McQueary Prayer Letter: August 2007
Dear Faithful Friends:
Your support
during these past few weeks has been
invaluable. I returned to the States
following my trip to the countries of
Turkey, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The
whole time I was there, I was aware of the
prayer ministry you performed on my behalf
as I witnessed the power and presence of the
Lord at each place of ministry. Thank you
for your faithful support.
From the moment I stepped onto Turkish soil I was impressed with the huge numbers of people… nearly 15 million in Istanbul… over 72 million countrywide. Remember Paul’s warning, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” (2 Corinthians 4:3)
Alongside the
millions of people, the Islamic faith holds
an iron grip on nearly every aspect of life.
99.8% of Turkey’s population is Muslim to
some degree. Islam is deeply imbedded in
daily life with the call to prayer sounding
out over loud speakers five times a day from
places of worship both in the neighborhoods
and in the tourist areas. Devout Muslims
steal away to pray. Despite the religious
atmosphere, there remains a profound
hopelessness, which Paul says, is due to
Satan’s successful efforts to blind the
minds “of them
which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine unto them.” (2
Corinthians 4:4)
Incredibly,
we can
see successful business ventures in this
city,
but do not see significant
Baptist gospel ministries.
We
are praying that will change with our
efforts in this region. While in Istanbul,
Dr. Sam Slobodian and I met with a group of
young men and a Bible college representative
interested in ministry in Turkey, and we
discussed the possibility of a cooperative
effort in evangelism. Progress was
substantive. Your continuing partnership is
critical for this ongoing need.
In
the picture to the left, I am preaching in
an independent Baptist church in G
ori,
Georgia, the birthplace of the tyrannical
Russian leader, Joseph Stalin. Following the
church
service in their rented facility, BIEM’s
missionary to Tbilisi, Georgia, Charles Hoblitz,
Sam and I inspected a possible location for
a permanent church facility with Pastor
Besso (first from left in picture). Pray for
this dear pastor and congregation as they
aggressively serve Christ and are determined
to expand the gospel
ministry in their country.
In
Moldova we met up with Fred Canaday, BIEM’s
Romania and Moldova director. There we
fellowshipped with two men of God and
outlined together goals and strategies for
furthering the gospel ministry in that
country. Pastor Marius Simionas (second
from the right) is doing an outstanding job
pastoring in the capital city of Chishinau,
despite being temporarily separated from his
Romanian family due to immigration
difficulties. We are praying for their
re-uniting, which seems to be coming soon.
Traveling
then to our office in Kiev, we continued to
formulate the schedule for the September
20-22, 2007 conference on Muslim ministry by
meeting with Pastor Nikolai Velichko
(first from left) of the host church, Temple
of Salvation Baptist Church
and Brother Sergei Debilinsky
(third from left), the president of the
Brotherhood of Independent Baptist Churches
of Ukraine. It is exciting to hear
Ukrainian men of God voice their burden to
have Acts 1:8 ministries and put their
backing behind efforts to accomplish God’s
plan for world evangelism. Your prayer and
financial support for this upcoming
conference is vital. We are asking God to
call out, from this strategic conference,
workers into Muslim ministries.
God
provided an unexpected blessing for us when
we were privileged to minister with two
churches planted by graduates of our Kiev
seminary. Both men have congregations
vibrant with their love for the Lord and
enthusiasm for the spread of the gospel.
Yet the physical make-up of both is vastly
different. Vitaly Yurchenko’s (first on
left, kneeling) church membership is
comprised of rural folk in Chervona Sloboda,
Ukraine, whose ages span fro
m
young to old, and they meet in a newly
renovated building. This picture was taken
following a special Friday evening prayer
meeting for revival.
Vitaly
Bilyak (second from the
right) serves the Lord in Ternopil, Ukraine.
The church he pastors is in a city and
largely made up of people in their twenties
and thirties whom he and his wife have led
to Christ. We met with them in the Bilyaks’
apartment for Bible study, prayer and
fellowship on a Saturday evening.
Thank you once again for your partnership with us. Only eternity will reveal the full extent the investment of your life and means mean to the work of this ministry. You are co-laborers with us.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray for continued progress and God’s hand of blessing on our deputation ministry as well as health and safety as we travel.
- Pray that God will call people into Muslim ministry from the September 20-22, 2007 conference in Kiev, Ukraine.
- Pray for travel funds for both Gayle and me for the trip to the Kiev conference then on to Istanbul.
- Pray for the funds to secure a ministry location in Istanbul.
- Pray for the securing of a permanent church building for our friends in Gori, Georgia.
- Pray for the continued growth and development of the church and ministry team in Chishinau, Moldova.
- Pray for the increased spread of the gospel in Western Asia.
Your
servants for Jesus’ sake,
Bob and Gayle McQueary
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.” (Colossians 4:2-4)