We are praying for pastors in January!
Transforming Ministries, led by Ricardo and Gloria Stella Diaz, is a strategic collaboration to plant churches, form leaders, and care for pastors of Spanish-speaking churches in Latin America, Europe, and North America.
Please pray for the many pastors, their spouses and families, and the congregations they serve and for Transforming Ministries as they minister to these pastors.
The great cities of Latin America need Jesus. The witness to Jesus is most effectively brought through faithful and gifted pastors and evangelists. SAM has had the privilege of partnering with City to City Latin America for intensive church-planter training. This month, the third 2-week intensive has just been completed with 24 pastors from six countries. Pray that would return encouraged, ready to proclaim Christ and establish churches that will honor the Lord.
Transforming Ministries is a collaboration designed to strengthen and multiply urban churches and Christian communities by preparing and caring for leaders, primarily Spanish-speaking, across Latin America and other parts of the world. TM serves in church planting, leadership formation, and pastoral care by creating a “family” of planting churches, pastoral “circles” within cities, and training for planters. Pray for the flourishing of this ministry and SAM’s partnership with them.
Jeff recently celebrated 30 years of service in Bolivia. His church recognized his years of service, and he enjoyed a reception with friends and coworkers. Praise God for Jeff’s life and ministry in Bolivia and pray that He gives Jeff many more fruitful years of ministry there.
Julián and Serina are working with a church plant in the town of Peñol, outside of Medellín. Every two weeks, Julián leads worship, preaches, and provides counsel for this community of believers. Pray for those attending to be affirmed in their faith in Christ Jesus and that the Lord would bring new people to not only attend services, but to come to faith.
Pray for the church plant, El Camino, in Arequipa, Peru. TEAM missionaries Craig and Sue Querfeld began this church alongside two other couples back in 2001, and for the past four years the church has been run under Peruvian leadership, with Pastor Arcadio Vilchez as their Senior Pastor today. Pray for Craig and Sue as they continue to minister alongside this church body. Pray also for the next two church plants currently at work through El Camino with two other missionary couples: Jason and Sarah Sheets, working to see a church body established in an under-resourced neighborhood, and Seth and Jessica Malec, starting a church plant in a middle class neighborhood alongside their missionary partners Eward and Esme Zarate. Ask God to bless these efforts, that His Word would be proclaimed in Arequipa through these church plants and that the city would be transformed by the redeeming hope of the gospel.
Pray for Marcelo Robles, a friend of SAM and pastor in Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a member of City to City Latin America’s network of pastors, Marcelo is a key partner in the plans to start an Incubator church planting training program in Buenos Aires in 2019. Pray for Marcelo and his church, La Mision, as they operate in a key sector of Buenos Aires. Pray that God would sustain Marcelo as he is a bivocational pastor, and that God would use his work at the university to continue to grow the church and draw university students into relationship with Christ.
Pray for Dalmiro & Laura Ortiz as they have recently returned to Bolivia. Pray for Dalmiro’s service of shepherding pastors in eastern and rural Bolivia, as he continues to develop and implement theology and discipleship programs. Ask God to continue to provide resources and partners to Dalmiro’s ministry, that the churches and pastors would be blessed with an abundance of support for their growth.
Pray for City to City Latin America’s Intensive. The first Intensive ever in Latin America will be held in Monterrey, Mexico in September 2018. The “Intensive”, a training program developed by City to City, prepares church planters to establish and multiply churches in urban centers. Pray for the 25 urban church planters from across Latin America invited to attend. Ask God to develop long lasting relationships between the attendees which will enhance church planting strategies across Latin America.
Pray for the church plant in Gaira, Colombia. Ask God to bless their current process of applying for legal status and registration with the government. Praise God for their recent VBS in La Paz, Colombia and for the participation of so many families! Pray that God would raise up committed servants from within the church to come alongside Frank, Luz, and Fernando who currently lead this body of believers.
