Sovereign Grace Global Updates
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Benjamin Kreps:
Hey everyone and welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace churches with our executive director. Mark, at the conference just a few weeks ago, you gave some wonderful updates that included the potential for really exponential growth globally in the next few years. Growth that is happening now actually when it comes to our partnerships globally, not just in the States. And you wanted to give us a few updates about that starting in what God is doing in Sovereign Grace when it comes to Europe.
Mark Prater:
Yeah, I want to start in Europe and all these updates I'm going to share during this episode, really it's the Lord's doing. We can't take credit for them. It's his doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. So may God receive all the glory as you listen to these updates or read them if you read our transcript because he's doing a work that we never planned but that he did. And that's what makes it even better because it brings us a lot of joy to give God all the glory.
So I wanted to start with some updates in Europe. We now officially have two more candidate churches in Europe. The first one is Calvary Galway in Galway, Ireland. That is led by Ray Clancy. Ray and Rebecca were at the pastor's conference along with another brother that he brought from his church. They've been relating to Sovereign Grace for a long time. Originally, I think the connection was through Ron Boomsma, if I remember right. And most recently has been interacting with Ed O'Mara, our area leader in Europe. And they just had a wonderful time at the conference. They got back and signed the candidate agreements that makes them a candidate church. And Ray is now in the ordination process. So that was exciting.
And then another church also, Iglesia Gracia Soberana, in Spain. And that church is led by Norman Carlos Pedd. He was at the pastor's conference as well, got back and signed the candidate church agreement. And Norman is also in the ordination process. A wonderful church there in Spain that Ed has been relating to. So that's two more candidate churches that we have currently.
We have two partner churches, one in Italy led by Ed O'Mara and one in Bristol England led by Matt Chapman. And if you were at the conference, you heard an update from Pat and Dana Tedeschi who are moving to London actually next month in January for a number of reasons. One of them is to begin leading Oasis Church, which is in a multi-ethnic area of London. Pat has a background in reaching out to Muslims in London, so that'll be a part of what he does, but he'll be leading the church there. And a part of the plan is to lead that church into Sovereign Grace. So at some point they will be a partner church. And then we still have a church in Sicily, Italy, led by Giuseppe that is interested and probably will become a candidate church.
So in the next two to three years, we could go from having two partner churches to five or six, which is a wonderful work of the Lord. And so if you're listening to this podcast or reading it, please pray for these guys who are in the ordination process, Ray Clancy and Norman Carlos Pedd in particular. And after they get through that, then they will become partner churches. So just some exciting things that are happening in Europe.
Benjamin Kreps:
That is exciting to hear. Like you're saying, what a privilege that God has given us to grow partnership in Europe. But Europe's not the only place where partnership is growing; also in Latin America, you have some updates for us.
Mark Prater:
I do. Juan Jose Solano and his wife Sarah were at the pastor's conference and I had just as meaningful interaction with them there. Juan, Juan Jo is what we call Juan Jo, who leads La Gracia in San Jose, Costa Rica, came up and just said, I want you to know I've passed my ordination, all my ordination exams and I can't wait for the ordination service, which is now planned for March. And Jose La Mercado will be there to participate in Juan Jo's ordination, and he will be the first ordained Sovereign Grace elder in Costa Rica. That will be our first partner church in Costa Rica, as there's two other elders that are with him in leading that wonderful church. And they are also in the ordination process, moving through actually pretty well. So those men may be ordained before too long as well.
So again, just some exciting updates in Latin America. I mentioned in a previous podcast that Jacobis Aldana, who leads a church in Santa Marta, Columbia, also passed his ordination exams and his ordination service is coming up. So that'll be two more partner churches in Latin America, one in Costa Rica and one in Columbia. And thanks to Joselo Mercado and Rich Richardson for all the work that they do in serving those men.
Benjamin Kreps:
All so very encouraging to hear. It is spectacular that once again, those ordination standards, as we use them, apply them wisely, are really serving us globally, not just in the States. And so it's so encouraging to hear about those men. Job well done, gentlemen, with your ordination exams, passing all of those and the growing partnership there. As well, though, there are trips that are happening even now in development as we record this, fill us on on how to pray about those trips.
Mark Prater:
Yeah, it's one of the reasons I wanted to devote this episode to some global updates because there are two trips that are actually happening right now over the next 10 days that I want folks to be aware of that you can please pray for these men and for these trips. The first one is Greg Dirnberger, who is a pastor at Emmaus Road Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, along with Dave Quila, who's a pastor at Covenant Life Fellowship in Roseburg, Oregon. Those two men are flying to Pakistan as we speak, and they will be serving the pastors who are leading candidate churches in Pakistan. It's a very timely trip, I think it's the first time any of us have been there. And so they're not going to teach obviously in terms of equipping them, but they want to spend time with them, get to know them, spend time with their families just as a part of evaluating them for the ordination process. So please pray for Greg and for Dave, pray for safety, pray for protection, pray for strength. So that trip is actually happening right now.
A second one that's actually happening this week as well is a trip to the Philippines. Josh Montague, who's a pastor in Minnesota, also works for TLI Training Leaders International, who we have a wonderful partnership with, is traveling to the Philippines and he's taking with him Nate Treguboff, who leads at Cross of Grace Church in Chaska, Minnesota. And Jordan Strand, who's a pastor at a Emmaus Road Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Those three men; Josh and Nathan and Jordan are traveling to the Philippines to teach and equip pastors that are being trained over there for pastoral ministry and ordination as well. So please pray for those three men. That's a long trip. Pray that God would give them strength, pray that God would protect them and pray that God would just help them to, not just to teach these pastors, but to care for them and get to know them relationally as well. So two timely trips that you can pray for that are happening right now.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yes, we will pray. And once again, I mean, it is just one of the encouraging dynamics in all of this, is just seeing how this really is all rooted in partnership; it's relational, it's pastors from the states collaborating with pastors on the ground and other parts of the world, and we're growing together in that way. And so praise God for the work that he's doing and please be praying for those trips and for the men that we talked about that he gave us updates about in Europe and in Latin America.
So thanks, Mark, for the updates. Thank you all for watching a podcast. We'll see you here next week. Lord willing. Bye for now.