Hey guys!
This is Byron writing. It looks like it is my turn to write part #3 of our update series!
As the Lord began to stir our hearts last summer to move to Donetsk, one of the big things that He put on our hearts was to plant a church in Donetsk. We saw the need for a Bible teaching church in this area and we came out here in faith that God would begin a good work... and over the last two months we've seen that good work begin!
November 17, 2013 was our first service as Calvary Donetsk. Click HERE to read our post about our first service. Since November 17, we've seen how faithfully God has been working in this fresh new work.
We began our Sunday service as a Sunday evening Bible study in our apartment. We actually began holding Bible studies a lot quicker than what we had expected. We were amazed how the Lord begin to work and bring people to us. Before we moved to Donetsk, we did not know a single person and had only one connection. We were prepared for slow work and thought it would take months before we could even think about inviting people to a church or Bible study. However, God was already working in people's hearts and preparing them to be a part of this new fellowship. After meeting a number of times on Sunday evenings, we made the switch to having our Sunday service in the mornings last week. Our fellowship really enjoyed the switch from the evening to the morning and we are allowed more time for fellowship afterwards.
As the first month or so went by, we began to feel the Lord leading us to begin a midweek service. Two weeks ago we held our first midweek service, and once again, we were amazed on how the Lord brings people to hear His Word. We continue to see that as long as we are simply stepping out in faith and obeying the Lord's leadings, He handles the rest. He is so faithful!
Like most Calvary Chapels, I have been teaching through a book of the Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. For our Sunday service, we are going through Acts. It's been very encouraging for Emily and I to study through Acts and see how the early church functioned, as we are in the early stages of this church. We see the Lord is giving us a foundation and principles that His church is built on.
For our midweek service (Thursday evenings), I have been teaching through Galatians. This has been great as we have been looking at what Jesus' grace has in store for us.
Be praying for Emily as she has been leading worship. She has been leading worship primarily in English, but as we begin to invite more people who do not speak English, we see the importance for Russian worship as well. Pray for her as she is learning a few praise songs in Russian.
Looking to the future:
We are currently in the process of searching for an office space to rent for services and ministries. We are praying and hoping that the Lord will lead us to a location within the next week or two. Currently, we are meeting in our apartment, and we are beginning to see the need for a office. We live outside of the center a little ways, so we want our location to be a more convenient. Secondly, we are out growing our apartment as we keep meeting new people. We feel that this is the Lord's timing to move locations. Please be in prayer for this process.
Currently, a lady in our fellowship is translating for her husband, but as we invite more and more people, we see the importance to have a few translators so the responsibility can be distributed. Last week, we met with a man who is willing to translate for us! As soon as we get an office, we will have an official translator speaking alongside next to me. This is a huge answer to prayer!
We have one young family attending our fellowship with a two-year old son. We are praying over ideas and options for children's ministry. This is another reason we feel it may be time to find an office, so that we can have a better set up to minster to the kiddos that come to church. Please be in prayer as we seek the Lord in this area.
We are so excited and amazed to see how the Lord is working and we are so blessed to be a part of things.
Blessings,
Byron
PS - Check in next Tuesday for the next update series post!
This is Byron writing. It looks like it is my turn to write part #3 of our update series!
As the Lord began to stir our hearts last summer to move to Donetsk, one of the big things that He put on our hearts was to plant a church in Donetsk. We saw the need for a Bible teaching church in this area and we came out here in faith that God would begin a good work... and over the last two months we've seen that good work begin!
November 17, 2013 was our first service as Calvary Donetsk. Click HERE to read our post about our first service. Since November 17, we've seen how faithfully God has been working in this fresh new work.
We began our Sunday service as a Sunday evening Bible study in our apartment. We actually began holding Bible studies a lot quicker than what we had expected. We were amazed how the Lord begin to work and bring people to us. Before we moved to Donetsk, we did not know a single person and had only one connection. We were prepared for slow work and thought it would take months before we could even think about inviting people to a church or Bible study. However, God was already working in people's hearts and preparing them to be a part of this new fellowship. After meeting a number of times on Sunday evenings, we made the switch to having our Sunday service in the mornings last week. Our fellowship really enjoyed the switch from the evening to the morning and we are allowed more time for fellowship afterwards.
As the first month or so went by, we began to feel the Lord leading us to begin a midweek service. Two weeks ago we held our first midweek service, and once again, we were amazed on how the Lord brings people to hear His Word. We continue to see that as long as we are simply stepping out in faith and obeying the Lord's leadings, He handles the rest. He is so faithful!
Like most Calvary Chapels, I have been teaching through a book of the Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. For our Sunday service, we are going through Acts. It's been very encouraging for Emily and I to study through Acts and see how the early church functioned, as we are in the early stages of this church. We see the Lord is giving us a foundation and principles that His church is built on.
For our midweek service (Thursday evenings), I have been teaching through Galatians. This has been great as we have been looking at what Jesus' grace has in store for us.Be praying for Emily as she has been leading worship. She has been leading worship primarily in English, but as we begin to invite more people who do not speak English, we see the importance for Russian worship as well. Pray for her as she is learning a few praise songs in Russian.
Looking to the future:
We are currently in the process of searching for an office space to rent for services and ministries. We are praying and hoping that the Lord will lead us to a location within the next week or two. Currently, we are meeting in our apartment, and we are beginning to see the need for a office. We live outside of the center a little ways, so we want our location to be a more convenient. Secondly, we are out growing our apartment as we keep meeting new people. We feel that this is the Lord's timing to move locations. Please be in prayer for this process.
Currently, a lady in our fellowship is translating for her husband, but as we invite more and more people, we see the importance to have a few translators so the responsibility can be distributed. Last week, we met with a man who is willing to translate for us! As soon as we get an office, we will have an official translator speaking alongside next to me. This is a huge answer to prayer!
We have one young family attending our fellowship with a two-year old son. We are praying over ideas and options for children's ministry. This is another reason we feel it may be time to find an office, so that we can have a better set up to minster to the kiddos that come to church. Please be in prayer as we seek the Lord in this area.
We are so excited and amazed to see how the Lord is working and we are so blessed to be a part of things.
Blessings,
Byron
PS - Check in next Tuesday for the next update series post!
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