Pastor Art Graduates.... and some prayer updates

One of the components of the Pioneer Pastor Program of TMM is providing scholarships for Bible College for Thai Christian leaders who have been called by God to plant a new church in an unreached part of Thailand.  We have been privileged to fully support Pastor Art throughout his five years of study at Phayao Bible College, and today he graduated with his B.A. in Biblical Studies and Ministry

Veteran Pioneer Pastor Jerron came to celebrate Pastor Art's graduation at Phayao Bible College.

Pastor Art will be planting a new church in Nong Pla Sawai, an unreached county in Lamphun province that has no Christian church of any type at this time.  Please keep Pastor Art in your prayers, because the first year of pioneering a new church is very difficult and isolating. 

Now for two prayer updates:

Many of you have been praying for "A" who is a boy at Blessing Home.  He is safe at Blessing Home now and will be in our nursery of an extra year.  He is gaining weight back and is healthy.  Pastor Banya is still working with the guardian to get him back in Kindergarten, but there are many issues to sort out.  We just praise God that the monitoring that the staff of Blessing Home does works to catch ones like "A" from falling through the net.

Also, the political situation here in Thailand has calmed down, at least for now.  Only the Lord knows how long this peace will last.  But we are enjoying it for now.

Thank you very much for your prayers that empower the mission.  When you pray, mountains move here in Thailand.

Great News. 2 New Churches

It has been our experience that newly planted churches have evangelism and outreach in their “DNA” and that they will usually open new “daughter” churches within the first few years.  This is happening again.

God is Good Church of Ban Bueng was planted last year.  Now this new congregation is planting two daughter churches.

God is Good Church in Ban Bueng opened last year as a cooperative mission with the Thailand Methodist Mission and Singapore Methodist missionary P. Boonchiaw.  This church has grown rapidly and we are now working together to open two new churches.  This will make a total of 22 churches that we have had the privilege of planting in Thailand in cooperation with Thai Christian organizations.  

Both of these new churches are being planted in counties (sub-districts) that have no Christian church of any type whatsoever.  This is the goal of the Pioneer Pastor Program, to help plant churches in unreached counties in Thailand.  We want every county in Thailand to have a vibrant Christian church.

The first church, Bang Sai church, is a daughter church of God is Good church in Ban Bueng.  Bang Sai is a highly populated urban sub-district with a population of over 80,000 people (not counting the soldiers at the Royal Thai Army Base in this sub-district).  This will be the first Christian church of any type in this county.

The God is Good Bang Sai Church uses the top floor of this apartment building owned by Pastors Nuc and Kaek.

Pastors Nuc and Kaek are providing pastoral leadership to this new congregation.  Pastors Nuc and Kaek have just completed construction on a new apartment building, and the top floor of the apartment building has been dedicated for use by the church.  The top floor is one large room for worship and some classrooms as well.  A cell group has already formed there, and we expect rapid growth.  

Pastor Mike Morrissey Sr. (Mike's Dad) prays with the leaders of God is Good Church at the new Bang Sai Church building.  

Pastors Kaek and Nuc hold a Scriptural Picture that will be displayed at the new church in Bang Sai.

The second church is being planted in the north at Nong Pla Sawai County (sub-district) in Ban Hong district, Lamphun province.  Nong Pla Sawai county and two adjoining counties are unreached, having no Christian church of any type whatsoever.  Mr. Kajad Dunam, a leader in the God is Good church, is from Nong Pla Sawai and he is very happy that his own people will be reached for Christ.  God is Good church has been sending evangelism mission teams to Nong Pla Sawai to begin the work there.

In March, Pastor Art, who TMM sponsors to study at Phayao Bible College, will graduate on March 17.  Pastor Art will move to Nong Pla Sawai to become the Pioneer Pastor for this new congregation.  Pastor Art was instrumental in planting the God is Good Church in Ban Bueng last year, and now the Lord will use him once again to pioneer the gospel in an unreached county in Thailand.

Please keep Pastor Art, Pastors Kaek and Nuc, and the leaders of God is Good church in your prayers as they serve on the front lines of the Gospel.