Dear Friends
Thank you for your prayerful support of the work of Langham Preaching around the world. There is so much for which to be thankful as God does his work among us and through us. Here is one example from Paul Windsor, our Programme Director, based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Lord-willing, by the time you read this prayershot, the Global Leadership Team (GLT) will be gathered together for their annual weeklong meeting—near Vancouver, in Canada. We are entering our 10th year of providing leadership for this ministry and we bear witness to the gracious hand of God upon us. Thank-you, Lord, for bringing together such a skilled and consecrated team. We are delighted to be in Jennifer Cuthbertson’s ‘place’ but saddened that her husband, Martin, who went to be with the Lord last November, will not be with us. Only one of us had met Martin—and this was to be the greatly anticipated opportunity to do so! For the first time since 2016, we will be joined by our ‘Plus Ones’ (the spouse for those who are married; a friend for those who are single). Family and friends play a major role in sustaining us in this ministry and it is good to honour and thank them in this way.
Please pray for the work in various places around the world…
Indonesia: A Training of Trainers’ seminar takes place from Monday until Wednesday in Bogor—with Hendra Prasaja, Beatris Pangala and Gordon Hutabarat as the facilitators. They are expecting 17 participants from across the breadth of Indonesia. Pray that all learners focus well across the four days and return home with new skills to implement in their local settings.
Romania: On Tuesday a ‘Refresher Day’ is planned for 30 participants in Oradea, with Dani Oprean as the facilitator. We are asked to pray for ‘a fresh understanding of the importance of Scriptures in church and life’.
Nigeria: A week-long ‘refresher’ training—with a focus on Levels One, Two and Three—is taking place at the Baptist College of Theology in Lagos. More than 240 students are expected, with Jwan. B. Zhumbes, Akin Afuwape, Emmanuel Omoyemi, Aremu Adeyemi, Philip Babarinde, Godswill Chinemerem, Olaranrewaju Oshodi, Joel Gaiya and Hankuri Tawus Gaya as the facilitators. Gaya (preaching movement coordinator) asks to pray that ‘God will spark a fresh love for God’s Word and a heart to learn and live the Word of God’. Thirty of the participants have finished the three Levels and are coming with the goal of beginning to equip them as facilitators. Pray that this goal will be reached.
Australia: Right through this week a Level Three seminar, with an emphasis on preaching from the Old Testament, is happening with a group of Indigenous Australian (Aboriginal) preachers. It is being facilitated by Steve Etherington, Eroni Cakacakas, Cliff Letcher and Stephen Williams. Please pray for Rick and Kayleen Manton as they continue to lead this group—and pray also that faithful Biblical preaching will be accepted widely among Aboriginal people.
Burkina Faso: Also taking place right through this week, in Bobo-Dioulasso, are Level Two (with 25 participants) and Level Three seminars (with 53 participants). All the participants are pastors and lay preachers from the Hauts-Bassins region. Please pray for safety with the continuing insecurities in the country. Give thanks for the faithfulness of the facilitators—Nougtara Amos, Pastor Zabré, Ernest Asso, Morgo Agée—as well as their assistants, Nakoulma Wendmi and Delphine Napon.
Myanmar: Once again (!), running right through the week, there are Level One and Three seminars in the far north of the country, in Putao. They are expecting 60 participants, with K. Pung Ram and Kaw San providing the training. Pray for safety as people travel long distances in another insecure land.
West Asia: The next stage in the Level One training with FEBE (Fellowship of Eurasian Biblical Expositors) takes place on-line on Friday and Saturday. Altogether, in the first two in-person stages, there have been 33-35 participants (pastors, youth leaders, house church leaders, IFES students and staff) from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. As Kanat K. (regional coordinator) notes, ‘We can only sow the seeds and water them during our in-person and on-line sessions. Pray that God will help our participants to keep meeting in their groups and to help them learn and grow.’ Kanat asks us to pray especially for the ‘FEBE group’ (preaching club) coordinators who are being equipped separately in on-line sessions.
Ghana: On Saturday there is the third part of a Level One training, as well as training for ushirika leaders. They are expecting 30 participants, with Christian Adu Boakye, Francisca Ahwireng, Emmanuel Borlabi Bortey, Jude Hama, Martin Obeng and Victor Obeng as the facilitators. Victor (regional coordinator) encourages us to pray that ‘their craving to learn will be met and that this will lead to the formation of effective ushirika’.
Thank-you for your faithfulness in this ministry of prayer.
The Langham Preaching Team