Central African Mission update (end Aug 16)

Here are the prayer items for Newslink, 30 August 2016.

 

CONGO

Lloyd Rowlands will be speaking at the Living Waters church this evening and tomorrow (Weds) evening. Pray for him. His weekend seminar was postponed, so will have to wait until later in the year now, as he and Sandy are taking a break. Sandy has finished her devotional notes for the Lighthouse School. She is busy preparing for their leaving Congo next Tuesday for a break in Australia. Lloyd plans to return to Lubumbashi in November; Sandy will stay in Australia until after Christmas, to spend more time with their two sons, Gareth and Michael, who are both at university. Pray for Lloyd and Sandy as they prepare to leave their work in good hands and pack up for this trip home.

Carol Seymour and Ginny Perkins had a good week, with all their ministries going to plan. Thank God they are able to bless the prisons they visit with food – adding soya now to enrich the maize flour they give. Ginny had a good time teaching on worship at the Lighthouse Church on Sunday. Pray for those who meet there to be shining lights, witnessing to those who are in darkness in their communities. Pray for TV/Radio recordings on Thursday to go well.

Prof Mwamba, Director of ISTELU Bible College, reported back on his Pastors’ Seminar at Kabongo, held during the College’s vacation. It went very well and was well-attended. Thank God for this teaching opportunity. Pray for the pastors’ ministries to be strengthened as a result. Pray for Mwamba as he takes a seminar at Kipushi this week, that his teaching will have a great impact that will bless many churches.

Sad news. We’ve just heard that Kyungu, son of Simon, a senior Congolese worker at the Living Waters Centre, has died in hospital. Two weeks ago he was badly beaten up after an unpleasant incident. Please pray for Simon, his wife and family at this difficult time, with investigations still going on into what happened, etc.

 

ZAMBIA

Gordon McKillop is glad to have his wife Sybil with him again at Nyangombe. Thank God for her safe journey back from Scotland last week. In recent weeks, 23 visits have been made by Nyangombe teachers and some pastors to surrounding villages, where churches have come together for teaching on evangelism and discipleship. Praise God! Prayer requests: (1) For a court ruling expected next week following the disputed presidential election result. Pray that peace will be maintained in Zambia. (2) For 1,000 children at Nyangombe for Camp until Thurs. Pray for great blessing. (3) For a large inter-church celebration over the weekend.

 

ETHIOPIA

Thank God that CAM is supporting 65 Ethiopian church planters on a regular basis. Pray for more individuals and churches to help the Mission shoulder this burden.

 

MOZAMBIQUE

Wanderley & Rosaria da Silva are concerned about the crisis in Mozambique: peace talks have been suspended, with no cease-fire agreement. Pray for security and peace in this nation. They are also worried about the situation in their home country of Brazil, with the president’s impeachment trial. As they write, ‘Only God can change the situation of both nations.’ Pray for peace of mind for the da Silvas as they seek to continue their ministry in Chimoio. Pray for the ongoing work on the Vocational Training Centre, especially with the water shortage in mind. Pray for success with their request for a regular mains supply on site.

 

Thank you for praying. Your prayers are greatly appreciated by all our CAM personnel.

 

Compiled by Lyn Ramsey. The next Newslink will be sent on Tuesday 6 September

Pastor’s Blog Sep 16

Hi Readers.

 

I type this at the end of a very joyful August. The ‘Big Event’ for this month has clearly been the wedding of Steve and Cherry Smith. What a truly fabulous day. The message ‘Love is seen’ was clearly evident and appropriate. Thanks to all the church that really pulled together, and we ask that God richly bless their married life.

Our 2nd Holiday Club saw 21 young people in ‘God’s Plaice’. Yes, that is a pun! We had Ann dressed as Charlie Chips, me as Todd the Cod, and Kay as ‘the big blue fish with no name’!

An impromptu BBQ after Holiday Club saw friends and young ones sharing food, chat and laughs with our wider church. It was nice to see Jo, Steve and Izzy again before they leave for South Africa.

The Family Service to show what we got up to is this Sunday 4th Sept.

Grapevine, now called ONE, was superb. Kay and I have been to 11 now, and they just keep getting better. Several of our church camped or visited, including Margaret Clark residing in a tent! Great teaching, worship, and fellowship with like-minded friends. A highlight for me was Margaret trying to get into the 18-30yr old ‘Authentic’ venue one evening. The security doorman explained they could stretch the age upto 40. But in his opinion Mrs C was exceeding even this. Then we realised we all are over, and shuffled off to the ‘Oldies’ marquee! (View the video ‘Margaret Clark Vs Security’ on www.mortonnewday.co.uk) I am sure we would have livened up their barn dance.

We have just concluded a sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer. What a joy this has been to look at again and appreciate He truly is OUR Father. All of us. And He wants the very best for us. All we need to do is reciprocate His love and follow His direction. If you would like to find out more about which direction that is, and what this might look like for you, please come and join us any Sunday at 10.30am. We’d love to share this Good News!

 

Be richly blessed, Pastor Andy.

Holiday Club trio

Todd the Cod, Charlie Chips, and ‘Kay with a blue fish’ start the show (with the help of many, many helpers…you know who you are…thank you everso!)

HC trio

 

Lion video…nobody sets out from taking tablets to fighting lions!

http://www.dailyliked.net/crazy-man-jumps-into-lion-enclosure/ video

I did not show this in church today as involves violence, (you don’t see any blood…and the chap is interviewed at end!)

I was searching ‘lion’, thinking of Genesis 4:7, where we are warned sin is always crouching nearby like a lion.

Sin is separation from our loving God. Sin very often starts with a tiny decision to do something you know is wrong, but you make your own excuses. Then it is all too easy to get a bigger ‘fix’ for whatever that short term desire is, and sin sneakily gets you more & more.

This fella ended up on amphetamine, (available around Morton), literally fighting lions.

I hope this makes YOU think about that little temptation or desire you WILL have.

Be richly blessed, Pastor Andy.

Pastor’s blog Aug :-)

Hi Readers.

 

Yes…summer is here, people are walking past the Manse in shorts and T shirts, and the garden is growing at double speed. Our flimsy pagoda (posh word for big trellis thingy) has bloomed from spartan wood to a veritable jungle, and I can even see grapes starting to form. Mrs McManus, knowing I am allergic to gardening and other forms of DIY, yesterday went out and chopped the ‘extra’ bits off. I am not a gardener, so cannot explain, but if we don’t get rid of the extra bits, they turn into waste, and hinder the good stuff, i.e. grapes, growing.

Now there are a whole lot of symbolism I could think of here, particularly linked to John 15 in the Bible. But what is on my heart is something sometimes called ‘affluenza’, the disease of always wanting more (covetousness).

How about looking at you, your stuff. We all have clutter, especially me, but it is surprising what might be waste, and stopping us from growing.

My mobile phone broke last week. Initially I thought this was SO important, more important than all ‘the grapes’, and I simply couldn’t do without this slab of plastic. Well, what happened is one of my favourite words. I ‘adjusted’. From reacting to the instant world in my pocket, I had to look and listen to real people, think about the immediate world around me, and I even started to read more quality books.

What I thought was vital had turned into waste, was restricting my growth, and needed trimming.

So…how about chopping off some waste stuff this summer, and just enjoy the sun in your shorts and T shirt!

 

Blessings, Pastor Andy