The term Reached refers to an area where over 2% of the population are believers.  This term does not mean that the task of reaching people is complete, but it is simply a category that missiologists use to describe a population where the missionary task has surpassed the 2% mark and much of the focus is on discipleship.  Our Ecuador seminary partnership falls into this category.  Steve and Carol from Ecuador will be with us for our missions conference and you will have the opportunity to hear the latest about what is going on in Ecuador–specifically with the work at the Ecuador Seminary.

Another area of partnership is with the Unreached.  While there are many individual unreached people around us, including here in Montgomery, this category refers to a people group or ethnic group where less than 2% of the population are believers.  We have adopted an unreached people group in Central Asia, and our missions partner for our adopted people group, Ted, will be with us for our conference as well.

Our third missions partnership is with a Last Frontier group.  A Last Frontier group is the term used when there is no gospel witness among a particular ethnic or people group and there is no work being done to reach them.  Our Last Frontier group is also located in Central Asia, and we are partnering with Jeremy to reach them.  Jeremy will also be with us during our missions conference, and we will get to hear more about the future of our partnership with him to reach this people group.

Ken will also be speaking, and I know you will appreciate hearing from him once more.  There will be breakout sessions for adults, youth and children in K-6 grades.  This will be an exciting opportunity for our children to hear directly from the missionaries for whom they have been praying.  Childcare will be offered for those with nursery age children, but you must sign up for this.  There will be fellowship dinners on Friday (5:15 pm) and Saturday (5:30 pm).  Saturday’s dinner will be from Chick-fil-a and will also include a sampling of foods from the regions where our missionaries are serving.

This is an exciting time in the life of our church and we are blessed to have a senior pastor and staff who have a strong biblical understanding of missions and therefore have a passion for missions as well.  Please make our Third Annual Global Missions Conference a priority and set aside September 10-12 to be with us.    If you plan to attend either of the dinners or require childcare for the conference, please call the church office at 272-2304 to sign up.  I am looking forward to seeing you at the conference.

Jonathan

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Please be in prayer for our team of 13 as we continue to prepare for our trip.  Look for a prayer guide in this Sunday’s worship bulletin.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

The Ecuador missions trip will be June 18-26.  Have you considered how God would have you be involved in this partnership this year?  Will you send or will you go?  Please be open to being involved in our Ecuador partnership this year and consider whether or not God would have you go on this trip or financially and prayerfully support those going.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Ecuador Theological Seminary In-Gathering

Sunday, September 13

10:30 am

Missionaries Steve and Carol Thompson (our missionary contacts in Patate) have been serving faithfully in Ecuador for over twenty years. They have detailed plans to open a much needed theological Seminary in Patate by January 2010. They have secured the initial leadership for this Seminary and are ready to complete the first floor and phase of this pastoral training center.

At the recommendation of our Pastors body and the Missions and Ministry team, we want to help support the Thompsons by helping to fund this Ecuadorian Seminary. Please know how exciting this opportunity is for us and these Ecuadorian pastors.

There is no available conservative theological seminary in the entire country!

The Thompson’s camp (Camp Chacauco) already serves as a strategic base of operations for planting churches among unreached people groups. With the addition of this Seminary, by God’s grace, it could grow to become the epicenter for sound theological training for pastors and lay persons for decades to come. In some ways, the hope of training and sustaining pastors to continue to ‘preach the gospel’ to this entire country rests on the opening and operation of this Ecuadorian Seminary. What a glorious privilege it is for our church to give sacrificially to meet this need to continue allowing pastors to ‘preach the gospel’ in a spiritually needy place like Ecuador.

Approximate costs for the seminary

Level 1 *
Construction of the First Floor and basic facilities for Start-Up
This includes completion and furnishings of first floor of the building, including the Auditorium, Kitchen, Dining Hall and Library
A total of $ 24,000 is needed to complete this portion

Level 2 *
Construction of the Second Floor
This floor will include Classrooms, Administration areas, a Lecture Hall and the Main Entrance
A total of $ 45,000 is needed for completion of the 2nd Floor

Furnishings *
A total of $ 15,000 is needed to furnish the building for seminary use.

Total Funding Needed for Entire Seminary: $ 84,000

As you can see, the task of single-handedly meeting this need is far beyond the reach of the vast majority of us as individuals, but as a church (and especially one in the wealthiest nation on earth!) this is, by God’s grace, very attainable. For less than the cost of almost any one of our homes here in Alabama, an entire seminary can be built! What a privilege it would be for us to play such a part in impacting an entire nation with the Gospel!

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Please be in prayer about what God would have you give to the Ecuador Theological Seminary In-Gathering on September 13.  As you consider how God would have you involved financially in supporting this ministry, consider the words of Randy Alcorn:

“The opportunities for using our financial resources to spread the gospel and strengthen the church all over the world are stronger than they’ve ever been. As God raised up Esther for just such a time as hers, I’m convinced he’s raised us up, with all our wealth, to help fulfill the great commission. The question is, what are we doing with that money? Our job is to make sure it gets to his intended recipients.”

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Praise God for the great trip our team had to Ecuador.  I trust that you heard their wonderful report this past Sunday night.  Continue to pray for the church, the pastors, and the political situation in Ecuador.  Please pray that our church would have the Lord’s wisdom in knowing how we should be involved in the seminary project at Camp Chacauco.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Ecuador’s religious climate is one of syncretism:  a religious blend of pagan idol worship from long ago and Catholicism.  Most families are raised with the errant theology that Mary, the mother of Jesus, remained sinless her entire life and is the co-redeemer for salvation.  This Catholic theology is centered on man-centered works rather than biblical doctrine.   The Catholic church in Ecuador recognizes that authority is shared by a multi-faced panel composed of Jesus, Catholic tradition, the Pope, and, chief among these – Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Obviously, this is heretical and undermines the exclusivity of Christ for salvation and as our sole redeemer.

In this religious culture, our partners in ministry, missionaries Steve and Carol Thompson, have been serving for over twenty years.   They have helped start over thirty different churches, established a growing campground for conferences and retreats, as well as trained many faithful pastors to shepherd the churches throughout Ecuador.

Our team was fortunate to experience the fruit of Steve and Carol Thompson’s labor.  On just our second day in the country, we worshipped with a church that was founded in persecution.  During their initial evangelistic outreach in the town where they now worship, the believers were literally attacked by an angry religious mob and driven from the town.  Now, God has a faithful pastor and church family witnessing effectively in this community.  Many who are new believers in the church today were throwing stones as part of the angry mob just 15 years ago.  The dear Saint who sat behind us lost an eye that very day that the Gospel might go forward.  It was in this very town (Patate) that our team was privileged to lead a VBS in the local school where children heard that ‘Jesus is the true light of the world’ through Bible stories and other activities daily.  We pray some of these Patate school children will become devoted Christians and continue the evangelical growth in their community.

Additionally, our team led a four-day conference for about twenty-two pastors and some of their leaders.   The group of pastors were from diverse backgrounds, but shared a common faithfulness to serve Christ regardless of the cost.  Their gratitude to Morningview Baptist for your sponsorship of the ‘pastor’s packs’ of ten biblical resources was overwhelming.  Please know you provided a wealth of resources that will equip these pastors and likewise their churches to be healthy congregations for generations to come.  This never could have happened without God’s work through you.

Still, the needs and opportunities for support in the area of theological training are great in this country.  The new government leadership is requiring all pastors to be certified with a certain level of theological education within the next two years.  Failure to comply with obtaining appropriate theological certification can result in imprisonment of up to eight years on the first offense.  Sadly, in the mid-nineties our own International Missions Board redirected their resources and left the Ecuadorians with no seminary and no staff or funds to train pastors.  As a result, today about 95% of all Ecuadorian Baptist Pastors have no formal training and lack the resources to travel internationally to get it.

Thanks be to God, the Thompson’s have been working for many years to reestablish a seminary.  Steve and a team of five other godly leaders are committed to provide this necessary training.  The timing today is more critical than ever.  After much prayer, planning and work, their ministry center, Camp Chacauco, is almost ready to add a theological seminary on their grounds to train pastors for ministry.  What can we as a church do to help?  Pray, give and go.  First, pray for this theological seminary which will be only the faithful institution of biblical, conservative theology and essentially one of a kind in the country.  The seminary needs funding to the amount of $24,000 to complete the first floor of the building and begin enrollment in December of this year.  You can give to support the work of the seminary.  They are still enlisting staff, garnering resources to provide their seminary library and establishing curriculum for the theological students.  The total financial needs to start this work are about $84,000.   Pray about how your family can give towards this need.  In addition to giving, all of us can pray and many of us can go.  It is our hope and prayer that God will allow us to continue to partner with Steve Thompson and to play a key role in the advance of the Gospel among the vast numbers of the lost in country of Ecuador.  Please plan on coming this Sunday night as we share more of the incredible work that God allowed us to see and partner with there in Ecuador.  We believe that God has brought our church to this point for such a time as this and it is our hope and prayer that our work last week will be but the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship of taking the Gospel to those who have never heard.

Written by:  David Hardgrave & Randy Breedlove

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Friday, July 3

7:30 Breakfast / Devotional

8:30 Load Bus / Travel to Apátug

9:30 Visit Apátug (Quichua Indian Village)

10:30 Travel to Old Hacienda

12:30 p.m. Lunch at “La Ciénega”

2:00 Travel to Equator

4:00 Shop at “La Mitad Del Mundo”

6:00 Travel to Quito

7:00 Supper at Food Court

8:30 Head to Airport

8:45 Arrive Airport

11:30 Fly Out – Delta

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

7:30 a.m. Breakfast / Devotional

8:30 Camp Clean Up / Construction

12:00 p.m. Lunch at Camp

1:00 Travel to Waterfall – “Pailón del Diablo”

2:15 Stop at Swinging Basket – “La Tarabita”

3:00 Walk Through Catholic Cathedral in Baños

3:30 Return to Camp

4:30 Prepare for Evening Session

5:30 Travel to Ambato

6:30 Supper with Pastors and Leaders

7:30 Pastor Training Time Session 4

9:30 Return to Camp

10:30 Rest

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

7:30 a.m. Breakfast / Devotional

8:30 Camp Clean Up / Construction

10:30 VBS Begins

12:30 VBS Ends

12:30 p.m. Lunch at Camp

1:30 VBS Preparation Time

2:30 Team Travels to VBS Site – (Ficoa)

6:30 Supper with Pastors and Leaders

7:30 Pastor Training Time Session 3

9:30 Return to Camp

10:30 Rest

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Part of the change involves the requirement that all ministers who preach or lead churches must be registered with and licensed by the government.  It is anticipated that part of the requirements for licensing will be some degree of formal religious training at the college or seminary level.  Unfortunately, 95% of the Baptist pastors in Ecuador have no formal training and are thus unlikely to secure proper certification status with the new government.

It is expected that these new restrictions will begin to be enforced within 2 years, after enough time has passed for the registration process to be completed.  After that, pastors who are caught preaching without government certification will be arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison.  Right now, the Baptist network in Ecuador is working with the government in an effort to establish certification criteria that most Baptist pastors could achieve through training seminars and classes.

The good news is that the classes that our team will be leading with 22 pastors this week will count as credit toward their certification.  In terms of our future involvement, it means that the Pastor Training efforts we have initiated in Ecuador are now absolutely critical to sustain the preaching of a biblical gospel in that region of South America.

What can we do right now?  First, we can add this new development to our prayer list for our mission team that is on the field right now and for our missions ministry here at Morningview.  I have no doubt that God is using these political developments to create in us a sense of urgency that should guide all of our missions efforts.  Furthermore, we are privileged to see His providence at work through this situation.  He sovereignly put this burden to train pastors on our hearts long before we were ever aware of the needs resulting from this political shift.  What else might He providentially have in store for us?

Second, each of us should consider how we can help meet this need.  As Dr. Sills told us at our last missions conference, if you can teach Sunday School in the United States then you can train church leaders on the mission field.  Perhaps God would lead more of us to be invested in this work in Ecuador.  If we cannot go, there are also others ways to be of help.

One of the greatest needs that now exists for these pastors is the availability of training resources.  The average pastor in Ecuador earns only $200 per month, yet the books they need are the same price as they are here in the states.  It would take their entire monthly income just to purchase a dozen textbooks, leaving them nothing left with which to feed their own families.  Thus, one of the most immediate needs we can continue meeting is for theological books and resources in Spanish, like those we just sent with our mission team.

There will be other needs and ministry possibilities that arise from these developments in Ecuador, and I look forward to bringing them to our attention as our Missions and Ministry Team prepares to respond.  I truly believe that God has chosen Morningview to be in this partnership “for such a time as this,” and I am excited about how He will lead us and use us.  I love you all!

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

7:30 a.m. Breakfast / Devotional

8:30 Camp Clean Up / Construction

10:30 VBS Begins

12:30 VBS Ends

12:30 p.m. Lunch at Camp

1:30 VBS Preparation Time

2:30 Team Travels to VBS Site – (Ficoa)

6:30 Supper with Pastors and Leaders

7:30 Pastor Training Time Session 2

9:30 Return to Camp

10:30 Rest

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

7:30 a.m. Breakfast / Devotional

8:30 Camp Clean Up / Construction

12:30 p.m. Lunch at Camp

1:30 VBS Preparation Time

2:30 Team Travels to VBS Site – (Ficoa)

4:00 VBS Begins

6:00 VBS Ends

6:30 Supper with Pastors and Leaders (Ficoa)

7:30 Pastor Training Time Session 1

9:30 Return to Camp

10:30 Rest

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Sunday, June 28

7:30 a.m. Breakfast / Devotional

8:00 Bible Study at Camp

9:00 Travel to Ambato for Worship

10:30 Worship

12:30 p.m. Lunch (Sandwiches or Chicken)

1:30 Travel to Quisapincha (Leather Shopping)

2:30 Shop

3:30 Return to Camp Chacauco

4:30 Preparation Time for Conferences

6:30 Supper

7:30 Share Time

8:30 Rest

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Saturday, June 27

6:30 a.m. Wake Up / Pack

7:30 Devotional with Breakfast

8:00 Load Bus / Travel to the Historic Downtown Quito

9:00 Travel to Patate

1:00 p.m. Lunch at Camp

2:00 Check In / Tour of Camp

5:30 Visit from Apátug Group

6:00 Supper at Camp

7:00 Visit with Pastor

7:30  VBS Preparation / Bon Fire

9:00 Rest

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

We have arrived safely in Quito, Ecuador and tomorrow we will begin making our way to Patate where we will minister.  Everyone is in good Spirits and and we are grateful to God for giving us a seemless day of international travel.

We so appreciate all of your words of encouragement and your continued prayers.  We will especially covet your prayers for the week ahead, so please keep checking back with Morningview.org for updates as we have oppurtunies to send out word of our progress over the course of the week.

Pastor David for the Ecuador Team

Ecuador Team

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

10:30 p.m. Arrive Quito

11:30 p.m. Arrive Hotel “Howard Johnson”

Tel. # 011‑593‑2‑226‑5265

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions teams going to Ecuador:  Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team, remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Our team will be traveling to Patate, Ecuador, with many of our resources provided by this gracious Morningview congregation.  Thank you for giving to fund pastoral packets, backyard Bible club supplies and donating to the general expenses of our mission.  We’ll be providing a four –day Pastor’s conference for over 20 pastors/lay leaders in the area and serving in a three day backyard Bible Club. We’ll additionally do some construction work at Camp Chacauco in Patate to help complete there expanding campus.  Below is a daily prayer guide so you may intercede for our team.

Friday, June 26th
Pray for safety as we have a non-stop 5-hour flight from Atlanta to Ecuador.   Pray for opportunities to witness for Christ during this transit.  Pray that all of our luggage and supplies arrive with us.
We’ll stay the night in the capital city of Quito at a hotel.

Saturday, June 27th
Pray for our 4-hour bus ride from Quito to Patate.  Patate is where Camp Chacauco is located and our home for the week.  We’ll visit with a local pastor tonight and have a visit from a local group of believers from Apatug.   Pray that we’ll encourage & challenge one another in our faith.

Sunday, June 28th
Today we’ll worship in an Ecuadorian church in Ambato (about 45 minutes from Camp).  Pray for God to use this time of worship in our lives to prepare us for the ministry of the week.  Pray for some effective group preparation time, in the evening, for our respective conferences/Bible clubs.

Monday, June 29th
Today is a busy day.  Pray for organization and group unity as we do construction at Camp Chacauco, begin our Backyard Bible Club and commence our first night of the Pastors conference.  Pray for us to have boldness to share the gospel with the children and preach with clarity to the group of pastors.  Pray for our first day of backyard bible club.  Pray for our bible story,  recreation and craft teams to serve with the aim of sharing of the gospel in all we do.

Tuesday, June 30 & Wednesday, July 1st
Both days will be identical in schedule.   We’ll build at our Camp, serve at backyard Bible club and lead two evenings of the Pastors conference.  Pray for us to rely upon God’s strength and wisdom as we develop relationships with all groups we’re working with.  Pray that God would give us favor with the  children and pastors.  Pray for our safety as we do construction tasks.  Pray for our team’s health and ability to adjust to the Ecuadorian food.  We’ve been in country for 5-6 days now.

Thursday, July 2nd
This is our final day of construction at camp; we also visit some tourist sites today.  Pray for our opportunities to share our faith in the public arenas that we’ll visit.  As Americans in Ecuador, many will ask about our reason for visiting their country – pray for us to share boldly about our Lord.  Tonight is our final night at the Pastor’s conference.  Pray for the preached word and the great Biblical resources in the Pastoral packets to be effective in transforming the hearts of these ministers.

Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th
We’ll be traveling from Camp back to Quito for our return flight.  Pray for our safety in our return flight and witnessing opportunities at different popular spots we visit – such as the ‘Equator monument.’  Pray for the alertness and effectiveness of our Delta flight crew.  We arrive in Atlanta at 6:00 am on Saturday morning.  Pray that God will grow the seeds we planted during our mission with the people of Ecuador.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Please be in prayer for our Ecuador team as they embark on their missions trip this week.  Pray specifically for the people on the missions team going to Ecuador: Randy Breedlove, Billy Cox, Emily Cox, David Hardgrave, Monica Lott, Tyson Lott, Caleb Quave, Erin Sellars, and Jaelyn Smith.  In addition to this team remember to pray for Bella Epps as she serves in Kenya.  She has arrived in Kenya safely and will be ministering there for the next 4 weeks.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church

Pastoral Resource Packets

One of the key aspects of our Ecuador Mission trip next month is the biblical books we’ll provide for Ecuadorian pastors and leaders.  The list we’ve assembled should be helpful in equipping and encouraging these men to lead their families and churches.  We would like for our Morningview families to know the book list and consider giving to help provide these resources for the pastors/leaders.  Each ‘Pastor Packet’ contains a study Bible, a commentary and various Christian books.  The retail value for each ‘Pastor Packet’ is about $165.

Here is a look at some of the books each Pastor or leader will receive in a Spanish translation:

For personal devotion and study:
Pierced by the Word by:  John Piper
Desiring God by: John Piper
Systematic Theology by: Wayne Grudem

For family biblical training:
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by: Ted Tripp
The Cross Centered Life by: C.J. Mahaney
The Gospel According to Jesus by: John MacArthur

For training in biblical truth we have:
How to Get the Most out of the Word of God  by:  John MacArthur
Commentary on Ephesians, by John MacArthur

For Church leadership:
God is the Gospel  by:  John Piper
Let the Nations Be Glad by:  John Piper
The Pastoral Ministry  by: John MacArthur
The MacArthur Study Bible

Please prayerfully consider how you can give towards a ‘Pastor Packet’ to help support these men.  We’d love for each Morningview family to consider giving one fourth of the packet cost or about $40.  To fully fund one ‘Pastor Packet’ would cost around $165.   Whatever part you can have in helping with this resource ministry would be greatly appreciated.  These packets will be a great resource for the Ecuadorian church leaders for many years to come. Our team will be spending four evening sessions in targeted ‘pastoral training’ with these men.  Thank you, church family, for your support of this ministry.

SOURCE: Morningview Baptist Church