Your 60 Second
Prayer Update:
Furlough Ministry –
Coming to see you! |
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Ministry Highlight
Reggie, you will have seen photos and blurbs about Rhema (Eritrean and Ethiopian) Church over the last two years. We have been working with this congregation nearly every Sunday afternoon discipling some of their youth, young adults, and leading/helping develop an English language worship service. This time with our Rhema family has been a joy to us!
What is the potted history of Rhema?
Rhema was started in the lounge of Rehoboth and Emmy 16 years ago. After several years they had grown enough to meet in the worship centre of a local church. Two years ago they completed the refurbishment of a property they purchased and dedicated it to God’s service. The vast majority of the church family fled persecution in Eritrea. Traversing the Sahara drinking their own fluids and water mixed with petrol, paying human smugglers to navigate the Meditteranean Sea in leaky boats from Libya, crossing the continent to hide in lorries being ferried across the English Channel and then claiming asylum is a common story. |
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How have we been helping?
The leaders of Rhema and the church family are very effective and fruitful in reaching their Habesha ethnicity (their term for people of Eritrea and Ethiopia). They have struggled to find ways to disciple their young adults, youth, and children (3rd culture kids) who are growing up in the Western world with values and customs foreign to their heritage. We have served as spiritual parents to these young people with a vision to help Rhema’s leadership disciple this generation whilst also preparing the ground for helping the church bring the Gospel to non-Habesha.
What comes next?
With our furlough ministry travels commencing next month, we are concluding our leadership and assistance with the English language service at the end of August. We have discerned that our time and influence will be more effective if we refine our focus to discipling youth and young adults. We don’t know what that will look like upon our return to the UK, to be honest.
How should I pray for Rhema?
- For continued discipleship of the young people while we are away; discernment of how we will do so in 2019 after we return from furlough ministry.
- For a an increasing desire to be developing inroads into the local community that includes building relationships with people outside the Habesha culture.
- Praise God for recent improvements in relationships between the leaders and governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia.
- For the development of the English language worship service with the direct input and involvement of the young people.
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| Rhema Youth Conference – Sharing lessons from 34 years of marriage. |
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| Imagine More Weekend Away – a discipleship weekend in May with an amazing group of young people dating back to Dickens Heath Church. |
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Prayer Highlights
19th – 24th August – CMF Team Leaders Meeting and Church Catalyst Forum. We gather with colleagues from around the globe at a conference centre north of London to share and celebrate stories of disciple-making and church planting. Pray for safe travels, lessons of good practice that will lead to more fruitful and effective multiplication of disciples and churches.
26th August – Our last Sunday with Rhema Church before furlough ministry travels. Give thanks to God for our friends!
28th August, 4th and 11th September – Our Companions for Hope missional community meets for prayer, planning, lunch, and communion. There are now 15 of us committed together for mission in Summerfield. Pray for hearing God together for next steps. |
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| Above: Friends from Albania and Philippines at a recent community gathering. Below: Tammy’s birthday BBQ – the languages of Germany, England, Brazil, Italy, Côte d’Ivoire, and USA are represented in this small group! |
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Prayer Highlights
2nd September – Brunch with Phil/Elaine from thethirdplace church. Pray for our conversation and encouragement of these dear friends in their discipleship.
4th September – We meet with a new team forming to focus on recruitment, placement, training and equipping that will mobilize prayer and new global workers in Birmingham. This is a significant development that needs prayer cover.
7th September – Hub gathering for local leaders in disciple-making and church planting. Pray for those needing training and encouragement to make attending a priority.
14th – 16th September – Forge training weekend #3. Pray for our final weekend to be significant in the life and missional effectiveness of participants, resulting in new disciples & churches. |
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Aho Family News
So you may have noticed three months have transpired since the last PrayerFlash! Tim’s dad passed away on 11th June and we traveled to MN to join family and friends to remember his life; dad’s funeral was on 25th June which would have been Rollie’s 87th birthday. After our return to England, we immediately noticed that Destiny was declining in health. On 3rd July, two months short of her 19th birthday, we took Destiny to the vet for the last time and Tim buried her in our back garden.
The combination brought some sadness to us and Tim has spent time most days since then in the back garden listening to podcasts, building a patio, cutting firewood, power washing and painting fence panels, and building a shed as a kind of therapy. We’ve slowly been resuming helpful and healthy rhythms in preparation for furlough ministry this autumn. |
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Prayer Highlights
18th September – We depart Birmingham to visit you and 24 churches in 11 weeks! Pray for travel and preparations for presentations, preaching, and conversations. Pray for protection in travel. Pray for connections with people who will become part of our support base, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. If you aren’t currently a regular financial supporter, please click cmfi.org/ttaho to join our support team. |
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Hugs and thanks from both of us. |
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