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January 2010 Report
Bringing out the fresh and familiar
One of the joys of ministry is seeking God afresh for every situation. Of course there is nothing wrong with ‘taking a message on tour’, as the Word of God is always relevant. For me, though, it is a delight to ask God for something specific for each particular congregation at each particular time. Familiar Bible stories can always yield fresh lessons without the preacher having to read more into the text than is actually there. To quote Matthew 13:52 ‘every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old’, or as the Amplified Bible says ‘…the fresh as well as the familiar’.
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| Speaking at the early morning prayer meeting, Kampala |
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Part of the praying crowd |
January saw Trevor and me ministering in a range of situations. We began the year in Uganda, preaching on the first Sunday of 2010 in two different churches, then speaking at a packed early morning prayer meeting in the midst of a week given over to encouraging individuals, supporting NGOs and inspecting school projects. (See Charis News and Reports.) On arriving back in London, a Bible College graduation was followed by a day with one of our CiC network churches; then a midweek Ministers’ Fellowship was followed by a Sunday in Reading. In the middle of the month, a day of recording for Premier Christian Radio was followed by a weekend Conference with Inspiration House, one of the Redeemed Christian Church of God’s London parishes. The month ended with Bible College lecturing and a London conference for the partners of Teresia Warimu’s ministry, an event that gave us the opportunity to report back on our November visit to Evangelist Teresia’s ministry in Kenya.
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| Trevor at Kampala Evangelical Free Church |
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Speaking at a leaders' seminar |
My main prayer request is that we shall be able to keep bringing out the fresh and the familiar. Expository Bible teaching is at the heart of my ministry and I am amazed at the grace God gives me to capture the attention of vast crowds with the same ease as we hold the concentration of smaller congregations. I realise that for so many preachers it is only the highly animated, motivational style that works in the large national stadiums, with few preaching points and frequent repetitions in order to drive the message home. It is a privilege to be able to bring a complementary emphasis. Please continue to pray for maximum effectiveness.
As this is our first report for 2010 we would value your prayers as we plan our itinerary. We will be in Nigeria in February and Uganda in March, with other commitments in Nigeria scheduled for April and August. In June and July we are looking at the possibility of holding Leaders’ Conferences in Uganda and Pakistan, whilst believing to raise the finance for a proposed Leaders’ Conference in Tanzania. Other commitments include Jamaica in September and Kenya in November, and we are holding onto the hope of being in the USA before December.
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| Teresia Wairimu at Emmanuel Church, Marsham Street, London |
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Ministering at Marsham Street |
In the UK my quarterly Teaching Conferences form a main part of our ministry and provide a great opportunity for us to meet with our UK partners. Please pray for these. The very next one is entitled ‘Developing an Excellent Spirit’ and will run from 26 to 28 February. It will be great to see you, if you can make it.
Once again, thank you for all your support.
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