NC East District Global Partners

2009-10-01T15:03:00.002-04:00

Cusco Partnership Report

The following report outlines the most recent mission trip to Cusco, Peru, to further develop our partnership with the Pilgrim Wesleyan Church of Peru in planting a healthy and vibrant church in Cusco.

This trip to Cusco took place July 21 – August 1, 2009. This year’s team consisted of seven people: Jonathan Lewis, Zack Currie, Jun Nawa, Young Nawa, Megan Phillips, Marie Shull and Zach Shull. The focus of the team’s activities focused on the following areas:

Continue to build a strong relationship with Pastor Jose De Ita and his wife Cecil, and with the church family.
Conduct children’s ministry activities, home visits and to encourage the people as they struggle to build a healthy and effective church.
Expose representatives of District churches to the need that exists, and to build a passion for ministry in Cusco.

Through our children’s ministry activities team members are able to capture a heart and passion for the work here in Cusco. Sunday through Wednesday mornings we began at 9:00 A.M. and spent the morning and part of the afternoon with the children. Usually we wrapped up the ministry time around noon, and then spent other time in fellowship and games with the children. We read Bible stories, shared our own words of greetings and encouragement, sang with the children, played soccer, and led the children in a craft time. Each of these times allowed team members to work directly with the children, overcome language barriers, and share their love together. Each team member reported about how individual children just simply worked their way into their heart. Each day we were able to provide a lunch for the children at the close of our time together. These times really do mean the world to the children, and it gives the team members opportunities to build strong connections with the children.

Another highlight of the trip included the painting of a mural of Noah’s Ark with a rainbow on the wall of the worship room of the church. Megan Phillips and Zack Currie did a fantastic job, and completed it on the final ministry day of the trip.

Everyone was able to receive a tremendous blessing, use their talents, and be a witness of the love of Jesus Christ. We had a great team that worked well together. We prayed for one another. And even though one of our team members suffered for a time, it gave the other team members the opportunity to care for her and lift her spirits. God united the team and made us one in a powerful way.

Thank you to all those throughout the District family who prayed for us, supported our team members, and whose churches give faithfully to support our Partnership. Our work in Cusco continues, so please prayerfully consider how your church might desire to be a part of this great work. Whether you are sending a team or an individual, or whether you are supporting the partnership financially or through prayer, we are all in this together and we’ll all rejoice in seeing God bless this ministry with a harvest of souls.

Evangelistic Campaign in Cusco, Peru

2009-06-03T13:46:00.002-04:00

I am thrilled to report a new development from our Church Planting project in Cusco, Peru. There is a new project that will take place this month that I believe will have a tremendous impact on the evangelistic impact of our church-plant in Cusco. An evangelistic group from Colombia called "Pasemos y Ayudemos" (Come Over And Help Us) is planning on coming to Cusco to hold an evangelistic campaign on June 20 - 30. I am truly excited about this because this group has traveled throughout Latin America, and everywhere they go God has used them to reach people for Jesus Christ, and have been a blessing to the churches where they've worked. They travel in a group of 10-12 young people, and raise their own support in order to go where God gives them open doors. They have a missionary spirit, and it shows through in the results of their ministry. Please be sure keep this in your prayers.

Naturally, there are logistical costs that our Pastor in Cusco, Jose De Ita will have to incur that are outside of our regularly budgeted expenses. If there happens to be uncommitted funds in your Missions Budget, or if the Lord might lay this evangelistic project on your heart to support, please feel free to let me know as soon as you can. Pastor De Ita has taken this step of faith to host this group simply because he believes their presence and ministry could result in many souls won into the Kingdom. Any help you might be able to give to this effort would be a blessing beyond imagination.

2009-03-24T13:27:00.004-04:00

NC East District Missions Events
April 26 – May 10
Visiting Missionary:
John Connor
Global Partners Director of The JESUS Film Partnership

John and his wife Marge have served as Global Partners missionaries in Zambia, and South Korea, and now serve as directors for the JESUS Film Partnership all over the world. They bring many years of experience, but also a true understanding of people’s need of the gospel, and the power of the gospel when it is proclaimed. We are looking forward to being inspired as we hear how God has used the JESUS Film to change lives, villages and entire communities.
John will be making stops in various churches and regions, but will also be available to meet with small groups, or other gatherings. In each of these events we will highlight the missionaries that are supported through our churches, and provide an update on the church planting project in Cusco, Peru. Each service will include a Love Offering that will help cover expenses, and provide funds to support the church plant in Peru.
Below is a list of scheduled events. If there are other opportunities for John Connor to speak to a group at your church please contact Pastor Jonathan Lewis at 336-299-8062.

Missions Events Schedule

Sunday, April 26
S.S. & A.M. Service - Christ Wesleyan Church – Greensboro, NC
Evening Rally – Eden Area Churches – Trinity Wesleyan Church

Wednesday, April 29

Covington Memorial Wesleyan - Reidsville, NC

Sunday, May 3
A.M. Service – First Wesleyan Church – Troy, NC
Evening Rally – Asheboro Region – Rushwood Park Wesleyan Church

Wednesday, May 6
Family Fellowship Event – Old Zion Wesleyan Church – Tabor City, NC

Sunday, May 10

A.M. Service - Bethel Wesleyan - Rose Hill, NC

If there are other opportunities for John to come and speak to Small Groups, or to your Missions Committee, please let me know as soon as possible so we can work you into the schedule.

Summer Mission Trip to Cusco, Peru - July 21-31

2009-03-23T16:35:00.003-04:00

It is time once again to make your plans for the next trip to Cusco, Peru. You'll love this trip because it gives us an opportunity to do on a global scale what we've been doing locally in recent years. That is, planting strong and vibrant churches that are building the kingdom of God. We are doing that in Cusco through our work with Pastor Jose & Cecil De Ita. Our activities will always include some element of children's ministry, evangelistic services, and community outreach. However, every team is unique in the talents and abilities each team member brings to the mix. Get your application filled out today, and let's put together a strong team!
Go to the District website, and get an application and trip information, and then make plans to attend our first meeting on Saturday, April 25th, at Christ Wesleyan Church - 12:30 to 3:00 P.M.
http://www.ncewesleyan.com

Cusco Trip for NC East Pastors

2009-01-21T12:59:00.002-05:00

Let's go to Cusco, Peru!! Go ahead and make your plans. Go with us to Cusco on March 2-10, 2009. This will be a great chance to see the work that you've been hearing about for yourself. Cost of the trip is $1,300. You'll fall in love with the people and have a greater understanding of how God has uniquely positioned us to have a tremendous partnership that is changing people's lives.

Trip Focus & Activities:
· To Get to Know Pastor Jose & Cecil – They have ministered faithfully in Cusco, and God is helping them establish a strong ministry in a small town just outside of Cusco called San Jeronimo. We’ll have a chance to see the ministry location, and hopefully catch a vision for what can be accomplished.

· Prayer Walk – One afternoon will be spent prayer walking through the areas that are strategic points of outreach for the church. Along the way we’ll visit with families, see how they live, and pray for them specifically.

· Worship Services – We’ll spend at least two worship times with the church family, and we’ll have an opportunity to share the gospel and offer words of encouragement.

· Machu Picchu – We’ll spend one day visiting what has recently been named as one of the natural wonders of the world. It is the ancient secret mountain retreat of Inca of the Quechua nation.

· Catch The Vision – We hope that we will catch a vision for our District Church Planting Project and come home even more inspired to thrust our support behind this valuable work.

2008-12-09T15:26:00.002-05:00

Peru Partnership
I recently was blessed through my conversation with Pastor Jose De Ita as he shared with me some of the good things that God is doing through the ministry in Cusco, Peru. It thrills my heart to inform you that on Sunday, December 14 they will be baptizing 14 new Christians! One of the new things God is doing is they have been able to reach out to a number of the local groups of young people who normally hang around in the streets outside of the church location. They are older teens, so now they are opening up classes for them. The work is growing!
He also expressed his appreciation for us providing funds for him, his wife and a leader in their church to go to a leadership conference sponsored by the National Wesleyan Church of Peru. Rev. Roberto Berrantes, a good friend of mine from Costa Rica, was the speaker so I knew that it would a good time of spiritual renewal for him and his wife.
Thank you to all who have given sacrificially to support this ongoing project. We continue to build a strong partnership and friendship with the Peruvian people. Please remember that this is a partnership that involves the entire District, so if you are looking for a place to make a contribution, financially or personally, that will quickly result in changed lives, this is the place. Contact me any time for updates or additional information.

Christmas In Cusco
Our church plant in Cusco, Peru has done a wonderful job of reaching out to the children in a very poor village just outside of the city of Cusco. On any given Sunday there will be 80-90 children in attendance for Sunday School. Most of them get up on their own, get brothers and sisters ready, and walk to church all on their own. It is so impressive to see their enthusiasm when they sing and worship. At Christmas time Pastor Jose De Ita loves to give gifts to them, because he knows that it will probably be the only gift they will receive at Christmas. Usually he prepares a gift bag that includes a gift for the child, and then other necessities like school supplies, or other household items. They ultimately are trying to reach the parents, as they reach the children. I realize that there are many other worthy causes to which to give funds this Christmas, but I would like to ask if you could help us reach the $500 mark, so that all of the children and families can blessed with a gift at Christmas. If you feel that your church could make a contribution to this, please call me as soon as possible.

District Missions Rallies
As many of you are well aware, the District Missions Rallies are normally held in February. This causes us to schedule around two Super Bowls: the NFL Super Bowl and the Super Bowl of racing, the Daytona 500. Plus, weather concerns always add an extra bit of uncertainty to the planning. At this time I am talking to John and Marge Connor, directors of The Jesus Film Project for The Wesleyan Church. They have been very instrumental in training national teams in many countries of Africa, South America and India to present The Jesus Film. They would not be able to come in February, so we are targeting the dates of April 26 – May 10 for them to be in the NC East District. We will conduct the Eden and Asheboro Rallies, and then focus on getting them out to the Eastern part of the state. I will be attending the Growing Pastors Leadership Training in the Down East Area on January 26, 2009, where I can meet with those who would like to develop a strategy to reach as many of the churches in that area as possible.