Amazing Fruit!

It seems hard to believe, but we are now in the “goodbye” phase of the familiar “hello-goodbye-hello” pattern that is a common thread in the life of every cross-cultural missionary. As part of this process, we looked back over the last 9 months and were amazed at God’s graciousness in the fruit produced just since October of last year. We want to share some of that blessing with you, since this is your fruit, too! As co-coordinators of the national Secretariat for the Development of Leadership and Ministries (SEDELIM) for the National Baptist Convention of Brazil (CBN), we:

• offered 3 weekend trainings in “Servant Leadership” for various CBN state conventions;
• led weekend workshops for the national and state leaders of the National Baptist Youth department (JUBAN) (see our January prayer letter);
• helped facilitate the strategic planning of the National Baptist Women’s department (UEFBN) at an annual gathering of national and state leaders;
• organized and led the first-ever “National Retreat for Servant Leadership in the Power of the Holy Spirit,” with main speaker Dr. John Piippo of Redeemer Fellowship Church of Detroit, MI (see our January prayer letter);
• facilitated a 9-month appreciative inquiry strategic planning process that created a plan to revive the National Baptist Men’s department (UEMBN) (see our February prayer letter);
• led a team that developed a plan to restructure the Convention’s Secretariat for National Ministries (SENAM);
• facilitated the first-ever gathering of CBN state convention executive ministers, and used an appreciative inquiry process to develop a plan to improve communication and administrative systems that would better serve local churches.

As co-coordinators of the national Integral Mission Network (REDEMI) for the National Baptist Convention of Brazil, we:

• led a weekend retreat in Integral Evangelism for a CBN state convention in NE Brazil;
• presented a paper and led a workshop at a national congress on Integral Mission sponsored by Missão ALEF;
• supported Providence Baptist Church of Sobradinho, Federal District in its initiative to plant a church in Worcester, MA (USA). We trained its cross-cultural short-term mission team and coordinated with ABC of Mass. (TABCOM) (see our Oct. 2014 prayer letter);
• facilitated the CBN’s meetings with Canadian Baptist Mission representatives.

As professors for the cross-cultural missionary training program at JAMI, the Convention’s global cross-cultural mission agency, we:

• taught an intensive 36-hr. module in “the Principles and Practices of Integral Mission”;
• taught an intensive 36-hr. module in “the Missionary Life” (see our Dec 2014 prayer letter);
• provided technical support and pastoral counseling as requested by CBN missionaries.

As members of the pastoral staff of 2 local churches, we:

• consulted with Revival Baptist Church (Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais) on its integral mission programs in a remote rural community and with children in its neighborhood;
• coordinated the English language worship service for 1st Baptist Church of Brasília, and preached and taught classes as requested.

As global consultants for International Ministries in leadership development, integral mission, and social entrepreneurship, we:

• participated in the Quinquennial Congress of the Union of Indonesian Baptist Churches in Surabaya, Indonesia (see our April prayer letter);
• taught an intensive 36-hr course in Social Entrepreneurship for church and NGO leaders at Satya Wacana Christian University in Salatiga, Indonesia at the request of Payap University (Chiang Mai, Thailand) (see our April prayer letter);
• opened a new dialog with the Baptist Churches of New Zealand as IM representatives, in light of our re-assignment as regional missionaries to partner conventions in Southeast Asia starting in December 2015.

We praise God for your partnership with us in all of these ministries! If you have any recommendations, resources or questions in any of these areas, we’d love to hear from you!