Mission to Montenegro newsletter

November 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Rev. 21:3,4

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

• We can summarize this past month as seeking to live out these exhortations from Romans 12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer; share with God's people who are in need; practice hospitality; and do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good."

• Stan finished up the book of Ruth this past Lord's Day in our evening services.  From now until after the new year, he will be preaching on various thematic topics, including a number of Christmas messages while we continue with the gospel of Luke in our morning services. After the holidays, he will begin a series from 1 Timothy in the evening.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

• The regular fall routines of Bible studies, prayer meetings, weekly worship services, and visitations continue with the Lord's help although we've experienced a fair amount of ongoing illness within the congregation.   Please pray for strength and for perseverance that we might not grow weary with well-doing. 

• We are still reorganizing our meeting facilities to accommodate both infants and children for services/Sunday School.  Please pray that we would solve the various obstacles of our current facilities and that God would provide a place of our own and someone both gifted and dedicated to working with children.  We would love to expand our ministry to the young in our community.

• The ongoing Refugee Crisis calls for extra wisdom on our part and for all the organizations and governments aiding those tragically displaced.  Please pray that we, God's people, would be bold ambassadors showing forth Christ's love and compassion, loving our neighbor as ourselves, without fear; for God Himself says:  Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous hand."  Is. 41:10

• In God's providence, we get organizations and individuals asking to partner with us for both short term projects and longer term ministry opportunities.  While each one individually can be a good thing, too many such activities can be disruptive to the life and growth of the church rather than the help it is meant to be.  Please pray that we would wisely respond to each of these well-meant opportunities.

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 His steadfast love, mercies, comfort, and help in this uncertain world and that the time is coming when He will wipe away every tear and death shall be no more. Soli Deo gloria! Pray that we would show forth the light, love, and hope we have in Christ even as others react in fear.  
• Praise God for His living Word, for the freedom to proclaim its truths, for our Kinsman-Redeemer who gave His life that we might live.  Pray for Stan as he prepares messages for the upcoming Christmas season, for the congregation as they invite friends and family to these services, for the Holy Spirit to shine His light into dark hearts.
• Praise God for the various outreaches and Bible studies that we engage in each week and the slow growth we see, both in depth and in numbers.  However, please keep praying that more would come--more families, more singles, more men, more women, more unsaved--many know and are interested but afraid of family/social repercussions.
• Praise God for the babies and children coming every week, that they are growing up in families where it is normal to go to church on Sunday.  Pray that we would  quickly finish the refurbishing that needs to be done and for a gifted children's worker.
• Praise God that He is the help of the helpless, and for the opportunity we have to be His hands and feet in helping the refugees.  Pray for peace, compassion, the building up of tent cities, the provision of warm clothes, and more for the refugees, the volunteers, and the nations dealing with this heartbreak.

Note:  If you would like to receive this newsletter update directly, please subscribe at:  http://christianitymontenegro.blogspot.com/