Valencia, January 2012
The theme for this New Year is prayer! As pastors we recognize the challenge to motivate, to inspire the church to seek the Lord. It is an encouragement for me to be able to share this concern with you all, since you will readily identify with the importance of prayer. So, thank you for your support, adding quickly that you will make this concern your priority as you pray for us. Regarding our planning of church activities, we have now decided to dedicate our Thursday evening meetings solely to prayer. In the past we have combined prayer and the study of the Word, but now since we began our Bible Networks on Fridays, we are convinced that we have reached a proper balance. So, Thursdays will be dedicated to prayer and Fridays to the study of the Word. Please, we ask you to support us in this endeavour. Also, at the end of every month we shall have (DV) a day of prayer. We are looking forward, therefore, to meeting as a church on Saturday 28th January for a day of prayer seeking the presence of the Lord.
This week, the Fraternal of Pastors of the city of Valencia have organized a week of prayer! From 8th to 15th of January the churches in Valencia will pray together. This is an event we organize every year following the guidelines prepared by the World Evangelical Alliance. The theme for this year is: “Transformed by the Victory of Christ who reigns in our lives”. The desire is to see that effectiveness of the victory of Christ in the churches in Valencia. Pray for all the churches and their pastors, for a special unity in prayer.
We began a new series on the parables that the Lord taught regarding the Kingdom of Heaven. I shall be preaching next Sunday 15th January, pray for a special unction, for clarity and liberty. The series will run until the end of February, pray also for the other pastors: Andrés Pérez, Andrés Pérez Jr. and Javier Piquer that the Lord will use us for his glory.
The church’s families are struggling with all the new measures adopted by the local government here in the Valencian community. Each day we hear of someone losing their job, or having come to the end of the dole money, resulting in families where no one is working and having to face regular payments, be it mortgages, rents, and ordinary bills. Please pray for wisdom at the political level where already the new government has taken severe measures seeking to reduce the deficits which ultimately are not the responsibilities of the ordinary worker but those politicians that have mismanaged the economy. As in all Europe, there is a sense here in Spain of no viable solution. This situation affects the church’s finances directly. We give thanks to the Lord for His provision and will continue to trust him for all eventualities. Pray with us that we will honour the Lord in tithing faithfully and give our offerings for the keeping of the ministry and the advancement of the kingdom.
The social work continues with all its demands. Give thanks for all the volunteers and all the gifts we have received over the last few years. We are still catering for 60-70 people each Tuesday, and regularly we have good conversations about their spiritual needs. At the end of each day we pray together as volunteers and exchange ideas as to how to improve what we do. It has been refreshing to see unity in purpose; pray for our protection and safety.
The school term began in earnest going back to that healthy routine of early to bed and early to rise! Pray for the boys as they face constant challenges. We are generally pleased with their education, and Joel is starting to look ahead for future studies. Pray for him as he combines his love for music with his responsibilities in high school. Elis has a few years ahead of him before worrying about these matters; still he seems to have definite ideas for his future. Helen continues her preparation for the eventual setting of the exams for the secured job at the Hospital. Give thanks for all these blessings. My health is still good, praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
May the Lord richly bless you all. Thank you for being there.
Eddy
