August / September 2024
Recently I read the account of Israel’s deliverance from the army of Pharaoh in Exodus 14. It’s interesting in the account, because we see Moses instruct the people in a way we often hear in the Bible.
13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord,
His words are a beautiful picture of his complete assurance that God can deliver, but what’s interesting is the question and command that comes immediately from Lord after Moses’ instruction to the people.
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.
The account brings to light something that I think can be hard to understand. How can we be still, but also on the move? We know that our efforts are futile if we do not wait on the Lord, but yet we are called to be wanderers in this world, exiles that push forward in spite of the circumstances around us.
As I was meditating on this idea last week, my screen saver popped up on my computer. It is a live action picture of the earth rotating from the view of the international space station. In that moment I was reminded that even when I believe I am being still, I am in motion.
The almighty hands of a good God will not fail to keep things turning and I can rest in the fact that as I am patient to wait on the Lord, He will continue to move things forward and when the time is right He will direct my path as only He can.
As we encounter trials in this life, we have a sure and steady hope, because there is a good Father holding all things together for those who love Him.
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:16-17
Ministry Update
It has been full throttle ahead since we arrived back in Berlin from a month in the states this summer. Two days after we flew in, we hosted the Bob Jones University Men’s Soccer team in the city for a week of ministry. It was so great to be back in this environment with these young men and their coaches. They were a tremendous blessing to all they encountered, especially the refugees they poured into during a really hot week in Berlin.
August was also a busy month for preparing our leadership for the fall season. Chad has stepped into the directional pastor role at CrossWay, working as a co-lead pastor with Martin Schmill our Executive Pastor. We had a good friend and his team from Indiana come over to help us with this transtition, including some homiletics training with some guys we are brining on the teaching team this fall. We also hosted our biannual leadership roundtable in August with group and team leaders at our church.
In September we had our church retreat. The weekend was filled with good teaching, baptisms, a wedding celebration and fellowship. This year was special as well, because we had many attending from our church plant in Potsdam. It was so encouraging to see new relationships being built over the weekend.
Ministering to our congregations in Berlin and Potsdam has been a major focus over the past couple months and the fall tends to be one of our busiest seasons. Cherry and Jeannie are helping lead our women’s Wednesday Bible Study and Cherry is overseeing the children’s ministry at Potsdam. Quinn and Gracie continue to be a huge help on Sunday mornings with the kids. We are thankful for one of our church partners sending two ladies over in September to help us with our children’s ministry at both churches. In addition to these things, we also had our first meeting with our community group in our home this past month and we are thankful for those we get to do life with.
Chad is teaching regularly alongside the teaching team in Berlin and leading a men’s study this fall. We enjoyed having both Quinn and Gracie in the youth group this year and it has given us some opportunities to connect and pour into teens over the past month. He is also helping lead one of our church’s regular outreach teams into the city on Monday evenings at a language café. We are excited the opportunities this has given to have conversations and build relationships with refugees and immigrants trying to improve their German. The work in Reinickendorf continues every other Tuesday with kids in a weekly afterschool program. It is encouraging to see these kids from all over the world, asking questions about spiritual things as we talk with them each week.
Family Update
We are looking forward to the coming fall break over the next two weeks to pull back some and rest from the busy season over the past couple of months. We have had some fun times together that we look back on fondly from this last season. Here are some of those memories.
Prayer Update
Thank you for all who have prayed for Chad’s recovery from hip surgery. We are happy to report that a lot of the mobility he had lost has returned and he has been able to go back to doing things he was not capable of before.
Thank you for praying for the transition of our leadership team at CrossWay Church in Berlin over the past months. We really miss our coworkers the Dye Family, but are thankful for those who continue to have the opportunity to work alongside here in the city.
Please pray for two outreach events we will hold at our church. In November we will invite our friends and neighbors for our International Thanksgiving dinner and in December we will host a Live Nativity and Fellowship for our neighbors.
Please pray for both girls as they are now in the upper school at the John F. Kennedy School. They are adjusting well, but their work loads has definitely increased and we all remember what middle school was like!