The Stirling Bridgebuilder - January, 2009
posted in Missions, Europe |
39 Wishart Drive
Broomridge, Stirling FK7 7TR
Scotland, U.K.
Tel: 011-44-1786-816259
Email: mitchvick@btinternet.com
A New Year
Happy New Year from the Lord’s people in Stirling, Scotland. We are so very grateful for all God’s blessings, and for all your interest and encouragement in our work We pray God’s blessings on you in your service to God.
Stirling Church News
The first Sunday of 2009 was an emotionally charged day for the Stirling congregation, for several reasons. The first Sunday of the new year is always a special day in Scottish churches, but this one possessed added poignancy. It was the last day that Danny and Jie Hong Ping were with us before returning to their home in China. This young Christian couple will visit initially with their families in Taiyan and Chongqi, but we now know that they hope to settle in Shanghai, where there are better job opportunities for them. The church held a fellowship meal in their honor, and we presented them with several gifts and notes of remembrance. A second reason for high emotion on Sunday was the news, just released, that John Renwick’s cancer has returned and presents more limited options for treatment. Since some of our members had just learned of this development, it was a difficult day for many. Please continue to keep John in your prayers as he weighs his possible choices and deals with this new situation.
New Faces and New Possibilities
Over-all, December was a good month for us. We were pleasantly surprised at the return of Elizabeth Tipler, who has been in the USA since early 2008. With her are her daughter Michelle and her grandchildren Christopher and Leilani. The addition of children to the group makes it necessary for us to start planning some children’s Bible classes, which we hope to begin soon. We have started a new series of studies in our Sunday morning class on the Minor Prophets, and we continue our series on the lives of great women of the Bible in our midweek studies. The majority of the church brought in the New Year in fellowship at the home of Dick and Anne Carter. This is always an enjoyable time for the congregation.
Outreach
Over the holiday period, our youth club was in recess, but we have now resumed this work and are off to a very good start. We look forward to several new initiatives in connection with youth club, starting with a parents’ night in February. Our Friendspeak work has also been on hold, since most of the readers are out of town, but we are beginning to see some of them return now. We plan to begin regular sessions in early February and recruit new readers, but at the moment Tristan and Leslie have begun a weekly study with Mia, Judy, and Peter in their home. Isobel and I are also studying again with Pauline McGachy and involving her husband Stephen in many of our discussions. Please pray for all of these people, that their interest and faith might grow in the months ahead. We are looking forward at the end of February to a Marriage Seminar conducted by Dr. Steve Allison. Unfortunately, for the first time in a decade, it is not possible for us to hold our annual advanced Bible study seminar with teachers from the USA, but we hope to resume this work next year.
Family News
Things remain well with us personally. We enjoyed having Hannah at home over the Christmas break, and it was also a lot of fun having Isobel’s sister Lilian and her family with us. Laura and Clay had a good Christmas in Seagoville and are looking forward to moving soon to a bigger apartment (though in the same complex). Robin and Chrissy spent the holidays in West Virginia and North Carolina with Chrissy’s family and are now travelling back to Lubbock. They are involved in putting together an evangelistic team for Scotland or northern England (more details on this in the future) and have found much interest in this, so please keep this work in your prayers.
We are optimistic as we go into 2009, but the months ahead will be very challenging for us all. We ask for your constant prayers in our behalf.
Yours in the Lord’s service,
Mitch and Isobel Vick