The CHE Gathering Wave Is Spreading from Sea to Sea!

The Coast of Albania and the Adriatic Sea

From the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea in two weeks!   What a trip!  

Ron and Jeannie recently had two great opportunities to equip future Christian workers, pastors and church planters to use Community Health Evangelism strategies and materials to sharpen their ministries.  The first week was in Albania on the Adriatic Sea and the second in Bulgaria near the Black Sea.

In Tirana, Albania they joined CHE Albania Director Agron Aga to teach a week-long course at the International School

Counseling students at the International School of Theology and Leadership, Tirana, Albania

of Theology and Leadership, the largest Bible college in that country.  They were able to show the versatility of the Community Health Evangelism’s library of Christ-centered resource materials by demonstrating lessons that could be used in churches, schools and communities on basic community mental health issues.  Their 19 students were mainly those in the school’s counseling track.  Mental health issues are very common in poor communities and preventative health-care is urgently needed.  

Hervin Fushekati

The training team was pleased by the intensity with which the students participated in the class-room presentations, role plays and practice sessions.  President of the school, Hervin Fushekati, is looking for our team to return next fall to do a complete CHE introductory course for pastors and church planters.

Jeannie and Marijana on the Bulgarian Coast of the Black Sea

Ron and Jeannie and Marijana Čizmanski got their first peak at the Black Sea on a raw and blustery March day, before settling in at the Global Nomads training center near Burgas, Bulgaria.  Their mission was to give E.D. and his team a vision of how Community Health Evangelism could better help them plant churches in Bulgaria and along the Silk Road to China.  On Friday, E.D. took them to survey Roma urban ghettoes of about 15,000 people each in the cities of Yambol and Sliven as well as one village near their training center where they had already begun outreach.  

Since it was Friday the narrow, muddy ghetto streets were

The Roma Ghetto in Sliven, Bulgaria

packed with milling people trying to move in multiple directions.  Wedding celebrations and parades with loud Roma/Turkish music blared away.  Merry children tried to slap dirty hands with passers-by.  The smell of barbecue and burning wood and plastic filled the air.  On a side street, what appeared to be a bride-sale was taking place as older men drinking wine watched young girls dance mirthlessly to a beat.  In one setting, garbage was strewn as far as the eye could see.

In both urban settings we interviewed local Roma about conditions in their neighborhoods.  We also met with two local pastors and visited their humble church buildings, a quiet oasis from the steady din in the streets and a hope for lost people.

Ron tells a story during CHE Vision Seminar in Bulgaria

The next two days we shared how Global Nomads might make inroads into these seemingly hopeless environments by combining their Disciple Making Movement strategies with wholistic community development methods.  Christian Roma from the nearby village attended many of the meetings.

An unexpected blessing for our CHE Team was to get to know E. D. and his amazing work more fully.  We are currently researching how to incorporate Disciple Making Movement strategies into our own community work.  It turned out that E.D. is an expert in DMM, having trained over 200 active church planters.  It looks like we may be training each other’s teams in the near future.  More about that later.

This Fall is Filled with Thanksgiving Reports about Our CHE EuroNet Teams

Locate Hungary, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria and North Macedonia (FYROM) on the map!

October-November is proving to be a season of outpouring of great blessings for our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) teams that makeup the CHE EuroNet in Central Europe and the Balkans.  Here are some of the happenings for which we are very grateful this Thanksgiving.

HUNGARY — On November 11 the first Sunday morning worship service was held in Boldog in the new Roma community center!  Fifteen precious people were in attendance as Feri Olah preached the Good News of the Kingdom of God and Laci Daroczi-Csuhai spoke. 

Feri Olah leads the people of Boldog in their first worship service, November 11

The plan is to continue regular meetings on Sunday mornings.  The community center is also being used for Women’s Group meetings, English lessons, men’s gatherings and other village events.

The newly painted Boldog Roma Community Center as it appeared at the Dedication Service, October 28, 2018

The people of Boldog held a used clothing sale to buy the heating units as well as the paint for the Community Center.  Then they painted it outside and inside.  It’s beautiful!

Women from Boldog paint the inside of their new community Center

SERBIA— ZZ Serbia hosted a TOT1 training conference at the Belgrade Bible School.  Five enthused trainees came from The Galilee Foundation of Macedonia and four from Sasha Cipra’s EZZ Bosnia team in Tuzla, Bosnia.  They were being equipped to launch new CHE programs in their countries.

Marijana speaks at the 22cd Annual Women’s Conference in Belgrade

Meanwhile development work progresses in the Roma villages of Bačko Gradište and Donji Petrovci, Serbia.  ZZ’s big challenge will be to find places to hold meetings in the communities this winter.

Marijana Cizmanski, Director of ZZ Serbia and an NAB National Worker, was the main speaker at the 22cd Annual Women’s conference in Belgrade in October.  She presented two well-received messages on “Fruits of the Healthy Relationship with God.”

REZ Serbia is doing new preliminary survey work in the community of Nadalj, Serbia as well as engaging in a partnership with a Baptist church in north Serbia to help them start a CHE program in their neighboring village.

NORTH MACEDONIA — Agron Aga, Director of CHE Albania and Patriot Hoxhaj, Director of the Albania MAI Team made a CHE mentoring visit to Rev. Jimmy Simon and leaders of the emerging CHE Macedonia Team near Veles, Macedonia two weeks ago.  

Agron Aga, Director of CHE Albania teaches in Stip, Macedonia

Together they visited and selected four potential villages for surveying in the coming months.  Two will be chosen by the Macedonia team for their first CHE development programs.  Leaders from World Poverty Solutions and ReachGlobal will be visiting the team for further training and counseling after New Years.  The Macedonians, who serve with The Galilee Foundation, continue to be highly motivated to begin CHE in communities where they have already planted churches.

BULGARIA — A new connection was made in October with a mission leader in eastern Bulgaria who has a vision to use Community Health Evangelism to evangelize and disciple Roma that his teams are contacting there.  Plans are being formed to do a CHE training in this region in the spring, 2019.

KOSOVO — CHE Albania has recently completed introductory training in one church in Kosovo.  In February they are scheduled to do the same in 2 more Kosovo churches.  We currently do not have a CHE team or program in operation in this needy nation.

ALBANIA — You have seen CHE Albania’s name and Agron Aga’s name throughout this report.  Beside all the work they are doing in Kosovo and Macedonia, they are preparing for a CHE TOT1 worker’s training conference in Tirana, Albania in March.  God is really using this team.

SUMMARY — We are excited and encouraged to see Community Health Evangelism spreading to new churches, new communities, new teams and new countries.  We are blessed to see Roma becoming believers and being discipled.  We are motivated by seeing our CHE Team Members throughout Central Europe and the Balkans so motivated!  We are overjoyed to see the beginning of a church plant in Hungary.  Please pray with us for lasting fruit!  Thank you, Lord,

Ron and Jeannie visit Oklahoma, where the wind really does come sweepin’ down the plain!

Ebenezer Baptist Church of Shattuck, Oklahoma

Ron and Jeannie were humming tunes from the musical “Oklahoma!” the weekend of November 16 to18.  Why?  They were visiting in the Sooner State for the first time in their lives, traveling to Shattuck, Oklahoma to report and speak at the annual Missions Sunday of Ebenezer Baptist Church.  Rev. Curt Arne and his congregation invited Ron and Jeannie to teach their adult Sunday School class, preach in the morning service and be their guests for their annual Thanksgiving potluck dinner.  It was a very joyful experience. 

Ron and Jeannie returned to Phoenix, Arizona from Hungary in mid-October to begin 4 months of home assignment.  They will spend time with family, take care of doctor and dentist appointments and work on needed house projects.  

Jeannie and Ron got home to Phoenix in time to trick and treat with the grandchildren Milo, Moxie and Calvin

The NAB Hungary missionaries and CHE Central Europe Coordinators will also be visiting supporting churches and partners to give reports on 2018 happening highlights and to share visionary plans for 2019 and beyond.

The Secks will return to Hungary on February 28.  If you or your church would like to schedule them for a visit, please contact them at ronseck@me.com.  They would love to see you also.

Camp Mrčajevci Hosts Greatly Blessed CHE EuroNet Summit and Gathering

The CHE EuroNet annual Gathering of CHE leaders from Central Europe and the Balkans took place September 13 to 16 at beautiful Camp Mrčajevci in central Serbia.  Thirty-five workers, staff and board members from Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Albania attended.  

Each year the CHE EuroNet network gets together for a time of encouragement, renewal, refreshment, training and sharing of best practices and fellowship.  The CHE EuroNet Board also meets to plan out the coming year of cooperative activities.  In 2019 we will start nation-wide CHE Vision Seminars and hold a training conference on Disciple Making Ministry (DMM) methods.   

Members of the Galilee Foundation of Macedonia listen to Tony Freitas’ Workshop

One highlight of this year’s Gathering was the presence of Pastor Jimmy Simon and 6 members of the Galilee Foundation of Macedonia who are taking steps to implement Community Health Evangelism in their ministry of evangelism and church planting in poor communities of their country.  In the last decade the Galilee Foundation has planted 27 churches.

 

 

 

THE SUMMIT

The Gathering was preceded this year by a very significant two-day Summit of international mission agency leaders and their national workers who are now engaged in CHE work among the poor of Central Europe and the Balkans.  

The CHE EuroNet has the vision of having CHE Teams and Programs up and running in all countries of Central Europe and the Balkans by the end of 2020.  Up until 2012, Medical Ambassadors International and Fida International operated three teams in the Balkans.  Ron and Jeannie Seck brought the North American Baptists into Hungary and Serbia to do CHE in that year.  Since then, the Cooperative Baptists, ReachGlobal (of the Evangelical Free Church), World Poverty Solutions (WPS) and Global Hope Network International (GHNI) have also entered.

ZZ and REZ Serbia try to solve a team building problem

We are very excited and praising God for all these new CHE agencies who are arriving in our region and for the potential for growth and for learning new models and skills that they are bringing.   The Summit was a time to become familiar with each Agency’s personnel, CHE model, strategy and vision.  We also acquainted newcomers with the unique cultural features of the Balkans and other former Soviet Satellite Countries as well as the resources CHE EuroNet can make available to them as they begin their work.  

We are experiencing great interest in new countries (like Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Romania) to begin CHE Programs.  At the Summit we examined many of these opportunities and discussed which agencies are best suited to help them get up and running.

Finally, we discussed how each of our agencies can continue the collaboration, cooperation and communication that has characterized the CHE EuroNet network and helped us expand as we have thus far.

As CHE Central Europe Coordinator, Ron organized and led the Summit attended by Tony Freitas (Reach Global), Andreas Steffensen, Prakash Lal and Ann Kozlyuk (WPS), Daniel Emig (via video, GHNI), Patriot Hoxhaj (MAI), Jon and Tanya Payne (CBF), Ron and Jeannie Seck (NAB).  These leaders stayed on for the Gathering and met with individual CHE teams to discuss potential future partnerships.  The times of relationship-building were priceless.  All of us powerfully felt the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace.

A Recipe for Making a Mobile CHE Community Center Building

• 

  Two Used 40 foot steel shipping containers

  Take 2 forty-foot long steel shipping containers (used)

 

• Add 8 well-seasoned North Dakota short-term team builders

 

• Mix in several Hungarian and Roma skilled workers

 

• 

  Cutting out the walls

  Flavor with wonderful Roma meals

 

• Pour in a generous financial gift from Hillside Baptist Church in Dickinson, ND

 

• Cook vigorously for 5 days

 

• Simmer for one more week.

 

• 

  Studs, drywall and insulation

  What do you get?  A Mobile Community Center for the Roma of Boldog, Hungary that’ll be used for CHE training meetings, community events, a youth center, a medical clinic, church services, social events, tutoring and much more.

Erv and Marty VanVeldhuizen’s four man crew from Hillside Baptist arrived in Hungary and quickly tore in to the two shipping containers which had been delivered to the building site in Boldog.  With the skilled help of Laci Daroczi and Feri Olah, MEK staff members, they cut out walls, windows and doors; joined the 2 containers together and sealed them from rain.  

Inserting windows

Rev. Paul Herr and a team of 3 from Century Baptist then joined in.  Together they put up the studs, welded door and window sills and support columns, inserted the doors and windows, insulated, ran tubing for electrical wiring, and dry-walled.  

Each noon, the women of the community cooked them a delicious Roma meal you could never find in any restaurant.  In just five days they had the heavy labor done!  The majority of the hard-working crew then had to return home.

The rest stayed on the second week to help Laci and Feri run the electric wire and mud the drywall.  The next steps

Drywall, windows, doors, electrical installed

will be to paint the interior and exterior; install plumbing and eventually construct an awning over the front of the building to shelter outside activities.

Our grateful thanks to Erv, Marty, Mike, Aaron, Troy, Paul, Barry and Mark and the people of Hillside Baptist Church for making this vision a reality.

Please pray that this new building will now be used to bring the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ to the Roma community in Boldog.

 

One CHE Mobile Community Center for Boldog (we still need to paint!)

Laci and Jeannie stand with the hard-working crew from Hillside Baptist Church: Aaron, Troy, Mike and Erv.

The ladies who make things happen: Marika, Marty, Laura, Andi, Jeannie and Helen.

Highlights of The CHE/Mercy Street Outreach in Hungary and Serbia.

Mercy Street in Concert in Gyöngyös, Hungary, August 16

The Mission:  to share the good news of Jesus Christ and to raise awareness of the opportunity for wholistic community development in Roma villages through our CHE teams in Hungary and Serbia.

The Method:  a 17-day campaign of music camps, festivals, mini and major concerts performed in 5 Roma communities and 2 cities in cooperation with the Mercy Street Team headquartered in Germany, August 10 to 27.

The Man and Woman Power:  The 17 faithful, dedicated members of the Mercy Street Team; the hard-working members of the MEK Central Hungary Team and the ZZ and REZ Serbia Teams; plus about 350 diligent prayer warriors from the US and Canada.  

The Mission Highlights:

Music lessons in Zsambok

The Music Camp in Zsambok, Hungary — This week-long camp was open to Roma youth in the villages of Zsambok and Boldog who were serious about learning how to sing or play a musical instrument.  Fifteen to twenty students gathered each morning from 9 to 12:30 to watch the Mercy Street Band perform, learn about the instruments from professional musicians, hear their Christian testimonies and Biblical life-lessons, take small group music lessons and do arts and crafts projects.  One special moment was when the young would-be musicians enthusiastically hit the streets of Zsambok on Friday to do their own mini-concerts using drums, kazoos and voice.  It was tremendous to give these young people visions and Christian role models for a possible future in music.

Music School Students enjoy doing a mini-concert in a parking lot in Zsambok

Concerts in Zsambok, Gyöngyös and Boldog, Hungary — The MEK Central Hungary Team, let by Laci Daroczi-Csuhai and Feri Olah, is just beginning to introduce CHE in the villages of Zsambok and Gyöngyös.  A full-scale Mercy Street Concert of blues, rhythm and blues, Negro spirituals and Gospel music plus personal testimonies was a perfect way to raise awareness for MEK Hungary as a Christian community development program entering their villages.  In Boldog, the evening concert brought out many adults we had not seen at our previous MEK outreach events thanks to the advertising efforts of our Roma champions in the village.  Mission accomplished.

People Gather for the Mercy Street Concert in Zsambok

MEK Benefit Concert — As MEK Hungary’s ministry expands into new impoverished communities, so does its need for volunteers and partners.  About 100 people attended a MEK benefit concert at the Concert Hall in Hatvan to hear Mercy Street and see several video presentations about MEK Hungary.  After the concert they were given opportunity to fill out MEK partnership cards.  

After 10 days in Hungary, the campaign moved on to the Novi Sad, Serbia area to work with Marijana Čizmanski’s ZZ Serbia Team in two villages, Donji Petrovac and Backo Gardista.

Mercy Street backs up local Roma musicians

Donji Petrovac, Serbia — Many Roma in this small village stood at a distance and watched curiously as the Mercy Street band did an American music mini-concert on a Wednesday night.  As they ended, several Roma musicians from the village came up with with keyboard and accordion in hand and asked if they could play some Gypsy songs with the band!  The band plugged them in and off they went!  A large crowd gathered to watch “white, western” musicians get an introduction to Gypsy music!  Those moments broke the ice as the Mercy Street members affirmed the music and the skills of the Roma performers in front of their fellow-villagers.  

Making Gypsy fried bread at Donji Petrovac Festival

The children’s program, festival and large concert the next night drew most of the village for a lively evening of music, testimonies and Gospel sharing.  Our goals of sharing the love of Christ and introducing CHE and the ZZ Team more fully in Donji Petrovac were certainly met.

Backo Gardista, Serbia — In this larger Roma community, Marijana Čizmanski and her ZZ Serbia team are just forming relationships and gaining the trust of the cautious Roma population.  One reason Roma keep themselves segregated from “white” people is their memories of bad experiences with them in the past.  Now we were invading their home space with about 25 “white” people!  

Starting in the morning with a children’s music and craft time and an active afternoon festival, trust began to grow as more parents allowed their children to attend.  

Adults were bashful at first to come for the goulash dinner that was

prepared for them, but the food was just too delicious to resist.  The concert site was at the center point where five streets meet.  Villagers from all five streets gathered at the head of their street to enjoy the Mercy Street concert and hear testimonies and the Gospel.  Marijana and ZZ workers were able to meet many villagers for the first time and introduce themselves and CHE wholistic community development to them.  It was a huge step forward for them and the village.

Happy faces at the Concert in Backo Gardista

Novi Sad, Serbia and the Synagogue Concert — The large Synagogue, now used as a culture-center in Novi Sad, was the scene of a benefit concert on Friday night to raise up visibility and partners for our two CHE teams in Serbia, REZ and ZZ.  Over 200 people enjoyed Mercy Street’s music and heard about the vision and ministry of REZ and ZZ.  Few response cards were turned in after the concert, however.  Please pray for more volunteers to help with this needy ministry.

The mission for our 17-day campaign was accomplished.  We all agreed that, in the process, we learned and grew a great deal ourselves, especially in regard to spiritual warfare and working with the poor and marginalized, but very friendly, Roma people.  

Please pray now for the follow-up by our CHE Teams (MEK Hungary, ZZ and REZ Serbia) in each of these villages and with those who filled out response cards at the benefit concerts. 

Mercy Street Concert at the Synagogue in Novi Sad

TWO-WEEK MUSICAL OUTREACH WITH “MERCY STREET” COMING TO SERBIA AND HUNGARY CHE SITES IN AUGUST

Roma love music, almost anything they can dance to.  They love musicians and instruments.  Many aspire to be musicians themselves, one of the few avenues for economic and social advancement for them.  When Roma become believers, some wish to become Christian musicians, creating a true Roma/Gypsy worship style.

Mercy Street’s music team will be coming to Hungary and Serbia in August!

Enter MERCY STREET, a professional band of musicians, into CHE’s community development strategy.  For two weeks, August 13 to 27, sixteen Mercy Street members, including professional musicians, technicians, and stage workers will join CHE in Hungary and Serbia.  In towns such as Zsambok, Boldog, Gyögyös and Hatvan in Hungary and Becko Gardista, Donji Petrovac and Novi Sad in Serbia, where CHE teams are at work, they will do outreach, music and instrumental instruction, busking and concert performances.

We ask you to begin interceding now for the

Mercy Street will be performing in Boldog, Hatvan, Zsambok and Gyöngyös in Hungary

The Synagogue in Novi Sad, Serbia

Mercy Street and CHE teams and these upcoming outreach music schools, busking and concert performances.  Pray especially for Gyögyös, one of the devil’s true strongholds and for community concerts at the Culture Center in Hatvan and the Synagogue in Novi Sad.  We will give you more updates soon.

Stip, Macedonia and Jánoshalma, Hungary Taking Huge Next CHE Steps

Stip,  Macedonia and Jánoshalma, Hungary were the sites of very positive CHE follow up meetings recently for Ron and Jeannie and other Community Health Evangelism team members.  

In Stip we met with Pastor Jimmy Simon and leaders from the Galilee foundation who we trained in May.  God is doing great things in Macedonia through this amazing team of committed Kingdom

Members of the Galilee Foundation in Macedonia work hard on their Case for Support as Pastor Jimmy looks on.

servants.  In the past 10 years they have planted 27 churches in the eastern, southern and western parts of their country. All of this was accomplished by volunteers without consistent outside support or partners.  Their goal is to reach every unreached Macedonian village with the good news of Jesus Christ.

After taking CHE training they believe this wholistic mission strategy will be key to achieving their vision.  Even before our recent arrival their leaders were already dreaming of many different CHE projects.  Some of them are quite creative and most of them are faith-challenging.  

Our purpose was to spend two working days helping the Galilee Foundation get a good start on an important document called a Case for Support.  This document will tell the history and accomplishments of the Galilee Foundation as well as their visions for the futures potential partners.  It will define the location, need, purpose, model and resources needed for each of their CHE projects.  

In order to accomplish the Foundation’s ambitious vision, it will need committed and sustainable CHE partnerships.  Their Case for Support will help introduce them and their plans to interested, potential CHE-oriented mission agencies who are working in or entering the Balkans.  They will then have opportunity to meet with some of these agencies at the CHE EuroNet Summit and Gathering Meetings, September 12 and 13 near Nis, Serbia.

György Bayer and team members from Jánoshalma take their first CHE training module.

Jánoshalma team members will take advanced training this fall.

On a smaller but equally diligent scale, György Bayer and his Roma team have planted 10 small house churches in Roma neighborhoods in the city of Janoshalma in south Hungary.  After their CHE TOT1 training in April, György’s team wants to attempt some family-based CHE projects in neighborhoods where they have house churches.  Their vision is to engage the poor people there in a more wholistic, Christlike manner.  We spent several days after Macedonia with these willing servants doing preliminary neighborhood surveys and casting vision.  In the fall we will return to train workers to be family-based community developers.  

Please pray for these pioneering projects in Macedonia and Janoshalma, Hungary.  They are only a few of the new Roma and poor communities our CHE teams are now entering.  More to come in future reports. 

NAB Gateway Team Has “Great Expectations” as It Serves in Hungary

Annemarie, Trish, Jeannie, Jocifína, Tracy, Cathy and Laci after the morning camp in Boldog

Jesus took his twelve disciples on a missions trip.  One night he told them to get in their boat and take him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  A huge storm on the lake almost swamps their craft.  Jesus calms the waves and wind and the team lands on the far shore.  Two demoniacs meet them.  The 12 weary disciples watch Jesus heal the 2 ferocious men, see $300,000 worth of pigs rush down a hill and drown themselves and witness the irate villagers ask Jesus to leave.  Then they cross back over to the other side of the Lake — the same night.

This account taught our NAB Gateway Mission Team what to expect when you take a mission trip with Jesus!  Expect to stretch your faith!  Expect the unexpected.  Expect to be flexible.  Expect people to be people.  Expect to do whatever it takes.  Expect Jesus to do great things.  

Introducing a song in English at Zsambok English Camp

With these expectations our NAB Gateway team of Cathy Jensen, Trish Terrett and Annemarie Doell from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Tracy Haskin from Idaho, USA joined with our MEK Hungary Team and translators.  The mission: to do children and adult outreach in the Roma communities of Zsambok and Boldog, Hungary.

Forty to 50 children gathered each morning for the 3-day camp in Zsambok that focused on the theme that we can be overcomers through the power of Jesus Christ living in us.  The camp featured songs, drama, games, snacks and Bible teaching.  Tracy and Cathy worked with Ron teaching the English class while Annmarie and Trish assisted Jeannie with the craft sessions.  Feri Oláh taught the Bible applications.

Starting a home visit in Boldog

In the evenings the team visited the homes of some of the children, giving out chocolate chip cookies, something uncommon in Hungary, and other small gifts from Canada and Idaho.  Each member had opportunity to share her personal testimony of having Jesus Christ in her life and her certain hope of eternal life.  

On the final night in Zsambok, the team held a Canada evening picnic complete with home- made Canadian chili, the singing of O, Canada, and videos of the country of the Maple Leaf. 

The next three days the team followed the same pattern in the village of Boldog as we battled cold, windy and rainy weather.  The home visits and testimony sharing were a highlight and a number of children prayed with Feri Olah during the Bible classes to receive Jesus Christ.

Before the NAB Gateway Team headed home they had opportunity to visit the medieval city and fortress of Eger, enjoy the thermal baths and see the sights of Budapest.

Cathy Jensen leads the team in making “Canadian Chili.”

Thank you, Annemarie, Tracy, Trish and Cathy for coming to Hungary and serving the Roma people with us.

Children pray with Feri Oláh as parents look on, asking God for a heart of good soil so their lives will bear fruit for Jesus Christ.

Please pray, everyone, as we seek to build on the week of outreach in these two Roma communities.

Outreaching Macedonian Church Receives TOT1 Training

“Jimmy” Simon Polycarp came to Macedonia from Nigeria during the Communist era to study engineering.  Instead of finding Lenin, he found Jesus Christ … and became an evangelist!  Today he oversees a disciple-making ministry through 20 churches he has

Pastor Jimmy

planted throughout his adopted country.  Always looking for new ways to reach all Macedonians with the love of Jesus Christ, Jimmy hosted a CHE Vision Seminar in February, sponsored by CHE Central Europe Partners.  The vision of wholistic outreach and development in poor communities resonated with Jimmy and his leadership team and and they arranged with us to do a CHE Training of Trainers Conference (TOT1) for key church workers, May 20 to 25 in Stip, Macedonia. 

Because of the generous giving of CHE Central Europe Partners, we were able to hold the TOT1 at the church’s youth camp/training center.  Ron and Jeannie, plus Dr. Ture Huhtamaki (Finland) and Agron Aga and Dr. Patriot Hoxhaj (Albania) facilitated the training.  Praise the Lord with us that we now have 14 newly-trained, Macedonian CHE workers for Jimmy’s 20 churches!   As we concluded the week-long training, many of these students expressed their desire and passion to begin CHE in their churches and communities.  We made plans for the further consulting, resourcing and training of this team to help get their community projects up and running.

All in favor of coffee, raise your hand!

A small group discussion gets intense as Agron Aga of CHE Albania looks on!

One unique feature of this CHE 35-hour course was that it had to be held entirely out-doors, since the training center was not large enough for all of us!  We thank those of you who prayed for this.  The weather cooperated perfectly, only raining at night!   PTL!

The weather was great the final day, as it was all week, while the Macedonia students did their practice teaching.  

We have prayed since 2014 for CHE and CHE programs  to be established in Macedonia.  Thanks to your faithful support and the grace of God, we are one step closer to that reality.  Now pray for these new trainees to take the next step of engagement!