It's hard to believe it's been a year since we began Metron Ministries. We have been far busier than any of us would have imagined as we launched out on this adventure.
In the last year, we have visited churches in 4 countries, on 3 continents... 37 churches in all. We have seen at least 170 people come to know Jesus. We have witnessed more healings than we can count. We have watched the power of God bring encouragement to many of his leaders through prophetic words, prayer, and often just by simply being there and listening. It is a challenging time to be in vocational ministry right now and many of our Pastors and leaders have been stretched far beyond what they have ever experienced before. I felt like I heard God say early this year that it's easier to encourage and heal the leaders we have than it is to find and train new ones. One of the surprises to Marie and I have been the relationships we have formed with Pastors and their families this year. We have almost exclusively stayed in the Pastor's homes and without question, much of the most important ministry has occurred in that setting.
In one instance we were contacted by a Pastor some weeks after we had ministered in their church. He simply said that he had some family issues and couldn't think of anyone else to contact for help. We were able to minister to the family and also connect them with additional counselors to help them long-term.
Another Pastor has shared that the tone of their church shifted with our visit and they sensed momentum going into the next season.
The Sunday service included powerful ministry in a fresh way that inspired greater congregational participation than we'd had for a long time! I'm happy to say that this momentum continues these several months later!
In addition, through our Vineyard Missions role, we have ministered at 4 conferences and spoken to or worked with scores of leaders from around the world. We have assisted multiple churches as they engaged in cross-cultural missions, some for the first time.
This missions role, which may have, at first, seemed to be a bit of a "side job", has become more integrated into everything we are doing, and often is our primary role and message. We believe God has given us this opportunity to be a catalyst to expand the reach of the Gospel, as well as our particular emphasis on Kingdom and ministry, into every tribe and tongue. We firmly believe that the only hope for the world is the Gospel of Jesus. And the best tool for spreading that hope is the local church. Therefore we want to see churches in every corner of the globe.
We ask you to consider whether God is inviting you to partner in the mission He has given us... to go to the churches and leaders to encourage and strengthen them in this season... To go to the nations and provide leadership and resources to plant churches... To encourage and assist churches to engage with the mission of Jesus around the world.
We count it a privilege and a blessing to be allowed to do what we are doing, and we know we are entirely dependent on God and your generosity as you respond to His leading. We thank you.
