August
22, 2004
1.We are
planning to have more evangelistic probing events in the Nizhegorodka
(nee-zhe-gah-ROAD-kah) district before the hard winter sets in. We ask for
God's guidance and blessing on these efforts. Please pray also for
the development of kid's/family ministries in that area through the emergence
of a new house church. The prayerwalking and evangelistic presence of a
volunteer team from Westside Baptist Church (Sumter, SC) has been an
important contributing factor in this development! We are hoping to start
regular evangelistic bible studies and other events very soon in Nizhegorodka.
2. In the Sipailovo (see-PIE-lah-vah) district of Ufa (another place
where Satan's grip is clearly evident through troublesome levels of
alcoholism, drug addiction, hooliganism, gambling, and temptation of crass
materialism), we have continued to prayerwalk and search for places to rent
for special events and evangelistic meetings. We have encountered many "no's"
but have a few possibilities for renting a Baskin-Robbins or a school room for
such purposes. Pray that the Lord grant us favor as we make such visits,
and that God would put favor for us in the hearts of some director of some
school, restaurant, or storefront. As in Nizhegorodka, there is not one single
evangelical church in this district holding a population of approx. 100,000.
3. We will be starting an evangelistic English club in a local library
on Sept 18 and another separate club in Dom Molitva (the central Baptist
church in Ufa) on Sept 19, and likely even another separate one through Grace
Church (the church in which we participate here in Ufa) in close date
proximity, though those plans have not been finalized. Additionally, we are
exploring the feasibility of starting a 3rd evangelistic English club through
Grace Church's involvement here in the Telecenter district of Ufa where we
live. We ask for God's guidance and blessings on these
evangelistic/church-planting efforts. Our team will likely be stretched in
trying to adequately work with these opportunities for the next 3-4 months.
4. We continue to have considerable difficulty in starting a reproducible
leadership training approach among the members of Grace Church. We so much
want this new church to get cpm principles built into its early core, and we
ask for God's guidance and help with this also. It is our desire to start a
new discipleship ministry in September through Grace Church; please pray for
God to bless the preparations, teaching, and modeling of this discipleship
ministry, so that each participant passes on what they see modeled before
them; the goal of such a transferable/reproducible discipleship approach is
new bible study groups and churches.
5. Some of the above-mentioned activities reflect our increasing
participation/development of a parallel track of church planting. We
are continuing to maintain a certain level of involvement with our local
brothers, while at the same time boosting our efforts with other like-minded
Great Commission Christians to start work among new groups and areas of
the city. We ask for God's blessing that we be able to walk on what at times
is a tight-rope in following both tiers of involvement. We run the risk of
offending some of our local brothers for not working exclusively with them.
6. Pray that God points us to the right apartment to rent so as to have
an ongoing daily presence in the Telecenter district of Ufa...the
apartment would serve as part-time office for our team, a place where we
could hold daily evangelistic/training/discipleship events, and where we
could have weekly worship services.
Blessings!
Chris
and Eileen Carr
Your
IMB workers in Ufa, Russia
