Prestoncrest Missions

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your prayers. God is truly good!

My trip to California was wonderful, and turned out to be a little different than I had expected.
As you see in the photo, they didn’t just invite me to teach a class about my 35 years on the mission field. They also honored me with a Distinguished Christian Service Award. Originally, the award was supposed to be for both Jim and me, but when he died they decided to go ahead with it for me. Although I am not either used to nor very comfortable with so much honor, it was certainly nice to be recognized and appreciated. It was truly an uplifting week. Just being on that beautiful campus was like a vacation and the weather certainly increased that feeling. Although I graduated from Pepperdine, it was my first time to be back since they moved from the Los Angeles campus to Malibu.

I was only gone 10 days, but on the way to California, I got to have a few days with my sponsoring church, Lake Orion in Michigan, meeting the new elders and their wives and being thoroughly pampered by all. They even let me do a “dress rehearsal” of my class, which gave me a better feeling about it. And, on my way home to Bremen, I made a 24-hour stop in Memphis as well, so that I could attend worship instead of traveling on Sunday. It was a short visit, but thanks to my hosts, ART and AMY, who arranged a gathering for lunch, it was enough time to get to see a lot of dear friends. Thank you again to all of you who made my trip so pleasant.

LADIES’ RETREAT

Monday starts this year’s national women’s 5-day retreat near the city of Heidelberg, and this year, the women of the Bremen church are in charge of the program. It has not been easy to get it together, but now we are all looking forward to it. Please keep us in your prayers. We have been able to delegate a lot of tasks, but STEFANIE will be teaching a class, INGRID will be leading a workshop, and MICHAELA is sort of coordinating things. I will be teaching twice, but both are presentations I have done before here in Bremen. Even though they had to be adjusted somewhat, the second time around is lots easier. There is quite a group of us going – 12, including two visitors.

HARDING CAMPAIGN

The Monday after that (May 19), we are looking forward to welcoming ANDREW, ASHLEY, LAURA and ROSIE, students from Harding University, who will be coming to Bremen for four weeks with CHUCK and MELINDA Hicks offering free English conversation based on Bible texts. Before Jim got sick, we were planning for this year to have a student campaign group without an accompanying faculty member, but when Jim died, Chuck offered not only to prepare the students but also to accompany them. Their stay will be shorter than has been the case with campaigns in the past, but with the very weak dollar, this was a necessary adjustment. Please pray that there is time for us to get to know the people the meet. On this end, the preparations have been a group effort. ALICIA has taken the calls of people answering our newspaper and internet ads and posters, RUEDI, MICHAELA, SERGEJ and MICHAEL have gotten the second floor of the church building set up to house visitors, and I have been encouraging and advising from the wings.

UPDATES

HEATHER: The studies with Heather continue to go well. This week her older son got married, so we didn’t meet, but before I left for California, she asked me for a book to read while I was away. She has been reading diligently, and we will talk about it when I get back from the retreat.

DAVID (who has colon cancer and shared a room with Jim in the hospital): I talk on the phone with David often but don’t seem to be able to get past the outer shell. He has more pain now, which doesn’t help him to think about other things.

TAXES: Thank you for all the offers of help. I was able to talk to a CPA while at Pepperdine who is willing to help me get through it. That comes after the retreat, etc.

I am looking forward to things slowing down considerably in the near future. It has probably been good for me to be busy, but I am ready now to deal with missing Jim in the quiet times, too, and feel the need to take stock of what has been, what is and what should come. Over the years, I have usually stayed pretty busy, but I could rely on Jim’s vision to make sure we were on course. For me to do that myself will take some time and effort – and quiet. Thank you for accompanying me through these changes. Between you and the Lord, I feel very blessed.

Your fellow servant,
Elsa Springer

39 Wishart Drive
Broomridge, Stirling FK7 7TR
Scotland, U.K.
Tel: 011-44-1786-816259
Email: mitchvick@btinternet.com

Hello from Scotland

Just as we thought spring was on the way in Scotland, we found ourselves on the receiving end of more wintry weather. Thankfully, the days are longer and the weather is – slowly – getting better! In the changing of the seasons, as in all other things, God is good.

Congregation News

The church continues to do well. Our new sister Jie is attending faithfully, and Tristan and Leslie Block continue to work with her. We also have her husband Danny and her friend Carey with us regularly in worship. For some in the congregation it has been a difficult month. Anne Carter, the wife of our elder Dick Carter, recently lost her sister Margery Sharp to cancer. Others in the congregation have battled illness over the past weeks. Meanwhile, John Renwick is in the Western Infirmary hospital in Glasgow, where he has successfully come through surgery for the remaining cancer in his liver and colon. His doctors are optimistic that he will make a full recovery, and they continue to talk in terms of “cure,” which they were not doing a few months ago. We are so thankful for his progress and ask you to keep him in your prayers during this tense and difficult time.

Youth Club

At the moment our Tuesday night Youth Club is off because of the spring school break, and it is scheduled to resume in mid April. However, this restart may have to be delayed because of construction work in the school. During the first weeks of Youth Club we regularly saw 12-15 kids every week. Tristan has done a great job with planning a weekly life lesson, and David McCready has done well planning the games. For the moment our youth emphasis is focused on planning a Youth Day, a first for the Stirling church, which is scheduled for June. There will be more information as plans take shape, but Tristan and Leslie are working with David and Emma McCready, as well as our young people, to put things together.

FriendSpeak

Our FriendSpeak program has continued to do well, though it has been a little up and down with the Easter break at the university. Even so, in addition to Jie, Danny, and Carey, we continue to see Cristina (from Mexico), Ann (from China), and Wendy (also from China). Several are progressing beyond the first study book, and we are thankful to see their continuing interest. We hope to increase numbers again once the university schedule gets back to normal, and some special activities are also being planned.

Personal Notes

All is going well for us personally, and Isobel and I had a very good, and MUCH needed, break in the Inverness area for a few days. Even the uncertain weather cooperated, though the snow on the hills meant we were never very far from our winter coats! My mother is doing reasonably well and recently celebrated her 86th birthday. Isobel’s dad is also doing well, though he remains very frail. Robin and Chrissy had a great campaign in Mexico, and were also able to be in North Carolina for the retirement from the Marine Corps of Chrissy’s dad, Matt Ingram. Laura and Clay are doing well also. Laura has left her job with the law office to concentrate on the library work, and hopes to get into a graduate program in the future. Hannah is well, and staying very busy in what should be her last month of academic work (more or less) before “on the job” placements start in May.

We love and appreciate all of you so very much. We ask you to please continue praying for us and for our work.

Yours in the Lord’s service,
Mitch and Isobel Vick

Dear Friends,

Sorry this is later than usual. I had the good (but unrealistic) intention of writing to you last week during the ETM Intensive Week Seminar, but there was no time to do so.

ETM

Yes, it is really happening! Last week was the Intensive Week of the first ETM basic course since Jim’s death, and I think he would be overjoyed both to know that his vision is extending beyond himself and to see what a great job Larry Sullivan (from Chemnitz) did in teaching it. It is quite a job to teach another man’s lessons. He is 3rd from right in the back row of the photo. As you can see, it is a large group – the largest ever with 14 participants from 6 churches in Germany and Switzerland. What I didn’t realize until we came together is that it is an extremely international group: 5 Germans, 4 Swiss, 1 Hungarian, 1 Czech, 2 Americans, and 1 Russian. Of course, all of them speak German at least as a second language, but the various cultural backgrounds certainly added a special flavor. The group also includes a mother and son; a mother and daughter; and a father-in-law and daughter-in-law, but little Heidi in the front row was not a participant.

Larry, his wife, Pam, Stephan Kallus, and I are sharing the mentoring duties, which means accompanying the 14 through 10 weeks of Bible work and a great deal of self-searching, hopefully motivating and enabling each of them to take the initiative for their own further spiritual growth. It was very rewarding this week to watch them discover where they are at present and begin to get an inkling as to where spiritual growth can lead them.

Over the weekend, a number of ETM-ers from previous years joined us for a brainstorming session about continuing the ETM advanced courses, which yielded several very usable ideas. It was also a time of sharing about how the ETM work has affected their lives, which was basically an outpouring of honor and thanks to Jim, and, of course, I got to bask in the warmth as well. It is good to know that our lives have touched so many and helped at least a few. And it was icing on the cake that Karin, Christoph, and my sweet Swiss granddaughters were there, too!

HEATHER

You will want to hear about my neighbor Heather who asked me if I might be willing to study with her in the Bible. We have had several very good studies so far from the Gospel of Mark, and recently she said she thinks that her 12-year old son, Robin, would also like to study with me. He is very frustrated with the confirmation classes at their church because he wants to know what the Bible says. Apparently the classes are more about ethics and politics. I hope this develops further. Robin is at about my favorite age to teach, and he is special anyway.

DAVID

Do you remember my telling you about David who shared Jim’s first hospital room? Yesterday, for the first time since I last mentioned him, he called me. Apparently he has no friends and very little contact with family, with a long history of hurt on all sides, so that most of his thoughts are filled with his illness and hopelessness. He wanted my opinion about going to Switzerland for euthanasia. Basically I told him I didn’t understand why he would want to hurry to what awaits him after death since he is not interested in going to be with God and must reckon with the alternative. (He says he is an atheist.) I was shocked at my directness, but it started a good discussion about God and Jesus and hope, and he seemed to be listening – even asked some questions. He had experienced what a difference hope in the Lord made for Jim, so I hope I was able to challenge him to spend what time he has left getting to know the One he has been ignoring. There is no telling how long he has left to change directions, so please pray that it will be long enough. After the call, which lasted for about an hour, I felt totally drained, but I will try to contact him again in a few days.

SPECIAL PRAYERS FOR ME

As I mentioned in the last letter, I will be reporting about my experience in European missions in a class at the Pepperdine Lectures at the end of April, and I can certainly use your prayers in my preparation. It is very hard to know what would be of interest as well as beneficial to the hearers. In any case, looking back has been a very encouraging exercise, seeing what the Lord has done. Looking back that is more visible than it was at the time.

My other challenge is doing my taxes for the first time, both German and American. That was always Jim’s job, and although I can use his worksheet, etc., it is a daunting task. Fortunately I have an automatic extension to June 15 because of being overseas, but when I looked at the 1040 instruction book yesterday, I decided to definitely ask for your prayers!

Thank you so much for those continued prayers. May the Lord bless you as you have blessed me with your caring. Gott mit euch!

Your fellow servant,
Elsa Springer

39 Wishart Drive
Broomridge, Stirling FK7 7TR
Scotland, U.K.
Tel: 011-44-1786-816259
Email: mitchvick@btinternet.com

Congregation News

There’s been a real “buzz” about the Stirling congregation in recent weeks! Attendance at worship has been excellent, and participation in Bible classes has also been gratifying. We were all encouraged by the recent news that John Renwick, who has battled colon cancer since September 2006, no longer needs chemotherapy because his tumours have shrunk to a size where surgery offers real hope. His doctors are now preparing to operate on his liver and colon in early April, and they are talking in terms of curing the disease rather than palliative care. We praise God for answering in this way so many prayers offered in his behalf world wide. The church has also rejoiced to welcome into our fellowship Pauline and Vanessa McGachy, who come to us from the Cumbernauld congregation. Last Sunday’s fellowship meal brought together most of or membership, along with several of our international friends from FriendSpeak, and visitors who were with us for the advanced Bible study seminar. It was an excellent day.

1st Baptism for FriendSpeak In Stirling

After our fellowship meal on Sunday afternoon, the majority of the congregation traveled with us to East Kilbride, where we borrowed the baptistry of that sister congregation for a very happy event, the baptism of Jie. Jie is the first of those we have worked with in FriendSpeak to come to this decision (though several others have returned home and made contact with local churches of Christ).

Witnessing the baptism was her husband Danny, who has also been coming to church services and FriendSpeak with Jie. We pray that he too will eventually follow Jie in this commitment to Christ. Carrie, another FriendSpeak reader, is also asking many questions about becoming a Christian, and we hope to establish a regular Bible study with her soon.

Youth Club Resumes

Another major source of encouragement for us was the resumption of our Youth Club work in mid-February. Led by David McCready and Tristan Block, this youth outreach is the outcome of many months of preparation and prayer. So far, after three weeks, we are averaging around 15 kids per week, but numbers are increasing in a manageable, steady way. We feel good about this work, both in terms of the renewed contact with area children and their families, but also in terms of the church’s impact on the neighborhood. Please pray for continued success with this important work.

Bible Study Seminar

We have now finished our annual Bible study seminar (hence the lateness of this report). Each year seems to be an improvement in the enthusiasm and support with which it is received by the Scottish brethren. This year’s studies were taught by Dr. James Thompson from ACU on the book of Hebrews, and the excellent response shows the interest in this sometimes difficult book by the church here. On each of the four days of the lectures we had 30-34 Christians taking part, and this year was the best over-all support we’ve had. As always, we are deeply grateful to Dr. Thompson for an excellent job and to Dr. Richard Oster and the Ministry for Theological Education in Memphis for helping to make this valuable work possible. This year marks 10 years of MTE seminars in Scotland, and it continues to enjoy strong support from brethren throughout the country. Our seminar this year saw brethren from 13 Scottish churches, as well as four students from the British Bible School in Corby, England.

Family News

All is well with us personally. Isobel and I are both in good health and looking forward to a short break in early April. Robin and Chrissy are on their spring break week after a demanding round of classes, and are spending the week on a campaign in Mexico. Laura and Clay have both been battling bronchitis/strep throat infections and have had to miss several days of work as a result. Hannah had a great spring break week with friends in West Virginia and is now back in the grind of classes and tests. My mother is doing a bit better after fighting off another series of infections.

Please keep our work in your continued prayers as we continue to push forward with the gospel message in central Scotland.

Yours in the Lord’s service,
Mitch and Isobel Vick

DINO & DEBBIE ROUSSOS
P.O. Box 70127 Glyfada, Greece 16610
Tel : 011 (30) 6944 344167
Fax : 011 (30) 210 8974405
E-mail : DinoRoussos@gmail.com

Pictures from the Roussos 

Our dear brethren,

From Athens we send you our Christian love and appreciation for your prayers, letters,
visits and care for us and the ministry of the Gospel of Christ.

Amazing doors continue to open as we share the message of Christ to the nations.

Special Worship of All Four Congregations

On Sunday, March 02, 2008 we enjoyed a special morning in which participated our four congregations, at the Omonia Church of Christ. (Russian, Bulgarian, Greek and English). Together we had fellowship, prayed together and took the Lord’s supper.

My message “God answers prayers” was translated by our Bulgarian brother George in English and Bulgarian. Christos Arnautov led the singing in several languages and brother Alexander Melirrytos led the prayers and the Lord’s supper.

After our morning worship we had a memorable lunch with about 140 members and friends of our congregation. Our fellowship was characterized by mutual love and praising God for His many blessings. Several members came early at 8am to assist prepare the traditional meal of “roast chicken with potatoes”. Thanks be to God and the Melirrytos’, who a few years ago bought an oven that is large enough to cook enough food for 180 people!

Working together for the Lord and His kingdom is a GREAT joy. Before we depart from this world we want to touch as many lives as possible. Bringing the good news that there is SALVATION and HOPE with eternal life through the precious sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.

95 Church Members and Friends in Corinth

One of the best ways to encourage fellowship amongst Christians and evangelize to the non-believers is to organize excursions. Last Monday was a public holiday in Greece and we organized a very nice excursion to the city of Ancient Corinth where the Apostle Paul spent 18 months.

We walked exactly where Paul walked. We visited the ruins from the time of Paul and we had a SPECIAL worship service. Readings taken from the book of Acts 18 and prayers in the exact spot where Paul stood trial in front of the Roman Governor (pro-council of Achaea) Gallio, as we read in Acts 18:12. We had the privilege and opportunity to encourage all present (95 precious souls) to share Jesus with the nations as the Apostle Paul did 2000 years ago in the city of Corinth.

Songs were sung in Greek, Bulgarian, Russian and English. It was a very touching moment as we all reflected on Jesus’ words “Make disciples of all nations baptizing them……”

After Corinth we all enjoyed a GREAT buffet lunch in a lovely Hotel by the Aegean Sea, then we drove to Lake Doxa (Praise) high in the Peloponnese mountains.

We returned late to Athens, tired but happy, for having the opportunity in meeting MANY new people, who came for the first time in our brotherhood. We plan to have Bible Studies with them and teach them God’s Holy Word and His message of peace, love and salvation.

New Members In the Lord’s Church in Athens

Voula Marinova was baptized by Christo Atnautov two weeks ago. She used to hold a high position as a mayor back in Communist Bulgaria. Now she lives and works in Athens, Greece.

We are also glad to see our new sisters, Svetlana and Valentina who were baptized recently, also Yiannis and Natalia, from Kiev .They regularly attend our services and grow in their faith.

God is working in the lives of so many precious souls in our congregation.

Greek Ladies Bible Study and Fellowship

Every other Saturday the ladies of our congregation meet in their homes for a time of Bible Study and spiritual growth.

Recently they have met in the houses of Mary, Kalypso and Eleni. Last Saturday they were supposed to meet at Maria’s house but her father in law died. We all went to the funeral in the morning and then all the members of the church present, were then invited for lunch in a restaurant. The Greek tradition is to offer fish soup and salad after the funeral.

Special Guest Speakers

In our Bulgarian assembly we had as our guest speaker Brother Ron Kretz, who is the Director of the Athens International Bible Institute. (A branch of Sunset in Athens). He and his wife are faithful Christians, who serve the Lord and train, men and women, of all nations here in Athens, Greece.

We enjoy their fellowship with us and we praise the Lord for their knowledge in the Bible and their many talents.

A Group of the “International Church of Christ” in Athens

Recently we found out about a group of 20-30 Christians meeting in an apartment in Athens, 15 minutes drive from the Omonia Church of Christ. Some of their members visited our assembly and Debbie and I attend their services on a Wednesday night. They have some wonderful Christians in their assembly, and they want to get to know us better.

Last Tuesday, brother Ilias who attends their meetings invited me at Evripidou (an evangelistic mission) to speak in a gathering of about 100 Greek people who meet to hear the word of God and to enjoy Christian fellowship.

Please pray for us as we meet with this new group of believers and for Theophanis and Ilias their leaders. God is in control and His word is our guide. May His name be Glorified.

Please Pray for:

• The new Church of Christ in Heraklion, Crete. Our brother John is the preacher there who loves the Lord and has GREAT responsibility to lead the new congregation in the Truth. John needs our prayers and encouragement. Please drop him an email. His address is: johnadesoye@msn.com
• Our newly married Bulgarian brother Nicolai and his wife Galina . They speak Greek and live in Athens. They were recently baptized and then married. Now they worship with us.
• The Omonia Church Retreat and SEMINAR which will take place June 25-28. We plan to invite brothers and sisters from the Balkan countries to come and join us during this GREAT event.If you want to come you are welcome. It will take place in a beautiful hotel near the ancient city of Corinth.
• The “Global Missions Conference” that will take place in Arlington, Texas at the Convention Center, July 24-26. I have been invited to be one of the keynote speakers . My topic will be “Flood the Nations”.
• The trip I am leading to Israel (March 28 – April 02) with 65 members and friends from our congregation at Omonia Church in Athens. This group of Christians is composed of Greeks, Russians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Americans and Phillipinos. We will study the Bible as we visit the Lands where our Lord Jesus Christ lived, taught, died and was resurrected. This will be an excellent opportunity for me to teach God’s Holy Word and get to know new contacts who might be interested to learn the Truth.

Dear brethren,

May the Lord bless you, your families and your service in the Lord’s Church.

Words cannot describe our joy as we see precious souls coming to know Jesus as Saviour. Also, meeting with so many new people, who want to study God’s Holy Word.

We send you our Christian love.

Dino and Debbie Roussos

MRN: Europe Brief - March, 2008

Mission Resource Network Website

Coaching Seminar in Partnership with Kairos Church Planting
Portland, Oregon
30, 31 January

Three MRN continental church planting facilitators (Asia, South Pacific and Europe) joined the Kairos Church Planting ministry in Portland, Oregon to learn more about and develop more skills in coaching. We are discovering the necessity of not only better training and resourcing missionaries, but also in guiding them through the many decisions that they must make in joining the mission of God on the field. With this coaching comes the additional blessing of more relevant accountability. We do not intend to merely develop our own skills in this area, but to encourage mission leaders in local churches to become more capable in their responsibility to the mission of God by coaching their missionaries in the church development abroad.

Advance Bible Study Series
Gemunden, Germany
18-23 February

I joined American and European Christian workers from Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, England, Poland and Slovakia for a week of Bible study and discussion about Euro missions in Gemunden (outside of Frankfurt). The ABSS is a gathering that has taken place for many years, and has provided workers a chance to participate in deeper Bible study than is typically facilitated in mission churches. Also, the ABSS offers a forum for discussion concerning the “ground condition” of evangelizing in Europe. I had the opportunity to not only share with the group MRN’s efforts to more effectively engage the European context, but to learn from these veteran workers and how we may partner in future initiatives. There was strong agreement that we should consider our communication skills to the changing reality of the European context. Personally, I believe that too often the compelling nature of the gospel is lost due to the forms and methods of communicating it by Christians. The European unbeliever is a critical thinker and typically harbors a negative perception of Christianity because of the Traditional Churches’ (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, etc) dysfunction and corruption over the centuries. Our defined purpose as Christians is to draw attention to the Bridegroom, not merely to the bride (ourselves, the church). Europeans are leery of religious structures therefore a genuine expression of Jesus Christ is the missionary’s opportunity to break through this prejudice and cynicism.

Zagreb, Croatia
23 February – 1 March

From Germany I traveled to Zagreb, Croatia to visit with church and ministry leaders about future efforts to the region. There are strong Christian resources in Croatia, including churches with leadership, a Bible Institute and radio ministries that blanket the nation and beyond. My discussions with ministry leaders in Zagreb led to visioning - and by my time of my departure - we all were trying to reign in our enthusiasm for how we could partner for reaching the nations in Central Europe for Christ. Zagreb has the human and practical resources to assist and mentor mission team development and training. From Zagreb, American and European (national and blended) mission teams could deepen their preparation of the mission and the context in which they will serve. Can we use specifically resourced European sites as “launch pads” for more mission work in their regions? How can this be done effectively and in ways in which Europeans and Americans work in true partnership for the sake of the lost? We at MRN are encouraged by how our maturing relationship with European colleagues can increase our capacity to participate in the Mission of God.

Prayer Concerns

Missions teams:

• Olomouc, Czech Republic
• Vienna, Austria
• Moscow, Russia

The Zagreb Partnership

David & Olivia Nelson

• The Nelson’s are seeking support and partnership to empower their work in Moscow. Please contact me if you desire more information about this gifted and spiritually oriented couple. You may also contact the Nelson’s directly at daveandliv@gmail.com.

I remain available to you if you have any questions or comments concerning the work in which I am engaged. May God bless you as He continues to work through you for His purpose.

Phil

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. Being in the States with my daughter Diana and her lovely family in January did me a world of good. Imagine, three weeks of being pampered without any responsibilities. It was wonderful. Please allow me my one “Grandma” photo. Since getting home, I have a little more energy, “melt-downs” don’t come as often and my brain seems to be starting to work again, which is certainly a good thing. There is a lot going on here at the moment, but fortunately, I am just helping rather than being responsible for it.

ETM

I know Jim would be happy to know that this ETM Basic Course will be the largest group yet - with 14 participants ranging in age from 24 to 69 from the churches in Bremen, Chemnitz, and Munich in Germany, and Bern, Lucerne and Zurich in Switzerland. A very special thank you to those of you who have helped financially to make this possible. I’m in the process of ordering the books as well as printing the handouts and we will come together for the Intensive Week seminar March 31 - April 4 with missionary Larry Sullivan doing the teaching. Larry, his wife Pam, Stephan Kallus and I will share the mentoring duties during the nine weeks of project work. Please pray for us all in our preparations - especially for Larry.

Directly following the Intensive Week, we (the five of us now coordinating ETM) have invited all the past ETM-ers to join us for an ETM retreat weekend April 4-6 to share what has changed in our lives because of the ETM training and to plan together what future advanced courses would be most beneficial. Hopefully a good number will be able to be there. I’m looking forward to a great week/weekend - which even includes my birthday!

THE BREMEN CHURCH

As you can imagine, I am not the only one in the Bremen church dealing with new challenges and responsibilities. It has also been an insecure time for the men in leading the congregation. To make matters more difficult, one of our regular visitors seemed to see this insecurity as his opportunity to have center stage - debating, accusing, and stirring up discord and factions among the members. Unfortunately, no one felt “in charge” enough to set the necessary boundaries and despite a lot of intensive Bible study and the good seminar held in January, the discord — not just with him but also with each other — grew way out of proportion. Two weeks ago, however, the men of the congregation decided to meet to take stock, stepping back from the dividing issues until they found common ground that they all agreed on, thinking they would then study the other things together from the position of unity. I think they surprised themselves how quickly they found that common ground by using Bible words to state Biblical truths and that the “hot” issues had cooled down as they did so. Last Sunday in the worship, they shared the results of the meeting with the rest of us, and it was as if someone had blown away the tension. That is, only one person was still tense (the visitor) and his tension didn’t spread to anyone else. God is good! This unpleasant situation has truly been a growth opportunity.

CAMPAIGN

For the first time in several years, Lord willing, we are looking forward to having a group of Harding University students visit us for five weeks to offer Europeans the opportunity to practice their English by reading and discussing Bible texts with them. I say Europeans because the people we have met through these campaigns in past years were not just Germans, but also Russian, Turkish, French, Brazilian, Chinese, Polish and several other nationalities as well. MARK ABERCROMBIE will be coordinating this effort, though several of us will be assisting. Please pray that it is a good experience for all and that the students will be able to introduce us to a number of people open to spiritual things.

LIBRARY

ALICIA continues to work diligently to put more order in the chaos of Jim’s library, and has recruited a growing number of helpers. There is still a long row to hoe, but progress is evident and books continue to be checked out and used by the helpers. I, too, keep discovering more and more “treasures” that I had no idea were here, but probably the greatest blessing in it for me is having Alicia here with me so much. She has become “family” and is a great comfort.

MY NEIGHBOR

Saturday afternoon the women of the Bremen church are having a Women’s Coffee with a guest speaker. When I dropped by to invite my neighbor HEATHER (She is Irish.) to come, she had a stack of old Christian Woman Magazines on the table (probably from me from years ago) and said she had started doing the Bible lessons in them. She wanted to know if I would be willing to study the Bible with her! Now we have been friends for about 25 years and trust me, I’ve tried many times to get her interested in spiritual things. I can’t help wondering if this has something to do with Jim’s death. In any case, I praise the Lord and ask your prayers.

PEPPERDINE

Much to my surprise, I have been invited to the PEPPERDINE LECTURES the end of April to report in a class on the challenges of 35 years of mission work. I graduated from Pepperdine and it was the Pepperdine Year-in-Europe program in Heidelberg that first brought me to Germany, so I am very thankful for this incentive to go back for a visit. Hopefully I will get to see some of you there. You will certainly be a part of what I have to say, because the progress of the work in Bremen has been directly proportional to your prayers for it and us. Thank you for your love and faithfulness! Gott mit euch!

Your fellow servant,
Elsa Springer

39 Wishart Drive
Broomridge, Stirling FK7 7TR
Scotland, U.K.
Tel: 011-44-1786-816259
Email: mitchvick@btinternet.com

News From Scotland

We here in Stirling are off to a good start in 2008, and the past weeks have been very full as our work for the year gets underway. As we do so, we are very mindful of how important you are to us and to the work here. Thank you for your interest, prayers, and encouragement.

Congregation News

During January the main emphasis of our work has been on promoting the congregation’s development and unity as we have prepared for several events: the beginning of a new session of FriendSpeak, the restarting of our youth outreach, and our advanced Bible study seminar in March. The church enjoyed a fellowship meal in early January which was an opportunity to present some plans and take views from the church. Attendance in worship has been excellent over the past weeks, and we continue to enjoy good support in both Sunday morning and mid-week Bible classes. Tristan Block continues to do a great job with our regular Searchers’ class, and we have had at least one or two contacts from FriendSpeak present each week. John Renwick has now completed 29 chemotherapy treatments and is waiting for the results from MRI and CT scans to see where his treatment goes from here.

FriendSpeak Resumes

Our regular Sunday afternoon FriendSpeak sessions resumed last Sunday (Feb. 10th) with four readers. Jie, from China, has continued to work with Tristan and Leslie throughout the school recess, but now her husband Danny has also started to read with us (he is also attending church service and Searchers class). In addition, we have Cristina, a Marketing student from Mexico, and Ann, a finance student from northeast China. Our second week was even better, with another returnee (Carrie, from Taiwan) and three new readers from Japan, Ryohta, Yuri, and Yuni. We continue to hope for enrollments from others, including the local Polish community. Tristan and Leslie also continue to work with Jie during the week.

Youth Outreach

Plans for the resumption of Youth Club are almost complete, and if all goes well we plan to resume our regular Tuesday night outreach to local young people on Tuesday, February 19th (tomorrow night). We have had to renew our Police checks and go through other legal formalities, and some equipment will also need to be renewed, but we know interest is high among the local kids, and we look forward to restarting this valuable outreach.

Bible Study Seminar

The week of March 10th-13th will be the time of our annual Bible Study seminar, which is aimed at preachers and other interested brethren throughout central Scotland. This year’s subject is the Book of Hebrews, taught by Dr. James Thompson from the USA. We look forward to the rich time of Bible study and fellowship.

Family News

We are doing well personally. Both Isobel and I have survived the worst of the winter, though we have both fought off various colds and winter-related illnesses. Our kids are all well. Robin and Chrissy continue to make excellent grades at Sunset and are on a study week break as I write. Laura has started a job with Dallas Public Libraries, in addition to her job as a legal assistant, so she is staying very busy these days. Hannah is doing well in Searcy, also staying very busy, as usual, with her studies. My mother has had her ups and downs over the past weeks, and continues to battle persistent infections which seem reluctant to respond to antibiotic. Please keep her in your prayers.

We love you and ask you to keep us in your prayers, particularly as we begin these new phases of our FriendSpeak and Youth Club outreach. The weeks ahead will be quite full. We appreciate your interest, help and encouragement so very much and want you to know that you remain in our prayers.

Yours in the Lord’s service,
Mitch and Isobel Vick

Italian Report - February, 2008

An Encouraging Word

When I was a small boy, each Sunday morning one of the elders would hug me and ask me, “Are you a Democrat?” I always replied, “Yes” for I loved Pete and knew he loved me. He was teasing my grandpa, who was a “died in the wool” Republican. They would shake hands and then wipe their hands off on their pants leg to get rid of the taint of Republican or Democrat. It is amazing how much a little attention, a big hug and a simple question can influence a young boy.

Another good question is, “Are you going to become a preacher when you grow up?” My mother never asked me that question, but she prayed from the day I was born that I would become a preacher. In my 55 years of ministry I have hugged many little boys and asked them that question. Many took it to heart. I think of several who are preaching full time right now. God be praised. An encouraging word can change lives.

Our Health

Things are looking up. Carolyn is getting around well and my infection seems to be clearing up. We are working every day. I write and Carolyn types. We keep the phone calls flying to Italy. You will be happy to know that three precious souls were baptized in Italy this past month.

Until next month - God Bless,

Charles & Carolyn Moore

DINO & DEBBIE ROUSSOS
P.O. Box 70127 Glyfada, Greece 16610
Tel : 011 (30) 6944 344167
Fax : 011 (30) 210 8974405
E-mail : DinoRoussos@gmail.com

January 2008

Dear Brethren in Christ our Lord,

As we start the New Year 2008, we are thankful to God for the HEALTH we enjoy and for the Ministry of preaching the gospel He has called us to perform.

The New Year has opened new doors of opportunity to strengthen the Churches of Christ in Greece and Eastern Europe, to encourage the gospel preachers and to train new national Christians to carry on the Lord’s work.

More Precious Souls Were Baptized in Athens

Valentina is an elderly Russian woman who has been attending the Russian worship service sporadically for several months. She is very disadvantaged and not really able to take proper care of herself. She appears to have physical health problems. Our dear sister Irini realized Valentina’s dismal situation and God put it into her to intervene. Irini has been a member of the Russian Congregation for a couple of years and is truly on fire for the Lord. She is a good servant of God and began tending for Valentina’s physical and spiritual needs. At one point she felt it was necessary to take her into her own home for a while until her health improved. During that time she studied the Word of God with her and Valentina believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and wanted to be baptized.

Debbie and I went together to Irini’s house one evening and found Valentina in a very poor state but she was baptized that night in the bathtub of Irini’s apartment. She was immediately filled with joy. We saw to it that Valentina received proper
medical attention. After a short time she was doing much better. When we went to visit her on New Year’s Day, she was full of energy and thankfulness. She called Irini her “angel’ sent from God.

Two Sundays ago we rejoiced in the baptism of Fotini (Stetlana). She is new to Greece having only been here a couple of months. She was introduced to the Russian congregation by another Russian sister; Natalia, who has helped us a lot in starting the new Russian Church in Athens and translated the first few months.

Jesus deeply touched the heart of this young woman. Only God knows where she has been but she was obviously grateful for the salvation. She has a husband and two children still living in Russia. With tears in her eye’s she confessed the name of Jesus and was immersed for the forgiveness of her sins.

After her baptism every member of the congregation gave a few words of encouragement for her new faith in Christ.

It was a very touching moment and we are glad to see our members working for the Kingdom of God bringing new souls to the saving knowledge of the Truth.

Titania 2007 – Evangelistic Meeting in Athens, Greece

Every Christmas time, we always have a special program and banquet at the Church building. This year we decided to plan something extra special to which we could invite many people and make it also an evangelistic opportunity. We booked
a banquet room at a Hotel near the Church building and sent out invitations to many in the community. There was an excellent response and people came to fellowship and remember the birth of Jesus. The program consisted of a group of Romanian singers, children singing carols, a husband and wife duet, short spiritual message from Alex Melittytos and Dino Roussos and a wonderful buffet dinner. The Lord really blessed the day.

160 members of the Omonia Church of Christ, friends, relatives and leaders of various organizations came to be with us. Now we have made new contacts, we believe that the New Year 2008, will give us the opportunity to introduce them to our Saviour; Jesus Christ and invite them to come and worship with us.

I was personally involved with the organization of this GREAT event and I praise the Lord for the effectiveness of this meeting. We had participation from all the members of our Church. Greeks, Bulgarians, Russian, Americans, Philippines, Ghanaian, Iranians, Egyptians, Ukrainian, Romanian, etc.

New Year Celebrations

The Russian congregation organized a fantastic Russian meal to celebrate the New Year. They prepared all their favorite Russian specialities and invited the members of the English congregation to join them.

They prepared the food and paid with their own money to feed everyone invited.

The Russian children sang beautiful songs and they all participated in the program. There is a WONDERFUL excitement in the Omonia church, where we have been serving the Master. We are glad to see the new Christians maturing and been willing to participate in the ministry. In our sermons we emphasize the importance of working for Jesus and to utilize our talents effectively for His glory.

Dino Preaching To The Bulgarians

In December, while our Bulgarian minister brother Christos Arnautor was in Sofia, I preached for the Bulgarian Assembly in Athens, in conjunction with preaching for the Greek, Russian and English services.

Although many of the Bulgarians had gone to Bulgaria for the Christmas holidays, our auditorium was full of precious souls.

Pepperdine University in Athens

From March 10 to April 10, 2008, Pepperdine University will bring 40 students in Athens, Greece to study. I was asked by the administration to teach a short seminar for a few days on “Religion and Culture.”

This is a great opportunity for the young students to learn about the importance of Christianity in their lives, future families and their communities.

Omonia Church Trip to Israel

For a long time now, members of our congregation were asking me to take them to the Holy Land in Israel to visit the places where our Lord Jesus Christ lived, taught His GREAT teaching, died and was raised from the dead.

From the Omonia Church of Christ in Athens, thirty members and friends have already confirmed that they will come to join us on our six day trip.

It will be a time of spiritual fellowship, strengthening our faith in Christianity and see first hand, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea, the River Jordan, Cana, Nazareth, Tiberias, Capernaum etc.

I believe that when Christians travel together they create new friendships and learn to love and appreciate each other even more. This is a ministry for the members of our congregation and new contacts that we will make during the trip.

Church Retreat in June 2008

From June 25-28 we are planning our annual retreat for the Omonia Church in Athens. This will be our fourth year and they have proved to be very successful. This year we plan to invite the leaders from Churches of Christ in Greece’s neighboring countries to come and join us. After the retreat, we will plan a Leadership Training program for these National Church Leaders.

Family News

During the month of December, God blessed us by bringing many people into our home. We had about eight gatherings of Church members, neighbors, friends and Debbie’s English Bible study group. We’re thankful to be able to share our home in order to bring people closer together and encourage fellowship.

We were happy to have Stephen with us for the holidays. He had a good semester at ACU and he was excited about seeing his old friends in Greece and enjoying some rest and recreation. He and his buddies spent four days in the mountains snowboarding. This should be his last semester at ACU. He will take some courses at the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Michigan in the summer, which, will enable him to graduate in August. He is now preparing to apply to graduate school.

Our second daughter Nikki who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, will give birth to a girl due February, 20th. Debbie is planning to fly to Atlanta in order to assist Nikki for the first few weeks after the birth.

We love you and may the Lord bless you.

In Him,

Dino and Debbie Roussos