Frank Viola's Web Page

Frank Viola is a noted Christian author focused on reviving the "organic church" Jesus created. Take a look at his Web page, www.theJesusManifesto.com.

Prayer Requests

August 4, 2010

Our apologies for the long delay--we had problems with Outlook for many weeks and had to locate our blog's address.

The latest news:

* In April, Monday John Akpakpan (Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria) reported a large number of baptisms from January through March. Praise God!

* Sylvester Imogoh (Igarra Edo State, Nigeria) reported the following for the same period:
1. 8 baptisms from his and others' mission work
2. Three leadership seminars, one per month, with an average attendance of 70
3. 400 attended the area Workshop at Ibadan- Onikokoro congregation in Gbongudu area
4. In March, Sylvester's 12-year-old son Alfred was baptized!
5. Due to unrest in the region, Doug Wheeler's trip was cut short in March. This unrest continues and is spreading, at last word. Please pray for the region!
6. The Nigerian postal service is still creating difficulties: shipping charges far exceed the value of the items Sylvester receives. Please also pray about this!
7. Transportation--roads and vehicles--is quite difficult in Nigeria, as repairs are few and far between. Please pray.
8. Power is a problem in Nigeria, as in many African countries: the supply is inconsistent. Please pray for this, too, to stabilize.
9. Sylvester was stricken with malaria when the rains came and brought mosquitoes. Please pray for his health, as well as that of others who may be affected.

* Elsa Springer (Bremen, Germany) reports the following:
1. School started already on August 2--there are only six weeks of summer vacation in Bremen.
2. Lydia is a huge help to Elsa's and the group's ministry. Thank you, Lydia!
3. Vacation Bible School (last week?) went very well.
4. Elsa is working with several new people from personal and others' acquaintance. Please pray they continue their interest in the Scriptures and in God.
5. They are also working on the Fall ETM program. Please pray that as many as possible can attend, as people must generally request their year's vacation by no later than January 1.

* The Larsons (Wilmette, IL) attend the Bristol (WI) Renaissance Faire every summer, and many of their friends at Faire are dealing with financial, health, and other issues. Please pray!

* Please continue to pray for those adversely affected by the current poor economy and/or by war, in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Thank you for your prayers!

For Fellow Seekers...

For anyone who is looking for the real, authentic, first-century church:

We both became Christians via the same denomination and became dissatisfied because that group did not follow the Scriptures as a whole, although--like so many others--they claimed they did.

Since baptism, both of us actively sought to meet with a group of people likewise devoted to the Bible and to working together in the cause of Christ. Until recently, we became increasingly frustrated with "institutional church."

We learned of and began reading Frank Viola's books "Reimagining Church" and "Pagan Christianity" in early 2009. Nicole connected to Mr. Viola on Facebook and learned of a conference in Orlando, Florida for the eastern half of the U.S. on the subject of what Mr. Viola calls "organic Christianity," because it flows naturally from our experience of the Trinity's indwelling us.

We attended this conference on July 16-19, 2009 and learned a great deal. We are currently working with some others in the Chicago area to develop an organic church in our immediate areas. This means looking at our spiritual lives completely differently than "mainstream" Christianity. We are all parts of a corporate body, the body of Christ, and we can no more disconnect one part from the other than we can slice off parts of our physical bodies.

We are barely beginning to understand the concept of organic church ourselves. If you would like to learn more, there is much about this issue on Frank Viola's own blog, http://frankviola.wordpress.com. If you live in the Chicago area, please let us know whether and when you would like to get together.

Your fellow servants,

John and Nicole

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