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Rejoice with us!
- Significant ministry at three very different U.S. sites: Christ Presbyterian Church "Spotlight on the Congo" (April 20); Spirit-led leader teaching to 40 American Baptist pastors of Nebraska (April 30-May 2); and teaching of 60 pastors and lay leaders of the Presbytery of Wyoming (May 3-4).
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- Effective teaching and coaching ministry of 9 Anglican archdeacons in the Shyira diocese, Rwanda, who collectively serve over 70,000 parishioners in 32 parishes.
- Phenomenal results in the lives of 43 Congolese women who participated in the first ever Spirit-Led Leader training for women leaders serving throughout Goma.
 - Opportunity to preach to nearly 1500 Congolese Christians in one of the fastest growing churches in Goma.
 - Invitation to return to offer a 10 day Spirit-Led Leader training for all the pastors in the CBCA denomination.
- Revitalization and coaching for 45 pastors and other Christian ministers at ULPGL during SLL refresher course.
- Safety for the team amid ongoing fighting outside of Goma, occasional gunshots inside the city, and attempts by a city official to extort money from us on the roadside.
- Timely help from local and foreign doctors when Andrew got very sick.
- Meaningful times of fellowship with the Christ Presbyterian Church medical mission team, whose trip coincided with ours in Goma.
- Finalization of our updated logo and new banner! (See top of e-newsletter.) Thank you once again to Robin Hartwell for her creativity, hard work, and patience in helping us to develop these important communication tools!
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Pray with us.
- End to fighting between the government and rebels in Eastern Congo, a dangerous conflict that has caused 10's of thousands of people to be displaced.
- Wisdom and guidance as we begin planning now for the next phase of leadership training and development in collaboration with the bishop, the archdeacons, and the new pastors of the Shyira Diocese, Rwanda.
- Wisdom and guidance for the Congolese women as they prepare a recommendation to FHLGM for follow up on this year's SLL training.
- Wisdom, encouragement, resources, and whatever else may be needed for the Rwandans and Congolese as they seek to put into practice all that they were taught over the past couple of weeks.
- God's blessing and working as we teach over 500 faculty, trustees, and students on labyrinth prayer at the Myanmar Institute of Theology, June 1-3.
- That Christ would be lifted up in profound ways through our teaching, 18 prayer walks for groups of 20-40 individuals, and the dedication service of the new Faith, Hope, and Love Chapel at MIT.
- Complete physical healing for Jill. Healing from new physical problems for Jill: bulging discs in her neck, resulting in severe, shooting pain in her shoulder and arm.
- Profound experiences of spiritual transformation, inner healing, and revitalization for the participants in the spiritual retreat we are co-leading with the Chemin Neuf Community in Chartres, France, June 7-10.
- Money for furnishings and $50,000 to purchase elevator for new M.I.T. building, due to open June.
 Young man praying at cross
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Tim's recent essay series
"Benefiting from Buddhism" |
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Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries
Board of Directors
Rev. Dr. Cheryl F. Dudley
Mr. Thomas Erickson
Rev. Jill K.H. Geoffrion, Ph.D.
Rev. Timothy C. Geoffrion, Ph.D.
Board of Advisors
Mr. Jim Deanovic
Mr. Ron Hoffman
Mr. John March
Mr. Mark Thompson
Staff
Timothy C. Geoffrion
President and Teaching Minister
Jill K.H. Geoffrion
Artist and Minister of Hospitality
Andrew J. Lonsbury
Assistant to the President
We deeply appreciate your prayers and financial support. We need your ongoing participation to both sustain and expand this important leadership
development work.
Thank you!
 
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Greetings!
Space does not allow me to tell you even a fraction of the ways God has been at work in the lives of pastors, leaders, and other individuals we've been working with over the past month. The real story of the five major teaching events on two continents in just three weeks is not simply where we went, what we did, and how many miles we covered in such a short time. Rather, what is so amazing is what God did through these ministries to transform lives.
In North America, 40 American Baptist pastors from the Nebraska region gathered for three days of teaching on how to serve effectively as a Spirit-led leader. Later that same week, 60 pastors and lay leaders of the Wyoming Presbytery met for a full day of teaching on the same subject. In each situation, the response was enthusiastic. Many experienced the love and grace of God in fresh ways, the coaching helped ministries to get unstuck, and many reported that the Holy Spirit convinced them to start making some real changes in their lives and ministries. As one leader put it, "It seemed like you were talking directly to me the whole time. I could hardly wait to see you go!"
 | Teaching American Baptist Churches pastors of Nebraska
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Then, we went to Africa. Over two packed weeks, we coached nine archdeacons in Rwanda, taught a week long workshop for 43 women leaders in the Congo (the main event of the trip), and provided a Spirit-Led Leader refresher course for 45 pastors and Christian leaders at the Christian University (ULPGL) in Goma,
Every day we had to cut short the testimony time for the Congolese women leaders, because they had so much to give thanks for. At some point during the week, nearly every woman stood to praise God for what they were experiencing: revival, renewed hope, healing, new vision, profound encounters with God, changed hearts, revitalized families, new spiritual insights, valued teaching, helpful coaching, or some other life-changing gift from God.
Perhaps my favorite testimony came in two parts, one on Tuesday and the other two days later. On the second day of the Spirit-Led Leader training for Congolese women leaders, a woman stood up to tell us how God had spoken to her unexpectedly after she arrived home the night before. She was enraged at her children for not opening the door for her, making her stand in the rain knocking and knocking. Once she finally got in, she stormed off to her bedroom.
While still fuming, she heard a voice in her head. All day we had been talking about the importance of listening to the Spirit, and suddenly God was giving her a more compassionate perspective. She decided to let go of her anger, left her room where she had isolated herself, and went out to reconcile with her children. The rest of the evening was full of laughter and joy together.
Restoring peace, harmony, and love between a mother and her children is significant enough to satisfy me that God is truly at work, but what this woman said on Thursday was even more touching. That morning her husband woke her up early to be sure she wasn't late. Her daughter brought her a hairbrush, her son carried her shoes, and her husband unexpectedly offered to drive her. As she told it, the changes that God was making in her life through the seminar had become so evident and welcome to the members of her family that they were eager to make sure she kept going!
Each woman in the seminar was in charge of the women of her church or had some other major leadership responsibility in ministry. We could see the depth of their faith and dedication to serving, even though many were suffering from discrimination, injustice, lack of support, marginalization, and inadequate training. These women shoulder major responsibilities both at home and at church, yet without the recognition, privileges, or resources that many of the men might have. On top it all, in Eastern Congo, there is the continual threat of rebel attacks in the countryside and an overwhelming flood of displaced persons fleeing to the city to escape violence, rape, and destitution.
In such contexts, where so much is demanded of male and female Christian leaders alike, they are eager for every bit of helpful teaching they can get. Over and over again, we continue to witness similar dynamics at work:
* When we offer practical teaching on how to know and experience God's love more personally, many listen raptly; and the changes that are taking place within them are often visible on their faces.
* When we offer biblical and practical perspectives on Spirit-led leading, the leaders often hungrily devour the Scriptures and the teaching.
* When we emphasize the importance of one's own relationship with God as the foundation for one's leadership, we can see participants coming alive and reorienting their thinking on the spot.
* When we teach on creating vision, identifying one's mission, and how to make practical plans for leadership, many become energized and inspired to be the leaders God has called them to be.
* When we teach them the importance of prayer, silence, solitude, and listening to the Spirit as a way of life; and when we give them opportunities all week long to experience these spiritual practices, God always touches them.
* When we introduce the labyrinth as a special tool for prayer, we are amazed how the Holy Spirit uses it to minister to their needs. Men and women cling to the cross placed in the center, they kneel to surrender their lives to Christ, they weep with sorrow over the weights they have been carrying, and they hear from God in new ways that give them new hope.
God seems to have chosen Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries to do unique work around the world, especially in places of great challenges and suffering. One participant's response typifies the kind of thing we hear over and over again. She stopped her pastor on the street to tell him her joy, because, in all her decades of faith and Christian service, she had never experienced teaching like this before. Praise God!
Serving Christ with you, Tim President and Teaching Minister
"What you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well." -2 Timothy 2:2, NRSV |
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Faith, Hope and Love Global Ministries'
Upcoming Schedule
June 1-4 Myanmar-New Faith, Hope, and Love Chapel dedication
and labyrinth prayer training
June 7-10 Chartres, France - Chemin Neuf spiritual retreat
June 11-15 Week in Chartres, France
June 16+ Minneapolis for the summer
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Photos from Ministry in Rwanda and Congo
May 2012  Tim coaching ArchDeacons, Shyira Diocese, Rwanda
 Pastors during SLL Refresher Course, ULPGL, Goma
 Andrew with two of his many admirers, Women's Leadership course |
"If Only Everyone..."
Andrew Lonsbury - Assistant to the President
"If only everyone engaged with Faith, Hope, and Love Global Ministries could see, hear, and feel what I am experiencing right now."
I noticed myself thinking this over and over again last month as I participated in our Africa Mission in DR Congo and Rwanda. Since last September I have been working from our base in Minneapolis. I view my role as laying the railroad tracks for Tim and Jill to charge ahead full force when on the field. This month I took a front seat with eyes wide open.
While in Congo, I witnessed lives changed through the Spirit-led Leader Training and labyrinth ministries. I hope you are moved by the words in from the testimonies below. Then, if you haven't already, I hope you will visit and 'like' our Facebook page and absorb the images behind these words. Lastly, I hope you will be led to give sacrificially so that this amazing work can continue in places like DR Congo, Myanmar, and other areas around the world!
"[My life] will be different now because it is not me who is going to lead but the Holy Spirit! I will not act in disorder but I must plan with my vision and different steps in spite of obstacles. I will now plan strategies to overcome them."
"When I made my first step in the labyrinth, I felt a new power and a new spirit around. I felt the weight of my problems weighing down away from me."
"I realized that before doing ANYTHING I have to search for God's way."
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For Your Reflection
In prayer
Spirit-Led Leader training for Congolese Women Leaders
Take a moment to dwell on this photo.
What comes to your mind?
What speaks to your heart?
What prayer comes to your lips?
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