Vision

Update on the ministry in Exeter

Bob and Jeanne have been in Exeter about 6 weeks now and their vision of the ministry there has expanded.  Here is an excerpt from a recent email from them:


"Pastor Phil Pechonis (Creation Fest) has sensed for some time now that God has a special work He wants to do here in the West country and that we are a big part of that work... I'm sensing that the Lord wants to pull together a team concept, based here in Exeter. The future work is going to be larger than one person can do. I believe there needs to be a multi-faceted approach to be most effective. In the process we want to draw in British believers to take steps of faith, following the examples and patterns the team has lived out before them. Then encouraging them to take the lead and plant churches throughout the West country."


The churches that actually teach the whole Word of God are few and small.  When people hear about a church that is really teaching the Bible, they drive for many miles to hear the Word taught.  The need is great to teach and raise up British leadership who can plant Bible-teaching churches in all of the towns around.

Bob and Jeanne's prayer focus has been for: 

1.  God to bring together a ministry team for effective outreach in various areas
2.  Development of a leadership ministry team
3.  Wisdom and discernment on ministry to University students

It seems as if the Lord is already answering their prayers.  Aside from us, another couple, who we also know, has been feeling the Lord may be calling them to England to serve.  And the Christian campus group at the University has asked Bob to come and teach at their meetings.

Jeanne has said that the University students are so hungry for the Word..it reminds her of the young people in the early days of the Jesus movement in the 70's.  How exciting!  (And the young people over there actually WANT the older people to teach them! ) 

 

 

Another prayer has been to connect with the local pastors of the churches in the area. God set up a divine appointment for them last week. They needed some furniture for their house and as they stopped to look at a piece they might want to buy, they discovered that the couple selling it was from the local Church of England..and he was an associate pastor there! They had a great time of fellowship and a friendship has developed. 

So, as they are seeing more of the need that is there, our vision of how God might use us to help in this has come more into focus.  Our hearts are desiring more and more to help bring the light of the good news to those who have never really heard it, and to help them grow in their knowledge and understanding of God's truth...to bring them hope.

Prayer requests:

~ Raising necessary travel funds and financial support
~ Good price on plane tickets
~ Decisions on what to do with furniture and personal stuff
~ Continued work for Steve while we are waiting    
 

Ephesians 2:12 "...separate from Christ...having no hope and without God in the world."

 

 

Encouraged

Since we posted our blog with information about our desire to step out in faith and serve in the UK, we have received so many encouraging responses.  We are so thankful for all your encouragement and promises of prayer and support.

In our last post, we shared some of the spiritual condition and need in the UK and also a link on the side bar to a good article.  Bob and Jeanne have arrived in Exeter and have started pastoring the church there.  They gave us a short history of the church:

“The church was started back in the fall of 2008 as a home Bible study. They began to meet on Sundays in Feb of 2009. The founding pastor stayed two and a half more years then had to return to the states.

Pastor Phil Pechonis, the main coordinator of the CreationFest UK outreaches and roadshow events in the SW part of England, http://www.creationfest.org.uk ,stepped in over the next year and a half traveling almost two hours each way twice a week to take care of the church congregation. But there really has been no local pastor to minister to the congregation of about 50.

England, as a rule, is post-Christian and the soil of the hearts is very hard. Of those who attend a church (about 20%), the vast majority are women and in the retirement age bracket. There is not much spiritual national movement among the youth...yet. We believe there is going to be a breakthrough in the coming years and it will come through the young adults. They just need a solid diet of sound Biblical, relevant instruction and inspiration from the Holy Spirit.”

 

 

 

From our conversations with them, we have learned that there are a number of the university students coming to the church who have a real hunger for the Lord and the Word.  There is a women’s Bible study that is mostly made up of college students.

Since it is a university town, there is a wonderful opportunity to affect many more than just those in that town.  The students hear the gospel, are discipled, taught the Word and then go out from there when they graduate.  So the seeds are planted and nurtured and then multiplied over and over again…all over the world. 

It is truly exciting to think of the ways we might be used by the Lord in this setting.  We are looking forward to seeing what He will do and grateful to still be able to have in impact on the younger generation.  They are the future.

 

Thanks to all who have promised to be a part of our support team.  You are a vital part of what the Lord will do and we pray His abundant blessings on you.

"Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all."

(2 Corinthians 9:10-13)
Prayer requests:

~ Raising necessary financial support
~ Good price on plane tickets
~ Decisions on what to do with furniture and household stuff
~ Continued work for Steve while we are waiting

                                

 

 

 

What next?



Over the past 40 + years of walking together with the Lord, He has taken us on some great adventures in serving Him...some big and some small...but all wonderful times of seeing Him work in marvelous ways in the hearts of so many, as well as our own. In the past few years, a big prayer on our hearts has been that we would still be fruitful and useful even as we are growing older.  So we have been praying and waiting to see what the Lord would have us do next.

 

As we have waited, the Lord has seemed to open up a door of opportunity in England!

 

 

 

 

Our good friends, Bob and Jeanne Claycamp have moved to Exeter to pastor the Calvary Chapel there; to stabilize, build it up and raise up and train leadership. Bob was our pastor in Phoenix for 10 years and we have said many times that we wished we could work with him again.  Surprisingly, to us, it now seems like God is putting it on our hearts to go over and help them in the work there. 

 

 

 

http://www.calvaryexeter.co.uk/

 

 Exeter is a town of about 120,000 in the SW county of Devon.  It is a university town, so there is a large population of young people.  Over the past several years (generations in fact), the mindset of the people in the UK and most of Europe has gone away from the strong Christian heritage that birthed many godly, influential Christian leaders and ministries. There has been a move away from the church, teaching of the Word and God in general.  Consequently, there has been a spiritual vacuum that is being filled with materialism, cults, the occult and heretical "Christian" doctrines.  As another generation is coming to the Lord now, there is great need in the areas of teaching, discipleship and mentoring.  We hear from the churches over there all the time that they are in need of help.  Most of the churches that are actually teaching the truth of the Word are small; growth is slow and many ministering there are becoming weary and discouraged.

 

Our calling and gifting over the years has been to come alongside and help in whatever way we can; whether it is discipling, mentoring, teaching, leading worship, counselling, training leadership, setting up chairs, cleaning bathrooms, making coffee, etc.  So our first priority will be to assist Bob and Jeanne, doing whatever we can to make their job easier.  And if the Lord opens up other doors for us, we will be available for that also.

 

As we have been praying and seeking the Lord about the needs in the UK, He brought this verse to us:

 

Isaiah 65:23-24
They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed.
I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

 

So this is why we feel God is calling us to go....to help. 

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As we have served in Arizona, Oregon and presently Washington state, we have always gone out as "tent makers"...supporting ourselves mainly through the wood flooring trade. God has always been faithful to keep the work coming in. This move to England, however, means support will have to be raised from others who, according to God's leading them, will agree to partner with us prayerfully and financially.  We don't believe in breaking down doors that aren't opened by the Lord; therefore, raising support will be a crucial indicator of His will for us in this opportunity. 

We are hoping to be there by July for the UK Pastor's Conference and to help with the Creation Fest UK 2013 in August. 

So, we are putting this out there; first, to let you all know what we feel God is calling us to do and to ask you to join us in praying for continued direction; and secondly, to see if He is putting it on people's hearts to be a part of this work in becoming a part of our support team.

Because we believe it is necessary to be as specific as possible about the financial needs, we have listed an estimated budget of what we project our needs will be.


$3000
Airfare: $2600
Misc. expenses: $400

Ongoing monthly expenses (estimate) - $2410- $2720

Rent:                          $850-950
Utilities and taxes:     $200-300
Food:                          $350-400
Toiletries:                   $30
Transportation           $200
Phone & internet:      $100-150
Medication:                $20
Household:                 $30-40
Currency exchange
   and bank fees:        $30
Miscellaneous:           $100
Airfare fund for
 return to states and 
back each year:        $200
Back-up emergency
fund:                          $200
Taxes:                       $100


If you would like more information or want to join our group of supporters and prayer partners, you can contact us at:  batessitore@yahoo.com

We pray God's blessings on you and appreciate you all so much.

                                                                City of Exeter

 

 

 

 

 

 

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