"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble". Psalm 46:1
"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land". 2 Chronicles 7:14
- Robert Vallerand would like prayers for his autistic grandson, Kai. He is suffering with some depressional and serious emotional issues right now. Also, a nephew, Jason, who is currently on life support.
- Martha Cain has been diagnosed with stage 3 aggressive breast cancer.
- Phil Chavez would like prayers for his mother, Lorraine. She lost her hearing, has memory loss, bad posture, body pain, and high blood pressure.
- Chandler Patterson has lost two close family members and a family friend recently.
- Josh Matson would like prayers for some stressful personal situations affecting his life currently.
"While the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of Africa’s largest countries geographically with a Christian-majority population, Islamist groups severely persecute Christians along the DRC’s eastern border. One of the principal persecutors is the Islamist Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The ADF is active in the Rwenzori Mountain area and seeks to establish Islamic law throughout the region. When rebels capture groups of people, they often release Muslims while killing Christians who refuse to convert. There are more than 100 other armed groups operating in the DRC who also target Christians.
The church is under immense pressure in the eastern DRC. In areas controlled by the ADF, Christian villages have been raided, churches destroyed and hundreds of believers brutally killed. Dozens of local Christians have been abducted by the ADF and told to recant their faith in Christ and convert to Islam. Those abducted have witnessed horrific acts of violence against fellow Christians. Prior to the outbreak of violence, one church denomination had 25 churches in the Beni area; today they have eight. Another denomination had 54 churches and now has 11. Other denominations report similar patterns." (Via: Voice of the Martyrs)
Way to Pray: Pray for pastors whose church buildings have been destroyed by Islamists. Pray for the nearly 2,000 internally displaced believers who fled widespread Islamist attacks.
In the summer of 2017, Chad and Cherry Gfeller transitioned to Berlin, Germany to begin work with refugees. Their vision for ministry is to shine the light of the gospel to the men, women, and children of Germany's great city of refuge and their ministry focuses on using the avenue of sports to reach Syrian refugees in the city.
With the rise of the refugee crisis in Europe, God moved the Gfellers to answer a call to work with Berlin Ministries International to coordinate outreach to refugee communities. The Gfellers use weekly sports ministry to help local churches bridge into these communities with the goal of starting Bible studies and connecting new believers with existing or new fellowships. They are working on developing an effective model that can be shared with churches around Europe to help them engage their communities with the gospel in a culturally relevant way. The Gfellers have two daughters, Quinn and Gracie. You can learn more about the Gfellers ministry by visiting their website.
Way to Pray: Pray for the Gfellers church leadership as they seek to unify their body around Christ, and not let secondary issues divide them.
For nearly two decades, Fellowship Greenville has partnered with E3 Ministries, whose ministry seeks to multiply disciples and churches across the globe. Over this time, we've taken numerous trips to various cities in Colombia with the purpose of partnering with E3 to share the Gospel. In 2023, we will be sending teams to Cali, Colombia, and Barranquilla, Colombia which will have a medical component to it..
Join us on Sunday, January 29th at 11 AM in Room 264 to hear more from the team leader Craig O'Neal (craigoneal086@gmail.com) and E3 Staff Member, Sam Ingrassia. During this time, they will talk about E3's ministry, the ministry in Colombia, and give an idea of what to expect with these trips. If you are a doctor or nurse, the October trip to Barranquilla will provide you a wonderful opportunity to serve. You will get to hear from our own Dr. Mark Call about what the medical component of this trip looks like.
If you're at all interested in an E3 short-term trip, this is a great way to learn more!
Lt. Matthew Clark
Caleb Ford
2nd Lieutenant Parker Lewis
SFC Josh McSpadden
Cpt. Laura Rodgers
Major Tiffany Scheivert
...and the many others who are in active military service.