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

In September we had the joy of celebrating our 1st Birthday as Sovereign Grace Church Parramatta! We were able to gather live and in-person at a great local church who opened their doors for us so that we could all fit, we heard testimonies of how the Lord has used our church in people’s lives, and we baptised two members! It was an awesome service which allowed us to look back on it all and say, “This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). 

After being sent out in September 2019 with 28 members from Sovereign Grace Church Sydney and with the support of SGC’s, we have seen 22 new members plus kids join our church, 4 babies born, we’ve had 2 weddings, 2 baptisms, 3 people taken through Christianity Explored, and a large number of non-churched people have visited us over this time! No one could have predicted that we’d spend 4 months of our first year gathering online on Zoom on Sundays and for Life Groups or that we’d be in 4 different venues, not the greatest start for a church plant! But through it all, God has truly strengthened us, made us dependent on Him, used us to reach the lost, encourage the saints, bind up the broken hearted, and renew the faith of the wandering, what a privilege! We couldn’t have done it without the continual support of our sending church! SG Sydney have poured into us by continuing to mentor me and support our marriage, they have filled the pulpit monthly, and we have partnered together in many cross-church discipleship opportunities!

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One of the most remarkable aspects of our first year is the joyful and sacrificial service of our members who have given their lives to helping make it all happen. With every awesome event, walk-up outreach, church service and life group, our members have gone above and beyond to use their time, talents, and treasures in service to the King of Kings. It truly moves me as a pastor to see the saints serve with such eager willingness, creativity, perseverance and skill!

Let me share with you Jordan’s story as one small example of how God is using our church. Jordan arrived in Australia from the Philippines and she and her husband visited our church because they were staying with some of our members. Jordan grew up Roman Catholic and was always uncertain of her future destiny even though she went to mass, confession, and services regularly. 

“I did all those things out of fear – fear from getting reprimanded by my parents, fear of getting judged by other members of the community, and most of all, fear of going to hell for not doing good. There was a time when I even went to confession on a weekly basis because I kept sinning and I was afraid to die and go to hell just because I missed to confess my sins to a priest. And even though I religiously confessed, I did not strongly believe that I was saved.”

During College she went searching for truth and found herself attending different churches but eventually sucked into new age religion and astrology. When she arrived in Australia she loved attending our church but it wasn’t until we preached through Ephesians 6 on spiritual warfare that she realised she needed to completely leave her new-age religion behind and follow Jesus. 

“It was when we were going through Ephesians 6 when I felt a strong kick in my gut that I was doing everything wrong. Everything that I used to believe, everything that I held on to, everything that I thought would give me peace and salvation just dissolved. It was as if an ice-cold bucket of water was splashed to clean the dirt off my face that allowed me to open my eyes to see the only truth – that Jesus died on the cross for me and has saved me completely from eternal damnation. My salvation is not a result of my good works, but because of His grace through faith. From that moment, the word “sovereign” just started to make sense to me. I mean, I always knew the dictionary meaning of the word, but it was just that – flat. I have never felt so free and at peace and being able to surrender all my fears and anxieties. And those who know me well, would all agree that I am, or now used to be, a total control freak. On repentance, I have shared with the ladies in our life group that over my 34 years of living, I think it was only twice or thrice when I can honestly say that I felt the agonising remorse for my sins. So now, I’m declaring my choice to constantly repent and follow Jesus. Jesus is now and forevermore my Lord and Saviour.”

Isn’t that amazing!? We don’t know what our future holds as a Church, but He does, and we just hope that we get to meet more Jordan’s and see more people liberated from sin and death and brought into new life in Christ! And we want to do this in partnership with Sovereign Grace Churches, our family! Our mission is to be a church passionate about knowing, applying and proclaiming the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ in Parramatta, please pray for us as we seek to make this happen for God’s glory and the good of our city!

The following video was played at their one year anniversary celebration. Enjoy!

An update from Michael Granger, Sovereign Grace Church Planter in Ethiopia…

On April 11th of this year, just one day before what was supposed-to-be the official launch of Trinity Fellowship in Addis Ababa, the government of Ethiopia put out a new policy restricting gatherings to no more than 4 individuals. What quickly came about was the temptation to dwell on and be depressed concerning what was "supposed to be” rather than to live in and respond to the reality of what actually was. Real-life was not what we had planned in our minds, put down on paper, nor was it what others had approved in the form of a prospectus for ministry. It was nothing we could have foreseen. As real-life was being stuck inside for months stacked on months. Months in which we had to drop to our knees and cry out to God for wisdom and direction, and months wherein we feel confident that he has abundantly given us more than we could’ve asked or imagined. 

Our little church planting team spent many of the months between April and now working on a new project in the absence of our ability to hold Sunday gatherings. My energy has been spent writing a 140-page book specifically contextualized for Ethiopia about sin and the gospel. It is essentially an introduction to the doctrine of sin and how God deals with it. With our people in mind, its purpose is to confront two of the major enemies of the cross out here in Ethiopia: legalism and the prosperity gospel. We desire to answer the questions: "Why did the Father send the Son?” and "What is at the heart of the cross?" Jesus dying in the place of sinners who deserved judgment for their sin. Currently the book is in translation to Amharic. 

As for Abenezer, my ministry partner, he is producing an album, the content of which correlates with the themes of the book: A Fallen World, My Sin, God’s Justice & Judgment, The Gospel, and Sanctification. Each song was written by our church planting team in Amharic with three criteria:1) Song themes matching those of the book; 2) Songs that are gospel-centered; & 3) Songs written for congregational church singing. Currently, it is under production and we’re nearing the end. And can I be candid with you? Full disclosure… The album is bangin! 

But now the months of not doing what we specifically came here to do have ended. Recently there was a turn of events in our nation. At the end of September, the government reversed its prohibition of church services. So it is with abounding joy I report that on Sunday, October 4th Trinity Fellowship Church in Addis Ababa was finally established. We began with a call to worship from Isaiah 40:9-11 “Behold your God”. That was followed by Bob Kauflin and Jon Althoff’s song He is Our God. Our singing was followed by a pastoral prayer and then I preached from Hebrews 11:39-12:2 Looking Unto Jesus. It was the first of a 3 part series entitled Why We’re Gospel-Centered. We concluded our service by taking communion together. It was a sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet time with one another and with our dear Savior. The last words of the service were, “As my dear pastor and friend, CJ Mahaney always concludes, 'I wish tomorrow were Sunday!'” 

I write to you from what is now the sweetest place on earth for us, Trinity Fellowship in Addis Ababa. Thank you for praying for us. And thank you for welcoming us into what the Lord is doing with and through Sovereign Grace Churches. 

A report from Carlos Contreras, Senior Pastor of Gracia Soberana de Ciudad Juarez and SGC Representative to Mexico & Latin America…

A week ago we traveled to the beautiful historic state of Guanajuato, in the central part of Mexico. The church Iglesia Bíblica Gracia Sublime meets in the city of Silao, where this past Saturday, September 12th, we had the privilege of ordaining Manolo Quintal as an elder in Sovereign Grace Churches in a special outdoor event. Manolo has been serving this church as a pastor for more than 10 years and is now the first SGC ordained elder from an adopted church in the Mexico region of SGC. 

This is also a landmark ordination, since Manolo chose to fulfill all the requirements for ordination in SGC and is the first pastor prepared for ordination by following the Spanish Ordination Guide. During the ceremony I had the privilege to share a message on the weight and the blessing of the pastoral call, as well as the biblical requirements for eldership. Following, Abelardo Muñoz described the biblical and theological study and tests required of Manolo, praising him for his faithfulness and excellent results.

Testimonies were given to affirm God's calling of Manolo as a pastor, that also highlighted his humility, tenderness, teachability and love, all of which led him to seek adoption into SGC in order to lead God's church faithfully. SGC regional pastors attended from nearby churches in Arandas and Guadalajara and many of them were witnesses to the event through the live internet feed. Other local pastors from the cities of Guanajuato, León and Moroleón were also present.

After Manolo and the congregation responded forcefully to the charges presented to them, we prayed and laid hands on Manolo who was accompanied by his wife Betty. In all it was a moving and heartfelt occasion in the life of Manolo, his family, his team and this newly adopted church.

We are thankful and marvel at the kindness of God who is bringing every year more like-minded churches and pastors to SGC with the desire to join our family of churches. Please join us in praying that God will raise up many other faithful men in Mexico and Latin America to carry on the noble task of caring and leading His church.

An update from Songhwan Kang, Lead Pastor of Lord’s Grace Church, Seoul, South Korea…

This past month, we got to celebrate Lord’s Grace Church ten year anniversary with our members and give praises and thanks for the Lord, despite the covid crisis.

I was only forty when I was sent to plant  Lord's Grace Church, with five families, but now I'm fifty with a lot of white hair on my head, and this past 10 years has been full of the Lord's grace. In all honesty, I can say that these have been the best years of my life.

Prior to Sovereign Grace, I served a presbyterian church in Korea as a junior pastor for 7 years from 2000 to 2007. As a pastor, I started my day by attending an early morning service at 5AM, and worked past 10 PM. I lived a life of a workaholic and failed to be a good husband and father. One thing I realized later on, was that I wasn’t the only one with this problem. It was a problem that all the churches in Korea had. I kept praying, asking God what the healthy church is, and how can the gospel change lives, and asked for his guidance.

In 2005, through an amazing event, God allowed me to meet Sovereign Grace. I was shocked by the gospel centered churches of Sovereign Grace, and I wanted to learn more. God opened the door for my family, and so in 2007, we were able to attend Crossway Community Church in Charlotte, and in 2008, I was able to study at the Pastors College. 

It was then in 2009, that I was able to return back to Korea to look for founding members of our church, and we started a prayer meeting. And then in 2010, Lord's Grace Church was planted.

It has been by the grace of God that this Gospel centered church was planted in Korea. Many years ago, we had many weaknesses and we didn’t understand what it meant to form a gospel centered community. We didn’t understand what it meant to establish families and marriages in the gospel. We didn’t recognize the importance of a humble pastoral team. In Korean society establishing biblical manhood and womanhood was a big challenge. We had many weaknesses, but God has so faithfully guided us over the last ten years.

There were many difficulties, pain and failures in the lives of our members. Some families experienced relationship problems and were close to being divorced, but now they are loving one another. Others have faced financial difficulty and cancer and they were blaming God, but now they are trusting God's Sovereignty. Some of the members had misconceptions about the gospel and fell into legalism, but now they understand the power of the cross and righteousness of  Christ and they are grateful. Many members are confessing that their lives have been changed by the gospel. Our church is growing into a forgiving, encouraging, and godly community in Christ.

I am very thankful in my life for meeting Sovereign Grace and being in fellowship with Sovereign Grace. I have experience so many joys in being a part of Sovereign Grace, and here’s just a few:

1. Caring for one another in the gospel: From the very first day I planted the church, my friends at SG have been helping me joyfully. I experienced many hardships and went through trouble when I first started the church, but my mentor Larry Malament, constantly encouraged me and looked after me. He taught me how to hold fast to the gospel and teach the gospel to the members, how to adapt the Gospel to one's life in their family and work place. Larry also taught me to be humble in all circumstances. His pastoral care has continued through these ten years and it is still continuing to this day. It is one of the greatest joys I have experienced.

2. Many SG family churches have visited Korea and helped us to organize conferences and served our church. They have showed our church the true example of serving one another in the gospel. We can never forget the love and fellowship that Grace Church and Cornerstone Church have shown us. The members of the Lord Grace Church thank Larry Malament, Bill Kittrell, Walt Alexander, Dave Taylor, Martin Machowski for looking after us and caring for us, and because of the sacrifices you have made for Korea, and our church.

3.  I have experienced tremendous grace through attending the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference. Every year, the conference has given strength to my wife and I, and allowing us to have new hopes about the church.

God willing, our church has a hope of planting another gospel centered church in Korea. We hope to spread the gospel in Seoul, to other cities, and to North Korea and other countries in Asia. Just as the Holy Spirit worked during the last ten years, for the growth of our church, he will work with us for the next ten years to unite our church and make into a loving community in the gospel. I give all glory and praise to God.

Psalm 127.1 says, ‘Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’, and it’s so true!

Unless the Lord builds the house, we labour in vain and so as we look out on October and what’s ahead, here's some headlines of things you can be praying for us in. For everyone involved globally, we so value your prayers…

1. Lets give thanks to God for Songhwan Kang (Lord’s Grace Church, South Korea) as they recently celebrated their 10 year anniversary, and for how the church has come to experience the great power of the gospel and His grace. Thank God for how members have come to trust in Him even in times of hardship, and to love each other even more as years go by. Please pray for wisdom as Songhwan shepherds the church with families hard hit by the COVID 19 crisis, and that the gospel may shine forth in the midst of trials. Please pray for the gospel to take hold of people’s lives as they commence a 1:1 discipleship course: Gospel and life. Finally, pray that the Lord of the Harvest will bring forth another healthy gospel centred church to be planted in Seoul in the next few years.

2. Please pray for Fabiano Silveira Medeiros (Igreja Graca Soberana de Sao Paulo):

   1. For the Lord to grant him wisdom and strength as a bi-vocational church planter in order that he may be able to best balance personal spiritual and physical life: specifically, care for his family, dedication to his secular job and with all his responsibilities with church. Please pray that God would lead him through the whole ordination process as a pastor with SG with humility and trust in Him, enjoying and being grateful for the assessment of his fellow elders in SG. Pray that the Lord would make him see a time in the near future where he can devote full time to the church and the building of a family of churches in Brazil by God's grace and in His sovereignty.

   2. Please pray that the Lord would grant the church plant in São Paulo an increasing growth in living the cross centered life, in making disciples informed by that perspective and in pursuing and growing in the spiritual gifts. That God would also help Fabiano identify elders who will walk alongside him in building the church and eventually helping them multiply as a church devoted to planting churches that plant churches.

   3. Pray that the Lord would grant wisdom in how they build with church planters who have been seeking a relationship with them. Pray for Emerson Soares (Rio Grande, south of Brazil) and Ricardo Silva Ricco (Marília, in the state of São Paulo), who have declared their desire to build a relationship with SG through Fabiano’s church here in the city of São Paulo. Please also pray for young men who have been seeking their friendship, support and counsel: Milton Medeiros (a group of churches in Rio Grande as well); Jader Bittencourt and Emanuel Malinoski (in Porto Alegre, south of Brazil); Fabinho Leal, Marcos Arrais and Anderson Lopes (the three in church plants in São Paulo).  

   4. Please pray for Nathan Smith (Grace Church, Bristol) as they seek to navigate the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, amid new lockdown restrictions that might last another 6 months. Pray that the pastoral team would know how to lead the church well through this season of difficulty, and that the church family would have many opportunities to bless and serve the local community, and proclaim the gospel to a hurting, struggling world. Please also pray for the continued deepening and strengthening of relationship and gospel partnership with other UK pastors and churches: Neil Todman & Simon Dowland (Headley Park Church, Bristol), Tom Magness (Welshpool Community Church, Welshpool), Greg Cruse (Horsecastle Evangelical Church, Yatton), Richard Lacey (Woodgreen Evangelical Church, Worcester), and Jonny Herring (The Village Church Emersons Green, Bristol). These are wonderful like-minded gospel men, with whom the pastoral team have had the privilege to build genuine gospel partnerships with over the last few years.

   5. Please pray for Jayaprakash Ravuri (Calvary gospel Church, India) as they look for more gospel opportunities among orthodox Hindus who really hate Him. Please pray that the Lord may establish the church and the ministry there. Please pray for their children ministry which they have been running as a learning center where about 50 children come every evening for two hours for learning, education and different activities. This has been closed due to Covid-19, but they are looking forward to reopening soon. Please pray that the learning centre will be a great way to reach the children and their families with the gospel. Please also pray for wisdom and clarity as they begin praying and planning to start an orphan home. Finally, please pray for a muslim family who recently came to faith and were excommunicated from their relatives and community for the sake of their confession. The man of the house broke his leg and he needs to be bed-ridden for a couple of months. Please pray against the scheme of the devil, and for healing and for provision for his family at this time. Pray that the Lord will establish their faith in this time of trial.  

   6. Please pray for the ongoing safety of our Pastors around the world, particularly those serving in unreached people groups.Thankyou so much. May His grace abound to us all!

An update from Dyonah Thomas, our key leader and pastor in Monrovia, Liberia...

Several years  ago when Gracelife Center moved into the Jlazon community, there were actually two (Poro and Sandie)societies located deep within this secluded forest. They had carved idols out of trees, and worshipped them with blood sacrifices and practiced witchcraft. The Poro (male) and Sande (female) societies were known for bizarre rituals, even female circumcision. Trespassers in the forest, known by locals as a "no-go zone," expected to be captured and imprisoned. But their greatest fear was evil spirits.

Well, shortly after myself and Grace Life Center moved into the neighbourhood in 2015, we decided to engage the community through medical ministry and a Christmas outreach. We distributed food, clothing, and goods to everyone, including those in the societies, and through these efforts, in God’s kindness, people in the community heard the gospel and witnessed the tangible love of Christ. 

Soon thereafter, one of the Sande leaders learned that the congregation was looking for land to purchase and so she approached me, asking if we would be interested in buying part of their property - one acre of deep forest. Previous attempts to sell the land had failed because buyers were so terrified of the evil spirits. It was believed that anyone who cut down the trees on the property would surely die.

But she made an offer to us, saying: "If your God is able to cast out the evil spirits from the property, then you can buy it." To which we responded, "Yes, of course!"

After purchasing the land, the church prayed and committed it to Christ's lordship. Finally, the day came for the trees to be cut down. Over 200 people in the community came out to witness the event, and to their surprise and amazement (but not so ours), no one died!

Soon, some of the families of the societies began attending church and came to faith in Christ. Through the impact of their testimony, others then in the community also become believers. 

Both the Sande Society and the Poro Society have since dissolved and sold the remainder of their property to the church. So today, on this former site of idolatry, blood sacrifice, and demonic ritual, stands a place where God is so clearly at work. Saving His children, and providing them a place where they can gather weekly for fellowship, hearing the powerful gospel of grace proclaimed, and worshipping Him as the one true God. Providing a venue through which we can intentionally develop the next generation through Christ centered education (Nursery-9th Grade), and providing a home where we can faithfully train gospel centered pastors to lead healthy churches in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ivory Coast.

In all of these areas of ministry, our Partnership with Sovereign Grace has been defining, theologically strengthening, wonderfully caring and nourishing. We are so grateful that through Sovereign Grace we have learned more about who God is, our understanding of the grace of God has increased, and there has been greater clarity around the gospel and its centrality to our lives and ministry, a reality that cannot be underestimated.

We have received wonderful support to help us see this ground, that once hosted the enemy, now be redeemed by the Lord and produce pastors and leaders for over 75,000 church members, in four different countries in West Africa. 

Just recently, through a private Sovereign Grace donor, as well as the generosity of Emerging Nations, we’ve been able to move forward with the first floor of our building project. We’re now 90% of the way there to completing the first floor, and someday in the future, we hope to be able to add another floor to the Gracelife Centre, that it may be used ever increasingly, for the advancement of the Kingdom.

So please pray for us:

1. That the Lord would continue to open our eyes to behold wonderful things in His word so that we can know Him more, and that the knowledge of Him will influence our worship and living daily, which is our passion.

2. That the Lord would protect the building project and would continue to provide for all that we need both now and into the future.

3. That the Lord would guide the learning and interaction at the Pastors College for the 58 students that come from four nations here in West Africa . Pray that their three year commitment will be impactful and that God will provide for them on campus.

4. That the Lord would continue to help us as a local church, to invest into younger leaders. This journey towards eldership is so humbling and inspiring, and we presently have five younger men at different stages (Years 1 and 2) in this process. God is truly building His Church. 

An update from Edgar Flores, an international student at this years Pastors College…

My name is Edgar Flores, and I am a member of Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace) Ciudad Juárez, México.  Together with my beautiful wife, Abigail, I have come to Louisville, Kentucky to be part of the 2020-2021 Pastors College class.  As an international student, I’d like to share a little bit about my story, and how the grace of God has been more than abundant here in Louisville. 

Before coming to the PC, I had the privilege to lead missionary trips within Mexico along with members of our congregation.  Some of these trips had the intention of encouraging Sovereign Grace churches.  Others were made with specific projects in mind.  One such project was called “A Favor de Mexico,” and it had the intention to help families affected by the 2017 earthquake that rocked the center of the country.

Locally, our church began to support a center for migrants.  Due to Covid-19, the center had lost some of its support, affecting the many mainly Central American families waiting for political asylum in the United States. 

The fact that we can be here at the PC this year is an evidence of God’s grace.  His grace has been seen in the provision of a teaching job for my wife, and in the fact that I was able to receive my student visa a week before classes started, even though U.S. Consulate services had been restricted due to Covid-19.  Not only this, but our experience in the PC has been excellent.  We’ve received heartfelt care from teachers, pastors, staff, and fellow PC students and their families. 

Although I face challenges since I am still learning English, I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to be equipped over the course of this year.  Our plans for the future are to return to Mexico to serve in our local church.  

Our prayer request as a couple is that we may continue to grow in love and trust, depending on our Lord. A personal prayer request is that I may grow not only in understanding English better, but also in loving my wife, serving my fellow students, and studying with diligence. My desire is that this may be done depending on and resting in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers!

Por Su Gracia,

Edgar Flores

In Matthew 18, Jesus looks at Peter and says, 

        ‘And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’

Without doubt, it is Jesus Himself, who is triumphantly committed to building His church, and for the last ten years, we have seen that again and again at Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney.

Just a few weeks ago now we got to celebrate the ten year anniversary of our church. A church that we had the privilege of moving over from the UK to start in September 2010, and a church that has been an object of His unchanging grace throughout our whole story. 

Our story as a church started in 2004, when God led Mike Pasalich to write to C.J.Mahaney to see if Sovereign Grace would ever consider planting a church in Sydney, Australia. This letter, through a long chain of God-inspired events, would lead to my wife and I, along with our kids, to relocate from Newport, Wales in 2010 to plant the church. A move that was so unexpected and unanticipated for us, yet a journey that God had so clearly begun, and a journey through which we have consistently seen His grace.

In the last ten years, we have repeatedly seen His saving grace, with so many people, people like Ange Eastwood, Jiy Lim, Celia Tan, Nick and India Beed, to name just a few, coming to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and whom we now get to worship alongside on a Sunday, for the audience of One. There’s also been His restoring grace, as so many of our folk have arrived at Sovereign Grace over the last ten years having previously given up on church or God, for a whole variety of reasons, and yet have been so gently and wonderfully restored by His hand, and whom we now get to serve alongside.

There’s been His sanctifying grace, where lives and marriages and families and workplaces, have been totally transformed by the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Lives that have been touched by the King, and people then who are being changed from one degree of glory to another by His gracious hand. Then there’s been His sustaining grace. ‘For as sure as sparks fly upwards, troubles fall’, Job tells us, and we’ve seen that. Health challenges, marriage challenges, relational challenges, parenting challenges, financial challenges, we’ve experienced them all... But what we’ve also seen time and again is people being carried in the grip of His grace, and never let go.

And then there’s His provisional grace. Since its very inception, God has provided for us as a church in incredible ways. Financially, we’ve rarely gone without.  In facilities, He’s always provided for what we need, often in abounding ways. And in personnel, His provision has always been a wonder to behold – musicians, worship leaders, pa, media, graphic design, set up, hospitality, welcoming, group leaders, sphere leaders and pastors. He’s provided it all, even then giving us the opportunity to send out our first church plant, Sovereign Grace Church, Parramatta in September of last year. 

Without doubt then, He is building His church. He started it, it’s all come from Him, and He’s still building it today... And so may all glory go to Him.

Ten years on, it’s all the Lord’s doing, and so may it always be marvellous in our eyes. 

Soli Deo Gloria

Below is a video that Abi Chavez, a member of Sovereign Grace Church, Parramatta, put together for us, to help us remember the past ten years. Enjoy.

Col 3.11, ‘For here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.’

Many nations, but one glorious story… What a Saviour!

Please enjoy the video. May it remind you how amazing grace really is!

Kevin DeYoung recently said,

          “2020 is not a big pause year for the kingdom. A lot of things have been delayed, cancelled, or paused, but not God’s work in the world.”

My friends, how true that is! So much has changed this year and not gone according to our earthly plans, but one thing that hasn’t changed at all, is God’s work in the world. He’s not paused at all! 

And so here’s some specific ways that you can be praying for us, in faith, in the month ahead...

1. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Belarus (names concealed for security reasons) as they speak to the injustices that have been taking place against the Belarusian people by their own government. A couple of pastors have recently been arrested and brought in for questioning as a result. However, in the midst of these demonstrations, the unrest continues to provide gospel opportunities, allowing Christians to openly preach the gospel to the people in crowds, something that has been illegal to do (outside of a registered church) for many years. Pray that the gospel would continue to go forward, and that the Church in Belarus would be a city on a hill at this difficult time. 

2. Please pray for Calvary Gospel Church in Gundugolanu, India, and their Pastor, Jayaprakash Ravuri, as they seek to minister to a Muslim family, as well as several other individuals, who have come to faith in the last month. Please pray that God would give them grace to bravely face every opposition that may come from relatives, friends and neighbours for the sake of their faith. Please also pray for further gospel opportunities in the Hindu community that the Church is located in, that the doors may continue to open for gospel work. 

3. Please pray for our key leader in Liberia, Dyonah Thomas, as he welcomes 58 new students, from four different West African Nations, into this year’s Grace Life Pastors College. Pray that the students three years commitment would be impactful and that God would provide all that they need on campus, as they continue to build their new Pastors College facility. 

4. Please pray for the Cross Of Christ Salvation Gospel Ministries Churches, led by Jeffrey Jo, in Manila, Philippines, that God would give them great wisdom and opportunities to share the gospel of Christ to others, even in spite of the lockdown and the ‘new norm’. Please also pray for them as they continue to transition from a ‘hierarchical’ association of churches to a more biblical ‘family of churches’, in keeping with their heart and vision, and for Jeffrey Jo as he continues to work through the Sovereign Grace ordination process. 

5. Please pray for Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney, Australia (6th September) and Lord’s Grace Church, Seoul, South Korea (13th September), as they both celebrate their Church’s Ten Year Anniversaries in the month ahead. As well as Sovereign Grace Church, Parramatta, Australia (13th September) as they celebrate their First Year Anniversary. 

… “a lot of things have been delayed, cancelled, or paused, but not God’s work in the world.” Amen to that!

An update from David Del Castillo, Pastor of Gracia Soberana Santa Cruz, and his wife Jadwy…

We hope you are well and that God is blessing you in your activities. We want to start by briefly explaining what is happening here in Bolivia. The prohibitions during the working days of the week are being gradually suspended, people attend almost normally to their work centers, the only limitation is the ceiling in the schedule since the movement of non-essential services concludes at 5:00 pm. We point out that the prohibitions on weekends are in force, which is why the Church cannot gather on Sundays yet.

Also, Bolivia is going through difficult times in the political sphere, because the appearance of the pandemic caused the change of date to the presidential elections that were to be held in May 2020, first until the beginning of September and now until mid-October, these aspects caused unrest in the country, which resulted in marches, road blocks and coercive measures, which for the moment and thanks to the Lord have eventually ceased.

Beyond all of this and in relation to the activity of the church, we see encouraging results in the lives of many people of the church; an example of this was listening to a sister from the church, who responded to a preaching by Jorge in a very positive way. She had had relationship problems in her family for more than 40 years, due to the content of the message she was able to achieve a personal reconciliation with her father and encourage her brothers to do the same, an event she described with great emotion at one of our prayer meeting on Tuesdays. We were very grateful to God for what happened. 

Our prayer meetings on Tuesdays have been very important in this difficult time. Two families had close relatives with Coronavirus during this time, in one case their children (who are already adults and have families) and in another their parents. We were praying for them weekly and it is pleasant to see the answers from the Lord as they recovered but also the communion that has taken place, because these families appreciate a church that welcomes and accompanies them, and they have made it known to us in that way. 

Currently in our Thursday meeting led by Jorge and David, we are reviewing the Gospel through the book “Gospel Centered Life” by Thune and Walker. It was nice to hear a sister tell us that it is the third church she has attended in her life and that she had never understood the Gospel in this way, and it is moving to see how every week she is particularly amazed by what we share of the Gospel. There are many more testimonies that are happening and this leads us to the assurance that this is the correct time for us to be here in Santa Cruz, despite not being able to meet in person.

Something decisive in this time has been the personal counseling that has been provided, since there are people who do not have access to the internet and who are part of the church since the beginning of our activities, these brothers, who do not have the technological means. To date, they have received calls mainly from Jorge and Teresa, undoubtedly God is using us to lead these brothers who were without coverage. How good is our God who had all of this in his plans for us and led us to this place in a troubled time.

In closing, we want to thank several of the pastors who have participated in our series "knowing our brothers of Sovereign Grace" there are many that have not yet been released, but we thank them in the same way, the idea of this series is to be able to publicize the ministry Sovereign Grace here in Bolivia. There was a lot of impact on the church hearing pastors they don't know express that they are praying for them, in addition to the extraordinary messages shared. You can see this series on our Facebook or also on our YouTube channel . This series is a great blessing, first for us, because we feel that we have a family that supports us, and also for the brothers and sisters of Gracia Soberana Santa Cruz who see that they belong to a very large family of churches.

May God bless you very much.

An update from Joselo Mercado, Lead Pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana in Gaithersburg;

After taking 3 Covid tests prior to leaving, I flew to San Juan on Thursday, August 6th.  I was able to enter the Island without the need to quarantine because I fulfilled the requirement of having a negative test taken 72 hours prior to arrival.  

On Friday I had a meeting with the Reformados leadership and after careful thought, we decided to have Josue Caceres become the new President. We think that having a pastor in the Island lead the ministry will be wiser, as he is more aware of the need of the Church.  I will still be part of the leadership, and will be supporting Reformados, especially with finding resources. I am really excited about this. 

On Saturday, I then gave a marriage seminar at Iglesia Bautista Metro (IBM), a three-year-old Southern Baptist Convention Church plant.  There were around 20 couples present and we had a great time. Their pastor is doing an outstanding job of creating a gospel culture.  

On Sunday, I then got to preach twice at Josue Caceres’ Church in Quebradillas.  It was very encouraging to see the Church gathering in the middle of the pandemic.  They now have two services and have taken all the needed precautions.  I preached on Isaiah 62 and the need to have watchman that will ask God to remember his promises to love us. After that I spent the afternoon with all of Josue’s and Pastor Monchi’s (Josue’s Dad, who is also a pastor in the Church) extended family.  

On Monday, I was then interviewed by a podcast that the IBM leaders have put together. They interviewed me on the importance of having a worldview and how the lack of worldview has affected the Church in the midst of the pandemic and the influence of Critical Race Theory.  After that I met with the main leaders of the Church and they asked me some questions regarding Church life and leadership.

Overall, this was a very fruitful trip.  

Thanks so much for the support,

Joselo

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

When the COVID-19 crisis started coming into focus earlier this year, we wondered to what degree it would curtail our plans for 2020.  We immediately began to pray not only for the health and safety of the children and families we serve through our Orphan Sponsorship Program, but also for the many sponsors and financial partners of this ministry, without whom we would be completely unable to pursue our mission.  While the crisis is far from over, I am happy to report that thus far, the Lord has answered those prayers.  He has yet again been faithful to show mercy upon mercy – to us, and to the 1,400+ children we serve – even in the midst of hardship upon hardship.  

Though schools are still officially closed in Zambia, Ethiopia, and Uganda (with the exception of Grade 7 students in Zambia, who have returned in preparation for an important national exam), infections and deaths from COVID-19 have remained comparatively low.  While we can’t know for sure whether any child or guardian in our program has been infected, none have been sick to the point of requiring hospitalization or testing.  Meanwhile, our staff on the ground have been able to safely deliver food and hygiene supplies as necessary, helping our children and families sustain themselves through a time when normal economic activities are significantly scaled back. 

While the closure of schools is undoubtedly a setback for our children, I am excited to report that in Zambia, we have been able take advantage of the vacated campus by moving forward on our ambitious new expansion project at Lighthouse Christian School.  Of course, none of this could be happening if not for the generous support we have received from so many.  Despite the economic uncertainty of our present moment, a coalition of donors stepped forward to make a $25,000 matching gift challenge for the Lighthouse project.  Amazingly, others stepped forward to help us successfully meet the challenge within a couple of months!  Work on the new structure continues, with high hopes of having it ready in time for the 2021 school year.

If you are among those who have already given, we cannot adequately express our gratitude for your eagerness to be an instrument of the Lord’s faithful and generous provision during difficult times.  If you missed out on our matching challenge, but you’d like to explore other ways to get involved, please check out our web site or view our new Sponsorship video here.

We are grateful for all who are standing with Covenant Mercies in prayer, in financial support, and in solidarity with the many children and families we serve in the developing world.  This global crisis represents hardship upon hardship for them, but through Christlike generosity and gospel partnership, the Lord is once again intervening with grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, and kindness upon kindness. 

There’s no doubt that the pandemic has slowed down our travel, but that pause has given us a chance to work behind the scenes on projects like our ‘International Partnership Program’ (IPP). Todd Peterson, Pastor of Cross of Grace Church, El Paso, TX is heading up this project for us. Here’s the scoop…

It was some months ago now that we started work on the IPP and myself, along with Pat Tedeschi (Pastor of Green Tree Church, New Jersey), Allen Dicharry (Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Midland, TX) and Pete Schefferstein (Pastor of Lakeview Christian Church, New Orleans) are really very excited to be working on this new initiative together. 

In headline, the goal of this endeavor is to help US Sovereign Grace Churches to connect in long term partnerships with our international Sovereign Grace Churches. We know that there are many existing SG churches that already have meaningful and fruitful international partnerships, but we also understand that there are many more churches that have the desire for partnership but don’t know where to turn to get started.  

That’s where the IPP comes in, which will entail things like:

• Helping US churches to identify their heart for a specific region of the world

• Identifying partnership interested international churches

• Helping with partner matches

• Helping with effective short term mission trip planning and creation

As mentioned above, one important aspect of international partnership is short term mission trips.  These trips not only give US churches an opportunity to build deep relationships with an international church as they actively work together in the “local” ministry of the gospel, but also have a tremendous effect on those that have never experienced the struggle of gospel ministry in a foreign country.  

We recognize, however, that running a short term missions trip is very resource and administratively intensive and so not every church can form their own team by themselves. This results in many individuals never really having the opportunity to go on a trip, and so, given the impact of these trips, it is our desire is to help make it possible for anyone who attends an SG church to go on a short term missions trip if they desire.

We plan to achieve this creating a website that will enable missions teams with room for extra people to post their trip on the website and therefore give the opportunity for others in SG to apply to join those trips.  

Our goal is to have the ST missions site complete by this fall in time for 2021 trips to be registered.  We also hope to have the partnership process ready by the second half of 2021.  Please pray for us that we would be led by the Lord as we seek to better connect our ever growing global family of churches!

Charles Spurgeon, in his book “The Power of Prayer in a Believers Life," recently quoted by Mark Prater, says 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.” 

Isn’t that amazing! You and I, can now go before a “great throne” and ask God for “great things”. What a reality! 

And so with that in mind, here’s 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. 

2. Please pray for Michael Granger as he and his family begin the process of planting a Sovereign Grace Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia asking God to give Michael wisdom for when to launch his plant in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Please pray for Riley Spring (Sovereign Grace Church, Parramatta, Australia) and David & Jorge Del Castillo (Iglesia Gracia Soberana, Santa Cruz, Bolivia) as they continue to press on in their first year of Church Planting.

4. Please pray that God would continue to give the Sovereign Grace Churches Leadership Team wisdom for how to expand globally in a way that preserves our theological convictions, gospel values, and allows us to continue to build relationally, both in the pandemic and beyond it. 

5. Please pray for Joselo Mercado, Lead Pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana in Gaithersburg, as he a heads to Puerto Rico, this month, to preach at his friends Church, teach at a seminary on marriage, and lead through a series of meetings on the future plans of Reformados. 

6. Please pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can fund the gospel opportunities He is giving us throughout the world.

…May we take these “great things”and head to the “great throne”. What a reality!

An update from Wilbroad Chanda, Pastor of Christ Community Church in Ndola, Zambia…

The Coronavirus or COVID-19 has affected almost every aspect of life around the globe. The negative devastating effects of the pandemic have been compounded by the lock down. The social- economic, spiritual and cultural lives of thousands of families have been altered. Practices like social distancing, regular hand sanitizing and wearing of masks never crossed our minds nor imagination. Who ever imagined churches not gathering for corporate worship for more than three or so Sundays?

Instead of being fixated on the negative repercussions of  the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lord in His providence, enabled us to lift our gaze to some greater and more significant matter than the COVID -19 pandemic. He stirred us to  lift up our eyes, “and see that the fields are white for harvest” (Jn. 4:35). Pentecost Sunday fell on 31st May this year. With God’s help I took two weeks before Pentecost Sunday training Pastors College students and some members of Christ Community in personal evangelism and discipleship. The training was followed with practical evangelistic outreach for three weeks. 

This evangelistic campaign dubbed, “[COVID-19] Pentecost Outreach” yielded positive and encouraging results. We witnessed a good number people coming to faith in Christ Jesus. One Pastors College student has planted a local church as a result of this outreach. The number of children in our local church has multiplied. We have commenced a week- end “Good News Club” for children in one impoverished community. The Pastors college students are very excited about this evangelistic outreach. As a result, we will continue with the outreach for months and years to come. A good number of Pastors College students have started training their church members in personal evangelism and discipleship. We had a whole day Evangelism and Discipleship class on Tuesday, the 7th of July (Heroes and Unity public holiday). We spent time to review, asses and evaluate the Pentecost Outreach project. My prayer and heart’s desire is that all of the Pastors College students and our church members will endeavor to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5).

On behalf of the Pastors College students and the Christ Community Church (a Sovereign Grace Church), I would like to thank most sincerely our partners in Sovereign Grace and especially Dave Taylor and the Emerging Nations leadership for partnering with us through prayer and financial support in our “Pentecost Outreach” evangelistic initiative. Your prayer and financial gospel support enabled us to train evangelists, procure evangelism and discipleship materials and provide transportation and other outreach requisites. Allow me to say to say to you in the words of Paul that

“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Cor. 9:12-15).

Soli deo gloria!

An update from Scott Crook, Lead Pastor of Cross of Grace Church, Chaska, MN…

As Sovereign Grace Churches continues to partner with TLI (Training Leaders International) in Pakistan, we continue to receive such encouraging reports from the gospel work taking place there.

COVID-19 has hit that country extremely hard, and cases continue to rise. But a group of pastors we are working with continue to press forward in preaching the gospel, distributing masks and food to those in need. As well, they continue to see fruit of the gospel as people are trusting in Christ for the first time and being water baptized.

In one village where these pastors had faithfully evangelized for seven years, they suddenly had fourteen people trust in Christ and be baptized! One of the women baptized said, 

“I spent 40 years of my life in darkness because my father was worshiping idols and practicing witchcraft and the whole family followed him. It was not an easy decision to follow Jesus because my father was against me but I was attending the prayer meetings regularly and was trying to know God through our pastor. One day I was listening to our pastors preach from John 8:12 where Jesus says ‘I am the light of the world, and who ever follows me will walk in light.’ And that day my life changed. Now I will not care whether my father approves of my decision or not. But I will try my best to bring Him into the light as well.”

Brother F, one of the lead pastors includes this encouragement:  

“Nobody knows when we will die, but before going to Him we wish to as many people come to Jesus. I believe that if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies, and if they will perish than let them perish with our arms about their knees! Let no one go there unwarned and un-prayed for!”

Praise God for the tenacity, love and faithfulness of these dear brothers preaching the gospel and seeing the lost saved. The roots of revival are being planted in Pakistan! Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for this amazing work. May the Lord continue to build His Church in the darkest places that His glorious light will continue to shine and spread across the globe.

An update from Michael Granger, Sovereign Grace Church Planter in Ethiopia…

April was supposed to be a big month out here. I guess it still was, just not in the way we had imagined. We had planned to start a church! Back in March, we were going full speed ahead. Together with Abenezer and Nega, we traveled to Dubai to purchase sound equipment as it is not easily accessible and very overpriced here in Ethiopia. Upon returning we were constantly meeting with individuals as we gathered our launch team.  

Then heading into April, Trinity Fellowship (that's the name of our church) was to have its soft launch followed by a hard launch in June. We were all geared up to have our first service on April 12th. Worship songs were selected, we were going to take communion, and we were going to do a 4-week series entitled Why We’re Gospel-Centered. But on April 11th, the government put out a new policy prohibiting gatherings larger than 4 people. So at 11 pm, the night before our first service, an email was sent out to our team informing them that the service scheduled for the following day was officially canceled. 

We are now several months into isolation and we do not leave the house for much more than groceries. But I think the most pronounced attitude in our hearts is that of thanksgiving and gratefulness. We have seen first hand how difficult those living in abject poverty are faring and feel overwhelmed by the kindness of the Lord that we have a home, food, health, and Christ above all things. Nevertheless, there have been a number of dark days, and I can feel tempted to think 2020 has been stolen from us. 

Looking forward, we're not sure when the government will allow churches to meet again. Unlike the West, quarantine timetables and varying levels of caution are not published here. But, the church is not a building nor is it a service. It's the people. And so, I think you could say in one sense Trinity Fellowship has already been planted. Even though we cannot have a service we are trying to have 1 or 2 individuals from the church over for lunch every Tuesday and Thursday to pray, read the Word, minister to them, create community, and establish fellowship. So while we’re feeling, more or less, like we are under house arrest - there is work to be done!

We might be under quarantine but as Bart Lipscomb from Redemption Hill in Texas recently encouraged me, “You can’t quarantine the gospel! You just can’t!" So, in an effort to make the most of and redeem these evil days (Eph. 5:16), Trinity Fellowship is undertaking a new project. I am writing a book contextualized for Ethiopia about sin and the gospel. It is essentially a very-easy-to-understand biblical theology about sin and how God deals with it. Its purpose is to confront legalism and also the prosperity gospel so as to defend the cross. As of today, the first draft has 9ish of 11 chapters completed. And Abenezer, my ministry partner, is producing an album in which the content of the songs match the chapters of the book. It will consist of 8 songs, each with three criteria:1) Songs that correlate with the themes of the chapters in the book; 2) Songs that are gospel-centered; & 3) Songs written for congregational church singing.

One of the sweet aspects of this project is the opportunity to have a little songwriting workshop each week. We read a chapter of the book, pray for filling of the Holy Spirit, and write! Upon completing this project we will market and sell the album + book as a joint project in Addis Ababa with the hope that this serves both our church and the churches of Ethiopia. Please pray that the Lord would breath on our endeavors. Please pray for souls to be won.

Over the past few months our Emerging Nations Team, through Sovereign Grace Churches & Regions, has been able to raise over $165,000 for the purpose of providing food, water and basic supplies to nations where they have been more scarce due to COVID-19.

One of our pastors in Cebu City, Philippines sent along this thank you video as an expression of gratitude to Sovereign Grace Churches and all of those involved in donating money to provide food.

Matthew 25:40 says, “‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Thank you to all who provided financially for these dear saints. May the gospel go forth in Cebu City with even greater force because of this generosity.

If you have a few minutes, please watch the video here: Amidst The Pandemic Your Love Is Relentless

And let us thank God for his work in all nations, with all people, for His glory.

Over the last few months so many things have changed. Economies have changed, travel has changed, social interactions have changed, and opportunities to gather have changed. But one reality that’s been wonderfully certain in it all, is that He hasn’t changed!! Not one bit!! And Colossians 1.15-20 reminds us just how Supreme, the unchanging One really is…

‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn in all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.’

He is supreme in personhood, supreme in creation, and supreme in the Church, and so what a thrill that we get to come to Him in prayer. What an incredible honour don’t you think?

And so with that in mind, here’s how you can be praying for us in the month ahead...

1. Please pray for all of our Global Partners (click here to see the list) that this would not just be a time of ‘surviving’, but truly ‘thriving’ in the work of the Gospel. Please pray for courage and creativity for all of our leaders in this as we seek to know, apply and proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ at this time, and pray for favour in the many countries that we get to serve in. 

2. Please pray for Michael Granger who was looking to soft-launch his Church Plant in Ethiopia back in April, but has had to put those gatherings on hold. Please pray for wisdom, grace and favour for the Church Planting Team, and that this would be a time of faith and joy even in the midst of set-back. 

3. Please pray for Jorge and David Del Castillo who just planted Iglesia Gracia Soberana in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, but only had the opportunity to hold a few public services before shut in orders were given in that nation. Please pray that God would continue provide for this new church in resources and wisdom. 

4. Please pray for our Key Leader (name hidden for protection) & the Churches he serves in Nepal. Please pray that we would be able to get the money through to them that we have collected and that the aid would be well received and used to both care for the saints, and advance the Gospel. There is so much need in this country at this time. 

5. Please pray for me (Dave Taylor) and the Emerging Nations Team. Please pray for wisdom, clarity and faith as we seek to serve in the now, and also begin to make plans for the year ahead. 

... May the Supreme One of all, show us favour once again. Soli Deo Gloria.