An update from Ed O’Mara, Lead Pastor of CrossPointe in Arnold, MD…

Italy is a country of approximately 60 million people known for its rich history, beautiful beaches, relaxed way of life, and of course its incredible food. There is so much beauty and significance in this country and Italy’s people are known to be welcoming and hospitable. But Italy is spiritually dead. While 80% of the country claims to be Christian, less than 1.5% have an understanding of the gospel. Finding a gospel-preaching church is an anomaly even in large cities. The few believers who live in Italy often travel significant distances to find meaningful community. While I have strong familial ties to Italy on my mother’s side, there was much I did not know about the country’s desperate spiritual state. It was not until the spring of 2016 when my wife, Robin, and I took a trip to Italy that I began to understand these sad realities. 

Upon our return, the Lord used a seminary class project to help me both grasp the gravity of the situation and to begin making contacts with evangelical pastors laboring in Italy. The more I learned and the deeper these relationships grew, the more I began to sense that God was calling our local church, CrossPointe in Arnold, MD, to get involved. Our elder team agreed that this was worthwhile investment so we spent the next few years building relationships with gospel-centered church planters to encourage them in their work. We partnered with other Mid Atlantic Sovereign Grace churches to serve in outreaches to children and also served by putting on a marriage conference (led by Larry McCall from Christ’s Covenant in Winona Lake, IN). As time progressed the Lord began to make it clear to our family and elder team that we were called to relocate to Italy to plant Sovereign Grace churches. 

This has not come easily for us. We thought we would stay in Maryland for the rest of our lives, loving and laboring at CrossPointe, and we would be very content to do so as we love our local church. But the Lord has confirmed His call and He has led us in this new direction. As such, our desire is to see a network of “Sovereign Grace – Italia” churches over the next 10-15 years. I believe our family of churches can serve well in Italy and we can see that the Lord has already paved the way for gospel inroads in Italy. For example for our family to go, CrossPointe needed a replacement for me as Lead Pastor. In His kindness God provided and excellent pastor, Scott Crook, who is presently the Lead Pastor of Cross of Grace in Chaska, MN. He and his family will relocate to Arnold in March 2022 which will allow my family to depart for Italy in July 2022. 

Our first year will take us to Catania in the region of Sicily. We have a great relationship with a church there called Grazia e Verità, led by Giuseppe Fortuna. The focus of our first year will be language acquisition and cultural adjustment. After this, we will likely relocate to central Italy (we are considering the regions of Lazio, Umbria, southern Tuscany). The exact city is still to be determined, but central Italy is the neediest region for churches. Our prayer is that God will help us identify a group of believers eager for a church plant, which will be the first Sovereign Grace church in Italy.

We are desperate for your prayers. There are many things to do and many adjustments we will need to make as a family, but we trust that the Lord will lead us each step of the way. If you would like to hear more or stay connected reach out to me (eomara@crosspointemd.org) and I will be sure to include you on future communications. Finally, we are so grateful to know we are going in partnership with Sovereign Grace. From our local church, to our region, to our national and global family we feel very well supported and are excited to see the gospel of Christ go forward in Italy!

O'Mara Family Serving at a Children's Outreach in Italy 2.jpeg

An update from Rich Richardson, Lead Pastor of Center Church, Gilbert, AZ, and SG Representative to Latin America…

Our abiding mission in Sovereign Grace is to plant and support churches throughout the world. This is what we work for, pray for, and strive for. Yet without called, qualified, and ordained elders, we would be unable to accomplish our mission. So when any pastor passes the rigorous ordination tests and is installed, not only is this cause for celebration but it is a sign that God is providing for His mission.

We currently have 10 pastors from Latin America in the ordination process who are eager to give their lives away for Jesus in their local setting. Enrique Villegas from Gracia Soberana in Orizaba, Mexico, Kristian Tucker from Gracia Soberana in Durango, Mexico, and David Del Castillo from Gracia Soberana in Santa Cruz, Bolivia have passed their exams and are moving forward with the final steps of their ordination and installation. The other 7 men, hailing from Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia are in process and anticipating completion sometime in 2022. God is moving mightily in Latin America and it is wondrous to behold!

Enrique Villegas

Mexico

Kristian tucker

Mexico

david del castillo

Bolivia

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While this news is cause for celebration, it is also a chance for us to express thankfulness. Carlos Contreras and the team from Gracia Soberana in Juarez, Mexico have tirelessly labored for those throughout Latin America. Each of these men pursuing ordination have been impacted and served heroically by Carlos and the team at Gracia Soberana.

Thank you for your continued prayers. It is exciting to see how God is moving beyond our borders and a deep privilege to be a part of it.

An update from Riley Spring, Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church Parramatta, Sydney, Australia…

Two years!

It’s been two years since we woke up on a sunny Sunday morning in September, with no idea what it would all look like. We had no idea who would come, who would stay, and how it would all look.

In these two years we’ve “gathered” 100 times on a Sunday to know, apply, and proclaim the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ in Parramatta. We’ve sought to be faithful in loving God, loving each other, and taking the gospel to our friends, families, and neighbours. Although it certainly hasn’t all looked the way we’d hoped, for example spending nearly a quarter of the life of our church in lockdown (gathering only on zoom), it has always been a joy-filled journey. 

One of the great joys I have as a pastor is seeing God at work in the lives of our church in many and varied ways. Whether it is the couple battling significant health challenges who continue to fight for joy and serve with all they have or the women facing singleness and infertility who have found contentment in Christ alone amidst the heartache. There’s been countless stories of men and women, husbands and wives, and children giving their all to serve their local church. Late nights making food and decorations for our various outreach events, turning up early and staying late for every service and event, stepping out to serve in new and uncomfortable ways as Life Group leaders or in our Kids ministry, or staying behind to release others to serve in their areas of gifting. 

Even in our recent lockdown, we have seen the Lord at work in unexpected ways. We decided to step out in faith to start an online ‘Alpha Course’ so that we could still seek to reach out to the lost even though we can’t physically be with them. The response of our church has been so encouraging. There have been so many stories of gutsy, faith-filled, saints stepping out to invite a friend, colleague, or family member to come along, and then somewhat unexpectedly (due to our small faith!) there have been so many more “Yes” responses than we anticipated or planned for! So now we enter our third year as a church with 20 or so new friends who are investigating Jesus with us! 

In these two years, we have steadily grown from our Launch team to twice our starting size, with each new member bringing their gifts, experience, and love of the Lord to make our fellowship all the richer! And we hope that through this Alpha course and many more opportunities, we will see our numbers swell with new believers who have tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord for the first time!

In all this time, we have certainly not done it alone. We have maintained and enjoyed a very rich, personal, and joyful partnership with our sending church, Sovereign Grace Church Sydney. Their Pastoral and practical support has been invaluable! They have cared for myself, my family, and our leadership team in so many ways, demonstrating what true gospel partnership looks like. 

It is our belief that we are only just getting started! C.J. once said to us at the PC that it takes 30 years to build a healthy church and that counsel has stayed with me. In an instantaneous age with the expectation of pop-up success, our hope is to lay a firm foundation, and build well for the long haul. I hope to see the Lord raise up Pastors to share the burden with me, future church planters that we can send out, more and more leaders to serve in various and sacrificial ways, and even to be a part of sending out men, women, and families to serve other SG Churches globally! Our hope is to be part of pioneering SG Churches Australia and do our bit in our city and country to magnify the name of Christ for His Glory Alone! 

Please, please, please pray for us. We know that we cannot do this alone and that we cannot do it without the power of God. And so, please pray for our health, our strength, our joy, and our protection from the evil one.

On the weekly podcast that is sent to our pastors, our host Ben Kreps always begins with “Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of churches to our Executive Director.

Recently, Ben commented on his introduction and asked an important question:

“Mark, I always say “family of churches” when introducing this podcast, because that’s what we aim to be. That’s what historically we’ve enjoyed together. We want to preserve that relational way of building together as family. We’ve talked a lot over the past number of months about church planting, about global partnership agreements, and churches being adopted and brought in, and that sort of thing. So potentially a lot of growth in the days ahead, as a denomination, as a family of churches. What are your thoughts about the way we build relationally and that value we have in Sovereign Grace?”

This is a really important question, and Mark answered it really well in this podcast. You can listen to it here.

But in addition, there’s another facet to this question which is also important, and that’s the role of the Leadership Team in all of this and our transition to become more Global in the way we think and operate. This was the topic of an excellent discussion Mark recently lead us in as a team, and which he also talked with Ben about on his podcast. You can listen to it here. 

God has surely been so good to us!

Matthew 28.18-20, ‘And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The great commission that we have been given as Christians is far bigger than we could have ever asked or imagined... But how wonderful, comforting and inspiring it is to know that the One who has called us, is always with us, even to the end of the age. What a mission changing reality!!

With that in mind, here are a few ways that you can be praying for our wider mission in the month ahead…

1. Please pray for our Pastors College in Ethiopia (Trinity College) as the students begin to gather ahead of the 14th September launch. There will be 13 students attending the PC this year, from 6 different countries: Somaliland, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, the USA, and of course Ethiopia. Please pray for Josh Pannell, Dean of the Ethiopian Pastors College and everyone involved in this years Pastors College.

2. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Nepal as they continue to deal with a new surge of Covid-19 cases. Church buildings have been closed for gathering for almost one and half years now, and yet incredibly, the Church itself continues to grow. The Nepali Christians are continually committed to serving the poor and suffering in the name of Christ, and so may we be praying for them in this. May this be their finest hour and may His grace abound to them in these times.

3. Please pray for Songhwan Kang and his church, Lord’s Grace Church in Seoul, South Korea. They have recently moved to a new location as a church and are keen to reach out to their new community. Please pray that God would give their members courage and grace to boldly preach the gospel in this new area, as well as reach into the next generation. Please also pray that God would help them identify and train some church planters who can plant new SG Churches in South Korea in the next 3-5 years, a happy hope and prayer that they continue to carry as church.

4. Please pray for our newly formed ‘Reaching The Unreached Work Group’, which I (Dave Taylor) have pulled together to help myself and the Leadership Team map a way forward for growth, in reaching the unreached in our world. Please pray for great wisdom, faith and insight for us all: Dave Taylor (Lead Pastor, Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney & Director of Emerging Nations), Brendan Willis (Pastor, Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney), Pat Tedeschi (Pastor, Greentree, NJ), Tim Kerr (Pastor, Sovereign Grace Church, Toronto), Ken Delage (Pastor, Mercy Hill Community Church, VA) and Leo Parris (Pastor, Covenant Fellowship Church, PA).

… May the One who has commissioned us, also give us faith and favour for the road ahead.

I recently asked my friend, Pastor Songhwan Kang, Lead Pastor of Lord’s Grace Church in Korea, if he’d be willing to write us an update on his church and his writings. This was his wonderful reply…

I am Songhwan Kang, and I serve the Lord’s Grace Church in South Korea. It is God's grace and joy for me to able to deliver the latest news of our church to our friends at SG. 

Lord’s Grace Church has recently moved to a new location. It was difficult to move from a familiar location to which we had grown an attachment to for the past 10 years to a new region, but the moving process was a special event for the church community to be able to experience God's goodness and faithful guidance. We thank our SG friends for your prayers.

In the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic for the past year and a half, our church is periodically repeating both offline and online worship. Yet even in the uncertainty of the pandemic, God has protected the church and the members. Although sometimes we worship at home via YouTube, we are all praising the gospel of His grace. We are also having small group meetings online but are still growing in love by caring for and encouraging each other.

This September is Lord’s Grace Church’s 11th year anniversary. 11 years of God’s grace and kindness, and one of the fruits that we are thankful to God from this time, has been the publishing of two books: “The Steadfast Christian in the Gospel” and "The Steadfast Parenting in the Gospel”. 

The first book I wrote by myself, and the second book with my wife, Miran. These books are all about what my wife and I learned through our 15 years of experience with Sovereign Grace. These books are a summary of what a gospel-centered church is, what gospel-centered parenting is, and what our church members have learned together and applied in our lives. I would like to express my gratitude to my precious friends at SG who have been a role model for me in living the life in the gospel. I thank pastors Dave Taylor, Larry Malament, and Marty Machowski for encouraging me to write this book.

There were two reasons for me to write these books. The first reason was to teach the new members of the church the core values of the gospel and how to live a gospel centered life (humility, the church community, biblical masculinity and femininity, God's sovereignty, etc.). Raising children is an important issue for Korean families., and so I wanted to write about what gospel-centered parenting is. But more than that, I wanted to ensure that all of our church members would not forget the importance of a gospel-centered church and life. The book, “The Steadfast Christian in the Gospel” is therefore being used as a one-to-one training material in our church. 

The second reason was to introduce the core values of SG to Korean churches. Many pastors wonder what a healthy gospel-centered church is and are curious how the gospel is applied to the lives of believers. Through this book, I wanted to share this vision with other pastors in Korea. 

I am not a theologian with excellent theological knowledge. I'm not a writer who likes to write. However, my earnest hope is that gospel-centered healthy churches like SG would be established in Korea. Because of this hope, God gave me and my wife the courage to write these books.

I ask all my friends reading this to pray for Korea. Please pray that the beautiful Church of the Lord would be established through Lord’s Grace church and that we will be able to plant another gospel-centered church within the next few years. Please pray that He will use our church to turn many lost souls back to the Lord. On behalf of our church, I express our gratitude for your continuous love and care.

In last months newsletter I put in an update from Carlos Contreras, Senior Pastor of Gracia Soberana de Ciudad Juarez and Regional Leader for Mexico, on the 'Fieles 2021 Conference’, our Spanish conference for pastors, leaders and their wives (click here).

I recently caught sight of an excellent highlight reel from the conference and wanted to share it with you. You can click here to take look.

Likewise if you’d like to take a listen to the messages, they too are now available to you. Please click here. Enjoy!

Charles Spurgeon once said,

   “No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me."

Mr Spurgeon was wonderfully aware of his need for the Lord, in each and every way, at all times and in all things. He was so grateful then when people prayed for him, feeling that there was no truer kindness that they could do for him. And my friends, we feel the same way. As we seek to make disciples of ‘all nations’, we also so need the Lord, in each and every way, at all times and in all things, and so here’s how you can be praying for us in the month ahead…

1. Please pray for our friends and partners on the African continent involved in Covenant Mercies, who continue to battle with new waves of the Covid-19 infection. Among the three countries where Covenant Mercies works, only Ethiopian schools remain open at this time. In both Zambia & Uganda, our students were set to return to the classroom after more than a year out of school. However new waves of infection have prevented this, with no new date set for reopening. It is no secret that disruptions in a child’s education can have long-term impacts, and so please pray for these dear children. We believe the Lord can help them overcome this challenge.

2. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Nepal as they continue to deal with a new surge of Covid-19 cases. To date there have been 635,000 reported cases, with over 9000 deaths, 130 of those deaths being Nepali Pastors. Church buildings have been closed for gathering for almost one and half years now, and yet incredibly, the Church itself continues to grow. The Nepali Christians are continually committed to serving the poor and suffering in the name of Christ, and so may we be praying for them in this. May this be their finest hour and may His grace abound to them in this walk.

3. Please pray for Songhwan Kang and his church, Lord’s Grace Church in Seoul, South Korea. They have recently moved to a new location as a church and are keen to reach out to their new community. Please pray that God would give their members courage and grace to boldly preach the gospel in this new area, as well as reach into the next generation. Please also pray that God would help them find and train some church planters who can plant new SG Churches in South Korea in the next 3-5 years, a happy hope and prayer that they continue to carry as church.

4. Please pray for our Pastors College in Ethiopia (Trinity College) as the students begin to gather in Addis Ababa over the next 3-4 weeks, ahead of their September launch date. May all the moves for these students go smoothly, may everything come together well, and may God’s great hand of grace be on everything they put their hands to in this great endeavour.

             … No man can do us a true kindness in the world than to pray for us! Thank you so much.

An update from Edgar Flores, an international graduate from last years US Pastors College class…

It was a huge privilege to be at the Pastors College in the class of 2021. It has sometimes been said that one of the challenges that seminaries and other theological institutes face; is not only teaching the Word academically, but also personally and pastorally. Yet since the first day of the Pastors College, Jeff Purswell told us that one guideline of the college is based on the words of Paul to Timothy in 1 Tim. 4:16: "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." And we soon discovered that this truth would form the basis our entire year. 

The PC has 36 classes designed to equip future pastors in areas like counseling, preaching, spiritual disciplines, evangelism, church planting, Greek lessons, etc. Also, the teachers and pastors who work with the PC love the local church and share the values of Sovereign Grace. What a privilege it was to be in the classroom and see Jeff's passion in sharing the glories of the Gospel,to receive CJ's pastoral wisdom and experience, to glean from Bob’s advice for leading worship, and, of course, to benefit from Gary's pastoral care. And all of this in the context of the local church. The PC is more than just an academic experience. Being able to spend almost a year studying alongside my classmates - men who love the Lord, His Word, and the church - was indescribable: we laughed, cried, suffered, and had fun together. The PC was more than an academic experience. 

There was always particular care for our families, especially for our wives. My wife Abby was very blessed by the love, care, advice, and friendship of women like Betsy and Julie, and by the beautiful and close relationship that she developed with the wives of the other students. Without a doubt, the PC is more than just a school. During the Pastors College, the Lord confirmed my call to pastoral ministry; it was there that I made friends that will last for many years, and it was there that I gained a clearer and more sober understanding of the weight and privilege of the pastoral call. To summarize, the Pastors College exists to prepare men for the work of ministry so that all the glory goes to the great Shepherd, our Savior Jesus Christ.

Finally, I want to thank my local church in Cd. Juarez, Mexico, especially Carlos Contreras and the pastoral team , for sending me to the PC. It was a great privilege to be equipped by the Pastors College, especially in light of what God is doing in the church in Mexico and Latin-America. My wife and I will join our local church, Gracia Soberana of Cd. Juarez, in the next few weeks. I will be a pastor-in-training, and I will begin a study with men who feel called to plant a church in Mexico, so it is exciting to contribute with what I learned in the Pastors College. Finally, in a few months, our first child (a daughter) will be born. We ask for your prayers for all these next steps. Thank you, our dear Sovereign Grace family.

An update from Leo Parris, an elder of Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, USA...

Greetings brothers and sisters. For some time, members in our church have loved Costa Rica and in recent years have developed a burgeoning friendship with Chespi, lead pastor of Casa Vida. Chespi’s wonderful people have worked with many missions teams to build a beautiful camp site to host teams and serve as a connection point to their neighborhood. Their church also meets there on the property. 

Earlier in July, Covenant Fellowship sent me and my fellow pastor Jared Torrence, along with 21-person team of youth and adults to deepen our partnership with Casa Vida Iglésia in Playa Azul, Costa Rica. We went in faith despite the challenges of travelling during COVID (very challenging there right now). God was so kind! He kept us safe while there and we all were able to return safely home on time. By God’s grace he helped us accomplish a lot in a short time under the leadership of several guys from Playa Azul and the church. While there we worked hard most of the day laying a concrete basketball court, painting large trash receptacles, and constructing street signs for the community. It was hard, but it was fun!

Through this trip, our youth were also able to build relationally with Casa Vida Iglésia and the Playa Azul community. We worshipped in song in Spanish most evenings and prayed for one another. On Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching to the church from John 1 on the deity and humanity of Christ. Alvaro, deacon of Casa Vida, did an excellent job translating. That evening we enjoyed a traditional Costa Rican barbecue with the church. It was a rich time of exalting Christ, loving one another, and sharing fellowship!

One fun highlight for our youth was participating in a 4-church futbol tournament at the campsite field. Our team, Gracia Soberana, held our own, at least for a bunch of gringos! We even came away with one win (not sure if this was just them being kind though, haha)!

I’m so grateful for the many friendships that my team and I built while in Playa Azul. At the airport on the way home the question that I kept hearing was, “So when are we going back?” I love that! Our hearts our filled with gratefulness for what God is doing in Playa Azul, and they remain behind as our prayers continue for this church. We certainly do hope to return to continue deepening our partnership and help this church spread the gospel throughout the Puntarenes region of Costa Rica. I’m so grateful for partnership in the gospel! God is so kind to join us to a worldwide body when he saves and unites us to himself.

An update from Carlos Contreras, Senior Pastor of Gracia Soberana de Ciudad Juarez and Regional Leader for Mexico…

This past year and a half has been for many the year of cancellations, and that is what it was for us last year with our Fieles 2020 Pastor’s Conference. “Fieles a Su Llamado” (Faithful to His Call) is our Spanish conference for pastors, leaders and their wives. We meet to be equipped and encouraged in the work of pastoral ministry. Because the conference was cancelled last year due to COVID, we held it this past July with about 300 attendees, most of which were pastors and leaders who were finally able to come together to meditate on the topic of Pastoral Leadership in Difficult Times. We had folks come from 17 different Mexican states, and 7 different countries. We also had about 40-50 people join us every day through the live stream from other parts and countries. 

A highlight for me were the volunteers from our church in Juarez preparing for weeks and working to make our Conference possible. We had about 60 people daily who did a wonderful job of serving humbly and tirelessly during the three days of the conference in areas ranging from administration, production, vending, transportation, clean up, and many others. In all there were about 90 volunteers working to make this possible some even extending hospitality to pastors, others picking up people from airports or hotels, some translating for our English-speaking guests, etc. I was humbled that many took a week of vacation from their jobs to be able to come and serve. To all attending, the demonstration of grace filled servanthood and generous hospitality by local church members is the most powerful testimony of what Sovereign Grace Churches are. 

This is what a young pastor attending for the first time wrote to us this week: I have never been at a conference where the Gospel of the grace of Christ was so central. Not only in the teachings, but modeled by a whole family like yourselves… It does us good to be with you because of so much love, generosity, hospitality and grace. You modeled Christ to us.

The morning before the conference started, we held our Mexico Region Assembly of Elders with all the pastors who already officially belong to Sovereign Grace and with pastors from Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia who are in the process of being adopted. We thank God for the blessing of officially presenting the Spanish translation of our Statement of Faith, which Mark Prater and Jeff Purswell later introduced in the auditorium to all our guests. We also voted for the official creation of our Mexico Regional Fund and committed to contributing to it for this first year.

At the Conference we were blessed to have Miguel Núñez from Iglesia Bautista International in the Dominican Republic, Jeff Purswell and Bob Kauflin from Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville in KY, Mike Bullmore from CrossWay Community Church in Kenosha, WI, Joselo Mercado from Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Gaithersburg in MD, and Rich Richardson from Center Church in Gilbert, AZ join me as main speakers. We also had Manolo Quintal from our church in Silao, Guanajuato, Hellman Avila from our church in El Paso, Texas, Abelardo Muñoz from Juarez and Cathy Scheraldi-Nuñez from the DR serve us as workshop speakers.  They all did a wonderful job in preaching to pastors and leaders wanting to serve faithfully in their difficult circumstances.

It was a wonderful time in which God was working by equipping us biblically, strengthening relationships, making new relationships flourish, confronting our sin, encouraging us in our weakness, comforting us in our suffering, challenging us to trust Him and depend on Him fully amidst this past year's difficulties and future uncertainties, reminding us about the dangers the church faces in this world from within and from without, and showing us how the gospel of Jesus Christ informs and empowers the way in which we should live taking into account all these things. It was a blessing to perceive the hunger in many who visited, but even among those from home and those who spoke, to be satisfied with God's presence and strengthened by His promises.

Another highlight this year was the presence of our Executive Director, Mark Prater, who came to participate and get a fresh impression of what God has been doing in Latin America. Mark served us well by hosting a luncheon for those pastors interested in exploring a future relationship with Sovereign Grace. About 35 folks attended, some with their wives to hear from Mark about our mission as a family of churches and about what is involved in planting or being adopted by Sovereign Grace. In all about 12 pastors expressed their desire to begin a relationship with us, and of those, 4 have already expressed a desire to be adopted in the future.

Finally, Arturo de la Fuente from SG Juarez, Bob Kauflin and Fabrizio Rodulfo from SG Louisville, Roberto Estupinian and Andrés Contreras from SG Guadalajara, led us in worship during the conference. We rejoiced at the opportunity of introducing 3 translations from the latest Sovereign Grace albums: Cristo, nuestra gloria (Christ, Our Glory), Mi refugio Cristo es (Christ Will Be My Hideaway), and En ti esperamos (We Look to You), which helped us put into words our cry to God for His presence, His help, and His guidance during these difficult times. In all, I have to give God all the thanks and glory for His faithfulness to allow us to have such a wonderful expression of Sovereign Grace life in Latin America. I pray we may soon have many more countries experiencing His amazing Grace like we did this past week.

An update from Doug Hayes, Pastor in Covenant Fellowship, PA, and Executive Director of Covenant Mercies…

In my capacity as Executive Director of Covenant Mercies, I’m typically on the African continent three times in a year.  Since 2020 was not exactly a typical year, it’s been refreshing to resume my normal travel routines in 2021.  In June, I had the pleasure of visiting Liberia for the first time.  This was a brief make-up trip for a plan that had to be canceled in 2020.  It was such a pleasure to get to know Dyonah Thomas better (along with his beautiful family), and such an encouragement to see the great work the Lord has begun there through Gracelife Church and all its associated ministries.  

Dyonah’s kingdom ambition seems to be wonderfully matched by the leaders and co-laborers the Lord has raised up around him.  In addition to their normal church life, they are engaged in pastoral training through Gracelife Seminary, and the education of young people through Gracelife Academy.  Construction is underway on an ambitious new facility for the seminary, which will position this church well for its church planting goals both in Liberia and in neighboring West African nations. 

From Liberia I traveled on to Zambia, where our friends at Christ Community Church (CCC) in Ndola continue to find their footing after the shocking loss of their Sr. Pastor, Wilbroad Chanda.  All things considered, the church is doing well.  Wilbroad’s name comes up in routine conversations almost every day, many times through tears.  But across the board – from the surviving eldership to the newest church member – our brothers and sisters in Ndola are trusting God and persevering in their mission as a local church.  

One way the church is moving forward is through the training of current and future leaders.  This was a passion of Wilbroad’s, and I am certain he would be pleased to see the brothers he left behind stepping up in both church leadership and in theological study.  Three men (one existing elder and two non-elders) are now working on their required readings with a view toward possible Sovereign Grace ordination in the future.  Through SGC’s generosity, I was able to deliver a stack of books to each of them to support these pursuits.  Their eagerness to “study to show themselves approved” is a great blessing that will serve CCC well into the future.

I was looking forward to seeing our sponsored children back in their classrooms at Lighthouse Christian Schoolduring my visit to Ndola, but just two days prior to my arrival, the government closed schools nationwide due to an uptick in COVID infections.  Schools remain closed as of this writing, so prayers would be appreciated both for the health and safety of our Zambian friends, and also for the impact of yet another school closure to be minimized.  There is no fallback plan to online classes or homeschooling for the typical Zambian student, so we need to pray for a rapid return to the classroom. 

My itinerary said I’d fly on to Ethiopia from Zambia, but sadly this portion of my trip did not come to fruition.  Due to a recent election and some political unrest that followed, the country decided to turn away everyone except Ethiopian passport holders and permanent residents.  So I was blessed to return home a few days early, but disappointed not to see our friends and partners in Addis Ababa. 

Whether on behalf of Covenant Mercies or Sovereign Grace, it is such a delight to visit these dear friends regularly and witness the powerful work the Lord is doing in Africa.  I have never been more excited about the opportunities He has put before us, and I am eager to see the fruit that comes from them in the years to come.  

An update from Mark Prater, Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches…

There are several things happening throughout the world in Sovereign Grace right now that can only be explained by what the Psalmist writes in Psalm 118, “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” (Psalm 118:3) 

Let me tell you what the Lord is doing. First, there are at least 75 churches outside of the United States who are pursuing partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches, and in addition 4 of our 6 church plants are occurring outside of the U.S. Second, God is giving us experienced, wise, strategic leaders that will help us steward the God-given opportunities He is giving us. Third, God is also giving us people who are giving generously to financially support our global expansion. In other words, God is faithfully providing for the God-given opportunities to partner with churches globally through the sacrificial giving of faithful saints, most of whom are members of Sovereign Grace churches.

As I have interacted with the generous folks God has given us, there is a common refrain that I hear again and again. They say to me, “I want to see Sovereign Grace expand throughout the world because of how I have benefitted from being in a gospel-centered Sovereign Grace church.” Frankly, it’s humbling to hear their desire to see Sovereign Grace expand in different parts of the world. 

As I have talked and prayed with these generous people about the best way to financially support what God is doing in Sovereign Grace, they have helped me to create 3 development funds; a “Latin America Development Fund,” an “Africa Development Fund,” and an “Asia Development Fund.” Each of these funds contain defined general categories for how the money given will be used. Categories like, establishing and supporting Pastors Colleges, resource development, church plant funding, pastoral equipping, and care, etc.

Within the last several months, monies from the Latin America Development Fund were used for an “Emerging Nations Leaders Retreat” in Guadalajara, Mexico where we strategically invested into 22 pastors from Mexico and South America, many of whom are pursuing partnership with Sovereign Grace. This retreat would not have happened without the people who gave generously to this fund. Money from this fund was also used to help pastors from Mexico and Central America attend the Fieles Conference, a Spanish speaking Sovereign Grace Pastors & Wives conference, led by Carlos Contreras in Juarez, Mexico. Because the Latin America Fund exists these pastors and wives were cared for, and equipped to go back home and serve their churches.

Likewise in Africa, it’s amazing to see all that God is doing in there, so launching the Africa Development Fund couldn’t be more timely. Monies from this fund are being used right now to establish our Ethiopia Pastors College that is based at Trinity Fellowship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Without this fund, we couldn’t start this college that will theologically equip pastors who will plant or pastor churches in nations throughout East Africa. Additionally, money from this fund is being used to equip pastors in West Africa through the work being done in our Liberian Pastors College, and to financially support several church planting opportunities in West Africa.

I’ve given you just a glimpse of what the Lord is doing in our small family of churches, and it is marvelous, isn’t it? As I pray about our future, I believe that there is so much more good gospel work that He has for us to do throughout the world. Therefore, would you pray, and would you consider giving to one of these 3 development funds for the purpose of financially supporting all that He is doing in Sovereign Grace? As the Lord’s good gospel work continues, may it remain marvelous in our eyes.

Charles Spurgeon, in his book “The Power of Prayer in a Believers Life," writes the following,

   “Do not bring before God stinted petitions and narrow desires, but remember, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are His ways above your ways and His thoughts above your thoughts. Ask, therefore, after a Godlike fashion, for great things, for you are before a great throne.” 

Friends, in prayer, we go before a “great throne” and get to ask the maker of heaven and earth for “great things”... What a glorious reality that is don’t you think?

Here then are some ways that you can be praying for us in the month ahead…

1. Please pray for the Pastors of Sovereign Grace Churches around the world, asking God to give them wisdom as they continue to lead their local churches through COVID-19 related decisions, particularly in places like Australia, Nepal, Pakistan & Brazil.

2. Please pray for Carlos Contreras as he leads the Fieles Pastors Conference in Juarez, Mexico, 7th-9th July. Please pray for all the Pastors & wives that will be attending from all over Latin America. Would this be a wonderful time of envisioning, refreshment and encouragement for everyone involved.

3. Please pray for Emmanuel Iluzada, Elder at CCSGM, Manila, as he puts together a Sovereign Grace Churches Philippines, Worship Conference, 24th July, for around 100 worship team members from across the Philippines. Please also pray for me (Dave Taylor), as I speak at that event over zoom.

4. Please pray for Riley Spring (Sovereign Grace Church, Parramatta, Australia) and Myself, as we head to Canberra 21st-22nd July, to meet with a small group of folk who are expressing an interest in Sovereign Grace planting a Church in their city. Please pray for wisdom and faith as we explore this opportunity together.

5. Please pray for Pastor Jeffrey Jo in Manila, Philippines, and Pastor Cornelio Ebo in Cebu City, Philippines as they take their final Ordination exam this month. May His grace abound.

             … May we go to the “great throne” together, for great things He hath done!

An update from Josh Pannell, Pastors College graduate, and SG Missionary to Ethiopia, Africa…

Hello once again from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. God has been up to wonderful things out here through our partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches, and it’s been encouraging to have felt your support and enthusiasm every step of the way. And that’s precisely what excites me most about this announcement. 

Michael and I have long prayed that Trinity Fellowship would be a training ground for the next generation of Ethiopian pastors. And to our joy, God is answering those prayers, and he’s doing it much quicker than we expected. He’s brought to our church many men who show giftings and qualifications for elders. After 20 months of praying, fasting, and seeking counsel, we’ve decided to establish a pastors college as a ministry of Trinity Fellowship. Similar to the SGPC in Louisville, the Trinity Fellowship Pastors College will seek to train future pastors in both “life and doctrine” (1 Tim 4:16). 

Over a 12 month period, each student will complete 40 one-week block courses covering topics of both theological and practical ministry. God has given us professors from the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia who will travel to Addis to teach these classes. We’ve also established a partnership with Union School of Theology in Wales which will allow our graduates to receive accredited diplomas as well as credits towards an MTh from Union upon graduation. 

As Addis Ababa is a very international city, we’re glad that TFPC’s first class will host students from 5 different countries. Many of them are men Michael has been building relationships with for several years. If I were to speak of all the qualifications of these men, this email would easily double in length. Let it suffice for me to tell you a story of just two men. 

First, let me introduce you to Brian. He was introduced to Sovereign Grace Churches over a decade ago by looking up sermons by CJ Mahaney, Bob Kauflin, and Jeff Purswell on Youtube. Slowly, and over many years, the core values of SGC were sown into his heart as he watched our sermons, tuned-in to our pastors conferences, and listened to our music. He shared with me that his dream has been to attend the Pastors College, but he knew that he never would be able to afford moving to the US for a year. He finished his story by saying, “but God has heard my prayers, and he’s answered them in such an unexpected way. Instead of bringing me to the Pastors College, he has brought the pastors college to me!” 

Next, I’d like to introduce you to Muhammad. After his conversion from Islam, he faced threats of death as he worked to establish underground churches and even saw the conversion of several of his guards in jail. As threats on his life became more intense, he knew it was necessary for him flee his home country to hide in Ethiopia. But while he’s hiding in Ethiopia, he’s doing so much more than laying low: as he is learning about gospel-centrality, the doctrines of grace, and Christ-centered preaching, he is secretly passing along the things he is learning to pastors back in his home country. Doing this puts them all in danger, but it’s worth it to them for the sake of Christ. 

God answered another prayer for us just last week. We’ve been searching for a building large enough for our Pastors College and church to meet in. This has proven difficult as much of the real estate in Addis is owned by muslims. But God has answered our prayers: he’s given us a building to rent that not only can be used as a meeting spot, but also includes housing for students and professors. We celebrated God’s goodness in answering our prayers by going to eat at the best goat restaurant in town. 

As I sit back and think about all that’s happening here in Addis, I find myself grateful. I’m grateful for all God is doing, I’m grateful that I get a front-row seat to see it, and I’m grateful for our partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches that has made this possible. “What do I have that I have not received?” comes to my mind often. Please feel encouraged: God is on the move, and he’s using you — your prayers, your gifts, your encouragement — to do great things for his kingdom here in Africa. Thank you for your continued investment in me, these men, and Trinity Fellowship. 

With affection and gratitude,

Josh Pannell 

An update from Rich Richardson, Lead Pastor of Center Church, Gilbert, Arizona; and Emerging Nations Representative to Latin America…

Last fall, after much toil and time, Sovereign Grace unanimously approved a new and vastly improved Statement of Faith. It is a document that will outlive us and be a gift to future pastors and churches of Sovereign Grace Churches. We want this gift to be understood and enjoyed in other parts of the world as well. A significant step in ensuring this gift extends to the Latin American world was completed when we completed the Spanish translation of the Statement of Faith this month. 

Translating our Statement of Faith into Spanish is more than just inputting it into "Google Translate" and getting a result. Instead, our goal was to produce a faithful translation to the original but not carry the tinny sound of just translated English. Therefore, under the leadership of Carlos Contreras, we took the statement through at least four different editing revisions to ensure smooth Spanish readability. Lastly, we contacted someone who is a translator by trade. The result? I am pleased to announce that we have a Spanish version of our Statement of Faith. 

If you are interested in seeing the newly minted translation, you can check it out here.

Now, we have a gift not just to future English-speaking pastors and churches but also to Spanish-speaking pastors and churches. 

An update from Mario Vucenovic, Pastor of Church of God’s Grace in Zapresic, Croatia…

In February of this year, our building landlord contacted us to let us know that he needed the space back that we were renting due to his own business expanding and that we would have 30 days to move out. 

We meet twice a week to hear God’s word preached, and for prayer, bible study, to have fellowship together and encourage one another. We had previously been praying and looking for a new space for our church to meet for about a year. Our space was small,  approximately 43 meters squared, and it was challenging to invite guests as we tightly packed the entire space.  In addition, because of covid distancing restrictions, only about half of the church could attend on a Sunday morning. We had previously looked at about 15 places, to no avail, because they were either too small, too expensive, or the landlord’s didn't like our work and so we were not welcome there. However we now had no choice, and so we started looking again right away, and of course praying. 

Two days later I remembered passing by a "space for rent" sign recently, and so decided to stop by. The space was 130 square meters, three times our current rental space, and was a new modern and clean gymnasium size space on a main street near the center of town, with men's and women's bathrooms, and on the other side of the building, two separate rooms for children's ministry.  Our whole church would be able to meet there with the appropriate distancing and we would be able to invite people to join us!

Before I got too excited about the possibility, because of the rental costs being so high, I asked how much they would charge. Meanwhile, my wife was outside in the parking lot praying that they could offer it to us "by the hour", as it would reduce the costs, and allow it to be within our budget. 

They told me that they only actually rent the space by the hour, and so at the end of the month, the cost would end up being the same amount in rent that we are currently paying!  In addition, a free parking lot is included, no utilities fees, and they do the cleaning and upkeep.  

I shared with the landlord couple that we are a new church in town with a small group of believers who follow Jesus Christ, and that we teach from the bible. In response to this they said that they met missionaries in Zaprešić many years ago who were reading the bible with them, and that they are also Christians, and that it would be a joy for them to rent their space to us, and that this is what Croatia needs right now!

Because of the generosity of funds through Emerging Nations, our church was able to purchase church chairs, a projector, a projector screen, and a pulpit.  This blessing has taken our church to a new level, where it just feels surreal to be in what feels like a proper church space where we can open our doors to people, and have the necessary equipment to serve them well.  Thank you to the Emerging Nations team for making this possible!

We have been enjoying our new space for 4 months, and we continue to rejoice in how the Lord provided for us, in His timing.  We as a church finally get to meet together again with appropriate distancing, and also can invite people to join us safely, even in the midst of the pandemic .  We regularly have new guests, and we are eager to see how the Lord will use us and our new space to be a refuge, a city on a hill, to people during very difficult times. 

After a year of many earthquakes, strict lockdowns, and job loss, the general feeling for many people is depression and fear, hopelessness.  But in our hearts of hearts we know in spite of everything happening around us and in our lives, we know only hope and joy is in Jesus Christ. 

We have a lot of gospel work ahead of us and need much wisdom, prayer, patience, protection and support.   Please pray that the Lord will guide us to the people who need Jesus right now the most, who are lost and seeking, whose hearts are soft and prepared to hear the message of salvation. Also pray for the relationship with our new landlords, and that our presence in this new space will be a blessing to them, to the church, and to our city.  

An update from Joselo Mercado, Lead Pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana in Gaithersburg, and Emerging Nations Representative to Latin America…

Pura Vida is the phrase that describes the people of Costa Rica; it is their Aloha, which can translate to the Simple Life. For the Ticos, it is a way of life, including their hospitality, kindness, and desire to be good hosts. Our family experienced the Pura Vida for the full 22 days that we spent in this beautiful country.

The primary purpose of this trip was to deepen relationships with three churches in the process of being adopted by SGC and create other relationships with other churches with which we have shared values. We want to learn from the churches in Costa Rica and be able to model SGC's values as a family to the pastors with whom we interact. It is unlikely that pastors in Costa Rica will spend a year in the Colegio de Pastores; due to this, the Latin American Church Fund decided to send us to spend ample time with the churches in Costa Rica. With this in mind, on June 8, Kathy, the children, and I left for this nation in Central America.

For the first four days, we were located in the coastal city of Jaco. We were able to rent an apartment with a kitchen where we received pastoral families to spend time with them for three days. Kathy cooked Caribbean food, and we spent long hours developing relationships. We spent time with the families of Rodrigo Fournier (House 2:42 in San Jose), Allan Mongue (Sovereign Grace Cartago), and Chespi Sandoval (Casa Vida Playa Azul). These days were days of creating more trust in relationships and getting to know each other as families in a more profound way.

The first weekend I had the opportunity to preach at Casa 2:42. There were three meetings, and on Sunday afternoon, we had a time of communion with the church leaders. This included pastors and ministry leaders. It was an exceptional time that allowed us to connect with this precious church. From Monday the 14th to the 16th, I returned to the United States for some ministerial meetings. Kathy stayed in Costa Rica with Joey and Janelle, and each day they met with the wives of these three pastors.

The second weekend we had the opportunity to visit the town of Tamarindo in the province of Guanacaste. There we shared with Pano Rojas, a former member of SGC Louisville for the three years whilst he studied at SBTS. We also got to meet Alex and Lynn. Alex is the other pastor of Casa Vida Tamarindo. It was a time of sharing and seeing the grace of God in this local church and the many areas of affinity that we have. You can preach the word to this precious church on Sunday, in both English and Spanish.

We returned to San Jose on Wednesday, June 23, to give a class at Casa 2:42 on biblical leadership based on Acts 6. That day the church sang my birthday since I had turned forty-seven the entire day. We ended the day with several meetings, including Grace Church elders who wish to consider being adopted. Then on the last weekend of our trip, I gave a marriage seminar and preached Sunday in Sovereign Grace Carthage. We had sweet communion times with the Allan Mongue family.

We hope to make similar trips to other places in Latin America in the coming years. Kathy did an excellent job of connecting with the ladies, and I am so grateful for the testimony of Joey and Janelle. During these 22 days of their service to the church, their attitude towards mission brought glory to God and encouraged all pastors about the power of the gospel in a pastoral family.

We returned with great joy as Christ was proclaimed, relationships were deepened, and pastors were encouraged.

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It is with great privilege and joy, that I introduce you to the twin daughters of JP & Sathwika Ravuri. 

Having been married for 9 years, JP & Sathwika were told by the top-ten gynaecologists in India that they had “no chance and no hope” of having children. But look what the Lord has done! Just two days before the arrival of these girls, both JP & Sathwika got sick with Covid-19, but “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Gen 18.14). 

The Lord heard our prayers and provided good hospital space for them, good availability of doctors, and a safe delivery for these dear twins. All the family are now back home and in good health. All glory be to God!

We serve a King who loves to answer our prayers, and so here’s how you can be praying for our global work in the month ahead...

1. Please pray for Doug Hayes (Pastor of Covenant Fellowship Church and Director of Covenant Mercies), as he travels to Liberia, Ethiopia & Zambia this month. Please pray that he has a good and fruitful time in all three locations, as he both works for the good of Covenant Mercies, looking at new possibilities and strengthening existing work. As well seeks to serve our churches there, particularly in Liberia, where he’ll be preaching on 13th June, and then in Zambia, where he’ll be coming alongside the elders in determining the best way forward for Christ Community Church and the Copperbelt Pastors College. Please pray that Doug would be a real comfort to our dear friends in Zambia, as they continue to recover from the devastating loss of Wilbroad Chanda, and that God would give them all faith, wisdom and unity, as they consider the road ahead.

2. Please pray for Joselo Mercado (Lead Pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana in Gaithersburg, and one of our SGC Representatives to Latin America) as he and his family relocate to Costa Rica for the next 23 days, to continue building relationally with our Sovereign Grace Church in Costa Rica, as well as two further churches pursuing adoption with us. He will be preaching each Sunday in a different church, doing workshops on leadership and marriage, as well as spending lots of fellowship time with the pastoral teams and their families. Please pray that God really blesses this investment of time. 

3. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Belarus. Since the Presidential Election demonstrations in August of last year, things have gone from bad to worse for their country. Over 35,000 people have been arrested and many have been beaten and kept in inhumane conditions. Many pastors felt compelled to speak out against the widespread violence and injustice against the citizens, and as a result have been threatened and warned by the government. Fear and uncertainty are a heavy shadow over the nation, and with people being arrested at random, this only adds to that sense of fear. Please pray for protection on our pastors there (names concealed for security reasons), who are being threatened. Please also pray that what is taking place there will lead to further opportunity and fruit for the gospel, which is their hope. 

4. Please pray for our dear friend and church in Nepal (names also concealed for security reasons), who are in his words, feeling like they’re “walking through the valley of the shadow of death”. Our pastor there lost a family member (his cousin’s wife) to Covid, on 14th May. In addition, six pastors in the network have recently died, all from Covid, and a great deal of members of their churches are also hospitalized or sick at home, unable to get to the hospital. The severity of the Covid situation has brought with it severe lockdowns and closure of food stores, making it difficult even for those that do have money, to get what they need. Please continue to pray for our dear friends at this very difficult time. As they’d be quick to tell you, even in this, they know He is able and good.

… We serve a King who loves to answer our prayers, so may we go to Him in this, and may His grace abound.

An update from Michael Granger, Lead Pastor of Trinity Fellowship in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia…

Where do we find ourselves in this season? Delighting in the day-in and day-out grind of ordinary ministry. In the kindness of the Lord, Trinity Fellowship has been established. And, I have naturally undergone something of a transition from being a church-planter to a pastor. Currently, I'm preaching through Paul's Epistle to the Philippians. And when we, the church-planting team and I, look out over what is taking place, we find growth. And that, to the praise and glory of Christ's grace! 

Glorious grace and resounding praise!

Our team is growing as we recently hired my sister-in-law, Tensu, last month to come and work for Trinity Fellowship full time as an administrative assistant. What a gift she has been! The church is growing in size, averaging 50 to 70 on Sunday mornings; growing in maturity and in our understanding of the gospel; growing as a community; growing in discipleship; and I trust, growing through conversions.

One example from recent weeks happened when a first-time visiting unbeliever sat down in the third row during our Sunday morning service. She was openly aware that she was not a true Christian and that her Orthodox Christianity was nothing more than a cultural identifier. But to our joy, a miracle happened between last Sunday and this Sunday. And when it came time to take the Lord’s supper - I having given a warning to those who are not true believers and to those living in sin - to my great delight, I saw her take the bread and the wine. After the service, I approached her and said, “I saw you take the Lord’s supper. Have you become a Christian?” Holding her tears back, she nodded her head and said, “I became a Christian this week." 

A few weeks back a young Somali brother in our church and also a disciplee and ministry partner of Muhammad received a text message on his phone from Al-Shabab (a major Islamic terrorist network in our part of the world). The text message read, "We know that you are spreading the false teaching of Jesus and that you are working with Muhammad. We are planning to kill you when we find you!" This young man in turn articulated his fears to Muhammad, to which Muhammad responded, "Oh man, I've been receiving those texts for 2 years and I'm still alive. Let's keep working for Jesus.”

I get to pastor these people? I simply don’t know what to think when I consider that God himself has entrusted such sheep - to me. I have the best job in the world! I get paid to do this? This is scandalous! This is why we moved to Ethiopia. So that we might experience the super-natural regenerational power of God as he raises the dead to life. May that always be the ordinary ministry of Trinity Fellowship. Amen!

Sovereign Grace, we do not forget your generosity, your kindness, nor the abundance of warmth we have received from you. Indeed, this work out here exists because you did not stop working for Jesus. Trinity Fellowship is the fruit of your combined efforts. Thank you so much.