14 August 2010

Dearly Beloved

We greet you all in the lovely Name of our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

It is a great privilege for us at Newcastle Baptist Church (NBC) to share a little bit about the ministry of the church. Through the grace of God, NBC was planted more than 37 years ago. With a long history behind us, many members have come in and gone to be with the Lord, and many passed through the church as part of their life’s journey. There have been wonderful times of joy, and there have been times of sorrow. We thank God for keeping NBC for all these years, by His grace.

One of the focus points in the church, the past few months, has been missions. We had our first “faith offering” where members and adherents were encouraged to trust the Lord to be able to give a monthly offering, above their normal giving. This faith promise is used in it’s entirety for missions. The members and adherents have been faithful in their giving, and we were able to expand our support of missions by also supporting Asian missionaries in Asia. Even the Sunday school became involved in this project to buy a bicycle so that the missionary can move around faster and to be able to share the Gospel in more villages. 

We also started a food project to help members of the church who need help as well as other Christian brothers and sisters in the area. Once again the children are involved in this project, by bringing food to church each Sunday morning. The food is then distributed on a two weekly basis to those who have a need. 

The African Pastors Conference held every year in Newcastle, was held at NBC during January this year, and we have already started the preparations for January 2011. The focus of the 2 day conference is to expose local pastors and leaders, from different theological backgrounds, to sound teaching from a reformed perspective. Would you please pray with us that the attendance of the conference next year will increase? 

Two of the members of the church are running a crèche from their home. They shared their vision with the leadership and the members of the church to start a mission school on the church premises. We are now in the process of developing a proposal for the school to be discussed at a general meeting of the Church. We realize what an impact such a mission school could have on the community, but we also see the impact a mission school can have on a small church such as NBC. Would you please pray with us for God’s guidance in this matter?

When it comes to the ministry of the church, there is always room for improvement. We are thankful for the members of the church who are faithful in their commitment, love for the Word, fellowship, the Lord’s Table and in prayers. These are the building blocks of a healthy church. Please pray with us that each and every member will grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ. We are also praying to the Lord for more elders in the church so we can have a plurality of leadership in the church. Please pray with us as this is a very important matter.

I would like to conclude by thanking the family of Sola 5 churches for their prayers and thank you for the phone calls of encouragement received.

May the Lord richly bless you in all you do for His glory.

In His service
Japie van Kampen (On behalf of the Newcastle Baptist Church)