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 Mark Meynell, our Director for Europe & the Caribbean, based in Maidenhead, UK.
How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? (Hosea 11:8).
I’ve been spending quite a lot of time with Hosea recently! It’s a beautiful, troubling, challenging book. But as I come to teach it again this week, at the summer retreat for a Turkish church, one truth has deeply impacted me. Even though God loves his people, nurtures them, provides for them, they are reliably unreliable. They keep on failing and falling. But God persists. And he rescues them (yet again). Ultimately we share in this same divine love through Jesus. Now, I used to think that’s the miracle. And it is miraculous, certainly! But there’s something even more amazing: He actually wants to show his grace. That is what sets him apart from all other gods. As he says in the next verse:
For I am God, and not a man— the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities (Hosea 11:9).
Sin must be judged, but he wants to give them a way out. This is a unique message in our world. It is precisely what makes preaching such a privilege!
Please pray for the work in various places around the world…
India: A Training of Local Facilitators’ seminar takes place today (Monday) in Hyderabad. They are expecting 15 participants from across different language groups in India—with Praveen & Veena Bunyan and Johnson Raih as the facilitators. Veena (regional coordinator) asks us to pray for safe travel and protection over the participants and their families—and that there be ‘a commitment to collaborate with each other and expand the levels of training available in heart languages.’
Nigeria: From Monday until Thursday, 50 participants are expected in Kaduna for Level One, Two and Three seminars. The facilitators are Ishaya Baba, Joel Gaiya, Ime Ebong, Maria Audu, Aremu Adeyemi, Akin Afuwape and Hankuri Tawus Gaya. Gaya (preaching movement coordinator) asks us to pray that ‘God will deepen convictions about expository preaching, with a heart to own and run with the vision of such preaching—reaching out to more leaders of churches in the city.’
Latin America (Southern Cone): Saturday sees the start of a spirituality and service training programme called vozseres designed for young preachers, with Wilfredo Weigandt providing personal mentoring and skill development in preaching. The programme will run for three years, with 8 preachers from across the region: Oscar Fernández and Lucas Rojas (Paraguay), Abigail Llave (Argentina) and Camila Arzola, Jocelyn Vivar, Rebeca Colina, Josué Rebolledo, and Miguel Soto (Chile). Wilfredo asks us to pray ‘for the lives of these eight young individuals (and for his own), so that the programme can nurture their spirituality and foster a loving service through the Word across the preaching movements in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile.’
Bolivia: The refresher programme for coordinators of escuelitas, which started in March, continues on. In-person meetings are held on the first Saturday of each month in Cochabamba (with 15 people), while virtual meetings take place on the first Monday of each month (with 26 people). The programme is led by Igor Améstegui, Willian Maida, Fernando Montoya, Carmen Urey, and Esteban Améstegui. Despite the challenges posed by the winter and economic instability, participants remain committed to learning and growing Christ-like in character. Please, keep praying for this learning experience and this community.
IFES: This week sees the start of the World Assembly in Jakarta, Indonesia. The collaboration between Langham Preaching and IFES is strong, with many people involved in both ministries. Pray especially for our own Dwi Handayani as she brings one of the morning messages from the Bible—and that God will make his care and guidance known clearly among all those who gather.
Thank-you for your faithfulness in this ministry of prayer.
The Langham Preaching Team