Terry Children with Balloons....
Each time we fabricate another tent, as we did this week, our hearts and
minds are drawn back to the Apostle Paul and the tentmakers found in the book of
Acts.
Act 18:3 "
And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought:
for by their occupation they were tentmakers".
The tents we use
for new outreaches and newly organized Churches and are indicative of where
these young Christians are in their faith. These are mostly newly
born again believers who are starting to assemble themselves on a weekly basis
to pray, sing praises and to study God’s word.
We
view the tents as a temporary stepping stone which allows these young believers
a shelter to assemble under free from the elements while they are growing
numerically and spiritually.
Right or wrong, the
tents have been a great blessing to these young Christians and have become a
very effective and low cost method of Church planting.
There is a lot of cutting, welding, fabricating and
painting that goes into these tent kits which includes: (10) small pews, the
steel frame, the tent fabric, rope, stakes, side curtains and a pulpit for the
Man of God to preach God’s word. Painter Terry
Chainsaw Ready
Each one is assembled with great
love, care and reverence for there is no meeting place more important than where
the New Testament Church assembles to worship our Lord and Savior on a weekly
basis.
In addition to chasing down steel, wood and paint this
week we traveled to Lake Victoria for three days to help put the new roof on the
Landmark Baptist Church of Got.
Roofing
More Roofing Work
This permanent sanctuary project
comes at such a crucial time in the continued growth of Pastor Jackson and this
young group of believers.
They have faithfully raised and lowered
their tent for three years now. While the tents are great for a
specified amount of time, there is a threshold that is crossed where they start
to carry a negative stigma that says the Church is only temporary.
Needless to say, we saw great joy on the faces of Pastor
Jackson and the members of LBC Got as the roof was completed.
Pastor George from Landmark Baptist Church at Wichlum Bay also came over
to help with the roofing.
Pastor George with solar powered video tablets
These two lakeside Pastors love each
other and it does our hearts good to see the fellowship and encouragement they
provide to each other which in turn give strength to their ministries.
Pastor Jackson
LBC Got Church
These two Churches and Pastors are probably our least mature but I have
to continually remind myself and others from time to time that these fishermen
have only been saved for around four years and already have shown themselves
faithful by starting Bible studies in their home and then surrendering to God’s
call on their lives to preach the Gospel. I am so proud of their
faithfulness and we are watching them mature before our very eyes into solid
fundamental Pastors and Gospel preachers as we pour lesson after lesson into
their lives. This trip also afforded us the opportunity to
deliver Pastor Jackson and Pastor George their solar powered video tablets for
their continuing education.
Pastor Jackson with solar powered video tablet for training
We are firmly committed to teaching
them one on one as well as at our quarterly seminars but this seminary level
video program is going to accelerate their learning tenfold.
Please continue to pray that God’s grace will continue to be great upon
these young Christians and Churches. Our three day trip ended
with us worshipping together with the Landmark Baptist Church at Got under the
newly completed roof. Before I preached from Nehemiah 6, I
reminded them that we should thank God first and foremost for His provision and
also remember that God has used our brethren in the USA who have given
sacrificially so that they might have a permanent sanctuary.
Terry and I firmly believe that if we are going to leave behind a
permanent work for God in Kenya we need to provide a permanent foundational
structure for these young believers. We fully understand that the
Church is a body of local visible scripturally baptize believers who have
coveted together to keep the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ but we also fully
understand that coming alongside of these young Churches encourages them greatly
in their new faith. Remember that we challenge them to bring these
structures to completion so they make a sufficient investment into what is their
sanctuary and not ours. May God bless you and keep you by his
loving grace and mercy. Please pray for us as I will be taking
Terry for what will be her first trip into Uganda this week to deliver a tent to
our newest Church there.
God Bless,
Bro.
Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez
Kenya/Uganda
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