I want to just sort of give an order as to how the pastors will come up and share their reports. We're going to do Peter from M uh Moose Mountain first because their church has entered the association and then a couple of men that are sort of orbiting the association that we'd like to hear from Kevin and then Ryan. And then we're going to ask Hector to come up. He's from Mexico and he's going to brief us.
We're going to give him a bit more time just so we can learn more about the work there. And then if there's time after that, we'll go with Rod and then Paul and then Ryan. You already know what's going on in our church, so you don't need me or Cam to come up and tell you that. So I want to read Psalm 133.
We'll sing two stanzas of 405. I'll pray and then I'll call up Peter. So four uh one Psalm 133 beginning in verse one. A song of a sense of David.
Reading of Psalm 133
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forever more.
Amen. We'll turn with me to 405. 405. Again, we'll just do the first two stanzas. You can stand with me and we'll sing together.
I love thy king. The church our blessed redeemer save with his own preious blood. I love my church. Oh God stand.
Here as the apple of my eye and crave it on my hand. Please be seated. Let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Our father in heaven, we thank you for the Lord's day. We thank you for the blessed privilege to gather together in your house. We ask that you would be glorified in this glad hour as we hear reports concerning the churches. We pray that you would be glorified as we gather for worship morning and evening.
That all that we do today would be for the praise and the honor of our great God, even father, son, and holy spirit. We pray for our dear brother Ed Pastor Roine that you would bless him as he preaches in Siri this morning. pray that that would be unto edification for the saints, salvation for the sinners and for your blessing to be upon that local church. Again, we rejoice at your mercy. We rejoice at your loving kindness and we rejoice that you are the God of our salvation.
We pray now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Well, Peter, you can come come on uh come on up.
Well,
Report: Moose Mountain Reformed Baptist Church
it's great to be here with you all this Lord's Day and I pass along greetings from Moose Mountain Reformed Baptist Church. We're very excited that we've now joined this association and we officially signed a paper yesterday at our meeting. So, um, our whole church is very excited to be part of this association now. on. It's been a great week here together with I attended the symbolics course with Dr.
James Renahan this week and the conference. This has been a wonderful week of learning and fellowship. So, thanks for everybody who put that on. Uh as an update from our church, uh since last year, uh we've over doubled our membership, which sounds very impressive, but last year I think we had only seven uh covenant members of our church, and now we have 16.
So, but on the average Sunday now, we do have around 40 people who are attending our church. So, um we have seen some growth and uh we're excited about it. We've seen some people really commit to the church and membership and are committed to the teaching and uh Bible study everything else are committed to all the meetings of the church. So we we've seen a really good past year and we've had no real problems to speak of.
So we're very thankful that the Lord has been providing for us in all those ways. Um, we uh also have been doing some our outreach study which I think we were doing last year at this time too. I may have mentioned uh we've had up to 20 people an average of about 20 people attend our Bible study we've been doing as an outreach Bible study about an hour from where we are. And now we're kind of ending that and the doors open in another town to do a Bible study as well where a church has offered to open their doors and let us come in and teach the word.
So we're excited for that. We're also wondering what the next steps are for this other Bible study we're finishing up because there is a committed group there now that wants to continue or wants a church that teaches sound doctrine and there's not much to be found in the area. So we would ask for prayer and wisdom on the further steps there. We need more qualified men.
I think that's a something that's common everywhere. But yeah, so we'd appreciate prayer for that as well. Um we uh yeah, God has blessed our church. They've continued uh at the end of 2024 they started supporting me full-time.
Before that, I was bivocational, but this year God has provided us and I'm we're the church has voted to continue to support me full-time, which is a huge blessing. We also have our church building and actually just a couple weeks ago. There's uh the only other church in our two towns in the Moose Mountain region that we're I live in the town of Kisby, which is a small town, I think 150ish people. So, so small.
And then our church building is that we is in Arola the next town over which is I think around 500 people. But there's the only other church in those two little towns is the United Church and they have a building in both towns and there's only about six people who still attend. So they alternate services between those two church buildings. and they just approached us a couple weeks ago and they want to maybe give us their build one of their buildings as well on the town of Kisby which so it's kind of crazy a lot of churches always struggle for a building and we might have too many but we'll see we'll see what God does there but the one good thing at our current church building is fairly small it holds maybe at the most 50 or 60 people and we're kind of filling the place up where the church building they're considering giving us maybe holds at least double that. So, we'll see what the Lord has in store for us.
But yeah, we've had Yeah, we're very thankful for all the blessing God has provided this past year and we're looking what he has for us in the future. But he has blessed us and we have had a very trouble-free blessed year besides the common problem or little things that are just because we live in a sinful world, we've had no real trouble of any sort. So, we're very thankful for that. So, and just on a personal note, my wife and I are going through uh the adoption process right now.
So, just as a personal prayer request. So, appreciate prayer for us as we continue to work through that as well. So, again, thankful to be part of the association and be here with you today. So,
pretty good when you have to report that your biggest problem is people are trying to give you church buildings.
I would encourage all you struggling churches to have Peter come out and spend a week with you and maybe somebody will throw a building your way. Very encouraging, brother. We're thankful for you and the brethren there. So Kevin is next.
It's good to be with you all again. Uh
Report: Gospel of Grace Fellowship, Wawern
my name is Kevin Armstrong and I pastor a church called Gospel of Grace Fellowship. We are in Wavern, Saskatchewan. Uh Joey Sawatski is here with me. He's uh one of our elders there as well.
And our third elder is manning the fort today so we can be here. So we're thankful for that. We are just an hour uh west of uh of where Peter is. And uh and so we we're a 13-year-old church.
We do not have our own building. So, uh we just not far from the building whisperers there, but uh so we do need them. Uh so our church is about 13 years old. We we did not start out confessional about 2 and 1/2 years ago.
We we made that uh official shift to adopt the Second London as our uh doctrinal standards which has been a wonderful uh theological home for us and we're we're grateful for it and and uh grateful to be orbiting around this group and and the association. Uh it's a fair way to say it. We are as you know so Regina Grace Reformed Baptist Church is about an hour northwest of us and then we an hour on the other side of us now Moose Mountain. We're flanked by the association.
So we feel the Pinsir move. Very clever. Um and uh but in terms of the association uh it certainly is our trajectory. I think as a church we've been talking about it.
This is our I mean my third time here at the conference. Um, we discussed it even just at our our most recent congregational meeting a month ago as well. So, the church church knows about this, praying about it. Um, we're just really trying to do things well and and try to bring everybody along joyfully and happily through the whole process of adopting the confession and thinking associationally now.
Uh, and and I mean, we're thankful to the Lord. It's been a peaceful process. Uh, and so we're we're thankful for that. Um we are also working on cleaning up some of our practice as well.
Uh even how we for example how we view and and uh utilize deacons. Um so we'll be preaching even in coming weeks here on on the office of deacon and uh so God bless you deacons out there. Um grateful for the the service of deacons. Um otherwise you know there's not a there's not nothing too crazy to report which is probably good. uh pretty steady uh ministry.
It's been a a season of really a peaceful season which again we're just very thankful for. Uh we've been preaching through the book of Ephesians. So just into chapter 6 and verse 10 here coming up nearing the end of that. On Wednesdays we we meet for a Bible study and uh we we are alternating right now.
We do different studies, but we we're we've been working through the Baptist Catechism one week and then alternating with some apologetics on the other weeks. So, we we're not a big city. We're 10,000 people, but we seem to have every cult uh present. And so, we run into them all the time.
And so, we're just trying to understand and and build up the church all the more and just hopefully just encouraging them in evangelism to reach out to these folks. and we've had some of them join our church and and uh be be soundly saved and we're we're thankful for that. Um we're we're we're grateful to be brought into the prayer list of the association as well and to have churches praying for us. So thank you for your prayers. Certainly one of the things we think about uh we have quite a few um youth that 13 to 17 year old age and I think they're they're very much on our hearts just we'd love to see them um come to assurance of faith and and desire for baptism and so on in the coming years as they continue to grow and I know that that's uh weighs on all the all the parents and grandparents and so on.
So, we'd love your prayers for the young uh men and women of the church as well. Um, Peter mentioned it, but there's a it's a bit of a wasteland in terms of churches out where we are. Uh, we're really grateful for Moose Mountain, for Grace Reformed Baptist. Um, so we don't feel all alone.
But uh, but we know people there is a family that was coming to our church and they they transferred membership to Reginaina because it would cut take an hour off of their trip each Sunday one way from about 4 hours down to three just to make it to church. And it's not because they're passing it's not because they're super nitpicky passing a lot of good stuff on the way. There's there's it's a it's truly a wasteland. So um, we would appreciate your prayers for that.
We just want to see um churches established and um and and the gospel go forth. So we we'd love you to pray for that. I know that everywhere I know that's the prayer, but um so and then we we would love also um we we do would love to have our own space, our own building, our own facility to be able to meet. We rent another church building so we meet in the afternoons on Sundays.
We would can see the benefit and would love to have our own facility. We think that would serve the people well. Um so something we pray about and and wait about and um the Moose Mountain guys have assured us that when cuz they think this works every all the time this way that when someone gives us a building for a dollar uh they're going to finance it for us. So we're thankful for their generosity.
But so thank you for your your prayers and uh yeah, God bless. Ryan. All right. Good.
Report: Grace Community, Lethbridge
Good morning. Greetings in the name of the Lord. Uh I'm Pastor Ryan Casease from Lethridge, Alberta, about 2 hours south of Calgary. I've been there for about 19 years.
This is my third year at the conferences. Always blessed every time. Last year I was able to bring a fellow pastor Matthew. Uh and then this year we're able to bring both uh my brothers here, pastors Matthew and Nathan.
And so we just want to thank you as the host church. Uh we come out, we're spoiled. Uh our hosts, the venorts have been amazing. Uh and this really is wonderful for us.
Our prayers that we would return home revived and encouraged, refreshed, and able to serve the flock. And I wanted to thank uh Pastor Ryan as well for including us on your prayer list. I've had three brothers now say, "We pray for you." Even last night, Roger, you know, emotionally saying, "We always pray for you." And it really does mean a lot. It's not a Christian cliche, your prayers are worth more than gold.
Like, they really are when we we trust in the sovereign God. Uh things at Grace Community are well. Uh if you're wondering who's manning the fort while the three elders are out in Chilowak, BC, we planted a church 2 years ago about 40 minutes east of us. Pastor Cliff is actually preaching, so it's kind of a a nice welcoming home for him.
Uh, and the church plant is actually thriving. They may actually be doing um, numerically better than us, and we rejoice in it. Uh, I don't know if we're as much of a wasteland as Saskatchewan. Um, but there's a lot of religion in southern Alberta, a lot of Mormonism, a lot of hypercalvinism, a lot of isms, and so desperately, uh, gospel centered churches are rare, and by God's grace, I think we would be one of them.
Uh, so we're just glad to be here. Uh what was kind of yeah encouraging my heart the most Pastor Jim is is is the conference is imparting to us wonderful theology but the Lord's day is just a wonderful reminder of how it's actually worked out congregationally and that's the encouraging thing is that this isn't for not that we're learning all of these wonderful things from the confession and all these wonderfully theologically rich you know truths but it comes down to blessing the people of God with what we're learning. So, thank you brothers for serving us so well and thank you for praying for us. Uh, God willing, we want to just keep coming here.
We are um, you know, kind of moving the trajectory. We're working through the uh, confession of faith in our Sunday school. Uh, we took a a break after chapter 8. We think there's a good logical you know kind of pause there and then we'll get back into it.
Uh, we're working through Romans. We still have prayer meetings. Lots of stuff happening. Um so God is at work and uh we just cover your prayers that he would continue you know what what Paul would say to the Thessalonians we see you loving only do so more and more.
Um pray that that God the Holy Spirit would be pleased you know to work in us and through us and draw in his elect you know and sanctify his people. So thank you for letting us be here. It is a wonderful privilege and we we are thankful.
Come on up. It's a privilege to be able to introduce Hector.
Um, unfortunately, I haven't got to spend much time with him, but everybody I know that has or does speaks very highly of him, and I wanted to give him a bit of extra time so that he can explain his situation, what he's going through in terms of church and seminary and his own studies. Thank you. I need to say two things before I start. First, excuse me for bringing my computer here.
I know that for some pastor that's a sacri sacriiggious thing. So, forgive me. And second, I need to say that I am a little nervous because pastor Barcelos always tell me that I have a very thick accent and that people here are very white. So, So if I am not clear uh in my presentation we can talk later.
Uh so let me introduce myself.
Report: Reformed Baptist Church of Guadalajara and Sacra Theologia
I am Ector Bamante and I am a a sinner saved by the grace of the Lord and I have streaming uh to serve the Lord in Mexico in these 16 years since the Lord saved me. I am married with Karim Fatel and we have been blessed with 12 years of marriage. We currently have the privilege of raising six children, four daughters, and at the end finally two boys. I have served at the at Reformed Baptist Church of Guadalajara for 11 years and I have been formerly the pastor for approximately eight years.
By God's grace, now I have the blessing of working alongside a co-pastor and together we carry the ministry at the church. Uh right now there we have 140 members and approximately 250 uh people that attend the service Sunday. Um in general terms the church is going be very well. We have a introductory course for membership that launchs around eight months and we have 25 people applying for that course.
So Lord willing the our membership will grow a little bit and we are already thinking because h we are planning to h establish another church in our in our city. So because we cannot grow anymore in our in our building. So um in terms of the church that that is what is happening. Um in addition to my work as a pastor I have the privilege of working with a team that a team of people that are developing theological education.
This ministry is called Sakra theo thelohia sacred theology. Um and this ministry is based in three main pillars. A seminary, a publishing house and a bookstore. So the purpose of these projects is to bring sound doctrine, sound reform doctrine for lat for Latin America for theological education of pastors and to better train labor believers in the speaking Spanish world.
So let me give you a hint of these three pillars. So the bookstore it began with a donation from a brother in the church. H so he asked us to buy books and establish a store and today the store has grown three to four times over the initial offering and has become self- sustained. So this brother that runs the the bookstore he's not paid for that. he does it like a ministry.
So h that that pillar of our work like is going very well to this point. So we have a publishing house. Uh we are working with translate with that translator and a team of reviewers to develop publications. Our goal is to translate ancient and modern literature faithful, clearly and accurately for Latin American readers.
Sadly, many publishing houses rush translations leading to poor quality or even change the meaning of the text. This dishonors God and frustrate th those who struggle to afford books. You know, that's something that I always gets me mad when I see a brother that is like saving money during the month to buy a book and then I found that they have many mistakes that that's not good for the church. Uh so despite our limited resources, we move forward um and cautiously to ensure our work remains consistent and faithful.
So we have published for example justification by imputed righteousness by John Bonjan, female piety by John Angel James, The Art of Divine Meditation by Edmund Calamy and we are publishing this next year five more books uh for example Christian directions by Thomas Go and a treatise of the law the gospel by John I don't know how to pronounce this but Kaku maybe
we don't either. Yeah. So I pronounce it well then. So
okay.
H our publishing house has relied on on voluntary offerings from local churches and individual donations. For example, two churches contribute um $150 every month and other brothers give direct donations so that we can pay our translator and save money to publish this book. So we continue praying for the Lord. Still more churches to support this project in Mexico as and our current needs are include like to increase the salary of our translation translator uh to hire a potential part-time translator and administrator for the for this um yes saving funds to print more books.
So the main pillar of Sakra theloha is the seminary. So the
The Seminary: Training the Next Generation
seminary exist because we see a great need in Latin America. What is that great need? Although there are seminaries in our country and in Latin America in general, unfortunately this seminary only provide basic education. Uh we thank God for these seminaries.
Don't misunderstand me. As Latin America has experienced an awakening on uh to doctrine, these seminaries have contributed to clean and prepare these pastors that came from Pentecostals that came from evangelicalism in general. So these seminaries have contributed to h train these pastors. However, we believe that none of these seminaries are fulfilling the purpose to educate pastors theologically and equipping them properly for the ministry.
Um not many of these seminaries even members of our church were enrolled in some of these big and famous seminaries and they told us that they left the the seminary because they had like a rigorous education even in our Sunday school class. So uh we are we are not like fighting with these seminaries. We are trying to complement what is happening in Latin America. So uh providing a more highly education.
So um I know that this is even a need in the US than United States and even in Canada. Erh but it is a greater need to have good trained pastors in Latin America because here at least you can mention good trained pastors some good training pastors some good theologians but in Latin America you cannot like name good theologians that are serving the church so um even very well-known pastors and directors of these presidents of this seminary make great mistakes on Christian doctrine. So my greatest concern as a pastor is that this doctrinal awakening that is happening at Latin America will eventually fade a wave if pastors are not well educated. So we are looking forward to the next generation.
So this project um has been established with the purpose to educate uh Christ pastors and Christians. So let me say in this way the US has blessed Mexico in many ways but sometimes they perpetuate or immaturity. So it's like a mother that want to helps his daughter with his new ba with her new baby and they want to feed him and wash him and never permit the daughter to take care of his of her own baby. Some sometimes that is what is happening in Latin America.
The greeningos have help us in many ways. But I think that now we are in a a particular time in Latin America. Not only like to bring good theologian and pastors to teach us, but better to teach us and help us to be prepared so that we can be the pastors and theologians of the next generation. And that is what Sakra loia is pursuing with this seminary.
We are for example I am after finishing my master's uh degree I started my PhD with the purpose to be a qualified teacher for this seminary and there are other people that is h doing the same. So we have like different levels of education in the seminary. We have a basic uh training that is for lay people. Everyone can take it online and then we have a a intermediate level and thanks to God we have been able to teach all this course uh with Spanish speaking teachers all of them either ma with a master's degree or finishing their masters of divinity but we we want to go a step further.
So we are like working in what we are calling advanced course. So because we don't have PhD professors at this moment we are bringing uh some theologians from the US and they are teaching particularly classes for this advanced advances courses. For example Craig Carter a Canadian theologian was there three years ago. Dr.
Reinham was with us two years ago and Dr. Barcelos was last week with us teaching advanced theology to these students. So because we want to go deeper in that. So but our plan is in a moment in this process.
Don't don't ask any more to the to the love greeningos so that we can teach these courses. Brothers, I think that it is time for Latin America to prepare their own theologians. We don't know if the if the first world will be able to export good theology in the future. I hope you will stand firm.
But we have to take the the bait the
the ton the baton for this next generation. So we have like two or three term longs um long terms uh projects we want to educate pastors for this next 15 years but you know I have noticed that the next theologians wouldn't be these next pastors that we are training for example I think that to be a theologian in our days, you need to learn, you need to know a little bit of English at least to read it. But many of these pastors have not support for from the church. They have to work or maybe they are old and they don't want to learn English because they have many other things to read and they are m sometimes slow in reading.
So this is what I am looking uh for the future to train these pastors a and helping to be h the better theologians that they can be so that they can teach the next generation and this next generation will be our theologians. I don't think that we will have theologians in my time in Latin America. But maybe my son and the sons of my brothers that they are being educated in classical school and we are planning and a a second step for this project is that in 15 years to establish a an academy of on the liberal arts and educate these young men in Latin, in classical Greek, in philosophy, in logic so that after that basic training they can go and start a theological education. So that's my dream.
I that's my burden to this point. The Lord has blessed us. We have 60 students in our seminary all online and and everything is going well. My plan is uh h in a moment uh to be a full-time professor for this seminary.
So I want to share this with you because this church is supporting me uh with part of my salary to live in Mexico. So I uh could part of my salary from my church because the church is having some um struggles financially. So I took off almost 7 75% of my salary um so that they can like better sustain my co-pastor and also so that I could have time to study for my PhD and finish it and continue working in this project of Sakra theologia. So and this church is part of that of that support.
So I thank you you all uh for that support for your generosity and yes um I think that's all and thank you so much. Pray for us. Uh we live in the one of the most h dangerous places in Mexico. If you hear like a month ago that something very big happened in Mexico, well, it was just in it was in my city. uh uh one hour and a half drive.
Uh that problem happened and we my children and uh uh we and I when we were driving to the church we saw this some uh bosses like shoot shoot it and it was a very very stressful time. So um the Lord has protect us so far and I want to die in my country. That's something I want to tell you. You know, it's beautiful Chiliwak, is beautiful California.
Well, so so but even though sometimes some opportunities uh are offered, I'm convinced that I need I have to die in my country. So if the church h if my church stills wants me for uh maybe 40 years, I'm 34. So I I think I have at least uh 40 more years if the Lord wills. I will die with my people and be a pastor and teacher all my life.
So pray for us, please. Rich leaned over and said, "I feel like I want to clap." Very, very encouraging, Hector. Thank you very much. All right, now we're going to hear from Rod.
Wow, Hector, that was awesome. Thank you for that. So hard to follow that, man.
Report: Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Regina
My name is Rod Emerson. um pastor at uh Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Regina. Regina is about 250,000 people. Um lots of churches in Regina, very nominal, I would say. Um kind of the the ministry approach average there is is to figure out what people want and try and build a program to attract them in.
And there's two other reformed churches there, a URC church and a CRC church. So this the imagination of what a reformed Baptist church is doesn't exist there. We get a lot of visitors that come and um we're pretty weird that way. Our our approach is different.
We um we have about 35 members. We have average attendance of about 50 anywhere from 50 to 100 really. So, you never know what you're going to get on a on a on a Sunday. You might get 10 people, you might get a hundred.
So, that's okay. Our our approach is really that um our church is there to to worship God and to serve him. And God didn't plant that church there uh to please me or to please you or to please um the average person in Rejani. He planted it there for his glory.
And he will do that. So, uh, we're just trying to be faithful there with what we have and and who we have. Um, our challenges there is, um, you know, Regina is very nominal. So, it's very maybe easy to feel like you are, uh, a very serious Christian there where, um, we just want to grow.
We want our people to learn and to grow and to know God so that they can love him more and uh give him the praise that he is due. And so we want we want our young people to really dig into that and have that shape their lives. So um you know Bible study, prayer, these types of things, we want more of that in our in our people and that's what we're working towards. We want uh we don't have a building, we rent.
Uh we don't have a paid pastor. So, we would love for that. And and all of that is kind of just all wrapped up into um growing the church deeper numerically, whatever whatever is going to happen. But we leave it in the Lord's hands and just try and be faithful with what we have and uh make good use of the time that we have and the effort and energy.
So, praise God. I want to say it is so good to know that you are here, that you pray for us and um we have we were very blessed a couple weekends ago to have a a joint service with Wayburn and uh Moose Mountain and just fellowship and knowing that that uh we're not alone that uh our uh our practices are um beautiful and uh God-honoring and to just be able to link arms and come out here and be supported by you. And just the the amount that the congregation in Chilowak and Suri and Armstrong have poured into this conference and and into the association as well. It's it's precious precious to us.
We pray for you uh weekly. We pray for you at least in the congregational prayer um and often throughout the week. Um I I'm I'm sure that our people pray for you in their individual times as well. So bless you and and praise to God
and Paul.
All right. So
Report: Pinoka Reformed Baptist Church
my name is Paul Dear. I'm pastoring um with two others in Pinoa, Alberta. Um, if you're not familiar with Pinoa, we're about half an hour north of Red Deer, 2 hours north of Calgary. Um, we're kind of on an island there with respect to reformed Baptist confessional churches.
There's a lot of Dutch reformed in the area and um, Baptists, a lot of cults. Um, just a wide array of churches there. So, we planted 17 years ago and um, we're all biocational as elders. Um it's been a challenge to do a lot of the ministry around that because of time constraints but the Lord has been good.
The church really exploded during co and um right now on an average Sunday we're sitting at around 80 people. We have 35 members. Um a lot of blessings that have come with that, a lot of challenges that have come with that because a lot of different kinds of people come in and uh we just do want to ask for wisdom to minister to that that we would be faithful to the word. Um in the expository preaching right now we're through Galatians.
I'm preaching Galatians. I do the lion share of the preaching. Um Pastor Emil is preaching through Luke and Pastor Herman is preaching through Psalm 119. We've done four years of um deep theology with respect to covenant theology, baptism, the doctrine of scripture, and then last winter we went through um the doctrine of the Christian Sabbath.
And so we just tackled the more controversial issues head on. It was very good to go through. Um it was very interactive uh Sunday school sessions. This year we kind of changed gears a bit and we started something called forum which is kind of like a Q&A what you saw yesterday and the um pastors are up front or some godly men and we are dealing more with practical Christianity just realizing the need to address some of those things with a biblical perspective.
So that's been some of the ministry that's been happening there. Other than that, we have uh the Bible studies going through the book of Daniel, the book of Esther, and the Behold Your God series, uh the prayer meetings, etc., etc. So, we just are thankful that you guys are praying for us. We're praying for you guys, and we're just thankful for the association.
It's a blessing to know that um we can stand together in the authority of scripture and around the uh the truths that the confession so clearly elucidates, and we're thankful for that. One other thing we started last year was a singles retreat for reformed Baptist churches. We're a small church, but we figured we can open up our um one of the Bible camps there. And we rented and we started it last year.
It was fairly small but very successful with respect to creating relationships and um in just just with the hope that godly Christian marriages would come out of this and friendships and uh just want to encourage that um and keep praying for us in that. It's a it's a ministry that takes a lot of energy and undoubtedly we we see you guys have put so much time and um prayer into this conference and we're very thankful for it and just want to rejoice with you guys in that. So, thanks so much. Encouragement.
And then just before Ryan comes up and make sure you give us Gambia highlights, okay?
Um, we had our meeting yesterday, the association meeting, and it was such an encouragement and it was such a blessing. So Rod and Ryan and Mike, I don't know what we're calling the moderator, vice moderator, and secretary or grand pooha and lesser pooha. Um, it was very good. Good to see the brothers.
Good to hear the reports. Good to hear the one of them, one of them mentioned that, you know, there's not it's pretty ordinary. Church life should be ordinary. The ordinary means of grace is what God blesses over the long haul.
And certainly that's been the consistent refrain from all of the brothers that are giving reports. So it's a blessing to be able to hear that. Good morning. It's always good to be here again.
Um where it all started. It's hard to believe. It's I think in a month from now it's it'll be four years that uh I knelt down there and Pastor Butler and Mike laid hands on me and four years has gone by. It's amazing.
So um so quickly
Report: Trinity Reformed Baptist Church, Armstrong
things are things are well at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in Armstrong. Um God has blessed us with a with a a season of of peace and unity and and fellowship. It's truly a a joy um to see just the Lord's day is uh is such a a special time. everyone I feel everyone is looks forward to the Lord's day as we should um and comes together and and um it's truly truly enjoyable. Last fall we went through a a difficult time as a church.
We had a few um uh a few families ended up leaving to uh find or leaving to another church that suited them a bit more theologically with some of their um theology. So they left which left a big hole in our church because we're a small you know a small church where and uh but by God's grace I think it was I think it was maybe two Lord's days and then we we had uh two new families come and then a couple more since then and sort of filled that hole and um and and God was was very gracious to us that way. we've um and and and these new families that have come have been um such a hunger to come to learn and and to be taught and and so it's truly a blessing and then and not just them. It's it's everyone in the church. So, it's a it's a joy right now.
Things are well. I'm preaching through uh the Gospel of Mark and also teaching a classical apologetics series um which has been very wellreceived. Uh we're getting very deep. We're I'm following RC Sproul um his defending your faith series.
So, we're we're getting uh philosophical. Um the kids are loving it. They're very very engaged in it as well. So, that's uh um that's been uh been good.
So, um yeah, as far as as things to pray for, uh praise God for our for our um the state that we have right now as a church. Uh um I've also I also meet regularly with a group of men. It was sort of a a Bible an existing Bible study that I stumbled upon and and was invited to join and with mostly men who uh are Christians but do not attend church uh dis disenfranchised with churches postco and things like or from CO. Um my heart has always been to see there's many people like that in our area.
Um my heart has always been to see those people brought in. They're they're definitely uh sheep without a shepherd scattered, you know, scattered on the hills and uh and and it shows. And so I've been able to to be be a part of that and by God's grace um start to to earn the trust of some of these men and and uh and and one is one and his wife are coming full-time to the church now and some others have have come on occasion. So I I I thank God for that and just yeah pray that that would continue to be um a means that God can just use to bring his uh his his his sheep together to be fed and nourished every every Lord's day.
So um yeah, that's the update from the church. Uh
sorry.
Okay. So I don't get to go until 11.
100%. Yeah.
Yeah. I I will do that as well. So, um
Report: Gambia Mission and West Africa Reformed Baptist Association
I was uh la a few weeks ago I was able uh given the the opportunity to travel to the Gambia is a little country in West Africa and to to speak at a conference there that uh there's a newly formed reformed Baptist West Africa Reformed Baptist Association of Churches. Warback is their acronym. Um uh as we said yesterday at the meeting, it's the best they they get the prize for the best acronym for associations. Um we lose dramatically by the way.
Um and anyway, so that was the connection. they had reached out to to me um and also to Pastor Paul through the uh through the association website and that be became the the start of a relationship that that grew and developed just online via Zoom meetings and and WhatsApp and things like that. Um eventually they they they asked if I would be willing to come and speak at a conference that they were planning and so I we accepted. I accepted, went there, had the opportunity to to to speak for it was probably there's probably around 100 people or so at the conference. Um they estimated 25 to 30 of them were pastors.
Um the Gambia and and most of West Africa is is um the Gambia itself is 95% Muslim and maybe 4% Christian. Of that 4% Christian, the vast majority is uh Pentecostal. And um there there's there there's no gospel. The idea it's it's that the prosperity type of uh type of thing.
Come to me. Um I'm a pastor. I I have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Come to me and I can give this anointing to you and and if you if you sew the seed of of giving me money.
Um then eventually you'll see the harvest and you'll escape poverty. Um if you ever get sick, come to me and I'll pray for you or I'll anoint you and then you you will never have to go to the hospital again. um if you have to go to the hospital that was your fault because you didn't have enough faith. Um but so that's the kind of ministry ministries that that churches that that are out there. Um but the the conference they the organizers of the conference invited every pastor they could think of um you know other uh from from all these these different um um Pentecostal pastors, women pastors.
They said come on out and they came. many of them came and they were there and they were eager to learn and it was really a blessing. Um so so so them plus the the the very small reformed um movement that has begun there they they came they were very eager to learn and um and it was it was very encouraging to to be able to speak um uh to these um to these brothers and and and all those who came to the conference. The reformed movement is is just beginning there in uh in West Africa. the one pastor um pastor Arnest he's sort of the the the senior if you want to call him the senior pastor there I think uh was it eight years maybe something like that Carla do you remember um that he had been there um do you yeah something around like that maybe eight eight years at the most that he had he had come out of Catholicism paganism had come to the reformed faith had started preaching and teaching started a church under a mango tree with a gathering and now they have their their church um is is they've been able to to grow. They've been able to plant or see other churches uh three three other churches in the surrounding village areas.
Um there they have some young men that they have sent to Nigeria uh to the Nigeria Theological Seminary which I believe is a Dutch reformed seminary if I'm not if I'm not mistaken, not a Presbyterian. But um they're they're there receiving some instruction. And they want to see these guys go on to get further instruction and then eventually to to Lord willing they want to see their own seminary started there to be able to continue to raise up and and train up men for uh for the ministry there to see the the reformed um you know and confessional confessionalism grow there and and reformation happen in in the Gambia both both in the church itself but also just seeing those coming out of uh from the Islam religion coming to Christ and and um and and the gospel growing there. So, they have very big dreams and visions and u plans that they that they want.
They're they're good at looking long term, thinking long term, and they have a lot of projects on the go there to to um to to see this these goals be achieved by by the grace of God. So, I did put together a slideshow um with a bunch of pictures um and of of updates of things that are going on there. I will send that out. Um it might be something maybe one day I can come and present in person.
We I was going to talk to you about that, but we'll see. Um maybe we do that and we can and can and do a do a presentation of what's going on there. Very encouraging. I was I was so encouraged.
I was so I I I feel so blessed to have been able to go there and see what the Lord is doing. Um and and um yeah, so just remember remember the Gambia in your prayers in West Africa and that the gospel and reformation would continue to happen there. So, thank you.
And then the final one is Dan Mley. Of course, subsequent to Thursday night, you'll be forever known as Timeline Dan.
Good morning.
Uh,
Report: Free Grace Church Plant, Dryden
I'm Dan Moley. uh to put it simply, I'm a wannabe pastor at a wannabe church, but uh Free Grace has been very very gracious to us. About five years ago is when the idea came up and we had a number of conversations with Jim and and Dog and Steve Lawson. And Steve, I remember Steve Lawson said, "If it's the Lord's will, it'll go and go with the goers." And there was always the question, "What if it's not the Lord's will?" But five years later, um still still pursuing uh being a church. We are in central Canada uh which I think is probably about 2,000 kilometers away uh from here.
It is in an area that's predominantly influenced by by Menanite or something similar. So if there is a Protestant um what what there is for Protestants are mostly antagonistic towards a reformed siriology. So it's not exactly like there was a group of like-minded believers just waiting for a reformed church to land so they could attend it. We're a small group.
Uh since the LA since last year, one of our our biggest priorities was to try to locate centrally in Dryen. We were we were about a 10-minute drive out of town and it was difficult to find us and even those who knew we were there and tried to find us had difficulty finding us. So, we were able to find a spot in town to rent uh it's at a lodge, we rent a conference room and since then we've seen a lot of fruit. We've had uh a significant well significant we've we've had some increase in visitors and um even better we've we've had repeat visitors.
So, that's a good thing. number-wise, we I did a bit of a headcount and if I did it right, if everybody's there, there'd be 29 people in our morning service. So, um this doesn't it's not as impressive as this sounds, but the place that we're renting, it's only a short-term solution. Uh we need to find something bigger because we've already outgrown the space um just because it's a small space. And there's a few other issues, but that's something that uh is on our minds as well as further progressing as a con a constituted church.
So, since moving into town, we've had more visitors, we've had more people return as visitors. Something that's been very encouraging uh for us is a a recent convert who is very teachable um unchurched while some kind of nominal Catholic background eats up anything that we provide reads books has lots of questions and has expressed interest in becoming baptized and becoming a member. So that's been been very encouraging for us. I'm always wondering you know if the Lord's in it will it will go.
So is the Lord in it? So that was to say it again very encouraging and Lord willing this summer uh in June both Dr. Barcelos and um pastor Butler will be flying out and uh we will constitute as a church uh Lord willing appoint myself as an elder and Josh Butler as deacon and partake of the Lord's supper which would be the first time in five years aside from visiting churches such as free grace it would be the first time in five years we'll have participated in the Lord's supper as a constituted at all as a church. So, that sums it up.
If you have any questions, um, please ask afterwards. Praise God. Why don't we stand and sing the doxology and then there are refreshments upstairs that you can go and enjoy. Praise God from whom all Praise him below.
Praise him. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Closing Prayer
Thank you for these wonderful reports. We thank you for each of these brothers. We pray that they would continue to know the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit as they continue in the word and doctrine. Bless each of these churches.
May they be strengthened with might in the inner man. May the people of God grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. And may you continue to raise up faithful churches throughout this nation. This nation that is greatly uh needful for good good sound doctrine and good gospel preaching.
We ask that you would pity this nation. And even today as your word goes forth, we pray that it would not return unto you void. And we ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Amen.
Scripture References
- Psalm 133