Dear brethren,
Please find herewith the latest ministry news from Grace Bible Church in Lilongwe, Malawi.
We have so much to celebrate for this season. Thank you for taking time to read our newsletters and for all the payers on our behalf. May the Lord grant you his faithfulness during this season.
Our Family
We have seen the hand of the Lord in our family over the past twelve months. The Lord has been faithful to grant us our needs. He has been on our side and for that we are grateful.
It is a blessing for us to get together over the Christmas season. God has been faithful to us indeed. Warren is back from school and is enjoying time with his two beautiful sisters. Karen has done well in her first semester exams. She needs help in one subject (math) so we will be working on that during this break! We are forever grateful for Lauren, who is such a bundle of joy in our household. What a joy to have Patricia as a wonderful mom and wife!
To God be all the glory for giving us such a pleasant present in Patricia. It was our anniversary on 15 December. We have experienced much of God’s faithfulness during this period. To God be all the glory.
Church Family
The Lord has placed upon my heart to be among those who are pioneering the introduction of biblical churches in our country. In this day, in which we are bombarded with easy Christianity, which forces us to tolerate anything, the days whereby, if you stick to the faithful preaching of the word, you are labelled boring and too serious, it is hard to penetrate the hearts of those who have embraced easy–believism. We have been blessed with a few visitors, some of whom are contemplating membership. We have welcomed a family into membership, which has come ready to serve. It is always encouraging to be at church and meet fellow believers who are hungry for the word of truth.
There have been a few encouraging areas of growth this year.
Midweek Services
After observing that most people were not able to attend the midweek Bible studies due to logistics, we thought it would be a good idea if we would rotate and conduct midweek services. This has proved very encouraging to our members.
Couples Retreat
We had an opportunity to get all of our couples to the lake for a time of fellowship and the quality time of teaching, encouraging us from the word. This will stand to be a great and encouraging time of the year.
Challenges and Needs
Our biggest challenge as a church plant is our own place of worship. We are currently meeting at a government secondary school. I have been praying that the Lord will help us find and fund the piece of property where we might be able to build our place of worship. Fellowshipping at this premises has proved to be a distraction to say the least. This stands out to be one of the needs our church is keenly waiting upon the Lord for answers.
Currently, we have identified a perfect property for us to buy. It is right among the people we would like to reach out to. The only challenge is that we do not have the funds to purchase this piece of land. The property has a price tag of $20,000. This is an acre of land, which we might be able to develop and use as our church meeting place for ages to come. Our church is working toward saving whatever the Lord blesses us in the form of giving. Unlike most of the churches around here, we do not want to squeeze our members by placing them on a guilt trip so that they give. We are trusting the Lord for this property.
I am continuing to preach through the Sermon on the Mount. It has always been our prayer that the Lord will work in our hearts as we listen to the word preached. Our men’s discipleship time has been well spent in the studying Disciplines of a Godly Man.
We are also thankful for the growth in our women’s fellowship grouping. It is a blessing that Amy, who together with her family have joined us, will continue to work together with Patricia in reaching to the ladies in our church.
Pray for Us
- Praise the Lord on our behalf for wonderful year he has given us
- Praise the Lord for the visitors we have been having over a few months now.
- Praise the Lord for the coming of the Temples amongst us.
- Pray that we will be able to buy the piece of land for our church before the owner changes his mind.
- Pray that, for now, we will be thankful for our current meeting place.
- Pray for our evangelistic efforts in colleges to bear fruits.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. To God be all the glory.
Yours in Christ alone,
Kondi and Patricia Nyanda