A look into the recently passed activities
at INTERNATIONAL STEWARD
A Thanksgiving to Remember
Twelve ministry leaders representing nine Eastern
European countries convened in Sofia, Bulgaria earlier this month.
TransWorld Radio hosted International Steward’s Stewardship
and Fund Development workshop for the benefit of their partners.
The message was admittedly a difficult one. We discussed
whether or not God had entrusted enough resources into Eastern Europe
to fund ministries locally. We discussed the negative spiral of depending
upon Western funding. And we discussed the Biblical solutions for
maturing God’s stewards in Eastern Europe. These discussions
are always difficult and meet with a great deal of initial skepticism…but
this time the rewards were especially remarkable.
At the conclusion of our time together each leader
around the table began praying. They prayed for two things primarily;
first for forgiveness for not discipling their local people in the
grace of giving. Secondly, they thanked God. They thanked Him for
the provision in their lives--both spiritual and material. They thanked
God for the profound responsibility that God had entrusted to them
to encourage mature stewardship—even in the harsh settings
of post-communist Europe. And they thanked Him for the ‘revolutionary’ Workshop
that we shared together.
Moments after this moving prayer time, we were arranging
workshops in Romania, Croatia, Lithuania, Serbia and Poland for the
upcoming year.
Thankful Hearts
We at International Steward are grateful for all
those that faithfully provide support and encouragement to this ministry
throughout the year. These past five years of ministry have exceeded
every expectation. We are also thankful for the opportunity to work
with over 3,000 ministry leaders around the world.
As you give thanks for God’s blessings in
your life, please remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in
Eastern Europe and around the world who have committed to take the
next steps in maturing God’s stewards in their part of the
world. Your prayer will be a great encouragement to them.
