August prayer letter

Dear Friends,
September and October will be busy months. Please pray for us as we continue fostering church planting in our region in order to reach even more Germans for Christ.

ALLEGRO
Allegro, a hand bell quartet from Calvary Church in Longmont, Colorado, where I served as Minister of Music many years ago, will be here from September 2-11. God has opened many doors for us. They will be playing and giving their testimonies in various venues: Schools, market squares, churches, in a hospital, etc. It will be a strenuous week. Pray for stamina, joy and many new contacts for the kingdom!

PROCHRISTMOBIL
This is an innovative evangelistic concept in Germany. 100 leased “Smart” cars are traveling throughout the country from May-March. (The “Smart” is a very small 2-seater - a joint venture of DaimlerChrysler and Swatch). On the side of the car it says “The smallest church in the World”. The reports from other cities have been encouraging. People’s curiosity gets the best of them and the drivers are given multiple opportunities to share the gospel simply by parking a group of them on the market square or in a busy pedestrian shopping area. Please pray for me as I am scheduled to drive from Sep. 26-Oct. 2 in Cologne and Oct. 10-16 in the Freiburg/Basel area. Pray for good contacts and open hearts for the Gospel. Please also pray for safety and good weather! I will let you know how it goes.

HENNEF
Monday, August 22 was a historic day for the city of Hennef as the team that Wolfgang and Petra have gathered together for the church plant there had their first meeting. It was so cool to hear how God had been preparing these four couples for this venture. I admire their courage and faith in spite of the uncertainty and apprehension that they are feeling. It is good that I can be there for them. I will be meeting with them on a bi-weekly basis for the next several months as they get started. Pray especially that God would mold them into a loving fellowship that is unified and committed to the Lord, to one another and to the lost people all around them.

SPARK
The motivational seminar continues to take shape. The editing work is extremely tedious but I remain excited about this project. Please continue to pray about funding for the equipment I will need to be able to take it into German churches: portable sound system, screen and projector (total needed is $8000). We have received a matching grant of $4000 and the first $1500 has come in. Perhaps you would like to help us with the final $2500 needed. Please let us know.

Thankfully,
Jason (and Sue)

A PS from Roy: Dear Family and Friends, Poland was an immense learning experience. Not only was I able to be a blessing to the children in Tomaszow and Zakosciele, but the children were a blessing to me, too. The first week our team carried out the Imagin'Air (learning English) program in the City Center in Tomaszow for the poor children of the neighborhood, most of whom came from broken families. The second week we were part of a sports camp in Zakosciele. This was a greater challenge, since the kids were a bit too old for the material we had, but with God's grace and help we were still able to reach out to them telling about and showing them the love of God. I want to say thank you to all who prayed and supported me. This trip was a true experience with God and another culture. Without your help it would not have been possible.

Thank you,
Roy

pictures from the week of video shoots

July Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,
The week of interviews has come and gone and it was really amazing – and tiring. Ted and Brandy Cox and Durand Robinson arrived on June 26th and we hit the ground running. Thank you so much for praying. It was intense. On the technical side (cameras, lighting, sound, etc.) - an area where the enemy often attacks – everything came together – but not without Ted and Durand constantly staying on top of things. The schedule of interviews was ambitious but we were able to make every one of them. Conducting the interviews was a joy but also exhausting.


The people we taped who had either come to faith in a church plant or had helped plant a church were the most enjoyable for us. We were honored by the Christian VIP’s who were willing to support us with their statements and they were awesome but also stressful as we were very much aware of how valuable their time is. The interviews on the street made us very much aware of the spiritual battle in which we are engaged. What was intriguing for us was to see how the various things people said began to compliment one another or answer questions that another person had raised. It will be very interesting to see how this all comes together as we begin the editing work. Please pray about the editing. Since neither Ted nor Durand speaks German – it will be a challenge to help them pick the statements we want to use in the final product. We will be working mostly through email and through uploading and downloading video segments for review.

Please continue to pray about funding for the equipment I will need to be able to take this into German churches: portable sound system, screen and projector (total needed is $8000). We have received a matching grant of $4000 and the first $1000 has come in. Perhaps you would like to help us with the final $3000 needed. Please let us know.

The church plant in MONHEIM is moving ahead with 2 services a month. I will be meeting with them one more time before the summer Holidays. The theme for the next session will be unity: What is it? Why is it so important – especially in a church plant? What can we do to foster it?

Praise the Lord - Adam and Bethel Gascho will be arriving in Cologne on July 12. We will help them get settled and find suitable housing. Please pray that God will lead and provide them with a home that will be comfortable and strategic for the emerging ministry they will be having.

God has been leading others to join with Wolfgang and Petra Stolz to plant the church in HENNEF, southeast of Cologne. Pray for them as they continue to talk with potential team members. We are looking for a date in July to have the very first meeting with their team.

Thank you for praying for the recent meeting of the Evangelical Free Church regional committee for Church Planting. Three of the 4 projects we are working with were represented. It was a good meeting and I think that we all left being more or less on the same page. It was encouraging for the various church planters to share with one another and compare notes.


We were grateful for Roy’s eager help during the week of filming – which he was free to give after not being able to find a summer job! Please pray for Roy as he travels to Poland on a mission trip later this month. Thank you to those who have indicated they will be supporting him financially and in prayer.


Thankfully,
Jason and Sue


P.S. We wish we only had good news to share. Because of the continued weak dollar, we have had to accept a significantly reduced salary due to a lack of support funds. This lack could become critical in the continuation of our ministry in Germany. We ask you to consider how God might use you eliminate this “lack” by your giving as our partners to this needy mission field.

Letter from Roy - Summer missions trip

June 2005

Dear Family and Friends,
A year ago I said that school and dorm life were good, but also hard and challenging. This year has been even more so. Leading a dorm small group and the student street evangelization team to the city of Basel were rewarding but also afforded some huge learning experiences along with the challenges of studies.

Back in the fall I considered joining the school on one of their many mission trips during spring break, but after prayer and deliberation with my parents, we decided that I needed a rest instead. Now I clearly see it as God’s plan. My Grandfather, Roy (Bud) Holm (yes, I was named after him) died in March and Dad spent the whole break in the U.S. for the funeral and attending to personal matters. God had planned for me to be at home in Cologne with my Mom to work through this loss.

NOW He has provided an opportunity to join a mission trip to Poland, July 23-August 5, which I am really excited about. I will be going with GEM Euroteam to several towns in the vicinity of Warsaw to help them teach grade school children basic English with a program called “Imagin’Air”. Following is a description of the program (check it out at www.gemission.org/imaginair).

“Imagin’Air is a TEFL activity to help children begin their discovery of English in a fun and non-threatening environment using music, video, live puppetry, games and lessons adapted for children 5-10 years old. During the five sessions, the children will be guided by a team comprised of native English speakers we call the Imagin’Air flight crew and of local children’s workers serving as tour guides for the kids as they take a make-believe journey to places where children speak English. European parents see English as an important tool for their children’s future. We believe that their moral and spiritual development is even more important. The curriculum is shaped by a foundation for life and learning found in the Bible. Each day, children will hear related stories and lessons that illustrate the importance of knowing the forgiveness and leadership of God in their lives. Imagin’Air was conceived to sensitively but clearly communicate the truth of the Gospel message. Out of respect for families not familiar with the claims of Christ and the Church, special activities are planned each day to inform and include parents in what is being presented to their children.”

We will run through the one-week program twice. I am very much looking forward to this chance to do what is near and dear to my heart. This trip means more than just an outlet and development of the gift of evangelization that God has given me. I believe that it will be an opportunity to learn more about becoming dependent on God and drawing closer to him.

The big question mark that remains is finances. The expenses for the trip are $900 including transportation. I did not have the chance to start fundraising early, since I was invited to join shortly before the end of school. Yet I believe that this is God’s will and that He will provide. Would you to consider contributing to this project AND praying? Thank you.

In His love,

Roy Holm

If you would like to contribute, please make your check out to Greater Europe Mission and mark it for ROY HOLM – Poland Imagin’Air Project, and send to:

Greater Europe Mission
18950 Base Camp Road
Monument, CO 80132

or

Greater Europe Mission
100 Ontario Street
Oshawa, ON L1G 4Z1

Or - you can donate online by clicking the link at the right!

please pray!

Dear Friend,
Please take a minute to pray for us today.

This evening I will be attending a meeting of the Evangelical Free Church regional committee for Church Planting. 3 of the 4 projects I am working with with be represented. Please pray for clarity and or a clear definition and mutual understanding of what my role is in each of these projects as well as in the regional committee itself. Pray that people would be encouraged and that God would use this meeting to bring each of these church plants a step further along.

Please also be praying for us this next week as the video team comes to Cologne to begin work on the church planting motivational seminar. Pray for strength and joy in an intense week. Pray that the interviews will go well and that we don’t encounter too many technical problems. Pray for creativity and good ideas as we begin discussing and deciding on some of the creative aspects of video and PowerPoint elements of the seminar.

Please pray for us as we counsel with some close German friends who are going through a marriage crisis. Pray that God would give us wisdom and the right words to say. Pray that He will work in their hearts and that they would turn to Him at this hurtful and difficult time.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

Blessings,
Jason and Sue

May prayer letter

Dear Friends,
So much has happened since our last letter to you. First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and expressions of sympathy and support at the death of my father on March 16th. I flew to Michigan and spent a week with my siblings and their children. The funeral was a real celebration of dad’s life. We know he is now in heaven singing bass with the heavenly hosts and enjoying the presence of the Lord and being reunited with mom. Thanks to a friend’s gracious offer of air miles, I flew from Michigan to Colorado to reconnect with Sam, from whom we had not heard since Christmas. Through the generosity of friends and supporters, we were provided with ski equipment, lift tickets and a wonderful house up near Winter Park and spent 3 great days skiing and talking about God, life and the future. Please continue to pray for Sam as he looks for work and considers his future.

In an effort to encourage existing churches to plant daughter churches, I have begun putting together a multimedia seminar that I will offer to churches. The purpose of the seminar is to motivate people. I envision a fast paced, creative and modern seminar with video clips, PowerPoint, music and a series of “elevator pitches” on evangelism and church planting. I would like to target 25-45 year old Christians who have a heart for evangelism, are creative and have entrepreneurial gifts like leadership, Apostleship and faith. These people have, for the most part, grown up in a church that has a huddle mentality and has failed miserably in reaching out to its community. They have often been stifled in their faith and expression of their gifts and are longing for a change but have been told for such a long time not to rock the boat that they can’t imagine even standing up in the boat. These are the people whose hearts I want to capture. I want them to stand up and rock the boat and start a movement of planting dynamic, culturally relevant churches that are effective at reaching out to modern Germans. I want them to leave the seminar being convinced logically and moved emotionally to plant a new church. I want them to realize that it is their spiritual responsibility to do it - and that it can be done. I am collaborating on this project with another GEM missionary, Durand Robinson, who is very gifted in multimedia. He has recruited a professional videographer, Ted Cox, to come and help. During the last week of June and we will be doing interviews with Christian leaders and with lay people who have been involved in a church plant or have come to faith in a young church. We also want to do street interviews with non-Christians asking them why they don’t go to church. My experience is that the existing churches have often lost sight of their questions and biases but a new church plant has the wonderful opportunity to focus on the answers they are looking for. Please PRAY that God would help us as we work on this project. I hope to have it done by this fall. Please pray about funding for the equipment I will need to be able to take this into the churches: portable sound system, screen and projector.

The church plant in MONHEIM is moving ahead but not without some difficulty. They have had to work through some conflict in the group causing them to delay their first service once again. This often occurs as a group nears the actual launch of the church. The enemy is going to do everything he can to destroy this work before it even gets started. But now we are happy to report that they got permission to use a school auditorium and had their first service on May 8th with 46 in attendance! Their plan for now is to hold Sunday afternoon services every 2 weeks. There is a lot of excitement in the group but also some underlying tension. Please PRAY for them. They still have some issues to deal with in order to become truly unified.

Please continue to PRAY for Adam and Bethel Gascho and their team as they prepare to come to Cologne this summer. Pray that they would be able to raise all their needed financial support and that the Lord would prepare the way ahead of them. Pray that they would be able to find suitable housing.


Wolfgang and Petra Stolz

We can now share with you the details of a third project. Please PRAY for Wolfgang and Petra Stolz, pictured here. They recently announced to their church that they would be leaving to plant a new church next summer in the city of HENNEF, southeast of Cologne. Wolfgang is a successful financial planner and has been an elder in their present church for several years. They have learned a lot through some very difficult and challenging times in the last few years. They are a very committed and talented couple. I admire their courage, as they currently stand alone with their vision. I will be meeting regularly with them to plan and pray and encourage them. Please PRAY that God will lead them to the right people to join their team. They hope to start team meetings as early as this summer.

Please PRAY for Roy as he hits the final stretch of school at BFA before summer vacation. He has done very well this year but it hasn’t been easy. It is hard to believe that he will be a senior next year and is turning 18 this summer!


Thankfully,
Jason and Sue