Updates from Emerging Nations
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Benjamin Kreps:
Hey everyone. And welcome to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark, last week we talked about things that were going on in Liberia at Grace Life College where they're watching over this week and next week the Biblical Theology lectures with Jeff Purswell. By the way, we have a Q&A scheduled for next Friday morning, 8:30 AM (Eastern) with Jeff, Josh, and me. So, if guy's watching would pray that would be a fruitful time. I'm confident it will be. But let's keep talking about what's going on in the world beyond North America, because you have some stories for us. The first one is about Croatia, right?
Mark Prater:
It is. The stories I'm telling today are really just emails that dropped into my inbox yesterday and this morning. So, it's kind of hot off the press news. Both of them from Dave Taylor. Dave forwarded me information. And Dave, by the way, just continues to do a wonderful job as our Director of Emerging Nations.
So, he forwarded me an email from Mario Vucenovic in Croatia. Mario said two weeks ago he got a call from the landlord of their building where they meet as a church. He was saying you've got 30 days to move out because the landlord is expanding his business and needs that space. Now over that three and a half years where they've been meeting in that building, Mario has been looking for space and just couldn't find any. So, he went back and started looking again, found a much smaller space that could work, but wasn't ideal. They just continued to pray. He and his wife, Jen, remembered driving by a building that had a sign up—you know, space for rent type sign.
And so, he went in and the story is just wonderful. I got to tell you what he said so I'm just going to read from his email: “The next day we are going to be passing by a space for rent sign recently put up and decided to stop by. Brother, I couldn't believe it! The space is like three times larger than their current meeting space. It's a new modern, clean gymnasium with men's and women's restrooms. And on the other side of the building, they have two separate rooms that they can use for children's ministry. Our whole church can fit in there and do the appropriate social distancing that we have to do during the pandemic. But before I got too excited about the possibility, I just thought the rent on this building's got to be very, very high. So, I just wondered if he would charge us by the hour.”
And he said it in the meantime, his wife is out in the parking lot. Jen is praying along those lines, “May he give us an hourly rate.” Well, the, the owner of that building said I'll charge you rent on an hourly rate and essentially, it's the same rent they were paying for a space that was three times smaller and not as nice as this new modern space.
So, he's just all excited. The church is all excited about it. He was asking Dave for an Emerging Nations grant because they need some things. They need 30 chairs to put in there, they need a projector. Theirs has just breaking down. They haven't had a projection screen, so they're going to need one in that building. And then he needs a pulpit. This was interesting. Currently, Mario is using what he calls a baker's rack. And he said, “Hey, it works. So, no problem if we can't get one, but it'd be great to have a podium.”
So just a really encouraging story out of Croatia, where we just see the Lord at work. I mean, He just goes ahead of us. He brings this disruption in our lives and then has something much better for us. So that was just a great story I wanted to share with our guys.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yes, it is. That's wonderful to hear of God's provision and activity and a Sovereign Grace Church in Croatia. You have one more story, though, about a church that is not yet in Sovereign Grace but is moving towards being Sovereign Grace in Brazil.
Mark Prater:
That's right. The email I had this morning from Dave that I read was to him from Burt Turner. Bert Turner is, as most guys know, a pastor and elder in a Sovereign Grace Church in Akron, Ohio. But he spent many years in Brazil as a missionary, speaks Portuguese and has been down there several times, working with Fabiano in São Paulo, Brazil just to serve that church, but also other churches who have shown interest in Sovereign Grace.
So, we received a letter of intent from a church in Rio Grande. And it's led by a young man, Emerson Soares. All of his elders signed that which is really exciting to have a church in the South part of Brazil. And so, the next step for them, and for Emerson in particular, is to begin the ordination process. So, we may, in the next year or so, have another Sovereign Grace Church in Brazil, along with the one that's in São Paulo.
Benjamin Kreps:
Very encouraging. I know our ordination committee in the Lower Great Lakes Region is preparing to hold an oral exam for Fabiano. He was at the end of his ordination prep. And so it's wonderful to be connected to the work going on there. And I think we can all say we're very grateful for Bert and his sacrifices to go down to Brazil and minister and care for and mentor the men down there. So thanks Bert. Anything else?
Mark Prater:
It’s just another picture of our gospel partnership in Sovereign Grace. Your involvement, Ben, in Liberia, Bert's involvement in Brazil. In Liberia, Dyonah, most likely this year could be ordained as a Sovereign Grace elder. It looks like Fabiano, if he passes his oral exam, could be the first Sovereign Grace ordained elder in Brazil. And all of that's happening because we're working together. You and Bert, you region’s ordination committee. It's just another wonderful picture of partnership.
Benjamin Kreps:
It is. And I know a number of other regions are doing the same kinds of things around the globe. So exciting. It's thrilling to think about and to consider what God's doing in the nations through our little family of churches. So thank you, Mark. Thanks for the update and thank you all for watching. We'll see you here soon. Bye for now.