When Armchair Theology Meets The Road

It is easy to engage in armchair theology, sitting comfortably by a raging fire, sipping a cup of your favorite tea, coffee or chocolate while discussing and solving all the theological problems in the world. I admit, I enjoy that kind of theology. My business is theology put into practice (missionary work) and so I enjoy a good "shop talk" and debate at times. But alas, one has to finally get out of the armchair and reengage with his world. So I have a very real question for all you armchair theologians who are reading this. I need your help in how to correctly apply two seemingly contradictory passages of Scripture in my world of Liberia.

The two passages that I am thinking about are Matthew 5:38-42 (especially verse 42) and John chapter 6 with emphasis on verses 25-27.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

(Texts are taken from NRSV via www.biblegateway.com)

In the Matthew passage Jesus tells us to give to those who beg from you and yet in John after the feeding of the 5000 he did not give to those who were begging from him to repeat his performance and feed them again.

The situations were different, and, in a sense, the Matthew passage is armchair theology while the John passage is where it met real life. Jesus healed those who sought him ought, even if they did not believe in him. His compassion went out to all and yet when met by a very persistent group of people he refused to give what they wanted but instead referred them to what they really needed.

Here is my real life situation that  happens more frequently than you might think. I was out on my usual early morning walk today. About one block from home I was met by a young man who wanted me to give him something to eat. Then I was met by another young man who also wanted food or drink. By the time I had arrived at my gate there were four or five (I didn't count) all basically demanding something of me. (One day it was a group of probably five or six who were trying to convince me that I ought to help them as they were shouting at me and some of them chanting, "I love Jesus" or "I'll come to church.") Today I chose to not respond to them and escaped into the safety behind our gate. My response was partly shaped by the fact that last week our night guard, not far outside our gate, was jumped, attacked and robbed by a group of these young men who hang out on our street and I was beginning to feel intimidated.

Over on the main street are the amputees and other crippled men. They too seem to find me and ask for help. Sometimes I respond positively and sometimes not. I tend to have my "regulars" that I am more inclined to help as I at least have a little bit of "relationship" with them.

So what should I be doing? What do you do when you see people standing by the road with a sign asking for help? My question is: How do I determine the Matthew 5 people from the John 6 people? I have struggled with this from the first day of setting foot in Bolivia until now. So, armchair theologians, put on your thinking caps and give me an answer. I will be grateful for your thoughts.

To Gbarnga and Back Again

I had the great opportunity, in mid-January, of visiting three villages where the Liberia Evangelical Mission (LEM) is opening churches. These villages are all outside of Monrovia and in different counties than the city. One of the villages is in Margibi County and the other two in Bong County. (Liberia is divided into 15 Counties.) The trip was a quick one with lots of things packed into the four days that we were gone.

The first day we drove on a beautiful, paved highway from Monrovia to the town of Salala. (Disclaimer: All names of towns and people are subject to change. I find it very difficult to obtain correct spellings and names of both people and communities.) From there we left the paved road to go on a “good” rock and dirt road. We drove perhaps for 45 minutes until reaching the small community where we would be leaving the car for the night. Except for being rough, the road provided no challenges with the exception of four bridges. The first bridge was swaybacked with a large hole on one side. The next two had their own peculiar challenges while the last one appeared too narrow for the car’s wheelbase. With the help of “Officer” Pastor Joe Greene who got out at each place and guided me, we crossed without incident. I did find it interesting that at the bridge with the hole everyone got out so only the white missionary would go down with the ship!

Leaving the car in the care of the people in the village, we prepared to hike in to our destination, Gbato Town (silent “g”). I knew that we would be hiking so as I packed my things I included only what I considered essentials because I didn’t want to pack too much weight. What no one told me is that I would not be responsible for packing more than my camera and water bottle. As we prepared to leave the car, one of the sisters told me to give her my backpack. I did, not realizing that she was gong to wear it. “Give it back. I’m not going to have a woman carry my pack!” So she obediently took it off and it was then taken from me again and given to a boy nine or ten years old. He would be the one to pack it. There were boys, women and men ready to carry our things. If I had known that I would have brought a lot more.

There might be something wrong about this picture - women and children
carrying stuff  while the grown men walk unburdened.

The hike in was not too strenuous, mostly just hot. We did cross a couple of rivers on logs but nothing very unnerving. When we reached Gbato Town the town’s children met us while singing to welcome us. I appeared to be a special source of interest for the children who followed me while singing their song. My white skin and hairy arms are often of interest to Liberian children.

This is the little guy that willingly carried my backpack in and out
at the first village.

We soon met the pastor of the church (who is also the chief of the community) and were escorted to the simple mud-brick structure that serves as a meeting place for the church. There we were formally welcomed to the village by the pastor in his role as chief, who offered us cola nuts as a traditional sign of greeting. We also had a short meeting with the church people. That evening after a really good supper of rice and chicken, we were given hot water for an evening bath. Following bath time there was another meeting with church leaders and others who cared to join in. The next morning was a devotional service with the church people, followed by a hot breakfast of yams and cassava and then goodbyes and the hike back to the car.

Pastor Adolpho who is also the town chief.

We met the sister of the pastor returning from the water hole. It made me think of Jesus and the Woman at the Well

A new taste treat - some kind of wild fruit. You suck the slime off of the seed
and spit it all out.

The bath house. The floor was a little muddy but the water was hot!

Members of the church.

The biggest needs of this community are training for church leaders and a school for the children to

learn how to read and write. We are praying that God will help provide what is needed. There is a teacher available for the school and room for a building. School supplies and both secular and Christian educational materials are needed.

Posing for a picture in front of the church building.

Back in our car we returned to the paved highway to continue to the next town of Totota. There we met with a group of seven or eight pastors from the area who have heard of LEM and are interested in knowing more about us. After a quick meeting we headed out to Sackie Bomota, Bong County. We drove about an hour on a road with lots of not so good stretches before coming literally to the end of the road where we parked the car in the yard of a family who had agreed to guard it for us. Then it was pack up and be off. Just as at the first stop, there were people waiting to help us carry our stuff, both young men and women. This hike in was around an hour and a half over a much more difficult path, one with lots of roots, rocks, ups and downs and half a dozen bamboo pole bridges to cross. None of the rivers nor streams that we crossed were raging but during the rainy season would be much more formidable.

Lots of kids in Sackie Bomota.

This little guy is within a week of the same age of our youngest grandchild. It was fun to hold him.

This is a part of the land given to the church.

The school.

When we arrived at the church, which was a little bit outside of the community, there were a number of people waiting for us. (The church structure was made entirely of bamboo poles and fronds. Quite adequate for now but in need of being replaced before the rains begin.) After a short discussion with them and agreement over the schedule during our day we went on to the village where the town chief and church leaders officially welcomed us with cola nuts. At suppertime we were served a meal of rice, chicken and Bamboo Worms (grubbs) for dessert. (Yes, I ate them. No, they were not raw but fried.) 

Supper.

Rice and meat.

Dessert - yummy grubs!

Following supper we returned to the church for a meeting with town and church people. Early the next morning we had a devotional time at the church with the members and then were off again, hiking back to the car.

Those at the church meeting including representative from other communities.

The church people.

Lots of children.

The outside of the school.

The main needs in this community are training for church leaders and school supplies. The church has opened a school but lacks supplies for the teachers and children. Also, there were representatives from at least seven other communities that came to meet us and learn about LEM. There is a great need for established churches and schools in this area. We will see what God may have in store for LEM to help meet the need.

The church at Ziensu

The view from the church.

Back at the car we reloaded and headed off for the last village. First we drove on the highway until reaching Ziensu, also in Bong County. From there we again left the highway on a rock and dirt road until we reached the place where the car would be left. This time, however, it was only ten to fifteen minutes of driving. We left the car at a children’s home. The pastor/teacher who runs the home and its associated church and school was waiting for us with a team of boys to carry in our things. This last walk was both the shortest and the easiest of the three hikes. (On the way into this village we passed some people who were making Palm Butter. They also had captured some baby opossums and had them in a barrel. They were gone when we returned the next day so I suspect that the opossums were supper the night before.)

Breakfast time.

Rice.

Yams, sweet potatoes, banana and cassava.

The church at this community was also meeting in a temporary Bamboo structure. At the church we were again welcomed by the town chief with the traditional cola nuts and words of welcome. We followed the same schedule – meeting in the evening and devotional time in the morning. That night the weather was cold. Now, don’t think Minnesota cold, but Liberian cold. This was the first time in Liberia that I wished that I had brought a coat to wear. In the morning we were served a first breakfast of yams, plantains, sweet potatoes and cassava. There was a second breakfast served as we were preparing to return to the car so we were well fueled for the journey.

Mud bricks for a permanent structure.

Drying in the sun.

Lasts a long time.

The main need in this community is for pastoral and church leadership training. While there is no school, the community has entered into agreement with the school were we left our car to have the village children attend there.

Kids at church.

He finally did figure out that he had them on upside-down.

Church drummer.

This was now our last day but before returning home we needed to continue up the highway to the city of Gbarnga (silent “g”, silent “r”). There we were to meet with the pastor of a small group of believers who are meeting together for Bible studies and to look at a house available for LEM to rent as a meeting place. The pastor was unable to meet with us; he is finishing his high school education and had to be in class for a test but we were able to meet with some of the people. 

Pastor Bill from Careysburg is considering whether the Lord is leading him
to minister in Gbarnga. 

The available house. Good location.

The people we met with from the Bible study group.

We then began the uneventful journey down the highway back home to Monrovia.

I came away from this trip with several ovservations:

1 – Deep fat fried worms are not all that bad to eat.

2 – Everyone who does a service for you needs to receive a small small tip (small small is Liberian for small). So you give a small small tip to the people who carried your backpack. A small small tip to the cooks. A small small tip to the pastor. A small small offering to the church and school. A small small offering to the Lutheran pastor (you read that right – but I did resist giving one to the Methodist minister. That might have been a mistake as I discovered after we were gone that he was the town chief.) Something small small to the members of the team. A small small tip to the people who guarded the car and even a small small something to the old man and lady who just happened to be there. You can be small smalled to death but I am told that now when I return I will be welcomed with open arms.

3 – School needs cannot be ignored. God has given us a book. We need to be able to read it. School is necessary even if it is not an ideal situation. In the one community were there was a school, it consists of one room divided in half by a sheet. Kids are crowded into both sides of the room without desks and writing materials. But they are there to learn. Teachers need our help.

4 – While we cannot wait around until we have everything in place before starting churches, we must waste no time in extending training to these pastors in remote areas. There is no internet or phone service so training must be face to face.

5 – Ford Motor Company deserves our thanks for building such a good vehicle as our Everest is proving to be.

6 – The needs are too great for LEM to meet alone. We desperately need financial resources from others to help meet the needs that we have encountered. While LEM cannot expect others to pay all of the cost and needs to do what it can, bearing one another’s burdens means that those of us who have so much should be willing to give at least a small small amount of help so that there can be a big big difference in the lives of our Liberian brothers and sisters.

What's In A Name?

It's an old question - What's in a name?  Proverbs tells us that a good name is better than great riches. U.S. companies spend millions of dollars protecting their brand names. Remember when the Maytag repairman was the loneliest man in town? Ford had a better idea? Coke was the real thing? I even helped Children's Television Workshop (not an endorsement of Sesame Street by any means) protect the names of two of their most beloved characters - Burt and Ernie. A bar in Danville, Illinois, where I was living at the time, had renamed itself Bert and Ernie's, complete with Sesame Street drawings. The legal department of CTW was quite interested in hearing about it and the bar soon had a new name.

Liberian's also seem to put great thought into names. Here are a few suggestions for you should you come to Liberia and visit me.

Does your wife need a new hairdo? Try the Success Beauty Saloon.

Have a breakdown with your rental car and no one seems to know the problem? The God Only Knows Spare Auto Parts store might have the answer.

Looking to do some building. You might try the Possible Construction Company.

Looking for a way to fool that pesky neighbor? Sly Enterprises could have the answer.

The God's Battle-axe Ministry might help you overcome any problem in life.

You might think twice before putting your money in the FIB Bank or before calling the Naked We Came, Naked We Shall Return taxi service.

Want to learn a little culture? Dance lessons might be the thing. Just call C* Trippe for information.

I like to protect my own name as well. It always was a little amusing to me that in Bolivia the brothers could never get it straight if I was Gordon Elliott or Elliott Gordon. One night I received a phone call from one of the district leaders. "Pardon me pastor, but is your name Gordon Elliott or Elliott Gordon."

"Gordon Elliott."

"I knew it. They owe me a Coke."

So I was a bit amused when the first time I saw my name in print at a church event it was printed as Doodnor. I don't have any idea how they came up with that. However, I received a much better misspelling the other day in a letter requesting heHas my reputation grown or what? That's a hard name to live up to.

So what's in a name? Maybe not much in yours or mine but at this season of the year we remember the greatest name of all and the angel's words; "You shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins."

Merry Christmas!

New Again (After Thirty Years)

Today as I write this post something very significant is happening in the life of our family. This is the day that our oldest son Daniel, his wife Naomi and two children, Sammy and Maerah, leave the United States and head for Bolivia where they will begin their service with Evangelical Church Missions. They will find in the coming months that sometimes the call to cross cultural ministry can be very "rewarding and fulfilling." They will also discover that there will be days when they might find themselves questioning their call, wondering what they are doing there and how in the world were they ever convinced to sign up with this outfit for this service. It is all a very natural part of the adjustment to cross cultural living.

As field director helping new missionaries, it was not unusual to find them  having these kinds of feelings. More than once I tried to gently remind them that "It is just Bolivia and this, too, will pass." I remember some of those days myself, when I was a new missionary in Bolivia, and thinking those very kinds of thoughts. As we old people say, it seems like it was just yesterday that I thought those things but of course that is a trick of an aging mind. Those thoughts are now 30 years old. But wait, no, they're not thirty years old. In fact, I believe it was just yesterday that I had those thoughts.

We have now been in Liberia for eight and a half months. In these months, including these past days, I have had these same thoughts again. "What am I doing here? Am I really needed? Am I earning my pay, deserving my keep? I feel like I'm simply spinning my wheels. Well, this has been another one of those (Liberian) days. I just want to go home! (back to Bolivia). How did we all manage to misread God's will in bringing us here?" And as I have had these feelings and more, I have struggled with them, at times feeling depressed over my own reactions and feelings. After all, I am a seasoned cross cultural worker. I've got close to thirty years of cross cultural living under my belt. I should not be reacting like this. What is wrong with me?

January 6 is the Day of the Magi or Epiphany. We had a Magi oriented craft at the children's home to celebrate this last day of the Christmas season. The kids colored, cut and pasted stars and wisemen to styrofoam plates. They especially liked the glitter glue to add sparkle to the star. Epiphany commemorates  Jesus' manifestation to the gentile world, the revealing that his coming was not just for Jews but for all.

Sometime this past week I, too, had an Epiphany, an "ah ha!" moment. I"m a new missionary - not new to cross cultural living but certainly new to Liberian living. I should not be surprised when I have reactions to events and circumstances that recall my earliest days in Bolivia. It is easy to forget that it took years to develop self confidence in ministry in Bolivia and it also took years for the brothers to reach the level of confidence that they displayed in me. So, why should it happen quickly in Liberia? It won't and it is foolish to think that it might. This moment of new understanding for me probably won't make things any better on those Liberian days. I will still feel at times that I am spinning my wheels and yes, I will be still writing letters of resignation in my head. But, this too will pass.

As I look back on my earliest career and then at my present stage in ministry, I am reminded of the faithfulness of God through it all. As I have stumbled at times while learning, his grace has been sufficient and good. As I continue to stumble into Liberian ministry his grace will continue to be enough.

So it turns out that Daniel and I are in this together. I will be eagerly watching as his family finds their way in Bolivia. I will probably smile, laugh and definitely sympathize when they have Bolivian days. Maybe he'll do the same for me and we'll both laugh together as we learn and adjust to the call of God to cross cultural living.

Wedding Bells (Again)

I know that I like to write about weddings and have done so in the past. But weddings are such an important part of life and have the full approval and blessing of God (A man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.), that I hate to overlook them. December is a big month for weddings in Liberia.  We recently were invited to attend the wedding of Alphanso and Nicketta, a young couple from the Mt. Zion Church.

The wedding was held in Virginia (a community on the outskirts of Monrovia) at the home of the bride's father. The sun was quite hot but we were given seats on the porch where we could both see and enjoy the wedding from a bit of shade.

The wedding was a mixture of a traditional Liberian wedding and a religious or Christian or Western marriage. The traditional part of the wedding began with both families sitting down (minus the bridal couple) together to hammer out the details of the marriage. While in reality these details  were already determined the wedding proceeded in the form of an impromptu drama. The uncle of the groom taking the role that Alphanso's deceased father would have played, announced that they were just passing by and happened to see something going on. . . . From there the conversation eventually wound around to the point of asking for Nicketta to become Alphonso's wife. The bride's family responded by asking about which Nicketta were they talking as they had several Nickettas. The first had to be brought from another country so the groom's family needed to pay for the expenses of bringing her. After money was exchanged Nicketta arrived on the scene covered with three or four layers of cloth on her head. As each cloth was taken off to reveal the young woman, the groom's family was expected to shell out money for each layer removed. Finally when her face was revealed it was the wrong Nicketta and she had to be sent back, which, of course, incurred more expense for the groom's family. Two more Nickettas were produced in like fashion and each one rejected but not without various payments from the other family. Finally the one true Nicketta was fetched and, after being uncovered, she consented to become the bride. Then the groom's family presented gifts of clothing to the bride's family and eventually the deal was sealed, all done with warm laughter and good feelings.

Next came the church part of the ceremony where the preacher gave a short message and then vows were exchanged. I was asked to participate in this part by giving the blessing of the rings. So the couple was married, food was served and general merriment broke out.

But this wedding represents what is a real challenge for the church in Liberia including the Liberia Evangelical Mission. Sexual immorality is rampant both in and outside of the church. Liberian men and women freely move in with each other, have babies, move out and on to another relationship with alarming frequency and seemingly without shame nor concern for the consequences. I have been told that it was not always so but that during the civil war years the moral fiber of the country was so destroyed that the current situation is the result.

Not only is there the challenge of sexual immorality but also the question of what constitutes a valid marriage. There appear to be four options in Liberia, as far as I am learning. One is to simply move in together. From the church's point of view that is not valid. I concur with that position. There is no document, no family agreement, no visible sign of commitment. The second and third options are traditional weddings, the difference being that in one case there is family agreement but no legal document. LEM has decided against recognizing that form. The third option is the traditional wedding but with a government issued and recognized document (much like a marriage license). LEM recognizes this option but with one stipulation: Both forms of traditional wedding allow the man to take additional wives. Needless to say, the church does not recognize that "right." The fourth option is the legally binding church wedding.

Another issue not yet fully answered by LEM is the question of the new convert who has multiple wives. While legal, it is not endorsed by Scripture, and the question is how to handle this situation. There is a consensus that a man under these conditions cannot take on any more wives but what is he to do with the "extra" wives and children that he already has? Several different approaches have been used in Africa across the years, perhaps none of them truly satisfactory, ranging between full acceptance of the all the wives to restricting the man to the first and requiring him to send the other wives away. Please pray with us as we come to a common understanding of the position that LEM needs to have on this very important issue.

In the meantime, I thank God for Alphanso and Nicketta and others like them who are taking the steps to regularize their situations before God, the church, the government and each other and their families. And I pray for lots of wisdom for LEM and its pastors as they grapple with these issues in the days to come.

Children, Children, Children

The past two weeks we had the pleasure of hosting a young couple, David and Kristine Briner, from the States who are interested in children's ministry and missions. Now that's a winning combination from my perspective, so we prepared some activities for them to participate in so that they could get a little bit of a feel as to what children's ministry in Liberia might look like.

We thought that the not so subtle approach would be the best so we asked the pastor at the Mt. Zion church if we could have a couple of days with a special children's activity at the church. He readily agreed so the announcement was made. Around 200 kids came each day. The activity was quite simple:

Songs,

Mark played his guitar for some of the music.

a Bible story using flanelgraph and a memory verse,

a coloring page and a cookie.

Too shy to come in, these kids watched the program through the bars of a church window.

We then repeated the program at the Resurrection Faith Ministries church with around 75 kids or so each day. The first day was a bit more of a challenge because we were outside. While designed for the Sunday School kids (no outside publicity was done) neighborhood kids who saw what was taking place showed up as well. The second day we were in the church building. The same amount of kids, more or less, but with walls. (Walls are an amazing invention in children's work!)

Each of the two Fridays were spent at the World Christian Heritage Children's Home where we again used the same format using the kids' art and chapel time. There were around 50 kids there each day, the kids from the home plus a few community kids who attend the school at the home.

The last Saturday we were asked to hold one more session at the Mt. Zion church, which we did. Between 60 and 70 children came that day. Again it was songs, Bible story and verse, coloring and cookies.

All in all we had a total attendance of around 600 kids with probably nearly 300 individual children involved.

We were also able to gift each of the two churches with a complete set of flannel graph for use in their own children's program.

We thank David and Kristine for coming, we thank the two churches for providing us with the opportunity to minister and we thank the Lord for these precious kids into whose lives we had the privilege to speak about Jesus.

Shaping A Ministry

It has been some time since I have posted. I appreciate everyone who has patience with me and keeps coming back to see what I've written.

We have been in Liberia now for going on six months. In those six months we have participated in a variety of events and experiences. We have had "good" days and "bad." We have had times when we wanted to return to Bolivia where everything is normal and familiar. Other times Liberia is home.

I've decided that green isn't my color.

 We've met new food and new friends.

Palm Butter is a Liberian favorite.

New worship styles at church have lost their quaintness and now seem familiar and expected. We have experienced cultural stress and communication failure on one hand and love and acceptance on the other. So we are here, to stay, to serve, to live. But we have also been sent here to minister, to represent the Evangelical Church and, more importantly, to be living examples of Jesus' love and grace in our corner of Liberia. So how do we do that? How do we shape a ministry that will have lasting impact?

How to shape a ministry is a thought that has been on my mind since arriving. And how to shape it from scratch. Literally, the mission had nothing when we arrived, not even a pencil, so we have the responsibility of building a ministry that will outlive and outlast our time in Liberia, that will provide a solid foundation for those who will come after us.

One thing that I have learned during my experience in cross-cultural ministry is that people are more important than programs and equipping more important than buildings. That is not to say that neither programs nor buildings are important but is to recognize that unless we are able to impact people and equip them to serve others in ministry, programs and buildings are useless. But if they are used to build relationships and equip people for ministry, then they have a vital role to fulfill.

So far we have become involved in a couple of things to help build relationships and to equip. Niki invites the pastors' wives to our home each month for a time of fellowship, sharing and relationship building. The pastor's wife plays a very important and unique role in the Liberian church. She is considered the mother of the church. As such she fulfills a role of encouraging and welcoming the other members of the church. She may be actively involved in the teaching ministry of the church or as a part of the worship leadership team. Niki has the opportunity to encourage these women, to help foster relationships between the group of wives and to equip them with teaching and ministry ideas that they can use in their churches.

Niki watches as the ladies draw a picture illustrating the pastor's wife.

I host the pastors bi-monthly for the same basic purpose, fostering relationships between the pastors as well as encouraging them. When the pastors come it is a very informal time together. We serve them a light meal and share something from the Bible, but mostly just visit. This is the only time that these pastors get together for something besides a business meeting or church service. The hope is that these diverse men of God will begin to see and understand each other in a new way which will help them to effectively work together as they build the ministry of the Liberia Evangelical Mission (LEM).

We had one afternoon with both pastors and wives. Pastor Bill and Marthaline  are from the Careysburg church.

The first attempt at formal equipping has been a class on Christian education and children's ministry. The focus of this class has been to encourage the churches in the development of their Sunday Schools and to challenge them to a better organized outreach to the children in their neighborhoods. This four week class will be offered twice, each time being for a different group of churches. It has been an interesting experience for me to lead this class. There are so many cultural things that I need to learn from the brothers in order to effectively teach them. So we have been learning and exploring together. I have tried to not be the man with the answers but rather to be a facilitator to help those attending to determine what needs to be done in their own local churches.

Working on a class assignment.

My goal is that by fostering these relationships and beginning to equip others for more effective ministry we can develop a program that will help LEM to move forward in outreach and discipling. That will probably lead to the need for building. Each LEM congregation has its own building where services are held. At least three of them are involved in projects to expand the size of their meeting place. There is a need for some sort of central office where pastors can find resources and meet together. These needs will be met in time. Meanwhile we will continue to do what we can to build relationships and equip for ministry and by doing so hopefully shape a ministry that will last for years to come.