July 2016 Newsletter

J
U
L
Y
2
0
1
6
STEVE & VICKI STAIRS
Training African Pastors to Lead African Churches with Biblical Understanding and Wisdom
Glimpses of Maturity
Praying for Us
Pray that we will grow
daily in our love for God,
for each other, and for the
people that God enables us
to serve.
Pray that we will be
faithful servants who
please our Lord.
Pray that we will have
wisdom and insight into
the best ways to teach
God’s Word in each
African culture in which
we teach.
Pray that we will trust
God to provide health and
physical resources to
make our ministry
sustainable and effective.
ContactDetails:
SteveandVickiStairs
POBox13
RioGrande,OH45674
(740)645-8192
Variety is a word that describes
well the ministry opportunities that filled
my most recent trip to Cape Town, South
Africa. It involved a Bible Conference/
CMI course, an ordination and a Mission’s
Conference. As I reflected on each of
these events as they unfolded I was
encouraged that each of these events was
a glimpse at the growing spiritual maturity
of the churches that God has enabled us
to help over the years through our
ministries in Cape Town.
Where in the past many such
events were organized and enacted by the
vision of church-planting missionaries,
each of these events were the vision of
local churches. This meant that the role of
the missionaries was to help enact their
ideas. It has been a delight to be able to
watch people grow into the roles that God
has chosen for them to fill in their
respective churches and use their unique
gifts and abilities so well to pursue sharing
the gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully and
creatively. That initiative in taking
responsibility for that tasks that each of
these churches are pursuing speaks of the
maturing and growing understanding that
they have of their responsibility to take
God’s good news of salvation in Christ to
their own communities.
Sentby:
LinworthBaptistChurch
6200LinworthRd.
Worthington,OH43085
(614)844-4477
The Bible Conference / CMI
Course was organized by Faith Fellowship
Baptist Church of Durbanville under the
leadership of Pastor Cal Lewis. The
ordination was called by Community
Baptist Church of Blue Downs under the
leadership of Pastor Llewellyn DeKock.
And the Mission’s Conference was held at
Strand Bible Church in Strand under the
leadership of Pastor Jeremy Van Rheenan.
Each man networked with other churches
in their area and as a result 5 churches
were represented at the Bible Conference,
4 churches at the Missions Conference
and 13 churches from 3 continents (Africa,
North America, Australia) at the
ordination. Each event equipped and
encouraged the believers that shared in it
to be more effective in their witness of the
glory of Christ’s salvation to the people
who God has given them to serve.
The words of 3 John 4 came to
my heart as I thought on what God is
doing in the communities of Cape Town
through these churches. “I have no greater
joy than to hear that my children are
walking in the truth.” (ESV) Maturing
believers and churches are a great source
of joy and encouragement to those who
labor and have labored among them.
MissionAgency:
ABWE
POBox8585
Harrisburg,PA17105
(717)774-7000
email&Website:
[email protected]
stairs.abwe.org
Missions Conference in Strand
One of the joys of this last trip was being at the missions
conference of the Strand Bible Church. This church is one
that was birthed by God through the efforts of South African
church planting missionaries. It is at least 2 generations
removed from significant influence by missionaries from
outside South Africa and is an example of the resolve of
some solid Bible-believing South African churches to take the
gospel to their communities. It is a small church who now
UPCOMING
SCHEDULE
JULY 24-29 , 2016
Facilitating Training
Essential Missions
Components
ABWE Home Office
Harrisburg, PA
AUG 15-30, 2016
Teaching at
Bible Institute of Zululand
Richard’s Bay, South
Africa
fitness to serve as one of their
pastors. It was a delight to
listen to his wise, thoughtful
and biblical answers to the
questions that pastors and
missionaries posed to him.
One of the highlights for
CBC was that their founding
missionary, Rev. David
Devore was able to come
from his retirement in
The family in the picture
California to be part of the
above is that of Pastor Mark ordination council and speak
and Marais from Community at Mark’s ordination. Pray
Baptist Church. Pastor Mark for Mark and Taryn as they
balance a young family
with full-time jobs and
pastoral ministry
responsibilities at CBC.
Ordination at
CBC
OCT 3-31, 2016
Teaching at
Cape CMI, Cape Town,
South Africa
Bible Institute of Zululand
Richard’s Bay, South
Africa
NOV 10-21, 2016
Teaching at
Word of Life Africa
Bible Institute
Kitende, Kampala,
Uganda
supporting its first full-time pastor. Pastor Jeremy (in the red
hat above) has a passion for the lost around him and is
leading his people to know God’s Word well and share God’s
good news creatively. This conference included opportunity
for the people to put into practice what they were learning.
With the help of their mother church they distributed over
6,000 tracts door to door in Strand on Saturday morning.
Pray that their joyful obedience will bear much fruit.
is one of the graduates of the
Cape Church Ministries
Institute and one of the men
who I had the privilege of
teaching during our ministry
in Cape Town. On Saturday,
May 21 I had the joy of
moderating the ordination
council that CBC convened
for examining his call and
Support Picture
needed for us to do the work
God has laid on our hearts.
Currently we are at 92% of
our recommended support.
That translates to a shortage
of about $505 / month.
If you would like to become
a regular part of our
financial support team please
contact us and we will be
glad to help you with that
process or visit the ABWE
website www.abwe.org and
follow their instructions to
become part of our financial
support team.
We are so thankful for your
faithful prayers to God in our
behalf and for the generous,
sacrificial financial gifts you
invest in us. They sustain us
in our ministry.
God’s faithfulness to meet
our needs, often in ways and
through people that often
Stay in God’s Word,
surprise us but not Him, is a
continual encouragement to
us. In the face of rising costs Steve and Vicki
all over the world we have
faced increases in the amount
of financial support that is