CAMEROON MISSION FUND MONTHLY REPORT – MAY 2008
The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:5 of the ‘partnership in the gospel’ that he had shared with that congregation. Those of us who are ‘sent’ realize that we could never make the journey without your faithful support and prayer. Each month I try to convey my gratitude to you but I am sure that I do a very poor job. I am aware that this is not the only ministry that you are involved in and that many of you contribute financially to many good works. When I place opportunities before you, I do not want you to feel compelled to give. There will be many occasions when we have to say no to a particular work and I am aware of that. Please rest assured that I am so thankful for every way in which you support this ministry.
While the trip that Linda and I will make in the fall takes much of my time, that is certainly not the only aspect of this ministry. As you know, in a little over a month we will be headed back to Cameroon for an evangelistic campaign. Those traveling with me are Chuck Kalb who will be making his 9th trip; Bob Deister who will be making his 6th; Chris Lowe who will be making his second and Chris’ son Carter who will be making his first. While I am happy that all are going I am especially pleased that Carter is making the journey. He is 16 and I always enjoy the teenagers who go with me. It is a great way for them to minister and they prove to be a great role model for the youth of Cameroon. Let me share with you a number of things to pray about regarding this trip:
1. Please pray for Vincent Nsah. He is the brother who coordinates with the congregations that we are working with. One of the keys to the success of any campaign is the work that is done BEFORE we arrive. The work that Vincent does is critical!
2. Please pray for those we teach. As you know, the campaigns do not entail door knocking. We are working with prospects of the local church. I am aware that there will always be those who are baptized who did it for an ulterior motive. They will see our skin color and hope to ‘latch’ on to us. Please pray that the Lord will lead us to those who will truly listen to the Word and surrender their lives to Him.
3. Please pray for the local churches. We are going to be working with 10 congregations and our prayer is that we will be able to model Jesus in a way that will be of great benefit to the brethren. One of the goals of the campaign is to help strengthen the local body. We realize that we will not produce long-term growth in just a few days. The ultimate growth of the individual congregation will be based on the faithfulness of their members.
4. Please pray for our teaching. Our goal is not to argue with people but to first of all, show the love of Christ. Secondly to plant within their minds the eternal Word of God. We are not going as adversaries with those of differing religious thought but as those who want to convey the message that the Lord has brought. We are not after baptisms but after conversions. Our desire is that heaven will be more highly populated as a result of this effort.
5. Please pray for our health and safety. There is a reason why over the past 20 years we have NEVER had any type of significant illness or accident. It is because hundreds, if not thousands of brethren like you have faithfully lifted us up in prayer. While the physical takes a backseat to the spiritual, we can never do those things that will lead a person to eternal life if we are incapacitated.
6. Please pray for the meetings I will have with the coordinators of the Fall Seminar. I will talk more about the seminar in a minute but one of the things I will be doing on this trip is meeting with each of the coordinators. Some will meet me in Douala, some in Kumba, some in Bamenda and some in Ekondo-titi. As I have stressed in earlier reports, so much of the success of the Fall Seminar hinges on the preparation that will be made before our arrival.
Let’s discuss the seminar in the fall. This report is going to give you much to pray about. Here are some things regarding the fall:
1. Please pray for the coordinators. I have already established their importance. The plan, Lord willing, is to work in 11 areas of the country and I have a coordinator for each of them. Thus far, their cooperation and participation has been excellent. Our hope is to have over 400 church leaders participate in these seminars and the coordinators are key to that becoming a reality.
2. Please pray for Jean Claude. He is the one overseeing the whole ‘shebang’ (I can’t wait to see what my spell checker does with that word). His primary task is to help me with the coordinators. If I am having trouble getting an answer from one of them, he will be my emissary. His value to the success of the seminar cannot be overstated.
3. Please pray for Linda. I am in my element when I am in Africa. I don’t even notice that I am there because it is so familiar. Linda has only made one short trip to Cameroon so this will be a brand new experience. I feel very comfortable to have Lucy Bechem traveling with us. I wrote about her in a previous report. Lucy is native French but fluent English and she will be with Linda from the start of the work to its completion. Pray that Linda’s health and energy levels will be fine.
4. Please pray for the leaders that I will meet with. One of the purposes of this trip is to spend time with hundreds of church leaders. I want to get a better feel for where they and their congregations are at regarding their growth. The purpose of such meetings will not be for them to give me a ‘laundry list’ of needs for me to fulfill but to find out ways in which we can partner with them to assist their maturation.
5. Please pray for the souls we will teach. Built in to the campaign are 16 days of evangelism. Due to the fact that there will be so many members at the seminar to assist in the evangelizing, many of them will have as their goal to pass out tracts and set up future Bible studies. Our hope is that this seminar, though not primarily keyed on evangelism, will ultimately have a great impact on the growth of the church.
6. Please pray for my preparation. There are a “101” things that I need to get done and please pray that I will not omit anything that is vital to the success of the seminar.
7. Please pray for the funding of the seminar. As I have said in earlier reports, this will be a costly seminar. The reality, however, is that it will cost no more than what the 5 of us who are traveling to Cameroon next month will spend. Truly speaking, this seminar will be very cost effective. Having said that, we need more and more of you to contribute. Every amount is appreciated but for those of you who can, please consider giving a huge gift.
I have a request to make. A number of years ago we put together a website. One of the things that we do is have the preachers, interns and students who are on support compile monthly reports. The website is nearly finished but unfortunately, the young man who was doing it was not able to finish. Do any of you have expertise in the running of websites or know someone who does. I don’t have any money so only the Lord can bless you in some other way. The site, for the most part, is finished. There are just a few things that need to be done and if you can help, please let me know.
As I began so I will finish. Thanks so much for all that you do to make this ministry fruitful.
In Christ,
Jim Corner
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