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Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Letter from Stan and Barbara Orth
Dear Friends at First United Methodist Church,
Thank you very much for your prayer for the module in Guatemala last month. Jim and I were very conscious of the Lord's guidance, strength and blessing on our classes. The eleven men from many countries are in varied ministries. They were receptive to the Word and eager to respond to the Lord. From now until October they are finishing up the course requirements sharing what they studied since March with groups that are part of their normal ministries as pastors, teachers and missionaries. I am involved with them by internet in these next months.
After the module, Jim, Ron Blue and I participated in a service of gratitude in the church of a recent graduate of this Doctor of Ministry program of Dallas Theological Seminary. (Dr. Ronald Blue, former missionary and president of our mission, has now returned to DTS as coordinator of this program offered on our Guatemala campus.) Josue David Lopez graduated in May, along with several other Latin Americans. On July 13 his church honored him and gave glory to God for his graduation and his ministry.
Josue is an architect who graduated some years ago from our seminary and then planted and pastors this growing church in Guatemala City. He was in several of my classes through the years. In a grad course, I watched as Josue accepted author Bill Hull's challenge to be a pastor who makes disciples. Hull's evaluation is that today's churches are suffering a "crisis of product" -- not producing disciples of Jesus Christ. Josue took the ball and ran with it! Adapting concepts from Hull and from Rick Warren, Josue designed a five step process of discipleship and leadership training, writing the manuals himself. Attendance has more than doubled in these years. They now have two Sunday morning services.
Josue later took the grad course that challenged him to personal spiritual growth and a ministry of spiritual formation in his church. Now the program of discipleship moves members and leaders more intentionally toward the image of Christ. Just in 2007 131 new believers were discipled. Since 2004 the number of home cells grew from 13 to 69, touching the lives of 828 people. In a meeting for evaluation of the ministry a lay leader observed,
"We have examples now of people who accepted Christ, began from "zero" in their Christian lives and in one year are leading a group and winning others to Christ."
Another leader reported: "The groups eliminate the fears that hinder non-Christians from attending a church... they are more willing to attend a small group in a home. For example, I came to the Lord 3 years ago, got involved in the training and initiated several cell groups. In the process, about 14 members of my family have come to the Lord..."
Personally, Barbara and I are thankful that God has allowed us to continue in this ministry for many years and thus to see the fruits of God's Word and His work through the lives of seminary graduates and their disciples. We thank the Lord again and again for you who are co-laborers with us.
Gratefully,
Stan and Barbara
Thank you very much for your prayer for the module in Guatemala last month. Jim and I were very conscious of the Lord's guidance, strength and blessing on our classes. The eleven men from many countries are in varied ministries. They were receptive to the Word and eager to respond to the Lord. From now until October they are finishing up the course requirements sharing what they studied since March with groups that are part of their normal ministries as pastors, teachers and missionaries. I am involved with them by internet in these next months.
After the module, Jim, Ron Blue and I participated in a service of gratitude in the church of a recent graduate of this Doctor of Ministry program of Dallas Theological Seminary. (Dr. Ronald Blue, former missionary and president of our mission, has now returned to DTS as coordinator of this program offered on our Guatemala campus.) Josue David Lopez graduated in May, along with several other Latin Americans. On July 13 his church honored him and gave glory to God for his graduation and his ministry.
Josue is an architect who graduated some years ago from our seminary and then planted and pastors this growing church in Guatemala City. He was in several of my classes through the years. In a grad course, I watched as Josue accepted author Bill Hull's challenge to be a pastor who makes disciples. Hull's evaluation is that today's churches are suffering a "crisis of product" -- not producing disciples of Jesus Christ. Josue took the ball and ran with it! Adapting concepts from Hull and from Rick Warren, Josue designed a five step process of discipleship and leadership training, writing the manuals himself. Attendance has more than doubled in these years. They now have two Sunday morning services.
Josue later took the grad course that challenged him to personal spiritual growth and a ministry of spiritual formation in his church. Now the program of discipleship moves members and leaders more intentionally toward the image of Christ. Just in 2007 131 new believers were discipled. Since 2004 the number of home cells grew from 13 to 69, touching the lives of 828 people. In a meeting for evaluation of the ministry a lay leader observed,
"We have examples now of people who accepted Christ, began from "zero" in their Christian lives and in one year are leading a group and winning others to Christ."
Another leader reported: "The groups eliminate the fears that hinder non-Christians from attending a church... they are more willing to attend a small group in a home. For example, I came to the Lord 3 years ago, got involved in the training and initiated several cell groups. In the process, about 14 members of my family have come to the Lord..."
Personally, Barbara and I are thankful that God has allowed us to continue in this ministry for many years and thus to see the fruits of God's Word and His work through the lives of seminary graduates and their disciples. We thank the Lord again and again for you who are co-laborers with us.
Gratefully,
Stan and Barbara
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