prayermail September 2012

Dear Friends,

Recently I had an encounter with a woman while doing our street outreach that was so intense and bizarre, it actually left me feeling physically sick afterwards. This woman was obviously intelligent - speaking a mix of both perfect british English and perfect German. She was also insane - spewing  a disjointed tirade of humor, anger, praise, blasphemy, hurt, spite, hate and indignation. Sometimes she was in my face. Sometimes she was on her knees in front of me. At one point she started singing parts of church hymns then she would switch and start cursing Jesus.

She did almost all the talking. She was so disjointed I never really could follow her and didn't know what to say. I just looked her in the eye and tried to show her respect and Christ's love. A couple of times I told her that I wish her everything good that God wants for her. The rest of the time I prayed for her (and me!) This is a very busy shopping street and there were lot's of people observing this whole thing. Kristi was standing nearby praying for me and Jim was in a nearby restaurant supporting us in prayer as well. When she finally moved on (it was so intense that I really don't know how long it lasted - 10, 15, maybe 20 minutes) I felt completely drained and queezy and broke off the outreach and went home to lie down.

I know we are in a battle. We pray every time before we start the outreach that God would send us the people He wants us to connect with. Maybe time will tell why He sent me that lady. Please pray for Kristi, Tobi and I as we continue our street outreach - that God would protect us and also break through barriers in a mighty way.

My search for a storefront to rent continues and the process of looking has been a great encouragement to me as I interact with realtors and property owners about my vision. I intend to call the shop "Pastor's Atelier". Besides getting my office and painting out into view I also can envision offering various workshops and discussion evenings and inviting area musicians to do mini concerts and even inviting other visual artists to display their work there. As I mentioned in our last update, to begin with, I would like to have a trial period of a year to see what God does and if we think it is worth continuing. To that end we need to raise an additional $7,000 for the rent and utilities for one year. If you would like to help us with this project, please let us know. Here is a link to a gallery of some of the things I have painted in the last few years.

Please pray for us as we pursue the vision of God expanding His Kingdom through all the peoples of Europe to the world! Here is a short new visual prayer request for Cologne.

Thank you for praying and supporting us.

Your servants,

Jason and Sue

Prayermail July 19, 2012

Dear Friends,
We arrived back from vacation on June 27 and hit the ground running with a busy ministry weekend. Worship musicians from Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA put together a one-time Country and Blue Grass band to do outreach with us in Cologne. They were awesome. On the 29th they did a concert at our church location. Although we had advertised well, imagine how disappointed we were when only one guest showed up who was not a part of our church family. In spite of that, the band gave everything and we had a lot of fun with their music and line dancing.

On Sunday morning they played in our worship service after which I asked them if they would be willing to play at my impromptu birthday party that evening. We blew away our friends and neighbors with that. Here's a link to a short video of everyone singing "Country Roads" with them. (It is one of those quirks in the German culture that everyone seems to know that one!) At my request they also did a gospel song and got everyone singing along with "We worship you, hallelujah, hallelujah!" That was very cool. One of the band members gave a short but clear testimony. With 20+ people in our living room, it was truly a blessed evening.

Please pray for the upcoming outreach concert on August 4 in Cologne with Eurobrass: a Greater Europe Mission brass ensemble. The 12-member ensemble, whose members come from Germany and the United States, performs brass music at its highest level with impeccable technique and a beautiful sound. Brass music is not for everyone but is still very much loved by many Germans. Pray for good connections with the concert guests and that many would return the next day to the worship service where the group will also be playing.

I (Jason) have been thinking and praying about the possibility of renting a small office somewhere in our neighborhood where I can work and meet new people but also have more space to pursue my hobby of painting and see if  going public with it would open ministry doors for us. Hanging out a sign that "the Pastor-Painter is in" might provide us with new in-roads into the lives of the people in our neighborhood. To begin with, I would like to have a trial period of a year to see what God does and if we think it is worth continuing. To that end we need to raise an additional $7,000 for the rent and utilities for one year. If you would like to help us with this project, please let us know. Here is a link to a gallery of some of the things I have painted in the last few years.

In closing, we ask you to continue to pray for growth in our church plant. Pray that more and more people will come to faith and become disciples and fishers of men. Pray for creativity and boldness in reaching out to the people of Cologne and beyond. Pray for more workers to come and join in the harvest.

Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Jason and Sue

   

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

June Prayermail

Dear Friends,
Recently I met with a young German, Tim, at a restaurant and shared the Lord with him. He had been to a wedding in Iowa last year and had some discussions with an older cousin who is a believer. The cousin found me on the internet by googling Cologne/Christian/Church, etc. He wrote me last summer to ask me to contact Tim who he said was interested in spiritual things. I exchanged a few emails with Tim last summer but eventually he stopped responding. God has continued working in his heart and last month he contacted me again and said he would really like to meet. So we did. He is an art history major at the university and also involved in triathlon competition. His grandfather is a devout catholic and has had a spiritual impact on him. In fact, when I invited him to our church, he said he couldn't make it because he always picks up his grandfather and takes him to the catholic church. Tim has been reading the Bible and is full of questions. I have put him in touch with my intern, Tobi to follow up with him and get him involved in his new church plant. Pray for Tim to respond to the Spirit's tug on his life.

Last Sunday we had an official farewell and blessing for Tobi and Luci as they complete their one year internship with us this month. I choked up as I shared the words of Paul to the Collossians:  "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." (Col. 1:9-12)

It has been a very good year working with Tobi. As I invested in him I also was challenged and encouraged by him. He has already gathered a vibrant group of young people around him and has begun holding informational meetings with a view toward beginning services in the fall. I will continue to mentor him through the early stages of the church plant. We will continue working side by side each week out on the streets as we do our "contact person" outreach. Please pray for Tobi and Luci as they serve the Lord in this needy city.

Your servants,
Jason and Sue

   

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

April 18 prayermail

Dear Friends,
Please be in prayer for us this weekend as we gather with our GEM colleagues for our annual field retreat near Bonn. It is always a highlight for us as we spend the bulk of our time sharing and praying for one another. We try to create an atmosphere of openness and encouragement where everyone feels supported by people who face similar issues and challenges. Especially pray for Jason as field leader as he stands in the gap between the mission leadership and the field missionaries who sometimes struggle with the changes that are being implemented in the mission.

Immediately following, on Monday, April 23, we are looking forward to having a team of five people coming from Meadowbrook Church in Milwaukee to prayerwalk with us for a week. Meadowbrook has been a solid supporting church over the years and sending us a team like this is so encouraging. It will be an intense week as we prayerwalk through the city and talk about the history of Cologne and what the spiritual landscape looks like today. We will also be meeting with some of our local staff and national partners to hear their stories and pray for them and bless them. Please pray for safety, unity and physical strength for the team.

Immediately following that, on May 1, we will be meeting all day (it's a national holiday here) with our Cologne Project start team to talk about the vision and direction of our church plant and to tackle a couple of issues that we are facing. One of those issues is the subject of homosexuality. Cologne, with a population of 1 million, is home to 100,000 gays and lesbians. Pray that we would be Spirit led and fully unified as we formulate our approach as to how we share the good news of the gospel with everyone in this multi-faceted culture we live in. Pray that we would be wise and courageous and worthy messengers of God's love.

With thankfulness, we are pleased to report that to date $5000 has come in for our car fund. Previously we had asked you to give to this need by April 15. In the mean time, our old honda continues to limp along on 3 cylinders and, to be honest, we simply have not had time to shop for a new car or see about selling or trading in our old one. Additionally, our ministry schedule for the rest of April is quite full so we are extending our car fund raising until May first. If you could help us out by then, that would be great. Any funds that come in after that will be directly applied to the principle of the amount that we have financed, once we buy something. Click here  for a payment card to print out and mail in with your check. This will ensure that your gift gets credited to our car fund.

Your grateful servants,

Jason and Sue 

March prayermail

Dear Friends,

It was a delight to preach in both of the churches we planted in Cologne-Porz and in Bergisch Gladbach in the last few months. Bergisch Gladbach has been without a pastor for over a year and is still not in a financial situation to be able to afford one. However, the spirit there is encouraging. The members have pulled together and committed to the church in a new way. People have stepped into new leadership roles and a general sense of ownership of the church. The church in Cologne-Porz is gearing up for their 20 year anniversary in May 2013 to which I have been invited to speak. When I preached there a few weeks ago the man that led the service is a miracle story himself. Back when I was pastor he had nothing to do with the church. His wife and in-laws attended faithfully but he was far from God and though I tried, I couldn't get close to him. After learning that he had had an affair, his wife considered leaving him with their pre-school children. Instead, she persevered and kept praying. At some point after Sue and I had moved on to our next church plant, he came to faith and now is a shining witness to God's grace in that community.

During the Karneval weekend I was able to talk with with several friends of friends about the gospel and our church plant. In the process I gave away all the church contact cards that I had in my wallet during the course of one evening. There was genuine interest for a new expression of church among this group of professionals with State Church backgrounds. This was especially interesting to me as I was dressed in a wedding dress! (Hey - everyone else was in costume as well. Sue was dressed as my groom and we had discussions with a variety of clowns, pirates, aliens, etc.)

Frau Vrooman's Hootnanny was our last big event in March to broaden our network and gather people from several different spheres together. It was a blast! Kristi (Frau Vrooman) organized and led an evening of sing-along with a variety of German and English pop songs. We also had a small group prepare three Gospel songs that ended up being the highlight of the night. The band was hot. Kristi was dynamic. And everyone sang themselves horse. We were especially glad to see a several people from my (and Kristi's) volleyball group turn out. Please pray that our network will be broadened and deepened through this and that people would move one step closer toward a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.                     

URGENT NEED! "It's not worth fixing." When your trusted car mechanic utters those words, the problem is very serious. After all, he could stand to make a huge profit from the repair. Fortunately he honestly informed us that the repair cost would be much more expensive than the worth of the car. We have been saving for several years for the day when we would need to replace our 10 year old Honda Fit and that day came sooner than we expected. We need to buy something within the next month and really do not want to go into debt to do it. Taking into account what we have saved, we need to raise at least $16,000 in order to buy a late model VW Golf or equivalent. Our church planting ministry is dependent on having a reliable car. Please let us know by April 15 if you can help us with this pressing need. Click here for a payment card to print out and mail in with your check. This will ensure that your gift gets credited to our car fund.

Yours for Germany,

Jason and Sue

   

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

Prayermail "20 Years in Germany!" January 2012

Dear Friends,

20 years ago, on January 8, 1992, we left for Germany to serve Christ with Greater Europe Mission.  Sam was eight years old, Roy was four and we were both thirty-three.

Holm Family 1992

What an adventure that was for us. And to tell you the truth - it continues to be! - Seeing people come to faith, be baptized and then grow in their faith and commitment to the Lord; churches planted; training and mentoring church planters and their teams; directly leading three church plants ourselves and coaching another seven church plants in our region; influencing pastors and church leaders; casting vision among denominational leaders; modeling front line evangelism; seeking creative ways to share the Gospel. In a country where only 3-5% of the population attend any kind of church service regularly, there is still much work to be done. But it has been a great privilege for us to be a part of what God is doing in Germany.

The verse we chose 20 years ago is still our banner. "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness, " made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4,5-7

Heidi, Sam, Roy Sue, Jason - Christmas 2011

We are humbled and so very grateful for God's provision through you as his people over the years. Without our faithful supporters, we would not be where we are today. We look forward to the next 20 years as we pray for and work toward seeing a second reformation and a church planting movement sweep through Germany and Europe.

Our heartfelt thanks for standing with us,


Jason and Sue


PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

December Update

Dear Friends,
Here are the latest developments in our ministry that we would like to share with you:

Cologne Project
On October 20 we held an info evening for our church plant. It was a time of sharing our history, values and vision with those who have been attending regularly but are not yet fully committed. In addition to our start-­-team of eight, five people attended. It was amazing for us to hear what R. and C. had to say. R. told us  that if it weren't for this church, that he would never have considered drawing near to Jesus as he has the last several months. He said the very fact he was there that evening is proof that God is working in his heart. Both he and C. kept talking about "we" showing much ownership of the church plant. When we talked about how we value loving God and loving each other, C. suggested that we were being too cautious with our words and that we needed to be proactive and "evangelize" the city if we really love the people who live here! Please continue to pray for the Cologne Project - especially R. and C.

City Mentoring Program
In October, Tobi, our church planting intern, and I started a new City Mentoring Program phase one group. Tobi and I are co-leading the sessions. The participants are mostly contacts of Tobi's who are potential team members for the church he will be planting starting next summer here in Cologne. One coupleis commuting from Stuttgart (a 3 & 1/2 hour drive!) each month and spendingthe night with Tobi and Luci. They are considering relocating to Cologne just to be able to be a part of the church plant. It is exciting for us to be a part of mentoring and encouraging Tobi & Luci and their team that is forming. God's Kingdom is being advanced in Cologne!
City Mentoring Program group
Consultation
The Fall gathering of the Consultation for Church Planting was held in Frankfurt in November. In the morning, Erhard Michel, spoke on the subject of how Church Planting first became a top priority in the Evangelical Free Church of Germany. As he recounted the history, he credited North American missionaries who came after WW2 with the ground-breaking work that is now the foundation for church planting in Germany! Sue's father, Reuben Goertz, was among some of the names he mentioned. They were practitioners but also inspired the Germans to be about planting churches themselves. As we approach the two-year anniversary of Reuben's death, we want to acknowledge our gratefulness for the heritage that is ours and the rich tradition of partnering with European denominations and organizations.

turnaround 2013, together for church planting in Germany

In the afternoon we worked together on our plans for the National Congress on Church Planting set for June 2013. With the help of some of our talented GEM colleagues, we now have a logo and an initial flyer. The theme of the congress will be "Trendwende" which means "a change in course" or "turnaround" referring to the fact that the church in Germany is shrinking - in spite of some bright spots where church planting is occurring. We want to see this trend turned around and believe that one important way this could happen is through a church planting movement. Please pray for wisdom and unity as we continue to work on the program and seek to get the best speakers and workshop leaders possible.


Christmas
It was a beautiful November but the driest month on record in Germany. . The Christmas markets opened last week but the weather doesn't feel right. Nonetheless, as we enjoy the advent season here we are especially looking forward to being with family this Christmas. We will be in New York where Roy is searching for work and an apartment now that he has officially completed his remaining coursework at Juniata College. Sam and Heidi are coming from Denver and we look forward to spending a quick week together along with Sue's brother Sam and family and Sue's mom.

Carol Sing Flyer

Carol Sing
On the fourth Sunday of Advent, Dec. 18, our church plant will be hosting a carol sing. Germans love to sing and we are hoping to draw a good sized crowd for this event. Our colleague, Kristi will be leading us and has also recruited other musicians who will accompany the singing and perform several pieces themselves. Tobi will be sharing a brief, evangelistic devotional. There will be candles and cookies and hot spiced Christmas punch and a couple of our neighbors offered to come and make waffles. Please pray that the true meaning of Christmas would shine brightly through the candlelight and warm fuzzies.




As you celebrate this Christmas may you above all know that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:17-18)


Your missionaries to Germany,


Jason and Sue

   

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs.

September Prayermail

Dear Friends, 

For several years now I (Jason) have been the German field leader for Greater Europe Mission along with a team of three others. This is in addition to the church planting and evangelism that we do. It has been said that leading missionaries is like trying to herd cats and to some extent I agree. It takes independent people who follow God's call, many times with resistance from their own family, who then go through the humbling, painful and faith-stretching ordeal of raising their own support, moving to another country and learning the language and culture and then, with God's help, forge a new ministry and new partnerships. These are the kind of people I have the privilege of leading in Germany. I am humbled and very proud to be serving God with them. In this prayermail, I would like to introduce you to them:

Adam & Bethel in Cologne: evangelism, discipleship, church planting, field leader team 

Alex & Wendy in Frankfurt: evangelism, discipleship, church planting, marketplace

Angie in Koenigsfeld: music, discipleship 

Brian in Munich: evangelism, discipleship, church planting

Danny & Anne in Cologne: evangelism, discipleship, church planting 

Dave & Rachel in Cologne: dance, pottery, photography, evangelism, discipleship

Don & Susie in St. Georgen: music, evangelism, discipleship 

Jeffrey & Katherine in Leipzig: evangelism, discipleship, church planting

Jim & Evelyn in Bonn: Bible school, evangelism, discipleship

Jim in Cologne: evangelism, discipleship, worship, church planting

Joel & Tatjana in Giessen: seminary, evangelism, discipleship

Julia in Cologne: evangelism, discipleship, church planting, field team

Kate in Berlin: evangelism, discipleship, church planting, children's work

Kevin & Kathi in Cologne: evangelism, discipleship, church planting

Kristi in Cologne: music, evangelism, discipleship, church planting

Leslie in Berlin: discipleship, evangelism, language/culture coach, field leader team

Robyn in Badenweiler: evangelism, discipleship, church planting 

Stephen & Susan in Giessen: seminary, evangelism, discipleship, church planting

Warren & Celia in Cologne: evangelism, discipleship, youth 

Here is a photo from our spring field retreat. Not everyone was present as some were in the USA on Home Ministry Assignment.

God is using this exceptional group of people to expand His kingdom in Germany, Europe and beyond. In the last 6 months hundreds of people have been discipled. At least 10 new evangelistic Bible studies have started and at least 3 new churches have been planted in Germany. People are coming to faith. That is exciting! Please pray for us. Pray that God would break through the spiritual darkness in Germany even more and that His Kingdom would come in new and vibrant ways.


Pray for Germany as a country. As the most powerful economy in Europe, Germany is very influential in the world. Its economy, education, politics, philosophies and culture shape modern life and thought. Imagine what would happen if that influence could be harnessed to extend God's Kingdom in the world.


Germany is amazingly connected and therefore one of the most strategic mission fields in the world. Through it's diverse population and activities, Germany has connections with individuals and cultures from around the globe.  Economic migration from other EU countries, plus an influx of immigrants from 10/40 window countries, create unprecedented opportunities to disciple the nations.


Germany is needy.  That's right... needy.  Not in material terms, but morally and spiritually, Germany is adrift and in need of an anchor. It is filled with churches - often empty, abandoned or converted into museums, restaurants and shops. Take away the beautiful church buildings and you'll be hard-pressed to see any hints of Christianity.  Sadly, most Germans don't have a life-changing relationship with Jesus or know anyone who does.


We are committed to seeing God's Kingdom spread throughout Germany, Europe and to the world as we follow Jesus and lead others to do the same.


Thank you for standing with us.

Your missionaries to Germany,

Jason and Sue

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

June Prayermail

Dear Friends,

Last week, Thursday, was Ascension Day - a holiday in Germany. We normally have Bible study on Thursdays but decided to have a meal with a couple of women who come regularly. Because we hadn't seen them for a several weeks, we also invited our neighbors, W. and H.  They responded affirmatively and immediately asked if they could invite a common friend of ours, S. Thursday afternoon Sue noticed that another neighbor was visiting with W. and H. and decided to ask if she too, would like to join us for supper. In the mean time, the original invitees were also inviting more people with the final count of 12 around our table!  We grilled 4 different kinds of sausages and some of the others brought various salads (our neighbor H. makes a potato salad to die for!). Well, among other things, S. just happens to be a DJ so at some point she started playing with the remote to my computer, on which I have a lot of old rock and pop songs, and before we knew it the dancing started. It was so much fun! A number of the guests left sometime after midnight leaving W., H., S., Sue and I sitting around the table conversing about our stresses in life.  What followed was an amazing opportunity to share with them about our faith and how it centers us and gives us strength for all of life's challenges. We were able to share the gospel in such a clear way. It was amazing.

On Friday night our church plant hosted a choir from our Alma mater, Grace University. We were thankful for the good attendance and were able to make several new friends for the church. A couple from Dortmund was in town visiting friends and had googled to see what was going on Friday night. The search brought up our concert so they came and had a great time. In closing at the end of the concert, I simply invited everyone to come to our worship service on Sunday. The couple from Dortmund showed up once again. Very interesting. As usual, we were dissatisfied with the attendance on Sunday morning but thankful for the meaningful time of worship. Our special music was especially unusual - a husband and wife accordion duo. They played Simon & Garfunkel, Dvorak, and Shostakovich. Fun!


Please continue praying for these dear people who we long to see come to a living faith in Christ: H. & W., S., R., C. and J.

We want you to meet Tobi Saenger, his wife Luci and their three-year-old daughter, Talita. Tobi is a German Bible school grad and his wife Luci is from Brazil. They moved to Cologne last summer to plant a church but have agreed with us to first do an internship in our church plant until next summer through the City Mentoring Program. We are really happy to have them and have enjoyed working together. Please pray that our working relationship would be mutually beneficial and would prepare the Saengers well for their own church plant.

Not too long ago, while Tobi and I were working out on the street as "Contact Person", 3 young Muslim men came up to talk with us. One was quite devout, the other one nominal and after a few minutes of talking with the third one he told me he was an atheist. I asked him a few probing questions and then gently challenged his worldview, adding what I believe. I talked about Jesus and how he shows us who God is because he is God. Suddenly, he interjected: "You know, if I had a New Testament, I would read it to find out more about Jesus. Whoa! I was floored. I told him that I just happened to have one in my bike saddlebag and would be happy to give it to him. At first he did not want to accept it but I assured him that I had more and that I would love for him to have it. As I went to hand it to him, I held onto it and looked him in the eye and said that I would give it to him only if he was really going to read it. He said that he really wanted to read it. I suggested that he start in the gospel of Mark and wished him God's blessing. I regret not having noted his name. Please pray for him. Pray that he would actually read God's Word, encounter him and place his trust in Jesus.

Your missionaries to Germany,

Jason and Sue

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

Prayer update March 2011

Dear Friends

The romantic valentine's day concert on February 11 was amazing. The concert, which had been advertised in the newspaper, in personal networks, and through various outreach efforts, drew a full house of one-hundred-and-twenty people, only eight of which were from the church plant! In addition to all the beautiful music, I presented a few love poems, including 1 Corinthians 13. I also shared briefly from Scripture about God's love, and concluded my mini-message with these words:

 

"Tonight we celebrated romantic love. When you fall in love, you are overpowered by it. Love takes over and it's as if you've been waiting your whole life for that moment. You have the feeling that until that point, you were 'incomplete'. Is it possible that this is also true for us and God? Could you be waiting for God's love to fill the void in your heart?"

 

After the concert people not only commented about the beauty of the songs, poems, and Scripture, but many asked about the church, and showed an openness towards God. Here is a link to a few video excerpts from the concert.

   

 

Pray that those who attended will not only have been moved by the music and texts, but that they would also be overwhelmed by God's love for them. Pray that the seeds planted would bear much fruit!  May each one of them let God become the One who speaks these words from one of the love duets which was sung that night:

 

    No more talk of darkness, forget your wide eyed fears.

    I'm here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you.

    Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears,

    I'm here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.

    Let me be your shelter, let me be your light.

    You're safe, no one will find you, your fears are far behind you.

We had our first CologneProject church retreat Feb. 18-20. It was a good time of fellowship and getting to know some new people and regular attenders. We took time in each of our sessions to discuss the 5 main values that we have as a church plant:

1. We seek that which is genuine and good.

2. We want to be well networked in the community.

3. We want to love and be loved.

4. We want to boldly take risks.

5. We want to live creatively.

Please pray that out of our ever increasing network, that more and more people will choose to follow Christ with us in community.

Jason and Sue

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

Prayermail February 3, 20111

Dear Friends

On Friday, February 11 we are putting on a romantic valentine's day concert. Our GEM colleague, Kristi is a trained musician with a beautiful soprano voice. It is a joint venture along with P, a gifted tenor and L, a talented pianist who is co-owner of the location in which our services are held. They will be performing a colorful selection of solos and duets from musicals and operetta; some schmalzy, some humorous and some, just simply beautiful. My name also appears  o

on the flyer as I will be reading Goethe and Shakespeare and 1 Corinthians 13 and sharing a few brief thoughts on God's love. So far L has confirmed with over 60 of her friends who will be attending! We expect probably another 40 from our networks. We are looking forward to meeting many new folks, having a good time and sharing just a little bit about God's love. Please pray for God to bless.

At our last church breakfast+devotional I talked about one of my favorite places in Cologne - the dump. I always get pumped up and excited to go there. Owners of a Cologne license plate can dump their junk for free! As I spoke, I began to draw a diagram on the flip chart. The dump we go to is actually a transfer station and they have a whole series of containers for furniture, small appliances, big appliances, grass/leaves/branches, metal, general garbage, toxic stuff, paper/cardboard, glass, etc. Whenever the need arises, I am grateful and happy to pay the dump a visit because I always leave with a light heart and a spring in my step. I continued to explain that there is a place where I also love to go because I can get rid of my junk there as well and proceeded to draw a simple cross. I can "dump" all my burdens there and also find forgiveness for my guilt. At the end I had someone read Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

After the devotional, as we were still having breakfast, C got up and came over to sit across from me. He was confused. He said that it was nice to know that we could "dump" our stuff at the cross - our frustrations, worries, fears, loneliness, etc. But he had a problem with equating all those things with guilt. I assured him that they were not the same thing but that our guilt was probably one of the biggest things that we carry around with us unnecessarily and can bring it to the cross and experience God's forgiveness. We talked for about 20 minutes and I suggested he start reading Romans. In fact, I said, I would be happy to come and read with him and ask some guiding questions to help him understand better what it means to follow Christ. Later, as he was leaving, I repeated my offer. Would you please pray that he takes me up on it?

Thank you for standing with us as we seek to be a part of what God is doing here in Germany.

Jason and Sue

PS: Click here to see our current financial support needs. 

December update

Dear Friends,

We have had an unusually cold start to December - the perfect weather for visiting the amazing Christmas markets in Germany.

Here are some updates and prayer requests for you:

JAMBAG 

It was an awesome evening with about 40people attending this artistic event in Cologne, which we hope will expand our church plant's sphere of influence andwill help us build relationships with artists and art lovers in the city. It was a lot of fun to see how people participated in the improvisations - often outside the area of their normal artistic giftedness - and usually in unconventional ways! There was dance, song, drama, pantomime and all kinds of sounds from instruments and whatever else was lying around. It was fascinating and everyone had a good time. There were some spiritual discussions that took place and 15 new people signed up to get our church plant email updates. Pray that these new relationships will result in spiritual fruit. We are definitely planning on repeating JamBag sometime in the spring.

CONSULTATION FOR CHURCH PLANTING

We had our biggest group yet at our latest meeting on Nov 22 in Frankfurt. Over 30 leaders of church planting ministries gathered to work toward seeing a movement of church planting started in Germany. We spent a good portion of our time planning a national conference to be held in June 2013. Our goal is to have church planting practitioners, denominational leaders and decision makers come together for 2 days of inspiration and networking - hopefully resulting in concrete action steps toward a church planting movement. Please pray that God will poor out his blessing. All of our efforts are worthless unless He is the one working through us.

ALLEGRO

 Allegro is a hand bell quartet from Calvary Church in Longmont, where I was the minister of music while attending Denver Seminary. They were here from Nov 30 to Dec 9 playing in the (freezing!) streets of Cologne, in the hospital, at a Christmas  market, etc. It was an awesome and exhausting week. Most Germans have never heard hand bells before   and were immediately attracted to the beautiful sound. We were able to hand out over 160 invitations to our church and chat with quite a few people. We are thankful for this committed team and their partnership with us to reach out to people here through beautiful music. Please pray that God will move through all of the contacts we made while they were here.

CHRISTMAS - TO SHARE OR NOT TO SHARE

Iris, a university student in Cologne, came up to talk to me while Kristi and I were doing our Contact Person outreach. She noticed my American accent right away and wanted to talk in English.

Iris: What are you standing for? (I think she meant - why are you standing here?)

Kristi: Yea, Jason, tell her what you stand for!

Jason: I stand for peace, love and justice, to name just a few.

I then began to tell her that I was a pastor and that Kristi and I were out trying to meet new people and tell them about our new church...

Iris: Well, I'm an atheist.

Jason: Really! Why?

Iris: Well my mom is protestant and my dad is catholic and so we never went to church anywhere and they gave me complete freedom to believe whatever I wanted to. So I came to the conclusion that I don't believe in anything like God or any other higher power.

Jason: Aha. So what do you believe?

Iris: Well, I believe in some of the same things you do; world peace, justice, love.

Jason: That's good. We have something in common then, don't we?

Iris: Yes. And even though I don't believe in God, I really like Christmas.

Jason: Well, I'm sorry, but you can't have it. We are not going to share it with you.

Iris: (disappointed) Oh, no. Well can I at least have the presents?

Jason: I'll have to think about that.

I then explained to her the meaning of Christmas and how it leads to Easter, the most important celebration for believers. She listened respectfully.

Jason: You know what, I have reconsidered. We will be happy to share Christmas with you. (Handing her an invitation) We would love to have you come to one of our church gatherings.

Iris: No promises, but I will consider it - and look at your website.

As she went to leave, I wished her a nice day and God's blessing.

One of my favorite verses is John 3:17, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." As we share the light of Christmas with those still in darkness, we cling to and celebrate the best news ever proclaimed to mankind.

We wish you a merry and blessed Christmas,

Jason and Sue 

september update

Dear Friends,

Jesus told us to go and make disciples. In a city of 1 million, like Cologne, we are sure that God is at work and there are many who would be open to the Gospel and following Jesus if only someone were to explain it to them. But how do we find those people. We are continually working at trying to expand our existing network through our church plant services and events but we are also looking for new innovative ways to find people that are open and seeking and that God is preparing.

One of our new ideas is called "Ansprechpartner". In English we would say "contact person" but the German word literally means "a person to talk to".  It is used in a variety of contexts - from the contact link for information on a web site to that of a counselor, therapist or friend with a listening ear. Recently, Kristi (one of our new missionaries) and I stood in the busy pedestrian shopping district and held up signs with the word "Ansprechpartner." We drew plenty of smiles and several pedestrians who actually come up to us and asked "for what are you the contact person? Why are you here? Is this candid camera? We responded by saying that we are simply there to listen to whatever people wanted to say. We're "all ear" so to speak. No gimmicks, nothing to sell or have people sign up for.  Over the course of an hour, we talked with maybe 15-20 people. Most of the contact was brief but there were several who wanted to talk more and were interested in knowing a little more about our church plant.  Please pray for us as we continue on our search for people who want to talk and go deeper.

Please pray for the CologneProject. Not paying rent in our present location has proven to have a significant down side as our landlord has informed us several times that we would have to cancel or change dates because he has booked paying customers. Pray for us as we look for a more stable venue, especially in light of our desire to move toward having 2 services a month this fall. Pray that our small groups would grow in depth and breadth. Pray that people who are coming regularly would move from being spectators to participants.

Thank you for praying for us as we traveled in the U.S. this summer. We had great connections in Colorado with our supporters. Pray that new people we met would be moved to joining our support team and commit to supporting us on a regular basis in prayer and finances.

Pray for the next mens discussion evening to be held sometime in September. This second time we want to have a theme and will be using a booklet about the virtues to guide our discussion. Pray for open hearts and that R and H will respond to the Gospel.

Keep praying for a second reformation in Germany! Pray that the church will break out of the stronghold of tradition and that a groundswell of new disciple-makers will impact this post Christian society!

Thank you for standing with us.

Jason and Sue

July 12, 2010

July 12, 2010

Dear Friends,

A typical day?!

It was a typical day - full of housework, deskwork, interruptions and procrastination.  I felt like I was a good hour behind my day's schedule - also typical. I threw on my sports clothes for the obligatory 40 minutes of power walking.  I always dread it beforehand but grudgingly do it regularly in an effort to manage my chronic back pain.  I needed to get moving in order to shower and dress in time for an evening appointment.   As I raced down the apartment stairwell I almost ran headlong into our neighbor, J.   She was heaving a suitcase up the stairs with a somewhat weary but satisfied look on her face.  After a day at the office she was finally home - but her day hadn't been quite so typical.  She had returned early that morning from a 10-day vacation in Israel with a friend.  Her flight had arrived in Cologne early enough to get a full day's work in and so she decided to go straight to the office.  Impressive!  I like J.  She usually has a smile on her face, is easy-going, uncomplicated, likes to party but knows how to work hard (carrying a lot of responsibility in her job) and she's a great neighbor.  Good neighbors are really something to be thankful for.  "Hi J!  Welcome home.  Did you have a good trip?" I let loose as I ran past her. "It was incredible", she puffed, as she reached her front door.  But instead of putting her key in the door she set her suitcase down and turned toward me.  This I hadn't expected.  With my hand on the front door handle I turned halfway in her direction.  And then she proceeded to tell me how truly overwhelming it had been to visit a country with such a long and significant history, including the convergence of three world religions.   I walked back towards her as a listened, two voices battling within me.  The one saying, "Go, Go, Go; you gotta Go!"  And the other one saying, "Let it go and listen".  I sighed and worked at being attentive.  She went on to relate that she had been surprisingly confronted with her lack of basic knowledge about Christianity, especially the facts regarding the events that had taken place at the many sites she had visited.  I wasn't quite sure what she meant by being surprised other than it was a reference to her having grown up in Christian Germany, including the usual religion classes in school and maybe in the Catholic or Lutheran church.   Since we have been neighbors, J. hasn't shown an interest in Christian spiritual things.  I would describe her as well educated and enlightened but also open minded.  I believe she has some interest in Buddhism and/or Hinduism.  As her weary shoulders slumped she told me she was looking forward to just doing a no-brainer in front of the TV that night but concluded by saying she need to do some reading up on Christianity and the life of Christ.  "Aha", I said and then immediately suggested that a good place to start would be the Gospel of St. Mark because he flies from one event to the next without a lot of commentary - good for getting an overview of the events - and it's a short book; only 15 chapters, that she could even read in one sitting.  She flashed her signature smile and thanked me for the suggestion.  I walked out the door and crossed the street to begin my walking route thinking what an unusual conversation that had been; just out of the blue and with J., which I never would have anticipated.  And then I started to tingle all over as I realized that the Spirit had been hovering around us.  As I picked up the pace I prayed for his continued work in her life - that she would open up her mind and soul to a better way; and for me - that I would open up my eyes and ears to discover his presence and work all around me.

The last 4 weeks in Colorado have been a whirlwind of activity - reconnecting with faithful supporters, our 5 supporting churches along the Front Range and making new acquaintances who might be interested in partnering with us in the ministry in Germany.  We are exhausted but thankful for God's leading and encouragement through so many of you.  As we prepare to return "home", we want to ask you to prayerfully consider  becoming a part of this ministry by praying, increasing your financial support or pledging to financially support us as a new partner.  We are still in need of $1,500 of monthly pledged support.  Would you consider committing to $30, $50, $100, $150, $200, or $300 a month?  We want to express a huge thanks to all who hosted us and to the many who have been partnering with us so faithfully over the years.

Click here if you would like to give or give more.
Your partners for Germany,
Jason and Sue