June Ministry Update

A one-page, printable PDF of this update can be downloaded here.

We’re half-way through the year; here’s what’s going on…

Evangelism: Since it’s raining almost every day (in the afternoons and evenings), we’ve had to change our outreach strategy just a little bit since we can’t spend as much time out on the streets as we can during the dry months (December through March). We’re still going downtown to preach open-air on Central Avenue, but we have to get down there a little earlier, so we’ve chosen Saturdays to do it. At least one Saturday a month, we meet at the church and head downtown to preach, witness, and pass out tracts before the rain starts. We’re also forming teams to take our “Revista” (evangelistic literature) door-to-door throughout the east side of San José on Saturdays. So, even though the rain changes things a little bit, we’re still out on the streets, striving to intentionally seek out the lost to witness to them any way we can. Our prayer: Mar 15.16; 1Cor 3.6.

Discipleship: Discipleship this year has taken a giant leap forward! And it’s all due to one thing: A leader with a heart for discipleship. Simón is one of my key men that has been with the ministry for many years. He’s a computer software engineer and this year he has taken over the entire discipleship ministry. He has a heart for people, for getting the Word of God to them, and for helping them grow in the faith so that they in turn can reproduce themselves in others. He’s also a great communicator and “people person.”

In January we started a new group of people in our Biblical Discipleship ministry, and they have held together very well. They are currently in the third course, meeting as a small group in the church after lunch on Sundays. (We have several people who travel quite a distance to get to church, so it’s very convenient for them to be able to participate in discipleship on Sunday afternoons.) Everyone in the group has been faithful and Simón has delegated the teaching to another “up and coming” leader, Jorge, who is doing a fine job directing the group.

We also have several individuals being discipled one-on-one. When someone shows interest in learning more and growing in their faith, Simón sits down with them, finds out where they are at in their walk with the Lord, and then pairs them up with a discipler.

Needless to say, I am very pleased and content with the leadership God has provided in Simón for our discipleship ministry. Please pray for him: 2Peter 3.18.

Mid-Week Workshop: On Tuesdays nights we have our midweek Bible study and this year we are using the time to not only study the Bible together, but to also train up several people who want to learn how to study the Bible in order to preach and teach it expositorily. I’ve taken some time to walk my people through several methods of personal Bible study and also some instruction on “how to preach / teach.” Several have chosen a book of the Bible to study, and we meet on Tuesdays to answer their questions about how to do this or that. When they have a study ready (it could be a passage study, a word study, etc.), then they teach the whole group during our time together. They get the benefit of laboring in the Word of God, and we all get the benefit of good Bible teaching. There are about eight or ten people participating in the workshop. Pray: 1Tim 4.12-16.

Leadership Development: Obviously, one of the goals of a missionary (or a pastor, for that matter) is to replace himself with capable men who could lead the ministry in his absence. Regardless if the missionary or pastor feels led of God to go elsewhere, it’s simply “healthy” and biblical to train up your replacement. It’s been my experience that this process is not a very fast one! But, I’m thankful that God has given me a group of men with whom to work in this area: Ronald, Carlos, Alex, and Simón. Ronald and Carlos are my two deacons, Simón is my discipleship leader, and Alex (many of you know him as “Bimbo”) leads music and preaches in the jail. We are meeting together every other week and studying the pastoral epistles together. In time I hope to be able to work with these men in a pastoral team (if God doesn’t send them elsewhere to labor in the ministry). Prayer: Acts 20.28-32; 2Tim 2.2.

Sunday Series: I decided to take a break this year from preaching through a book of the Bible, verse by verse. We took all of last year to study the Acts as our “manual for ministry” and it was a very motivating series. This year, though, it seems we need grounding in some doctrinal areas, so I’m currently preaching a series on systematic theology, a study of the Person and works of God. It’s been a great time so far and we’ve only just begun! Prayer: Psalms 119.18

The Family: Many of your write and ask about the family, so I thought I’d let you all know that everyone is fine. Rebeka is eight (2nd grade), Kevin is ten (4th grade), and Alex is twelve (6th grade). Rebeka is having a blast participating in gymnastics; she’s won several medals and enjoys it a lot. Kevin and Alex have been going a few times a week to a kickboxing gym where the father of one of Kevin’s school friends teaches. They’re learning fast and really like it. Suzy is doing well and keeps more than active running around from school to church to gymnastics to kickboxing… As for me, I’ve started some new studies that I hope will prove useful in the near future in the  work of training men and women for the ministry of Word.

We appreciate your prayers, your friendship, and your support. Thank you all very much! ~Greg