Annual Report 2012 – compressed - York St Church of Christ

Evangelists and Motorcycles: ZimbabweThe Churches ofChrist havemany churchesand pastors inan area ofMatabeleland.Despite themany hardshipsthe churchesthere arethriving.Doctors,lawyers,engineers andmany otherhighly qualifiedprofessionals, who would seldom attend church, nowjoin in regularly for worship.Most pastors serve up to 8 churches due to increasedchurch growth and the inability to pay a full-time pastor.They have to walk long distances from one preachingpoint to the next, particularly in rural areas. Recently 6motorbikes were purchased by Australian churches tohelp pastors visit each of their congregations more often.As yet, many rural churches do not have buildings and soto train young people in building, carpentry and weldingby involving them in the building of churches.For further information on how to get involved go tohttp://w.inpartnership.org.au/We are currently in the middle of the Rainy seasonwhich lasts from May to mid-October. For us this is aquiet time as most people are at work in their fields. Itinvolves more maintenance and grounds-keeping workfor Jo, as conferences and teaching are during the dryseason.Please prayfor thepreparation ofthe New Yearwhich startsin thebeginning ofOctober. Wewill have newstudents toget to know,some ofwhom arenonbelievers.Johann will be involved with the discipleshipcourse, English and team building/unity projects for theapprentices at the Liwietari Vocational Centre (CFL),have visits from missionaries and pastors who come fora retreat and for prayer. Actually a non-stop part of lifehere is receiving daily visits from anyone and everyonewho comes to greet the family, usually in severaldifferent languages.Blind and Mute meets JesusWe continue to seek and pray for God's love and powerto be at work in and through us, and we are lookingforward to what God will be doing.Germain is a pastor who works with us. Two weeks agohe was able to pray with a man in Natitingou called Bio,who had been to a fetisher (a worker of voodoo) and whohad returned blind and mute. For that week Bio wasexperiencing the feeling of bonds around his neck andbody. His tongue was attached to the roof of his mouth,and his eyes were glued closed. He was breathing onlywith difficulty and was unable to eat or get up. The familywere preparing for his funeral when they asked for prayer.Germain spoke with Bio and he indicated with a nod thathe wanted to become a Christian. After praying for halfgood meal. Bio now has a new church meeting in hishouse.We are all going well, despite finding 14 scorpions in ourhouse! None of has have been stung we appreciateyour prayers! Again, thank you for your prayers andthoughts, especially in this Malaria-prone season. Hopeside too.Kristie, Johann, Enoch, Zion and Stefan Bayne31