GCA 2013 Church Planting Conference

This week I am in Orlando, Fl. attending the Global Church Advancement (GCA) church planting conference. I am one of about 300 church planters, from more than 30 different denominations and 10 different countries, being trained on concepts and practical methods to successfully plant churches.

The trainers are mostly pastors, many of whom have decades of experience in planting churches in different types of settings. I have heard about topics such as: why we plant churches, the importance of prayer, preaching, evangelism, discipleship, and mercy ministry. It has been helpful to study each of these topics by looking at what the Bible says about them.

Mike & Pastor Darcy

Another great aspect of an event like this is making contacts and hearing about awesome things the Lord is doing through His people all over the world. I have been able to talk with different church planters about their passions and strategies to reach the world with the great news of Jesus Christ. I even got the chance to talk with Pastor Darcy, a pastor of Astoria Community Church, in Queens, NY. During our month-long training in NYC in the summer of 2010, we worked alongside Pastor Darcy at Astoria Church. It was a fun treat to catch up with him and hear about the exciting things that are going on with their church in Queens.

I am grateful to have this opportunity to learn about how to be a church planter and to get to ask questions of men who have been there and done that. I believe that it will help me and Ashley as we continue in the process of planting a church in La Fe!

Ministry in La Fe

As we begin this new year, I would like to give you a short update of what is happening in the ministry in La Fe.

Most of the things we have been doing, we are continuing. We have also, in the last six weeks or so, begun to branch out and minister in slightly different ways.

Medical Clinics
We continue to provide medical clinics every other week in La Fe. Our teammates have hired a doctor to run their clinic in Armenia Bonito and this doctor comes to serve the people of La Fe as well! Our next clinic is Monday January, 21. At this clinic we will start to charge 20 Lempira (about a dollar) to see the doctor, and 20 Lempira to receive medicine. This will provide a little money to cover some of the costs of medicine and the doctor, but this is not the reason we are charging the patients. We want them to invest in their own health and see the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Doctor Roger seeing patients.

Niños de La Fe
Every Tuesday morning we hold a VBS-like time for the kids in La Fe. We sing songs, play games, memorize scripture, and are learning through the use of children's catechism questions like "Who made you?" and "Why did God make you and all things?" We love sharing these truths with the children and this is a great way to get to know many of the little ones of La Fe.

Ashley teaching the memory verse.

English
Lyssa, the awesome intern who spends a majority of her time serving with us in La Fe, has begun to study English with individuals or small groups. These 'classes' have given her the opportunity to talk and dig in deep with the individuals as well as some of their families.

Lyssa with two of her English students.

One-on-one time
Both Ashley and I have been able to continue to deepen relationships with some of the young adults, teens, and elderly of La Fe and Lyssa has begun to do the same. Sometimes this time is used to practice English, to dig into gospel truths, or even just to read the Bible to older people who have bad vision. We feel this aspect of the ministry is the most important because it focuses on the individual and is when we truly get to know people and are able to speak God's Word into the specifics of their lives.