May 4, 2012 by C.J. Mahaney
Categories: International
In April, the dean of our Pastors College, Jeff Purswell, traveled to the Dominican Republic at the invitation of our friend Miguel Núñez to teach a course for pastors. Miguel, whom you met in the 2011 Mission Video, is a pastor in Santo Domingo and has started a training institute called Instituto Integridad y Sabiduría to provide biblical training for laypeople, leaders, and pastors. Their vision is to expand the institute to include a full-time program for pastoral training patterned after the Pastors College. Jeff's trip marked their first distance learning course for pastors taught by an international instructor.
A few days ago, Miguel sent me the following account of Jeff's time with their leaders. His words left me thanking God once again for the gift that Jeff is to Sovereign Grace and the wider body of Christ and grateful to God for the opportunity to partner in gospel ministry with men like Miguel Núñez.
We had a fantastic course on biblical theology by Jeff. About 110 people (pastors, seminary students, and leaders) sat under his teaching for four days. It felt more like sitting under the teaching of the Holy Spirit. His anointing over Jeff was so obvious as he opened the Word to all of us that many of the participants commented that God's presence was with us during those sessions in a very tangible way. Old passages of Scriptures became fresh, and for many, these passages took on a new meaning. We initially thought that 18 hours of classes over four days would be grueling, but they were not. Time went by so fast due to how alive God's Word was during those days.
Jeff's days among us were very short, but they were enough to leave an imprint in the hearts of many, including mine. He modeled humility and servanthood in such a way that many made that observation. It is the same spirit I have always found in all of you. We praise God for that.
We also thank God for the friendship and the relationship God has given to us with Sovereign Grace. Your ministry has been such a blessing to us from the very first day in so many ways that words cannot express how thankful we are for your sincere support, your caring heart, and your encouraging way of doing ministry. We could not have a better partner in the work of the Lord.
We are looking forward to our next event, Por Su Causa 2012; we are very eager to see C.J., Jeff, and Bob ministering among us once again. What a great blessing that will be.
In the last post, I introduced you to Dave Taylor, who is leading a Sovereign Grace church plant in Sydney, Australia (www.sovgrace.org.au). We’re always excited to go where we sense God’s direction and, like Dave, never dreamed that would be Australia!
Here’s part two of my interview.
Dave Harvey: What is your strategy for starting the church?
Dave Taylor: The first part of my strategy is to quite simply remember that it is not “my” church but God’s, and that it is not ultimately about me building it, but him. It can sound so ridiculously basic, and I guess that’s because it is, and yet (to this basic guy) this is a truth I have had deeply impressed on my heart throughout this last year of preparation. With major delays on visas and with the whole move nearly falling through on several occasions, this is a truth that I never want to move away from.
The small part that I’m then bringing to the strategic party is simply to do all I can to help build a community of believers who know, love, apply, and proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. For the first ten weeks leading up to our public launch in September, this will simply look like Sunday morning and mid-week times with the planting team. Our times will be spent doing life together, laying the foundation for Sovereign Grace Church, and casting vision for the future.
DH: Has anyone in Australia even heard of Sovereign Grace Ministries?
DT: In Christian circles in Sydney, it seems like everyone has heard of Sovereign Grace Ministries. It always amazes me to be honest—10,500 miles away from the UK—9,750 from Gaithersburg—and yet, most know exactly who we are and in particular, love our music!
DH: What are some of the biggest sacrifices of this church plant for you and your family?
DT: The biggest sacrifices we feel are all relational ones. We had been a part of Christchurch since it began in 1995 and loved every minute of it. To have served at Christchurch for so long was scandalous grace, and so for us as a family to leave the church, pastoral team, friends, and family behind was to do so with great sadness.
They may be out of sight, but they are never far from our minds.
DH: How does Sovereign Grace prepare to plant a church in a new country? Tell us about the preparation process.
DT: Well here’s how it worked for us. There were three clear parts to the planting story.
First, the place. For years there had been a steady interest in the Sovereign Grace Ministries website from online users in Australia. When a group of people began to clearly pursue us, a purposeful relationship began to unfold. Over time, contact only then increased from Sydney in particular, and after a visit, it seemed clear to us that God was calling us to this city.
Secondly, the man. To plant a church anywhere you need a senior pastor. Sovereign Grace is always looking out for these men, to help assess, train, and equip them for the task that God has called them to. This isn’t a quick process and I like that. It’s even slower when you prepare to head to a new country. I thank God for the years of training I have received in Sovereign Grace.
Thirdly, the support. Sovereign Grace is a family and I have experienced that more than ever during this preparation process. In the last year, I have received more support than I ever thought possible. Through encouragement, care, prayer, training, counsel, and a financial grant to help towards the plant, I am one seriously blessed planter! And that’s not where the story finishes—it’s only the beginning. Because the support is relational, it “moves” with us! We haven’t headed out as lone rangers into a foreign land. We go as part of a family who are standing beside us and eager to get in the trenches with us.
By God’s grace, our hope is that this is just the beginning of the Sovereign Grace Ministries Australia story...
Let’s be stirred to prayer for our friends. Dave is right—by God’s grace, this is just the beginning of our Australian story. We are eager to see God bless our friends as they plant a local church for God’s glory. Please continue to pray.
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Dave Harvey
leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace
Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more
information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.
I met Kang Songhwan when he and his wife, Miran, visited our church near Philly. Songhwan already had a seminary degree and almost ten years of pastoral experience. But the shocker was that they were considering moving temporarily from South Korea to the U.S. to attend our Pastors College. I remember being struck with the sincerity and humility of this couple—they were willing to make some serious sacrifices to go where they believed God was leading them. I’ve met few people like the Kangs.
Songhwan and Miran did move to Gaithersburg in 2008, and we were privileged to have them at the Pastors College. Songhwan did a remarkable job of navigating an intensive ten-month study program in his second language. (I mean school was always a challenge for me in my first language!) Songhwan graduated in June of 2009 and moved back to Seoul to plant a church.
Fast-forward to today: There are about 30 adults in Lord’s Grace Church, meeting in an English-language school in central Seoul. Songhwan recently finished teaching a series on foundational doctrines and commitments. On the final Sunday of that series, the church’s first members made a public commitment to the church, and everyone celebrated with a shared meal afterward. It’s no megachurch, but numbers aren’t what Songhwan is aiming for. A recent email from him says that the church “is growing continuously and happily in God’s mercy and grace.”
Now that’s good news.
Would you pray with us for Lord’s Grace Church? Please pray:
- that God would grant the church favor in their community
- that the church would share the gospel effectively and many would be saved
- for financial provision for this brand new church as it gets started in an expensive city
- that God would give grace and wisdom to the Kangs as they lead this church
Thanks for praying for believers in Seoul!
If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.
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Dave Harvey
leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace
Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more
information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.
If you want some serious encouragement, check this out. Remember those small churches in south central Burma I posted about a few weeks ago? We recently received another email from David, the Pastors College student I talked about in that post. He sent some further prayer requests, and included a few photos from these remote churches that are safe to share online.
David writes,
Believers continue to meet faithfully even in the midst of some severe pressure….Our church plant in the Delta continues to witness to the gospel to the…people and many more families send their children to our preschool, even though the majority of these parents initially rejected us. Our churches in [another region] also continue to witness some growth.
Please continue to pray for [our church-planting center]. Many of these works are now taken up by…senior students. We now begin to see the fruit of the training we provided.
Believers meet in a house church
A local pastor prays
Praying for fellow believers
Will you pray with us for these brothers and sisters in Christ? Please pray that the gospel will continue to advance in Burma. Pray for wisdom and boldness for David and the pastors he works with. Pray that many would be saved to the glory of God.
If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.
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Dave Harvey
leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace
Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more
information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.
As this blog post gets published, I’m hopping on a flight (along with about 7,000 others) to the Together for the Gospel conference. Maybe you’ll be there too. But while we’re enjoying three packed days of teaching, nestled in hotel and air-conditioned meeting spaces, let’s not forget to pray for pastors who serve in challenging places outside the U.S. Some of these guys may never attend conferences like this.
For example, we recently heard from some pastors that we work with in south Asia. Would you join us in praying for them?
India
Our friend Wilson leads a network of around 350 churches in western and northern India. The pastors of these churches are boldly preaching the gospel of Christ in many settings, from remote rural villages to the slums of a fast-growing industrial city. Some of them have been imprisoned, or beaten, or seen their church buildings torched. But you know what? They are seeing conversions and many churches are multiplying. One pastor reports that 20 people are meeting weekly; another church has 24 people who usually attend, four of whom are not yet believers. Other pastors are spearheading a children’s education program in a slum area, in partnership with a church there that now has 60 believers.
Wilson also leads a school for pastoral ministry. In December, he hosted pastors Greg Gill (Grace Community Church, Kingsville, MD) and Joel Rishel (Sovereign Grace Church, Joppa, MD) to teach a week-long session on biblical leadership and pastoral ministry. Sixty pastors from eight Indian states attended the course. Now that may not seem like a large crowd compared to T4G, but this “small” class in western India was equally strategic. It provided not only pastoral equipping in gospel truths, but also an opportunity for these pastors to be encouraged through fellowship with each other.
Sri Lanka
For several years we’ve had the privilege of working with a small number of pastors in Sri Lanka, who together lead more than a dozen churches. Instability in Sri Lanka has made ministry difficult, and the churches are facing persecution. And it’s not just hardship from without; one of these pastors is caring for his wife as she is suffering severely from a terminal illness.
But in spite of these challenges the gospel of Christ is advancing, and churches are growing as people are being saved. For example, an inner-city church was recently planted that already has 60 new believers.
It’s hard to believe we get to partner with leaders throughout the world who are making a vital difference through the gospel. If you’re wondering how you can support their cause, let me offer one simple word: Pray
How to pray
When it comes to prayer, specifics help. So here goes.
Please pray:
- that God would protect believers in India and Sri Lanka and grant them boldness to proclaim the gospel of Christ
- that God would open doors for the gospel among Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims, and that many would put their faith in Christ
- that God would grant wisdom and strength to pastors in India and Sri Lanka
- that stability, peace, and justice would increase in both of these countries
Thanks for remembering them by praying with us!
If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.
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Dave Harvey
leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace
Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more
information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.
You may have seen reports of the murders of three people associated with the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, Mexico, earlier this month. Sadly, these are among the latest of thousands of murders in the city of Juárez and elsewhere in Mexico as the country battles drug traffickers. The weekend of the Consulate shootings, 28 other people were murdered in Juárez alone. Stunning doesn’t quite capture it; it’s devastating, a social shock to the people of Juárez.
We recently received some updates and prayer requests from
Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Cd. Juárez, the Sovereign Grace church in that city, and wanted to pass them along to you. Will you join us in praying for believers in Juárez?
First, some more specifics. As Mexico’s war on the drug cartels continues, the city of Juárez is embroiled in violence. On average, at least seven people have been murdered every day since 2009, including more than 500 murders since January. The violence is not limited to those involved in drug trafficking—innocent bystanders, including children, are among those killed. In addition, the city is facing a crime wave in which anyone can be a target of kidnapping, armed robbery, and extortion.
This ongoing social catastrophe has far-reaching effects. About 5,000 businesses have closed, and some estimate that as much as 15–20% of the city’s population has left. Those who remain face the daily threat of ruthless violence.
Carlos Contreras is senior pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Cd. Juárez (Sovereign Grace Church of Juárez). For more than 20 years this church has been a faithful gospel witness in their city. They have trained a number of pastors and leaders and in 2006 planted another
church in Aquascalientes, Mexico. And they’re continuing to preach the gospel faithfully in spite of the trials they’re facing.
After describing the violence in Juárez Carlos writes,
But there is good news also. The church in the city remains strong and has apparently become the only remaining source of hope for many people. We all pray and we pray a lot, and we pray boldly and we pray publicly for God to intervene in a miraculous way to change things and to do justice. But mostly we pray for revival and for the salvation of thousands.
Under the leadership of their pastoral team, Iglesia Gracia Soberana is taking the gospel to the streets. The most recent session of their Alpha class (an introductory class on the gospel) graduated 63 students, more than they’d ever had. The church is airing evangelistic programs on local TV. Earlier this month, 150 church members went to two busy intersections, handed out about 800 evangelistic tracts and about 200 New Testaments, and prayed for about 300 people. On Saturday they hit the streets again, handing out 6,000 invitations to church, 300 copies of the Gospel of John, and 200 New Testaments—and praying for 1,300 people.
Here’s a slideshow of their outreaches:
My friends, this is authentic Christianity.
Carlos’s email continues,
What is most encouraging to me is to see our dear church steadfast in Christ while enduring faithfully in the midst of all this. Christ is certainly our solid rock, there is nothing more to trust in. Scripture has been our guiding light in the midst of great darkness and our fellowship is a constant source of joy and encouragement….My main job is to serve them by almost daily having the privilege of pointing their eyes to Christ and away from the despair surrounding us.
So here’s our appeal: Will you join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Juárez? Please pray…
• that God would grant wisdom and strength to Carlos Contreras and other pastors in Juárez
• that God would give sustaining grace to Iglesia Gracia Soberana and the other churches in this city
• that the gospel would be clearly preached and many would put their faith in Christ for forgiveness of sins
• that peace and justice would be restored to Juárez
Thank you for joining us in prayer.
For more about the Sovereign Grace churches in Juárez and Aguascalientes (as well as in Bolivia), see this 35-minute film produced in 2007.
If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.
There’s a group of 15 believers in a remote village in south central Burma (or Myanmar) somewhere near the Irrawaddy Delta, who are quickly becoming some of my spiritual heroes. Unlike me, these men and women are consistently facing opposition as they seek to plant a gospel-centered church. Opposition for me is the weird look I occasionally get when mentioning I’m a pastor.
But listen to how my friend David describes this group of people:
Our church plant continues to meet on a regular basis, but with significant pressure from both local and religious leaders. At first, we had informal gatherings, but when [the authorities] see a pattern of our folks worshipping on Sunday morning and that our church planter is going from house to house, they accuse us of “changing their religion” and “creating problems” in their village. But the believers have all agreed and confess boldly that they have been changed by Jesus…
Western Christianity is much different than this; stories like this can sometimes be difficult to connect with. But there’s more. The cloud of oppression for this small group of believers changes their actual meetings. During worship, they sing softly. When they’re taking requests before their Heavenly Father, it’s barely above a whisper. Why? They don’t want to draw unnecessary attention resulting in targeted persecution. They live out a Christianity where that possibility is never far from their minds. The pastor of this small church spends each week encouraging these believers to hold fast in their faith. The current study diet: “to be strong in the Lord.”
That’s serious stuff. When we talk about church-planting difficulties in the States, we rarely see seminars on how to avoid arrest or suffer persecution for God’s glory. And yet, when you interact with David and this church, you find a group of people who are less aware of suffering than they are of the Savior. I want to be like that.
In Sovereign Grace, we’re thinking a lot about people like this group in south central Burma. We’re also thinking a lot about the 41% of the world’s population that still exists unreached by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we need your help.
David is a pastor from Burma who graduated from our Pastors College. He’s got serious game when it comes to planting churches and a real heart to see the gospel preached in his home country. In fact, he is responsible for leading and directing a well-known church planting center, as well as a portion of the teaching. The guy never stops! Currently, David is looking to plant another church near the Irrawaddy Delta in a village largely unengaged and unreached by the gospel. As an inroad, he’s starting a preschool there. It’s crazy stuff, but we’re excited to partner with David to make it happen.
But there’s even more. We continue to look at other areas of the world where unreached people groups exist. We’re considering involvement with unreached Muslims in an African nation. We’re supporting translations work and other ministries that work on the front lines. There are also men related to these ventures that we’re considering for the Pastors College.
These are all exciting updates that appear to change on an almost daily basis. And each day, we’re reminded that what we need more than anything are your prayers. As you read this, a few Sovereign Grace pastors are visiting this small church in south central Burma to encourage the believers in their faith. Pray that God would use these men in mighty ways. Pray that more would be converted in this small village. Please pray for David. Pray that God would soften the hearts of those unengaged among the Karen people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for the selection of leaders for these churches. Pray that the gospel would go forth and many would be saved to the glory of God. Pray that we would play our part in Sovereign Grace Ministries and that every dollar spent would be multiplied so that God’s kingdom would expand.
May God bless the advancement of the gospel in Burma, North Africa, India, and among the unreached people groups beyond our borders!
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Dave Harvey
leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace
Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more
information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.
Cedric Moss was the senior pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Nassau, Bahamas long before he ever heard of Sovereign Grace Ministries. One day, wanting to better understand the gospel personally and to more passionately preach it to his church, Cedric searched online and stumbled upon Sovereign Grace Ministries. In 2004 Cedric attended our pastors conference as a visitor, hoping to observe from a distance.
In reflecting upon the trip Cedric says,
I was a pastor who was weary in the ministry and skeptical about church associations and networks, having been closely associated with a few and having given up on them. However, to my surprise, in Sovereign Grace I found men who were genuinely interested in me as a pastor, not the size of my church, or getting my church’s name on a list.
During our
2009 Pastors Conference, Cedric shared the rest of the story, which you can hear in this 16-minute recording:
Download MP3 (3.7 MB)
Hearing updates from various pastors was a personal highlight at our recent Pastors Conference. Over the next few days I will have the privilege to share these testimonies with you.
Among these men was Wolfgang Wegert, senior pastor of Arche Church in Hamburg, Germany. In his update, Wolfgang highlighted a recent trip by Dave Harvey, Jeff Purswell, and Pete Greasley to Hamburg as Sovereign Grace considers how to best serve the Arche Church and the region of central Europe.
But I was unprepared for the concluding words of Wolfgang’s update. The concluding words are the words of a humble man. And his update left me humbled and deeply affected.
With his son Christian providing translation, you can listen to Wolfgang’s complete ten-minute update here:
Download MP3 (2.4 MB)
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Related post: For more information about Wolfgang Wegert and the church in Germany, see this video, part of the 2008 Sovereign Grace Mission Presentation.
Welcome back to my interview with Gareth Lloyd, the senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Read part one of the interview
here and part two
here.
Gareth, what single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?
The experience of God’s work upon your own soul is the best qualification to lead others.
Where in ministry are you most regularly tempted to discouragement?
This is a tough one!
For many years I regularly experienced debilitating discouragement ministering in an atmosphere which was not grace centered but where believers were constantly heaping burdens on themselves and beating themselves up with guilt for their sin (myself included). I recently sat with a number of guys who are all ministering in that same environment and each one, in turn described how they were suffering the discouragement of ministry as though that were a natural part of the deal of being in ministry.
I am so grateful that for the past four years I have enjoyed being part of a new church plant where I have experienced and enjoyed a grace centered community. I get to do life with the most grateful, encouraging people I have ever known!
Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If not, why not? (Please be specific.)
I play soccer for an hour once a week and over the last month have been spending an hour on a treadmill and cross trainer two days a week.
Currently, what sport do you like to play and/or watch?
I play soccer once a week as part of our local church outreach and also for the church team. (We are currently the UK Sovereign Grace Churches champions having beaten all the opposition!)
I watch soccer whenever I get opportunity on TV and watch one of local teams live with my sons a couple of times during the season. I also enjoy watching rugby.
What do you do for leisure?
I love listening to music, walking with Angela and the children and watching movies.
If you were not in ministry, what occupational path would you have chosen?
I spent some years prior to ministry in property management and before being encouraged to consider ministry was training towards teaching.
Thank you, Gareth!