Around the World – August 2008
ARGENTINA
BUENOS AIRES — Les and Pat Porter and Ruth Washington, church members in the Seattle area, traveled to this South American nation recently to work in the Let’s Start Talking program.
The Bedford, Texas, ministry helps non-native speakers improve English skills using the Bible. The ministry is renting an apartment in Buenos Aires for visiting workers, said missionary Joel Banks. The missionary seeks teams to work in the ongoing outreach effort from August to early October. For more information, see www.lst.org.
CAMEROON
KUMBO — Willie and Kathy Robinson, who served as missionaries in this West African nation in the 1970s, returned to visit this city in northwest Cameroon recently with one of their sons, Jim, and a son-in-law, Michael Strickland. The visitors spoke during men’s and women’s Bible courses conducted by missionaries Paul and Janet Kee. More than 100 people attended each class, “which made them the largest courses ever held in the northwest province,” Paul Kee said.
CUBA
HAVANA — Members of the 10th of October church added a second story to their building recently. The new floor will provide housing and classrooms for the Havana Ministry Training Center, said Rudy Wray, dean of ministry training for Lubbock, Texas-based Sunset International Bible Institute. The improvements allowed Wray to teach 13 Cuban ministers enrolled in a preacher-training program recently while Kirk McAffee and Jorge Pineda of Miami taught a seminar for 24 other Cuban ministers.
GREECE
HERAKLION — Church members from Athens and the U.S. traveled to this city on the island of Crete recently to teach a seminar for a young church.
John Adesoye, a Nigerian immigrant baptized in Athens, ministers for the church and requested the seminar.
Sammy Flannery, European mission coordinator for Sunset International Bible Institute, taught from the Gospel of John. One attendee was baptized.
ITALY
PATERNO — Christians in Action, or CIA, a small group of church members from across Italy, traveled to the island of Sicily to assist the small church in Paterno. The team helped the church conduct a conference for youths. Vittorio Vitalone, an evangelist in Rome, led a conference for adults.
“Our presence brought some non-Christian spouses into the congregation,” said Lewis Short, a missionary in Milan and the only American in the group. The effort “produced at least one baptism and has strengthened the bonds between congregations in that area,” he said.
JAPAN
IBARAKI —Thirty-one members representing 26 congregations in Japan attended the annual All Japan Evangelists Study Meeting, hosted by church members in Ibaraki recently. “Christian Spirituality” was the theme.
PERU
ICA — A group of 106 church members from the U.S. participated in a recent medical mission to this South American nation, where one year ago an 8.0-magnitude earthquake claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed thousands of homes.
During the two-week campaign, the group conducted 573 Bible studies, resulting in 48 baptisms. “Panama” Jack Farber of Valdosta, Ga.-based Latin American Missions led the group and posted photos and reports on his blog: www.panamajack.org.
SENEGAL
DAKAR — In this West African nation, where an estimated 94 percent of the population of 12.8 million claims Islam as its faith, a Christian ministry training program graduated its first two preachers.
The Dakar School of Religious Studies hosted its first graduation ceremony recently, minister Arnold Dzah said. The guest speaker was Samuel Twumasi-Ankrah, principal of Heritage Christian College in Accra, Ghana, and minister for the Nsawam Road church, one of the largest congregations in Africa.
SPAIN
SEVILLE — A congregation planted by the Seville church about two years ago met for the first time in its new facility, said Bill Brant, president of Herald of Truth.
Brant and other workers with the Abilene, Texas-based ministry — Tim Archer, Steve Ridgell and Vince Swinney — attended the building dedication with Juan Monroy, Herald of Truth’s Madrid-based international minister.
The church of about 50 members welcomed the visitors “as long-lost brothers,” Brant said.
UNITED KINGDOM
LONDON — A new congregation was planted recently in the Thamesmead neighborhood of southeast London, church member Kwame Gyebi said.
The new congregation of 19 members is the result of “the grace of God” and is an effort of the New Cross and Tooting congregations in London, Gyebi said.
BUENOS AIRES — Les and Pat Porter and Ruth Washington, church members in the Seattle area, traveled to this South American nation recently to work in the Let’s Start Talking program.
The Bedford, Texas, ministry helps non-native speakers improve English skills using the Bible. The ministry is renting an apartment in Buenos Aires for visiting workers, said missionary Joel Banks. The missionary seeks teams to work in the ongoing outreach effort from August to early October. For more information, see www.lst.org.
CAMEROON
KUMBO — Willie and Kathy Robinson, who served as missionaries in this West African nation in the 1970s, returned to visit this city in northwest Cameroon recently with one of their sons, Jim, and a son-in-law, Michael Strickland. The visitors spoke during men’s and women’s Bible courses conducted by missionaries Paul and Janet Kee. More than 100 people attended each class, “which made them the largest courses ever held in the northwest province,” Paul Kee said.
CUBA
HAVANA — Members of the 10th of October church added a second story to their building recently. The new floor will provide housing and classrooms for the Havana Ministry Training Center, said Rudy Wray, dean of ministry training for Lubbock, Texas-based Sunset International Bible Institute. The improvements allowed Wray to teach 13 Cuban ministers enrolled in a preacher-training program recently while Kirk McAffee and Jorge Pineda of Miami taught a seminar for 24 other Cuban ministers.
GREECE
HERAKLION — Church members from Athens and the U.S. traveled to this city on the island of Crete recently to teach a seminar for a young church.
John Adesoye, a Nigerian immigrant baptized in Athens, ministers for the church and requested the seminar.
Sammy Flannery, European mission coordinator for Sunset International Bible Institute, taught from the Gospel of John. One attendee was baptized.
ITALY
PATERNO — Christians in Action, or CIA, a small group of church members from across Italy, traveled to the island of Sicily to assist the small church in Paterno. The team helped the church conduct a conference for youths. Vittorio Vitalone, an evangelist in Rome, led a conference for adults.
“Our presence brought some non-Christian spouses into the congregation,” said Lewis Short, a missionary in Milan and the only American in the group. The effort “produced at least one baptism and has strengthened the bonds between congregations in that area,” he said.
JAPAN
IBARAKI —Thirty-one members representing 26 congregations in Japan attended the annual All Japan Evangelists Study Meeting, hosted by church members in Ibaraki recently. “Christian Spirituality” was the theme.
PERU
ICA — A group of 106 church members from the U.S. participated in a recent medical mission to this South American nation, where one year ago an 8.0-magnitude earthquake claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed thousands of homes.
During the two-week campaign, the group conducted 573 Bible studies, resulting in 48 baptisms. “Panama” Jack Farber of Valdosta, Ga.-based Latin American Missions led the group and posted photos and reports on his blog: www.panamajack.org.
SENEGAL
DAKAR — In this West African nation, where an estimated 94 percent of the population of 12.8 million claims Islam as its faith, a Christian ministry training program graduated its first two preachers.
The Dakar School of Religious Studies hosted its first graduation ceremony recently, minister Arnold Dzah said. The guest speaker was Samuel Twumasi-Ankrah, principal of Heritage Christian College in Accra, Ghana, and minister for the Nsawam Road church, one of the largest congregations in Africa.
SPAIN
SEVILLE — A congregation planted by the Seville church about two years ago met for the first time in its new facility, said Bill Brant, president of Herald of Truth.
Brant and other workers with the Abilene, Texas-based ministry — Tim Archer, Steve Ridgell and Vince Swinney — attended the building dedication with Juan Monroy, Herald of Truth’s Madrid-based international minister.
The church of about 50 members welcomed the visitors “as long-lost brothers,” Brant said.
UNITED KINGDOM
LONDON — A new congregation was planted recently in the Thamesmead neighborhood of southeast London, church member Kwame Gyebi said.
The new congregation of 19 members is the result of “the grace of God” and is an effort of the New Cross and Tooting congregations in London, Gyebi said.
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