Mission to Montenegro newsletter
Blog entry for 17 June 2019
June 2019 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter
The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth. Ps. 145: 17,18
Grace and Peace to you in the Name of God our Father!
Rejoice with us in all the Lord is doing!
- In our morning services, Stan has just finished Exodus 8, where God demonstrates through devastating plagues His power and might as Sovereign God in answer to Pharaoh's scoffing: Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice? In the evening, we've recently been encouraged in James 5 to patiently persevere through trials, whether in our circumstances or in our relationships, knowing that there is an end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
- The All-Montenegro Believer's Meeting was held at the end of May in Podgorica, gathering nearly 150 brethren from all over the country to praise God, be encouraged by good teaching, and enjoy sweet fellowship. It is an annual "family reunion" that we look forward to. This year, one young man used the opportunity to publicly commit himself to the Lord and has been faithfully meeting with us on Sundays since then. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him. Soli Deo gloria!
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| All-MNE Believer's Meeting, 2019 |
- Regarding the newly redrafted Law on Religion and Religious Freedom, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that the most restrictive elements have been eliminated and while we would like a few minor modifications, we can live with it as currently written. The bad news doesn't directly affect us but will be the big sticking point in getting the new law passed as it deals with property rights of existing Orthodox Church buildings and lands and who owns them (MNE or the (now foreign) Serbian Orthodox church). Note: This particular provision has made headline news and sparked protests.
- The TGC-Southeast Europe conference proved to be a very worthwhile endeavor. The sessions were fantastic (comforting, inspiring, and convicting) as was meeting fellow believers and workers from various countries including Albania, Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia. In God's providence, we particularly forged some new ties with individuals and groups from Bosnia and Albania-our two closest neighbors.
Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for our upcoming trip Stateside which is again a full-packed schedule between helping Stan's elderly mother, celebrating the marriage of our daughter, and visiting churches, including one long-time supporting church and a new never-before-visited church. Please pray for safe travels, joyous reunions, and clear communication regarding the needs, hopes, and vision of ministry here.
- Please pray for the Nikšić church while we are apart--for the men faithfully preaching and teaching, for the church to be strengthened and to grow, and for the normal comings-and-goings of visitors, family, and teams here--that all might be done decently and in order to the glory of God.
- Please pray for the upcoming annual Camp Monty Sports Camp which targets young people 9-18. This is the first year that we will personally miss it. Pray for good seed to be planted and for good fruit in those children who have participated in the past. Additionally, please pray that we as a church would have much wisdom in handling all the new requests for teams and weeklong ministry outreaches that we have been receiving--we would love to work with everyone but practically speaking that is not possible.
Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
