Building Unity Upon the Foundation of Jesus Christ
Building Kingdom unity amongst church leaders can be a lot like herding cats. Over the past months our partner, Arto, has faced challenges as he continued to build unity amongst church leaders in Armenia. It has not been easy to break down the denominational barriers to advance the Gospel.
The Shepherds’ Support conferences have helped with this and our return to Armenia this week has fostered greater friendship and cooperation. It was great to see many of the same pastoral couples and some new ones join us on Tuesday for an evening focused on the Supremacy of Christ. They were very glad to see each other again.
The respect, cooperation and the Spirit of the Lord amongst these ministry leaders is ushering in a new day for the body of Christ in Armenia. It was great to see men and women from different denominations working together to plan a special conference for young couples that was held on Saturday evening. It was an evening filled with good teaching, laughter and fellowship. Now, they have a successful pattern that will guide them as they pray about and plan future ministry and even our next Shepherds’ Support conference.
Let me thank you personally and the whole of Shepherds’ Support for your visit to Armenia. We have been missing you very much since our last conference in May and it was a great and delightful to see you again. The meetings have been very helpful in terms of their impact in our lives and marriages and we can see the hand of God in it. You also brought all of us together again and created an atmosphere of trust where our fragile friendship among different denominations and churches can flourish. Thank you very much indeed and we are looking forward to your next visit when we can again celebrate our unity in Christ and share the love of God.
In addition to the large group meetings, Pastor Will and I enjoyed our special times meeting with students and school teachers in Jermuk (where our partners Arto and Anna have been ministering), dining with friends from Emmanuel Church and visiting Arshot and Alisa’s ministry in Gyumri.
These have been full days for us and we are grateful for your prayers for wisdom and stamina on our behalf. It has been clear that the Lord has gone before us and graciously prepared the way.
Thank you for joining with us!
And the Shepherds’ Support Board:
Steve and Connie Troxel, David and Beth Butler, Jack and Nancy Shirley,
Sid and Zane Williams, Daniel and Kate Wurzberg