Partnering in Prayer with the church in Ecuador



Iglesia Evangélica Metodista Unida del Ecuador has invited us to be in prayer with them.   Let me share a bit about this new Methodist presence in Ecuador.  As you may remember, we (Gene and Bonnie Albert) were in Ecuador in 2015 and visited Sara Flores, UM Missionary in Ecuador.   Sara introduced to several pastors (2 of 20) and the non-paid Bishop.   Bishop Cevallos was most gracious in his meeting with us.   Sara and I have maintained contact since our return.   

Pastor Freddie, Bishop Cevallo, and Sara Flores met us in the Bishop's office in Quito, Ecuador.

I serve on the North Central Jurisdiction United Methodist Volunteers in Mission leadership team.   A program under NCJ UMVIM is Mission Discovery.   Long story short is, we have just had a team of 10 youth and young people going to be with the churches and their young people in Ecuador.   The beginning planning for this journey began in that office in September 2015.   While none of our Valparaiso youth  participated, we had one young person from Chesterton and two from Dyer be part of that team.  They returned in early January 2017 with a plan to find some churches to enter into a prayer partner relationship.  On January 29th all their churches in Ecuador will be in prayer for the USA Churches who are partnering with them.

 

Hear their prayers: 

PRAYING TOGETHER     UMC USA  –  IEMUE ECUADOR

January 29^TH, 2017

We thank God for all the United Methodist churches in the USA that are in partnership with the Church in Ecuador. We give thanks for your prayers, offerings and your presence in Ecuador in God’s mission in Ecuador.  Our Church is a young Methodist Church very passionate in carrying the mission to new places, new lives and new communities. It is a growing Church with 20 congregations and 7 new mission initiatives.

From the warmth of fellowship between sisters, brothers and friends from Ecuador and the USA, an initiative has begun to pray for each other on the last Sunday of every third month. We will start next Sunday, January 29^th, with the prayer request of our Bishop, Rev. Silvio Cevallos:

 

 

Starting a new year of work, pray for the pastors in Ecuador and the USA, putting their lives, ministry and families in the hands of our Lord.  “Please God, help our pastors with the needs in their lives, ministries and families, fill them with your love and peace and with your power, because you are our Lord and your mercies never come to an end”.

 

We give thanks to God for the pastors, lay pastors and leaders, women and men who give their lives to share and proclaim the transforming love of God. We ask prayers for the pastoral corps, the bishop and the superintendents. Currently we have 19 pastors (3 women pastors, 16 men pastors; 11 are full ordained pastors, and 8 are lay pastors).

 

I have sent a prayer for our congregation to them to also pray for us. 

Please pray for a renewed commitment and our spiritual leadership within this amazing congregation under the guidance of the One most powerful.   Lift up our leadership as they come together to find solutions to the decrease in worship participation, to find ways to reconnect with those who are leaving the church, and to be the church in our community.  Amen.

Sager Brown Mission

We have 18 special people...all leaders in our church at UMCOR Sager Brown in Baldwin, LA once again this week.   As their week winds down,  let us pray for these volunteers and all the activities they have done for the least of these.  Much of the thanks for this annual event go to Marlene and Eldon Versteeg who went there as volunteers maybe 13 years ago and have returned year after year taking new volunteers with them. 

 

Pray also as this team of 18 begin their trek back across the country on Friday or Saturday.  Safe travels team.   Sager Brown team, we are missing you.