November / December 2022
I’m speaking on the woman at the well this Sunday at our church plant in Potsdam. I’ve always loved this story of grace. It still amazes me the honor and dignity Jesus bestowed on this woman who ran on the fringes of society. She would be the first to whom Christ revealed Himself as the Messiah. The first of a long line of misfits who should never have found their way to the Kingdom of God, but yet we find her in John 4 encountering Christ. She then went straight way to her people (yes, the same ones that she was so careful to avoid) to tell them to ‘come, see the one that told me everything I ever did’ and just like that a whole village was transformed.
This is also something that amazes me. That God would choose to use simple (we could call them foolish) things to confound the mighty and ‘wise’. After all, it seems Jesus could have chosen a better witness, right? I mean, we normally don’t pick the least trustworthy witness we can find to deliver an important message. We think that if the message is going to be heard that it must come from a reliable source that can articulate and reason well. But yet, we see God choose someone who had no ability to articulate, let alone read, to deliver Living Water to a thirsty nation. He used the words of an illegitimate witness to revive a nation that had strayed from the truth with simple words. ‘Come and see’.
The woman at the well is a reminder, that regardless of whether we feel equipped, disciples of Christ invite a lost and dying world to simply ‘Come and See’. To come and drink from the well that never runs dry. It is these words that give purpose to our existence, that we are made to lead others to an encounter with the Christ, the One full of grace and truth, who has the power to transform outcasts into highly favored sons and daughters of God.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:13-14
May your year be filled with joy, peace and love, but even more may your witness this year be the reason for someone’s encounter with the risen Christ.
Ministry Update
The busy Christmas season is over, but we are thankful for the opportunities it brought to share Christ and build relationships with those in our city. We participated in two Christmas parties in refugee camps in December. Central to our mission here in this city of refuge is helping people, fleeing from wars, encounter Christ and there is never a shortage of opportunities to pour into the lives of those on the move. Our efforts have focused over the past year on people fleeing wars in the Middle East, especially Afghanistan, and since February Ukrainians fleeing war on our own continent.
We were able to give gifts to the children in these two camps (thanks to some special gifts we received, from some of you;) and spend time with families to encourage them with the love of Christ. This season gives us an opportunity to speak more freely in these places of the Light of the World and we were able to include children’s story Bibles and a gospel message in these packages we gave. Please continue to pray for us as we seek to find the best use of our time in reaching refugees this year.
I made a trip into Ukraine with one of our coworkers (Franz Martens) in December to deliver supplies to pastors working on the frontlines. I was humbled by the work of these men and their wives, especially the hospitality and love they showed us. They consistently put their lives on the line to bring warmth and light (both physically and spiritually) to the hardest hit areas. They are choice messengers of the gospel of peace and among those who count it all joy in the midst of trials. Please pray for them as they seek to use this moment for God’s glory and for those who support them regularly and give them the means for ministering to those they encounter.
Our church was able to use this season to invite many to ‘come and see’. We hosted an International Thanksgiving Dinner, a live Nativity and a special Christmas Eve service and had many visitors participate. Christ was preached and we pray that the seeds planted will grow in the hearts of those who were present.
Please continue to pray for our church plant being led by our coworkers Franz and Kristie Martens. We are praying about next steps as we approach the one-year anniversary in February of starting to gather people in this new city. We hope to present in the coming month a proposal for the next phase of this church plant and would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and discernment on the growth of this little congregation.
Family Update
We’ve enjoyed spending time together as a family over the past month. We’ve gathered with friends and loved ones during this time and continue to be thankful for all those God has brought into our lives. We even had time to get away for two days to Nuremberg to see a show and spend some time exploring this old city. We praise the Lord for His good gifts!
Thank you for so many of you who have encouraged us in so many ways over the past month. So many of you have been generous to us this past year. This has been so humbling to us and a reminder of the great task we have in front of us to represent you well for God’s glory. Thank you for allowing us to be your hands and feet and entrusting to us your sacrificial gifts. We pray we will use them to be a sweet savor to our God and one day we will be able to rejoice together for what God has done.
Prayer Update
We always need prayer for wisdom with how to reach refugees. As I am sure you can imagine, the landscape is constantly changing and we need discernment to know how to be most effective in reaching those we encounter for Christ.
We would value your prayers for next steps for our church plant and for open doors for possibly securing a new meeting place for the next phase of our growth and for the expansion of our leadership team.
We see how quickly the landscape is changing here in Germany in regard to how the world is relating to the church and we would ask for prayer for our leadership as we seek to guide our congregations to the truth, even as we do this in love.
We would ask for prayer for our family in the coming year as we recognize the threats of living in a godless culture. Specifically, for protection of the hearts of our daughters as they interact with the culture around them and that our hearts would be after God’s heart and not our own.