Not posting much

I am not posting much because with the lock down we are limited to do anything other than on Internet. Philip and the others of church leadership are doing a good job in Patos on this, as is Pastor Wostenes and leadership team of all the general churches here. Thus I am having a long needed break to build up health and strength, which is much needed, and value your prayers.

We are helping feed the hungry in a very discreet way. If it was publicized we would have multitudes asking for help non-stop and have no peace. Similarly such work is being done round the projects and churches. Much teaching is being done online for all the communities with which EAB works, both spiritual and health wise, including about how to avoid the virus. Thus contacts are maintained. Please pray for us and EAB. 

Zoom is helpful

The church youth in Patos had their meeting on Saturday via Zoom again, but included our Juazeirinho and Teixeira church young people as well together with Beatriz who is on an exchange year in Demark

We, as most of our churches, did live broadcasts on line at the normal time of our church services. Strange, difficult and stressful times for all of us. We pray for each other.

Adapting

This is an unbelievable time of adapting to a new world reality and we are certainly working hard on this. The work load is incredible coordinating all the different teams and church leaders around EAB/ACEV's 88 churches. Let me try and give you an overview of some little bits of everything.

The senior leadership team of 10 has regular coordination meetings to discuss umpteen questions that arise. Please pray for pastor Umbirajara's wife (one of the team) whose wife has discovered she has a malignancy and is being operated on right now. 

Then there are issues linked to funds to support this outlying pastors in small churches. How to manage this? Then there is the problem that next month is statutory time to elect a new team (this is done every 4 years), or re-elect the old one, at our annual Leader's Conference, which almost certainly won't happen. This has to be officially registered with a public notary which is closed. Without this registered change in the leadership board the banks won't work for us and we wouldn't be able to do bank transfers to pay workers, projects etc. We can organize an internet general assembly for the election under these exceptional circumstances, I think, but will we be able to get a public notary to register it so as to have legal public value before the banks and authorities? I am sharing the details of this one issue, or a long list, just for you to understand the dilemmas and challenges facing us as leaders of the Mission. Please pray and support. Thank you.

88 EAB Churches preach the Gospel in Lockdown

With church services cancelled everywhere the Church of Jesus Christ adapts and reaches out with teaching and preaching the Gospel. The church buildings may be closed but the church moves on. Of course we miss the physical company of everyone, but the body of Christ continues in fellowship with Christ and His body.

I was encouraged by Brother Paulo, speaking to him on WhatsApp yesterday, from the ex-landless community not many miles from Green Pastures. He spoke to me from his little farmstead he received from a government project where EAB/ACEV drilled a well for the community and set up a community market garden project. I checked he was being duly careful even though he is in such an isolated community. He assured me they are. Then he told me that they had heeded my advice, from some time back, to hold little daily family times of prayer, praise and Bible reading, by who can read. He said these times "are being a great blessing to him, his wife and family, because they are learning to pray more and praise from the heart"! So this is one example of a cloud having a silver lining. Please continue to pray for us and support the work here in these difficult times.