June Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,
Germany is soccer-crazed! You can’t help but get caught up in the excitement. It is fun to see how the Germans have shed their patriotic inhibitions and are flying their flag proudly. There are literally 10’s of thousands of soccer tourists from all over the world to be seen and with a few minor exceptions Germany has been a great host to them.

There has also been much going on in our lives since our last letter. Sue’s surgery went well and she has been recovering slowly but surely. We are thankful to God for his provision and healing. Thank you for praying. Sam and his girlfriend, Heidi, came to visit us. We drove down to the Black Forest together for Roy’s Graduation. Roy graduated with honors and we are very proud of him. He has been accepted at Juniata College in PA and received a nice merit scholarship from them. Please praise the Lord with us for Roy’s achievement. Pray for us in the provision of the daunting remaining tuition cost that needs to be paid. Please pray for Sam and Heidi as they consider their future. Pray that they would draw near to the Lord and that He would protect and guide them.

Now that we are back home we have hit the final stretch of preparing for our furlough in North America from July-December. We will be based in Colorado Springs but doing some extensive traveling in Sep-Oct. We are looking forward to seeing friends and family but truthfully are not looking forward to being away from “home” in Germany.

Here is an update on our current church planting projects:

COLOGNE
Pastor Michael Hoering has been extremely involved heading up the regional cooperation of evangelistic World Cup outreaches. He has been running from one appointment to the next in addition to his regular pastoral duties. The church plant has therefore taken a back seat. I met Dirk, one of the elders committed to the church plant at one of my recent SPARK presentations. He was encouraged by SPARK but had to admit that he is frustrated with the lack of movement in the church plant project. I will be meeting with him and a couple of others involved on June 25. We hope to meet at a café on bikes and then tour the potential target area of the church plant. Please continue to pray for Dirk. His job situation is still completely up in the air. And please continue to pray for the actual launch of this church plant.

COLOGNE-IN-MOTION
These guys are awesome. They recently signed a short-term rental contract for their “World Cup Café” – a recently vacated grocery store where they are showing all the games on a big screen plus offering other events and holding worship services on Sundays. The weeks before the World Cup were spent painting, cleaning, and running around trying to find everything (furniture, refrigerators, food and drink, decoration, publicity, etc.) they needed to set-up a café. On the opening Friday evening between 70 and 80 people were in the café when the opening whistle blew (Germany beat Costa Rica 4:2). Others came throughout the evening. They probably had close to 100 people in all! A number of 10-12 year-olds have been coming consistently and they keep bringing more and more of their friends. Please pray that many of these contacts will translate into decisions for the Lord and then members of the new church being planted. Pray for strength as they all work very hard day after day at the café. Praise God with us that their team members, Jared and Lori Bridges, finally received their visas. That was a huge concern and now they can fully focus on the ministry.

HENNEF
We have been asking you to pray for Wolfgang and Petra for quite some time; for steadfast hearts and long-windedness! Please don’t stop. For the time being the church plant in Hennef is on hold. After much consternation every single team member has left the group. It is amazing to us what damage one divisive person can inflict. I know she didn’t mean to, but as a result of her constant challenge of Wolfgang’s leadership, one woman caused the team to fall like dominoes as they all became disillusioned with the endless discussions and arguments. Wolfgang and Petra are holding on to their vision of a new church in Hennef. They are planning on holding several special prayer meetings in the coming months to seek the Lord’s guidance and help.

MONHEIM
Our work with the church plant in Monheim is basically finished. It is exciting to see how things are moving along. They have recently rented permanent space in the heart of town. They are planning to move in the beginning of August after renovations. In conjunction with this they will start having their services at 11:30 instead of late afternoon as they have been – and weekly instead of twice a month. These are major changes. Please pray for them. Pray for unity among the founders and growth in their two cell groups. Pray also for increased inroads into the community and good contact with seekers.

SPARK
I have had multiple opportunities to present SPARK in the last couple of months. Being a motivational presentation – it is difficult to measure the impact but it seems that God is using this as a tipping point in some people’s hearts. I am especially thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the national convention of the Evangelical Free Church of Germany – presenting SPARK in two workshops to a total of about 80 people who expressly came because of their interest in church planting. Erhard Michel, the director of the Ev. Free Inland Mission, saw SPARK for the first time there and has requested that I make some technical changes so that it can be put in the hands of workers around the country. I also recently showed SPARK to the German Baptist board for Inland Mission in Berlin. These men greeted SPARK wholeheartedly and have challenged me to consider working on a version geared more toward youth. Please pray that the seeds sown through SPARK would flourish and bear fruit. Pray that Germans would begin catching the vision for reaching their country through the planting of many more witnessing, reproducing churches.

Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

Your servants in Germany,
Jason (and Sue)

Special prayermail

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for your prayers for me this past week. The surgery took a little longer than planned but went well and I have made a steady recovery every day. I was released from the hospital on Friday – a day or two sooner than we at first thought possible. So now I can finally get some sleep. It was impossible in the hospital! Both the doctors and lab reports indicated the urgency of the surgery. Jason and I have been saying over and over again what a blessing it was that the surgery was able to take place in spite of the doctor’s strike. Not only that, the change of doctors and hospital seem to have been a gift from God. The hospital was much smaller than the huge university hospital in Cologne making it more personal and I felt like I got top quality medical care. Pray that I will be patient in this recovery period and not do too much too quickly.

Roy called me early on Monday morning before the surgery and the first of his huge AP Biology and Chemistry exams (4 hours long!). It was a precious time of sharing our burdens and praying together on the phone. He called again after the last Chemistry exam on Wednesday and the relief and lightness in his voice were almost tangible. Thanks for supporting him with your prayers. Continue to pray that he would finish well. He has three weeks of classes left and a week of tests before graduation on June 9.

Please continue to pray for the church-planting project in Hennef, which is now temporarily on hold. The tension was too intense for the last remaining participants and they have now all left the group. Wolfgang and Petra stand alone with us and the vision of a new church in Hennef. They refuse to let go of their calling to do this and remain confident and full of faith that God is working. Please pray for them. In spite of their positive attitude, this has been very hard for them and they are trying to learn from the experience. Jason is also prayerfully trying to understand what mistakes he may have made as their coach. Pray for wisdom and God’s leading as to what the next steps should be.

Yesterday Jason presented SPARK at a regional meeting of the Baptists in Kaiserslautern. About 100 people were in attendance. Please pray that God would SPARK the vision of church planting into a flame in many of their hearts and churches. Pray for these upcoming SPARK dates: 28 May – Ev. Free Church in Oldenburg, 30 May – National Baptist Committee for Missions in Berlin, 4 June – 2 Workshops at the national Ev. Free Convention in Bochum, 6 June – several of the National Ev. Free leaders and staff in Witten. Also pray for him as he preaches in our former church plants in Bergisch Gladbach (today) and in Porz (next week). We want to continue to be an encouragement to both of these churches.

Thank you for standing with us. We depend so much on your prayer and support as we face illness and hardship but also exciting ministry opportunities in Germany.

Sue (for Jason)

special prayermail

Dear Friends and Family,
Please pray for Sue as she has surgery on Monday (May 8) to remove her uterus and the fibroid tumor. Pray for the doctor, Detlev Katzwinkel, who is a friend of ours. Pray that all will go well and for a speedy recovery.

Please continue to pray for the church plant in Hennef. As of last week, the entire team has quit, leaving Wolfgang and Petra alone with their vision. Please pray that God will encourage them and work in their hearts and that they would discover what he wants to teach them through this difficult time. Pray that we would have wisdom as we look to the future. Hennef, with a population of over 40,000 desperately needs that church as there is no other gospel witness in that city.

Please pray for Roy who is in the final stretch of his senior year. With two AP science classes he has had a heavy load. He will be writing his AP Biology exam on Monday (May 8) and his Chemistry exam on Wednesday (May 9). It is an emotional time for all the kids at BFA as they prepare to say goodbye to their friends and classmates. Most of them are MK’s and know that they will probably never see each other again. Yesterday Roy was suffering from major back and neck pain and fainted at school.

Thank you so much for standing with us.

Jason (and Sue)

Follow-up prayermail

Dear Friends,
The meeting in Hennef was intense but also illuminating. We were hoping that all the members would attend but it ended up being just a handful including the couple that had quit. They were very open and shared their hearts. Angelika, the wife, told me that she thought the SPARK presentation was very good but on the way home that night she told Hans-Theo, her husband that it showed her very clearly that church planting was not for her. Her passion is youth work and she wants to continue doing that in their present church. Hans-Theo admitted that he was simply overwhelmed with the work and stress that planting a church brings with it. With a demanding job and a large family, he just can’t see how he could do it.

Wolfgang and Petra are not disheartened. They accept this as from the Lord and are just as committed to the vision if not more so. Please continue to pray for them as well as for Angelika and Hans-Theo and for the other two couples who are taking a time-out to evaluate their involvement. Sue and I are having Wolfgang and Petra for supper on Monday, so we will be able to encourage them and talk about where to go from here.

Please pray for the SPARK presentations I will be doing tomorrow in Leverkusen and later this month in Solingen. Pray that God will work. Also praise the Lord with us for an exciting opportunity that has opened up: On May 30th I will be presenting SPARK at the national board meetings of the German Baptists in Berlin. They have given me an entire hour! Pray that SPARK would capture their imaginations and ignite their hearts. Pray that this will lead to open doors in the local churches.

Some people have asked when Sue will be having surgery. It is planned for May 8th. The doctor said she should plan on staying in the hospital an additional 3 days and then another 10 days recovering at home.

Blessings,

Jason (and Sue)

Dear Friends,
Please pray for the church planting team in Hennef. I shared the SPARK presentation with them a few weeks ago and it raised some disconcerting questions among some of the participants. One couple has come to the conclusion that their hearts are not really in the right place to be planting a church. They abruptly decided to quit the group. Two other couples were so distraught by this that they decided that they needed to take a time-out to pray and see if God really wants them involved as well.

Please pray for the meeting tonight. Pray that God would encourage Wolfgang (leader) and his wife, Petra. Pray for wisdom for me as I seek to help them through this crisis. Pray that God would help us to work through this so that the church plant can move forward.

Please also pray for Sue. She will be having surgery the beginning of May to remove her uterus due to the growth of a 6cm Polyp. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and for a speedy recovery.

Thank you for standing with us.

God bless,
Jason (and Sue)

March Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,
What kind of person does it take to plant a church? Is it the visionary who has a mental picture of a thriving church where none exists today? Is it the tactician who carefully and prayerfully plans a strategy and then follows it step by step? Is it the team-builder – somebody who pulls other gifted people together to start a new fellowship? Maybe it’s the pioneer – someone who just loves the challenge of starting a church from scratch. As we coach and consult with Germans involved in starting churches, we see all of these types of people represented. But ultimately, the type of person that God is looking for is one whose heart is breaking for the lost; a person whose heart beats for their neighbors and friends who are so far away from the Lord. It is the person who longs to see them reconnect with their Creator and will therefore do everything in their power to see that they are within reach of a witnessing fellowship.

Here is an update on our current church planting projects:

COLOGNE
Recently I had a lunchtime meeting with Pastor Michael Hoering and two of his elders who have committed to helping with the daughter church plant. One of them is named Dirk. As we met, he informed us that he had just learned that his employing company would most likely be severely downsized due to the buy out of the parent company. It might even be shut down. He had been on the phone all morning trying to see if there was a way he could possibly buy his employing company and save not only his job but also those of the people who work for him. I was not surprised by these events. The enemy will try to do everything he can to thwart this church plant. I was moved by Dirk’s ability to focus on the business of the church plant in the face of such immense personal pressure. Please pray for Dirk and please continue to pray for the actual launch of this church plant.

COLOGNE-IN-MOTION
We are amazed at the number of good contacts that the Gaschos and their team have made in Cologne since arriving last summer. They had over 50 people come to a Christmas party and are now working on the preparations for ministry during the Soccer World Cup which is coming up this summer in Germany. In addition, they are planning an evangelistic English camp for teenagers. Please pray that God would continue to lead and guide them and that people would begin coming to faith who would in turn, as new believers, help them start the church. Please also pray that their team members, Jared and Lori Bridges, would soon receive their visas so that they can stay and focus on the ministry at hand.

HENNEF
The group in Hennef is beginning to experience some of their first birth pains. As they get closer to adopting a paper that lays down their core values, some in the group are balking. One couple in particular is beginning to question Wolfgang’s leadership. It is so important that they go through this process. If this or that person cannot agree with the others on the core values, it would be better if they left the group now rather than stay and be divisive. Pray for true unity or a positive parting of the way. Please continue to pray for Wolfgang and Petra. Pray for steadfast hearts and long-windedness!

MONHEIM
Not long ago, I did a workshop with the group in Monheim on planning worship services. It was interesting to see a few lights go on as they considered their services to date. I especially wanted to challenge them in the area of scripture reading. All too often scripture reading is reduced to a dry and boring part of the service. In the past we have often taken a scripture reading, recorded it and added pictures and music to enhance the emotion and feel of the passage. So I showed them a few examples. This seemed to speak to several of them and we are hoping it will lead to the scripture reading in their services speaking to even more people’s hearts in the future.

SPARK
All of the funding for the multi-media equipment has come in. Thanks again to those who participated. To date, I have done the presentation 4 times to various groups of Christian leaders. I received some helpful constructive criticism but the response has been good. Please pray that God would open doors to be able to present SPARK in churches.


Gratefully,

Jason (and Sue)

December Prayer Letter 2005

Dear Friends,
We are very thankful this Christmas season for God’s provision and faithfulness in our lives and for how he has been working in and through us. After many months of struggling financially with reduced salary and ministry expenses that have not been reimbursed, God has provided through special gifts and a slightly stronger dollar so that we can live somewhat normally again (if there is such a thing for missionaries!) On January 9th we will be celebrating 14 years in Germany! Thank you to those who have been supporting us faithfully over the years and to those who have recently sent in special gifts.

Another huge item of praise for us is the decision by the German Tax authorities that we do not have to pay income tax in Germany. (We file our income taxes in the USA.) We have been fighting this with the help of a German tax consultant for 2 years, living with the possibility of having to pay back taxes from 1996 on. It would have meant financial disaster for us. We simply had no other choice but to trust God regardless of which way the decision went. Please thank the Lord with us for His gracious intervention.

December 20 will mark another cause for rejoicing. On that date we will not only be celebrating Sue’s 47th birthday – but also our 25th wedding anniversary. We don’t feel that old and don’t think we look that old either! We are so thankful to have each other and for the wonderful years we have had together – over half of them in Germany.

The 4 church plants we are coaching are progressing. Here is a brief update:

COLOGNE
About 40 people attended the informational meeting at which Pastor Michael Hoering presented the vision and concept for a daughter church plant. If 20 people actually commit to the project that would be a great start. At the congregational meeting a few weeks later, there were many questions and outright opposition to the idea. I assured Michael that this was normal. He was encouraged about being able to answer many of the questions and reassure those who oppose the idea so that they will not be able to dissuade the leadership from this much needed church plant. For the time being my role in this project is in the background as I meet with Michael periodically to discuss the progress. Please continue to pray for the actual launch of this church plant.

COLOGNE-IN-MOTION
The three days of strategic planning in late October ended with a very aggressive list of prayer-goals for this pioneer effort. I am energized by the faith of this team and their desire to plant a very contemporary church in the heart of Cologne. Please pray for Adam Gascho and his team. Pray especially that God will give them good contacts with unbelievers and also with Christians who have a heart for reaching them. Pray for two families who are still raising support in the US.

HENNEF
The core group is growing. Since we started meeting in August, 3 new people have joined. We are planning a retreat in January with the goal of really getting to know one another on a deeper level. This is so important as we seek to build strong spiritual unity before “going public”. I shared with them our plans to be away for 6 months on our next furlough starting July 2006. They had been thinking about starting services around that time and there were some in the group who expressed anxiety about our absence. I was reminded again of how church planting is not for the faint-hearted but rather for men and women of faith who are willing to take risks for the Lord. Please pray that God would really work in this group and mold them into the church that He wants in Hennef.

MONHEIM
My role has evolved in Monheim. With the exception of a workshop in January on planning worship services, I will only be meeting with the two main leaders of the church plant. They continue to hold services twice a month on Sunday afternoons and are slowly seeing a measure of consistency in attendance. Please pray about the conflict they are having with the principle of the elementary school where they meet. For some reason she has decided that she does not want them to advertise that they are meeting in her school. She has even forbidden them to put up a sign in the parking lot to help their visitors find their way. Pray for Micha and Detlev as they seek to diffuse this strange situation. It may be that the Lord is trying to move them along to a better location. Pray for sensitivity to his leading.

The church planting motivational seminar, entitled SPARK!, is almost finished. I will be traveling to southern Germany this month to put the finishing touches on it along with GEM colleague Durand Robinson. Please continue to pray about funding for the equipment I will need 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 $3000 has come in. Praise the Lord! We already have two bookings for this winter – even before we have done any promotion. Perhaps you would like to help us with a special year-end gift of $1000 to complete the funding. Please let us know.

Gratefully, Jason (and Sue)

fall pictures 2005

Adam and Jason at a recent evangelism conference

Lunch at a Turkish bazaar during strategic planning sessions

Preaching in the Porz Church

October prayer letter

Dear Friends,
Fall is beautiful in the Rhein valley. The trees are changing and the days are much shorter and we are as busy as ever. God has given us some unique ministry opportunities lately. Let me tell you about them:


ALLEGRO
Allegro, the hand bell quartet from Calvary Church in Longmont, Colorado, where I served as Minister of Music in the 80’s was here from September 2-11. We are so thankful they came. God opened many doors greatly exceeding our expectations. They performed and gave their testimonies at various venues: an elementary school around the corner from us (see picture), the kindergarten next door, the hospital down the street and at our two previous church plants (Porz and Bergisch Gladbach) - on Saturday in the market square and on Sunday in the worship service. They also performed at two house concerts of members of those churches with about 50 neighbors attending both concerts. It was awesome! We were very thankful for a spirit of unity and faith in the group as we did some very “front-line” stuff. We made many new contacts for the kingdom and have already had a chance to visit on the street with some of the people we have gotten to know through this.


PROCHRISTMOBIL
The first week of ministry in “The smallest church in the World” is history. The Smart car was like a magnet. I have never experienced anything like it; being able to share my faith over and over again with total strangers. The enemy was not pleased and seemed to be trying to trip us up all week long. Although the response was largely positive, there were those who verbally attacked us. One day, at a very busy crossing, a religious fanatic from some kind of cult decided to preach right next to us, giving people the appearance that he was with us. I politely asked him to move up the street to no avail. It was very uncomfortable for us. Since it was almost lunchtime we decided that the best thing to do would be to simply leave. Another time I locked the key in the car. Oh weh! On another occasion a gust of wind blew the door of one of my teammates into the side of a luxury car parked next to him. One evening a group of protestors against Antisemetism decided to protest right in front of us. Their cause was good, but it totally distracted from what we were doing. All in all it was a great week but utterly exhausting. Please pray for the many people with whom we spoke that they would respond to the gospel seed that has been planted and for me as I am scheduled to drive from Oct. 10-16 in the Freiburg/Basel area.

CHURCH PLANTS
We can now give you the details of our 4th church planting project. I have been meeting with pastor Michael Hoering (see picture) of the evangelical Free Church in Cologne for several months now. He has been at that church for over 10 years and feels that God is leading him to move on. The beautiful thing is that he doesn’t want to just look for another church but rather to plant a daughter church and be it’s first pastor. It took some time to get his elders on board but now he has their full support and 2 of them even want to join him in this venture! The church has been informed and an information evening has been planned for late October. Please pray for Michael. After an initial positive response he has started to hear some of the first rumblings of opposition. But that is normal. Pray for perseverance, faith and lots of grace. Please continue to pray for the German-led church plants in Hennef, Monheim. Pray also for Cologne-in-Motion, the missionary led church plant. I will be meeting with them from 25-27 to do some strategic planning.


SPARK!
The church planting motivational seminar entitled SPARK! is coming along. 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.


Gratefully,
Jason (and Sue)

pictures from ProChristMobil

Allegro pictures

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