Dear Calvary Church Family,
Thank you for your continued prayers for our trip here in Sierra Leone. The Lord continues to bless my colleague, Tom Cox, and I with a joy-filled partnership together, as well as significant growth in the relationships that have developed over the past few years.
Due to undependable Wi-Fi connections and an oft-unpredictable schedule, I am just now getting the opportunity to update you with how the Lord has worked over the past several days.
Saturday, March 8
We met Saturday afternoon for a delightful conversation with the four elder candidates and their wives to help set expectations for them regarding the election process, as well as what it means to be a couple in ministry. We emphasized that importance of a healthy marriage in ministry and the priority of family life from which one’s ministry flows. We also talked to them about the importance of recognizing that only the elder is called to an office, and being the wife of a pastor or ruling elder does not come with additional biblical expectations of a particular way that she must serve in the church. The wives expressed appreciation for pointing out that they are members of the body of Christ like any other member with gifts that are not connected to a particular role, but rather as daughters of the King who have been gifted by the Holy Spirit like all other members of Christ’s body.
Sunday, March 9
On Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching in the fishing village of Goderich at the Presbyterian Church of the same name. I had the opportunity to meet many of the children and women who sent a video of thanks to you last year for your generous gifts, cards, and letters. Elder John, who has been referred to locally as the “elder-in-charge” for the past 25 years, asked me to preach a sermon on marriage as part of their preparation for two weddings within the congregation in the coming months. I preached on marriage as a picture of Christ’s relationship to His church through Ephesians 5:22-33 and had the opportunity to pray over the two engaged couples in the presence of the congregation. The Lord blessed our time of worship together, as He impressed on my heart the unity of the body of Christ in every place throughout the world.
Following the worship service, I led a congregational meeting, where the church enthusiastically and unanimously elected Elder John to the office of Teaching Elder (pastor). Lord willing, Elder John will be ordained and installed as teaching elder of Goderich at this coming Sunday’s joint worship service of the six churches of the Presbyterian Convention of Sierra Leone (PCSL). By God’s grace, the other elder candidates, Jonathan Kargbo (TE), Sorie Kamara (RE), and Saidu Mara (RE) were all elected by their respective congregations and will also be ordained on Sunday.
God’s work through these men and the churches is a great answer to prayer. Two years ago, we participated in the first ordination service of the PCSL in nearly two decades, as we ordained two elders. The Lord has seen fit to raise up these additional four men who, over the past 24-months, have been trained, examined, approved, and now elected for ordination. The Lord is building His church and establishing servant-leaders to shepherd His flock!
Monday, March 10
After 3 1/2-days since landing in country, our luggage finally arrived. Tom was delighted to have additional clothes to wear, and we were both pleased that all of the books, resources and gifts that you and others sent for the people here finally made it.
On Monday evening, we began the first of five nights of teaching by handing out some of these resources, including several ESV Study Bibles donated by Crossway Publishing. In addition, we were able to provide a commentary on the book of Jonah to each of the class participants, as that Old Testament book serves as the basis for some of our teaching, as well as our sermon labs throughout the week. Each night, one of the elder candidates will give a 20-minute sermon on one chapter of Jonah, followed by a time of encouragement and constructive feedback. We often call it “doing theology in community,” and the class members have grown tremendously in the past two years as gospel communicators.
I ended the evening with the first of four lessons on teaching/preaching Old Testament Narrative with special emphasis on why we must preach the Word of God. I was encouraged when I asked for other sources someone might use as a false substitute for preaching, and they were quick to provide several answers, demonstrating God-given discernment. We walked through several passages showing the nature and importance of God’s Word, and it was evident to me that this topic is resonating with the men and women who participated.
Tuesday, March 11
Tonight, we had a slightly larger group, who participated in our class at First Presbyterian Church in Freetown. We built from last night’s discussion, working through an exercise on what it means to “hold the line” of the Word of God. I broke the class into groups of three, asking them to consider Genesis 3:1-7, answering questions concerning who went above the line of Scripture (adding to it) and who went below the line of Scripture (taking from it). Tom noted the excitement of the class as they engaged with God’s Word in community.
Summary
I continue to be amazed at God’s work in this community, as well as in my own heart, as I see Him at work. I’m deeply grateful for your partnership in this Gospel work, as you’ve sent me once again to this part of God’s vineyard. Please know I do not take for granted your generosity, nor the importance of your prayers, which I value deeply. I hope to write more this week about some of the people with whom we are working and others we’ve met for the first time.
Prayer Points
As you pray this week, please remember us in the following ways:
- Pray for gospel conversations at Hotel Barmoi, as we continue to meet and talk with the staff.
- Pray for continued protect from illness for Tom and I, in addition to and especially spiritual protection.
- Pray for our friend and elder-elect, Sorie, with whom we plan to meet tomorrow. Pray for the Lord to give us just the right topics of conversation, as we seek to encourage him in his ministry and family life.
- Pray that the Lord would use our nightly teaching sessions to build up the churches with tools for teaching and preaching that would bear much fruit now and in the future.
Photos Attached:
1) Elder candidates and wives; 2) Luggage has arrived! 3) Congregation of Goderich Presbyterian after electing Elder John as Pastor, 4) Preaching at Goderich.
Good night, brothers and sisters! Please know you I love you all, and you remain in my prayers.
In Christ,
Pastor Nate