and Michigan.  Although the travel and schedule were exhausting, we were so encouraged by many of you; your hospitality, encouragement, support, genuine interest - for reminding us again of how much you share this ministry with us.

 

Yours for Germany,

Jason and Sue

May update

Dear friends,

Following are a couple of stories from the Pastor’s Atelier:

In the Tuesday morning men’s prayer group we recently agreed to limit our personal sharing time and jump right into our theme. M**** gave us copies of a chapter on prayer from a book titled Christianity for Beginners - I am looking forward to working through this chapter with these men. They have a longing to learn how to pray more in their every day lives.  The idea of freely and spontaneously communicating with God is still novel to them.

I recently had a chat with a father and his 20-something daughter in front of the atelier. They were admiring my work through the window. He was thinking of buying one of my paintings for his daughter to hang in her new apartment. As we chatted, he wanted to know what exactly I am doing here. After explaining it to him I told him, as I have told many others, that I just want to be a blessing for the neighborhood. He said he thought I already was and then as they were leaving he said that he hoped that a lot of blessings come right back to me. That made my day!

I have signed up to take part in an event called “Blue Evening in Nippes”. Nippes is the name of the district of Cologne we live in and where the atelier is. It is an evening where all the participating shops and businesses decorate their shops with blue streamers, balloons, etc. and offer specials, music and creative events - staying open much later than normal. Last year there were dozens of participants with hundreds, if not thousands of visitors wandering from shop to shop. I have invited a jazz musician to perform at the atelier. Please pray that I would be able to make many new contacts for the Gospel through this event on September 5th.

Oh the pain!
Although I was not up to it earlier, I would like to share about a medical condition I have been dealing with over the last month. In April I went to the skin doctor and was diagnosed with pre-cancerous spots on my forehead. The doctor recommended a special light treatment that has proven highly successful in eliminating the abnormal cells.  The procedure was executed two times over eight days.  The discomfort and pain after the first treatment was manageable but the pain after the second treatment was almost unbearable.  Fortunately it subsided considerably after six excruciating hours.  The next several days were spent dealing with a severely swollen forehead and eyes followed by severe scabbing.  Thankfully I was able to preach at the Easter service less than a week later - albeit with a hat pulled right down to my eyebrows to spare the congregation from having to look at the disaster underneath.  Amazingly the outer layer of skin has healed quite rapidly and I am thankful to the Lord for modern medicine and for how he carried me through this unpleasant ordeal.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Yours for Germany,
Jason and Sue

Dear friends,

MyLife

The first 3 Sunday afternoons in February, I (Jason) hosted and led an evangelistic workshop in the Pastor's Atelier entitled, MyLife.  The 8 participants were fully engaged and eager to return for the next session and the feedback was very positive.  Although I am not yet aware of any first-time decisions for Christ, it was clear that God was working in the hearts of several of the participants.  Please pray for the continued work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts and minds of these seekers.  I highly recommend this workshop.  For more information see:http://www.mylifeworkshop.org.

2014

We would like to give you a look at our ministry activity in 2014. It is often in our ongoing ministry that we see people taking steps and growing in their trust toward God. The day-to-day and week-to-week activities in which we serve are so important. Most of our time in ministry is devoted to: 

sermon/service preparation and celebration, counseling, street evangelism, friendship evangelism, pre-evangelism events, discipleship, prayer, small groups, leadership meetings, planning, administration 

Please pray that God would continue to use us for the advancement of His kingdom in our ongoing, everyday activities here in Germany.

In addition, these are the highlights to date that we are looking forward to this year.  More special opportunities and events will most likely be added as the year progresses. Please pray that God’s kingdom would come and that His will would be done in Germany as it is in heaven.

The Consultation for Church Planting - March 5-6

Currently we have a relatively small group of 22 who have registered for our annual 24-hour gathering. Many church planting leaders have full schedules and due to the speaker’s schedule (an expert on social milieus) we have moved the location to southern Germany in Schwaebish Gmuend - near Stuttgart - which makes it more difficult for those from northern Germany to attend. Nevertheless, we are looking forward to learning and working together toward more interdenominational collaboration. We decided as the leadership team to spend another half day in sharing and prayer, and brainstorming about long-term goals for the consultation.

German field retreat - 27-30 March

This is always an intimate time of sharing and prayer with our team here in Germany. The uplifting mixture of tears and laughter as we recount the ways that God is working in our personal lives and in our ministries is always encouraging. It was just a year ago that I resigned from leading the German field. I am thankful for the new leadership team and I am looking forward to attending this year as a supporting field missionary.

Home Ministry Assignment - May 30 - June 17 in Ontario and Michigan

We look forward to connecting with family, friends and the folks at 6 of our supporting churches in southern Ontario and the Detroit area. Albeit, trips like this are often a mix of exhaustion and encouragement for us.

Preaching at the amphibious vehicle rally worship service - August 3.

A man who heard me preach at one of the churches in the area has invited me to speak at an event he helps organize in the picturesque town of Traben Trarbach on the Mosel river.  It is an international weekend rally of amphibious vehicles, where about 50 vehicles and 150 people from all over Europe are expected. For years they have been working on a strategy to reach the participants with the Gospel. On Sunday morning they will be offering an open-air worship service. Traben Trarbach is of particular concern because the entire town is under the strong influence of a Buddhist who has placed his little statues in all the shop windows and has opened the largest Buddhist Museum in Germany. This event is a unique opportunity that I could have never thought up on my own.

GEM annual conference August 4-9 in Willingen, Germany

This annual gathering of the GEM family is a highlight for us because of the worship time and the fellowship with so many like-minded missionaries who have a heart for Europe. The speakers, training seminars and workshops also provide learning opportunities and are a source of encouragement.

New Reformation Tour - September 26 - October 5

I will be co-hosting this tour along with my colleague, Dr. Joel White. We will be visiting 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.  Professors from the Giessen School of Theology (GST), a GEM partner institution, who have extensive knowledge of Germany’s rich religious history, will be joining parts of the tour. Participants will gain a sense of Germany’s present spiritual need…and celebrate the beginnings of a new reformation in the heart of Europe, encountering exciting ministries that are working to fulfill GEM’s vision: “God expanding His kingdom through all the peoples of Europe to the world.” Click here to download a brochure with more information.

Cologne Project church retreat October 31-November 2

The mission statement of our church plant is: Creating space for Jesus Christ. The retreat helps us to do just that. The opportunity for close fellowship over an entire weekend allows for deepening relationships with one another and with the Lord.

kirche.neu (church.new) - November 26.

The Consultation for Church Planting is not the only network in Germany that is seeking to see God’s kingdom advanced and new churches planted. Kirche.neu has become significant due to its broad range of key leaders of church planting movements. This fall we are co-initiating a one-day inspirational conference that is pulling together 5 different networks with different emphasis but the same ultimate goal of seeing God’s kingdom advance in Germany. Pastor Oscar Muriu is the keynote speaker. He is the leader of Nairobi Chapel, where he was an intern 25 years ago when the church had just 20 members. In the mean time the church has grown and planted many daughter churches. Today 14,000 attend the 40 churches that have been planted. (www.nairobichapel.org) We are praying that God will use this day to foster even more unity and vision for church planting in Germany.

Thank you so much for your prayer and financial support.

In Christ,

Jason and Sue