Newsletter 2-07 Color

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Missions Banner Presbyterian Missionary Union & Venture Guild International

1650 Love Road, Grand Island, New York 14072 ‹ Phone: 716-775-0442 ‹ Fax: 716-775-3405 Email: [email protected] ‹ Web: www.presbyterianmissions.org FEBRUARY 2007, #215 ‹ “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples!” Psalm 96:3

Kima Reports from Burma Rev. Khawl Ro Kima reports from Burma (Myanmar) that the Lord continues to prosper the ministry of the gospel there in that difficult place. During the month of December, Rev. Kima traveled to his home area, the Chin state in western Burma. There, he participated in an All Chin Christian Combined Worship Service held on Dec. 16 (Saturday), and

took part in a Christmas concert. The people in his home village (most of them are his relatives) are willing and praying to join the BPC of Myanmar. They are about ten to fifteen families, totaling about eighty people. We praise the Lord for this development. Kima (this is how he refers to himself, and what we call him here in the office), kept very busy during the Christmas season: the Yangon church Sunday School children had a special presentation on the Lord's Day of Dec. 17th and presented a pageant on Christmas day. The church held a Carol Sing on the evening of the 23rd and a Christmas Celebration on the 25th. (Picture, inset.) In addition, he has been laboring to faithfully visit each of the church families on a monthly basis. The month of January has been filled with ministry as well. Dr. Kevin Backus, PMU Vice President, has been in the country for about two weeks to conduct

News to Know extensive leadership training (picking up where Dr. Pine left off in September), and the teaching and preaching ministry has taken both Kima and Backus from Yangon to the Inle region, and back again. Not long after Dr. Backus leaves, Dr. Edward Paauwe and a group from the Perth church are coming for a week of training, preaching, and ladies’ ministry, February 19-26. The Paauwes will also be evaluating the field for purposes of determining the feasibility of sending teams of young people to Burma in the future to assist with the work there. Here are some prayer needs to keep on your list: • Train and ordain elders as soon as possible. • Finish translating The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Shorter Catechism and the BPC Church Government and Discipline. • Run theological school for training and equipping the future BPC leaders and missionaries. • Safety and wisdom in a land where the government is growing increasingly hostile to Christianity. • Additional supporters are needed for the monthly salary, rental of various properties (currently, Rev. Kima is overseeing one church and four missions stations!), and salaries for lay preachers and orphanage workers. Their support level is currently at about 30% of the needed $1300 a month to cover all of these expenses. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Dr. Backus will return from his ministry in Burma on February 3. Look for more pictures and a fuller report of his own work there in next month’s Banner!

Pine Spring Itinerary Dr. Pine will once again be hitting the road this spring, once the snow melts up here in Buffalo! Here is his itinerary — please keep him in prayer during his travels and ministry. Thanks. • February 9 &10, Cincinnati, Grace BPC. Dr. Pine will participate in Rev. Mark Baldwin’s ordination service. • February 23-26, New York City, NY Gospel Mission. Preaching and introducing the work of PMU and the BPC to an independent Reformed work. • March 19-31, La Paz Bolivia. (See article on page two!) • April 9-16, Clearwater Christian College Mission Conference and services at Florida Presbytery churches. • April 21-26, Services at Southwest Presbytery churches, visiting with a potential new church planter, and visiting Providence Christian College, Ontario, California. (Still to be confirmed.)

Revs. Quisbert, Pine, & Rodriquez overlooking La Paz, Bolivia

Presbyterian Missionary Union is a non-profit missions agency associated with the Bible Presbyterian Church. Our purpose is to advance the cause of missions that are biblically based and practiced and to stand against any compromise of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. PMU is directed by a Council of Christian leaders who volunteer their time to guide the ministry. To learn more about missions opportunities through PMU, or about the BPC, please contact us. The Missions Banner is published ten times a year for interested individuals and churches. It seeks to promote the clear stand of the BPC by providing a biblical perspective on issues, fads, and theories in missions and church development. Editor: Len Pine. Publisher: James S. Blizzard

Bolivia Pastoral Leadership Team Prepares for March Ministry

Dr. Len Pine

Mrs. Karen Pine

As we mentioned in last month’s issue, PMU is fielding a ministry team once again this year to Bolivia. This time, the team’s focus will be leadership training and church ministry. On March 20, Dr. and Mrs. Len Pine, and Dr. and Mrs. George Gatis will ascend the Andes mountains once again, and together with our brethren in La Paz, Bolivia, endeavor to assist Rev. David Quisbert in his vision to build the Bible Presbyterian Church of Bolivia. The gentlemen will be teaching about ten hours of seminars on church government and worship, in addition to preaching a total of sixteen times over a period of about ten days. The ladies will head up women’s and children’s ministries for the church, and the team will also present two sacred concerts, singing mostly in the Aymara language. Everyone will also help out in conversational English classes for adults and children, and a special trip will be made out to the La Paz church’s mission work in the village of Taraco, high on the Alti Plano near Lake Titicaca. Rounding out the ministry will be a radio broadcast and tract distribution, and much fellowship with the families of the La Paz congregation. Please pray for this important work: for the preparations now underway, for good health, for the readiness of hearts to receive the Word, and for ministries left on hold at home while the Pines and Gatises are away. If you would like to contribute to the expenses of this effort (right around $5000), PMU would be most grateful! Just mark your contribution for “Bolivia Leadership Team.” Thank you!

Dr. George Gatis

Mrs. Rita Gatis

Team Timothy USA Comes Together for Zephyrhills Outreach We are pleased to announce that we now have a team ready to assist in the new church planting effort in Zephyrhills, Florida. Please pray for the team as they ready their hearts to labor on behalf of the church and in the Lord’s name, March 2430, 2006. Team members as of this writing are Hannah Sudlow, Ryan Sudlow, Andrew Wann, Sharon Blizzard, Anna Blizzard, Emily Blizzard. All are from Florida BP churches. The team leader is Rev. Steve Brinegar, the work’s pastor. The main emphasis of the week’s mission will be to canvass as large an area as possible in an effort to invite the community to attend the new church. The work recently moved to a more public location, and has as a target area the cities of Zephyrhills, Dade City, and Wesley Chapel. The Zephyrhills area is located about 20 miles north of Lakeland and Tampa, fairly equidistant between them. There are many challenges to a work in this area, so please pray with us that the Lord’s purposes will be clear, and that they would be accomplished in His good time.

Wesley Chapel

Team Timothy Brazil Preparations Focus on Language Acquisition We are happy to receive this report from team leader, Rev. Tito Lyro, on the progress our Brazil team is making so far. Thanks to all who have contributed to make their journey and labors possible! Please keep them in your prayers. “February finds team members hard at work preparing themselves to be used by their Redeemer in the furtherance of His kingdom in Brazil. Their main task right now is to acquire as much Portuguese as possible. Any bit of Portuguese the team members can learn will open tremendous doors for the building up of relationships and the proclamation of the gospel.

TT Brazil 2005, in front of the church wall where they inscribed their names for posterity!

“With 17 members, Team Timothy Brazil 2007 will be the largest team ever to be sent overseas by PMU. Please pray for us. Pray that the Lord will enable us to do His bidding faithfully. Pray that we will, by His grace, let our lights shine, so that the Brazilian people in Triunfo may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.”