Mission to Montenegro newsletter

May 2019 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!  For He has done marvelous things;

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

The Lord has made known His salvation;

His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. Ps. 98:1-2

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

Praise God for all His marvelous works, shown to us and to the nations.

• For our Easter service (April 28th) Stan preached from 1 Peter 1:1-9 on the magnificent bounty of blessings in Christ in the Resurrection.  Our worship service, followed by our Fellowship Lunch, was a joyous time, and we believe the hearts of unbelieving family members were touched.  We are also encouraged to have received several new visitors interested in spiritual truths at various services this past month as well.

• By God’s good providence, Stan was able to attend a two-day conference sponsored by the Serbian Orthodox Church wrt to the proposed religion law.   The Conference regarding the religious draft law was extremely informative and helpful; still, our aims and the aims of the Orthodox Church only overlap to a certain degree.  The government does recognize that changes need to be made; more on that below.

• The highlight of the month was the marriage celebration of Saša and Marina. The wedding ceremony was beautiful and a testimony to many as very few weddings here have a scriptural, Christ-honoring component.   As Stan explained from Ephesians 5, we see a humbling and wondrous example of marital love, nourishment, and commitment in Christ as He loves and cherishes His Bride, the Church.  Oh, may God help us all to love one another as we should.

• Stan's cataract surgery was successfully completed a week ago, (opportunely scheduled the day AFTER the wedding) and the doctors are quite satisfied with the results; so is Stan as he can see out of that eye without any correction now!  Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement.  Please do pray for continued healing and for the best timing in taking care of his other eye---tricky because of our upcoming trip to the States.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for the regular ongoing ministry of the church:  for preaching,  teaching, discipling, visitations, our many hospitality opportunities, and personal growth in sanctification. 

• There is a time for everything and right now, God seems to be bringing people to hear His word and the gospel.  We mentioned earlier several new visitors at meetings (church, bible studies, conversation club).  Please pray for the souls of these men and women and for more to come and to hear the words of Jesus who said the words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

• The Montenegrin government now has on its agenda forming a new law on religious freedom and religious institutions.  They should be seeking input from all the churches; however, we currently have no information or voice on the matter.  Please pray that our concerns (the tiny evangelical church in Montenegro) would be heard and covered.   

• The Gospel Coalition of Southeast Europe is hosting a conference at the end of this month.  This conference is not merely for steering committee leaders but for pastors, their families, and any others interested in seeing a Christ-centered gospel as the foundation of Christian ministry.  We and a few others from Montenegro will be attending the conference held in Albania.  Please pray for safe travels, many attendees,  good networking, and an explosion of Christ-exalting preaching and teaching. 

• We recently had an informative session with Izaberi Život (Choose Life), a pro-life organization established in Serbia, on what they are doing and how they can help us here in Montenegro, where terminating unwanted pregnancies is culturally entrenched.  Please join us in praying for the unborn and their parents as well as the next practical step in learning to lovingly engage this culture to Choose Life.

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich