Mission to Montenegro newsletter

February 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

May God be gracious to us and bless us and 
      make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth, your saving power 
     among all nations.   Let the peoples praise you, O God; 
Let all the peoples praise you!  Ps. 67:1-3

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!

It is good to be back in Nikšić; we are excited to share the following highlights with you:

• Stan has been able to pick right up with preaching through the Gospel of Luke, ch. 6 (morning service) and Philippians, ch. 4 (evening service) This time around the men leading the services during our absence continued the practice of preaching consecutively through Scriptures rather than from individually chosen texts. They found that preaching through the Scriptures was a different, but good, challenge for them all, as well as a blessing to the congregation.

• We are seeing new people come to our services.  We've welcomed one new brother (R.) who became a believer in Bosnia but now lives in Nikšić.  He has regularly been attending both services for the past several months.  We've also had several young people (late teens/early 20s) visit Sunday services recently.

Ps. 67: The Nations (Denmark, Montenegro, USA, Serbia) gathered to praise and make known God's saving power

• We celebrated the grand opening of the Student Center and the formal launching of EUS Montenegro this past week! From the outset of our time here in MNE, we've reached out to university students. That small beginning, built upon by many, has blossomed into the establishment of EUS-Montenegro, an independent member of IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students).  Like the apostle Paul, AC)">we are not ashamed of the gospel, because it is AD)">the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.  To God be the glory!

Danijel addressing the crowd at the Grand Opening of the Student Center

Stan highlighting the importance of God's Word and place of the local church in Student Ministry

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests

• We will be hosting the All-Montenegro Believer's Meeting this coming March 14th.  This is an annual event that confirms and testifies what a blessing it is when believers dwell together in unity.  As the hosts this year, we have made arrangements with the local hotel to use their facilities, but nothing is truly confirmed as the hotel is in bankruptcy proceedings with ever-changing authorities in charge. Please pray that as we make our plans, the Lord would direct our steps.

• We are in the delightful position of needing to outfit a church nursery! We have two families expecting a baby in the next few months, plus a couple of preschoolers and toddlers. Along with prayers for safe deliveries, please pray that God would send someone with the heart, time, and resources to minister regularly to our growing congregation of little ones, both within the church and without.

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

Prayer and Praise Bulletin Points:

• Praise God for men who ably preached God's Word in our absence, and for the freedom we have to proclaim God's truth.  Please pray that God would use His Word to pierce the hearts of many unto repentance.
• Praise God for the new faces we've seen on Sunday.  Pray for R. as he misses his old congregation, that we would continue to warmly welcome him and help him find his place here.  Pray for the young people who are searching for the truth, that God would open their hearts and minds to receive Him by faith.
• Praise God for the new phase on ongoing student ministry via EUS-Montenegro and the multi-national partnering from which it grew.  Please pray that this new organization, its leaders, and the new Student Center all be used for the glory of God, seeing His kingdom grow both here in Nikšić and in all Montenegro.
• Praise God for the opportunity to gather as brothers and sisters united in Christ. Pray that our time together in March would be pleasing to God, an encouragement to us believers, and a witness to the community of our awesome God.
• Praise God for the little ones He is knitting together in our local congregation as well as others here in Montenegro and the former Yugoslavia.  This is the first generation here in a long while to be consciously raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Please pray for the hearts of these children and for their parents to diligently love, teach, and train them.  Also, please pray for someone to minister to the children via nursery, Sunday School, and other outreaches.