Resisting Grace

"All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful." Flannery O'Connor

We have learned more of His grace this year during our itineration. We have depended on it while traveling each weekend from church to church, sitting in airports or on runways as flights are delayed or canceled; trying to keep up with our responsibilities to our missionaries as well as to meet our budget so we can return to the field.  Today we give thanks to God for his grace extended in our lives as well as to those churches and individuals who have given of themselves in extraordinary ways to help us this past year.  Yes, grace changes us and that change can be painful, but the benefit of seeing life through thankful eyes guided by his grace and to then reach out to those who have never experienced his love is well worth it.

THANK YOU to all those who have extended grace to us this year - we are encouraged because of you.

If you would be able to partner with us and help us meet our remaining budget of $610 a month in pledges please click here for online giving:
http://worldmissions.ag.org/search.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM001C

Or contact us at :  paul.trementozzi@agmd.org

Giving Thanks

Psalm 65:2-4

2 You who answer prayer,

   to you all people will come.

3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,

   you forgave our transgressions.

4 Blessed are those you choose

   and bring near to live in your courts!

We are filled with the good things of your house,

   of your holy temple.

The realization struck me as I read this passage that the older we are in Christ the more we tend to forget to give thanks for what he has saved us from – “we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions”.

I tend to need a wake up call to the fact that God has chosen to win the lost – all of them.  The poor, marginalized, handicapped, the ‘less valuable’ of society – he has chosen to give each of these the same opportunity to live in his courts as he has given me. Quite frankly, I do not always choose to love or serve others as God would have me do.  I can tend to get so caught up in Christian living within the church’s four walls that I forget to serve the ones outside of them who God longs to have live in his courts.

A close friend asked me to make a stop with her to visit a family who just lost their mother at the age of 42.  The house was very run down, most family members were jobless; two of the children were young unwed mothers.  A sixty-six year old grandmother was now left to care for all of these and she has nothing but a government monthly check, no formal education, but she trusts in Christ to help her through this challenge.

In my flesh I wanted to look at the older children and tell them they needed to be more responsible, but instead I followed the lead of my friend who wrapped arms around those many would not choose to embrace. We let them grieve as we allowed ourselves to be 'Jesus with skin on'. 

“You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.” God the Father longs for all to come to him regardless of our opinion of them. Do we honor that fact in our words and deeds as we live life?  May we remember and be thankful for what he has saved us from and share with others the ‘good things’ he has blessed us with.

1.  How much of your time spent in ministry to others is outside of the church building?

2.  Do you daily ask God to place someone in your life that you can share Christ with whether in word or deed?

3.  Do you need to ask the Father to help you to love those who are deemed less important because of the way they choose to live?

4.  Is there something in your life God has blessed you with, whether material or not, that you can use to bless others in order to shower the love of Christ on them?

Thanks again to those of you who are helping us to reach out to others with the love of Christ in Southern Europe!

If you are able to help us reach our financial goal and leave for Southern Europe in September here please click here: http://worldmissions.ag.org/search.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM001C 

Bearing Fruit

"Colossians 1:3-6  "We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints- the faith and love that springs from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven adn that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.  All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth." 

We continue to watch how the gospel is bearing fruit throughout Southern Europe in a variety of ways:

Southern Europe's International Churches continue to grow

Ministry to diverse community groups has exploded

Help for those caught in physical abuse & human trafficking is underway

Church planting is on the rise

Creative evangelism is taking place among those of college & career age 

Through your efforts in helping us to reach our goal of $700 a month we will be able to return to Southern Europe by September and continue to help to facilitate these efforts.  

Here are three ways you can help:

1.  7 donors to support us at $100 a month

2. 14 donors to support us at $50 a month

3. present donors to increase their pledge by $25 dollars a month

We are thanking God for each of you who have encouraged, prayed, and supported us throughout our missionary journey and we are excited to return and continue.

For Online Giving:http://worldmissions.ag.org/search.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM001C   

Or Contact Us At: paul.trementozzi@agmd.org

Here Am I Send Me

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?
And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
-- Isaiah 6:8

We are willing to go, but need your help to get there!

GOAL - to arrive in Spain by September
NEED- Prayer & help to raise $800 in pledges in order to meet our budget within the next two months. 

We are asking churches or individuals who would be able to help us in reaching our goal in the following way:

8 supporters @ $100 a month

18 supporters @ 50 a month

If you are all ready partnering with us and may be able to increase your monthly pledge this would also be a tremendous help. 

We are so appreciative to all of you who have given to the ministry for these past 19 years. You have enabled us to minister to our missionary family as well as those in need of knowing Christ in  Southern Europe.  Thank you for helping us to say to the Lord, Here I am send me!

For Online Giving: http://worldmissions.ag.org/search.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM001Chttp://worldmissions.ag.org/search.cfm?Display=Yes&churchdetail=AGFM001C

Or Contact Us At: paul.trementozzi@agmd.org

 

 

Thank You For Praying!

Many of you have told us you are joining in the 100 Days of Prayer for Europe.  Please read the following testimony which is an answer to those specific prayers you have been lifting up on a daily basis.  God is faithful!

In his latest correspondence to the Europe missionary body - Dr. Greg Mundis has written:

On March 20 we prayed for Montenegro, asking for church planters. Michael McNamee (Convoy of Hope Europe director) wrote on March 23:

"We are assisting Pastor Jovica in the capital city, Podgorica, and adopting a community in the city of Berane. The latter is being sponsored by Dr. Iain Duthie and his congregation from The King’s Community Church in Aberdeen, Scotland. This city of 35,000 people has 95 percent unemployment and, until recently, no known Christians. Altogether we have made about five trips there, led by Doug Webber. The conditions were atrocious, but we have cleaned, burned, destroyed, fixed, and restored. The mayor of the city has welcomed us with open arms. This week a shed has been restored and converted into a church building. Yesterday it was dedicated, and the first service was held with ten locals in attendance, of whom several have had an experience with the Lord. Elders from Pastor Jovica’s church have agreed to take responsibility and leadership of this new church. According to statistics, this is only the fourth or fifth church in the whole country of 700,000 people."

100 Days Of Prayer For Europe

Please join us and all our missionaries in Europe as we have begun 100 Days Of Prayer For Europe.  We will be praying each day for the different needs facing Europe and for our missionary family.  

You can click on the following link for a list of daily prayer request. Thank you for joining with us!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/EyeOnEurope?sk=notes

What Does An Area Director Do?

This is a question many ask us which does not have one 'pat answer'.  We could list what our written job description states we do, but this would give but a glimpse into our day to day lives.  Over these next few posts we would like to share one aspect of our job description that is probably the most important aspect of our position - pastoral care.

Many of you who pastor a church know the importance of being available to your congregation.  Those under our care need to know we are accessible to them and to their families.  We presently have close to 170 (this includes missionaries, missionary associates, and their families) working alongside us in Southern Europe.  As a congregation this number may not be hard to care for as a pastor, but spread those 170 across 5 countries and 3 time zones and it becomes a bit more challenging.  Missionaries and their families need to know we are available when they are in crisis whether that be a ministry, physical or emotional need or to also visit and see the ministries they are involved that we may be a sounding board, give encouragement or counsel when needed.  Distance can be challenging in this regard especially while we are presently itinerating in the United States to raise our funds to return to the field.

Imagine being the pastor of a church and having to live an ocean away for one year while your church body needs you.  We are grateful to serve in an age which lends to us the tools of video calls which helps us to have face to face times of meeting and prayer with our colleagues as well.  Thankfully we have very capable missionaries in place on each of our fields who work closely with us to bridge the gap during our absence.  This also puts an added burden on those in these positions as they have full time ministry themselves, but regardless, they willingly to put the needs of others first.  We are indebted to them and thankful to work alongside a body of missionaries that are  kingdom minded.

We would ask you to pray for us that God would through his Spirit allow us to continue to minister to our missionary body as Paul writes in Romans 2:4 "..with a demonstration of the Spirit's power.."
What we do as we serve our missionary family as pastors cannot be done on our own strength nor guided by our own thoughts or emotion, it must be done with the Spirit's power.

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf as well as for our missionaries and their families in Southern Europe!