Family of Families: Bible School Classes (Dec.)

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household." Ephesians 2:19

The topic of this past week's Bible school classes was "Belonging to a Family of Families." Since the last session, in September, students have been studying Scripture that addresses God's design for families and His church, which He refers to as a family. It was a time of digging more deeply into the Word, sharing rich discussion about how it relates to our own families and church ministries, and being convicted and encouraged as the Lord spoke into our lives.

We found several recurring themes throughout the week. One was that we must live what we say and be an example to others in such a way that draws them to Christ and into His family. Another was the deep need we encounter among people who have experienced broken homes. A beautiful aspect of this week's classes was how the Holy Spirit used the Word to bring together pastors from different cultures and denominations as they learned from each other and enjoyed fellowship together.

We were blessed by our teachers: Felix (middle), a Honduran pastor, along with Mario (left) and Dennis (right), who came from Toronto to join us. Mario is originally from the Philippines, and Dennis from St. Vincent. This was a big highlight for the Garifuna pastors, since St. Vincent was where the Garifuna people came from.

I translated between English and Spanish for pastor Dennis:

As we concluded this week's session, there was a special time of worship and prayer together:

Just like last time, we would like to introduce you to another Garifuna pastor. In this video clip, Pastor Gabino shares about his experience in the Bible school and how you can pray for him:

Thank you so much for praying for these pastors' studies and ministries. We praise God for this opportunity He is giving them to receive training as they serve in their communities, and we remember that you are a big part of making that possible. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them as they apply what they have learned to their families and congregations.

We invite you to praise God with us that the first set of materials has been translated into Garifuna and is now in the revision process. Please pray that this will be a helpful tool for training leaders and building up the Garifuna church.

We also are excited to share with you that some pastors will begin implementing in their own churches the materials they have been studying this year. They need prayer for wisdom in choosing "Timothy"-type leaders to disciple, as well as continued diligence and perseverance as they continue their own studies between now and February, when we will meet again. We look forward to reporting to you what God does then!