News from our President

April 2024

Dear ICC Family,
 
I pray that this newsletter finds you well. Since my last update, it has been a busy season of seeing God at work in His ministry. Here are some of the highlights of the past few months….

Istanbul, Turkey
In January,  I was able to meet the new pastor of the church in Istanbul, Turkey. Pastors change. It’s a part of our reality. When I began working with ICC, the average tenure for a pastor was about two years - it’s a reflection of the challenges of being a pastor in the international church. It is ICC’s desire to know these men, their families and their leadership teams in order to help them stay healthy and stay longer; to remove obstacles, provide solutions and to keep them in their calling.

While visiting, I also had the opportunity to meet the new pastoral staff team in Istanbul. Turkey’s population is largely Muslim and, historically, a key country for the Gospel - we believe for the future of the Gospel going forward as well. We ask you to pray for this congregation and the new team as they continue to spread the Gospel in a place where very few know it.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Following on from my visit to Turkey, I was invited to visit a long-term ICC pastor who had just taken a new assignment in Ethiopia. This was my first visit to Ethiopia to see an old friend, Martin, taking on a new place of ministry.  Martin Reakes-Williams previously pastored an ICM church for more than two decades in Leipzig, Germany. The church in Leipzig became part of ICC when ICC and ICM merged about 5 years ago. It was a conservative Anglican church that he faithfully served and built up over those years.
 
Following on from his time in Leipzig, Martin was called to Addis Ababa. He was subsequently asked to be the Bishop over the Horn of Africa. It’s nice to see a conservative evangelical being asked to take a high position in the Anglican church, so it was good to visit during the ordination ceremony and be a witness to the event.

Martin, the new Bishop, was asked to preach at his own ordination ceremony. His sermon had three points: to be humble, to be bold and to be accountable. It was impressive that - in front of the UK Ambassador - the Word went forth with a clarion call that the Church was not to concede to the way of government and rulers, but that the government, should follow the moral teachings of the church. Dinner at the Ambassador's house afterwards was full of many interesting discussions!

Side note: During my stay there was an Ethiopian festival called Timkat . It was a procession of hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian church members who were celebrating the Baptism of Christ (see photo above).
 
Second side note: At Martin’s celebration, I had the unusual privilege of sitting between two heroes of the faith. To my left was a Muslim Imam who had converted to Christianity. He was in Addis Ababa, serving as a doorman, so that he could lead Bible Studies to other Muslims with the hope of reaching them for Christ. For this, he risks his life.

To my right was Freckle. Freckle was an Orthodox believer, studying theology at seminary the Orthodox church when an evangelical believer gave him, and his four friends, Bibles to read. Although it may sound strange, Freckle and his friends decided to read the Bible so that they would know arguments against it – know thy enemy – so to speak. All five became believers in Jesus as their Savior and were forced out of their studies at their home church. Afterwards, Freckle became such an evangelist that, after he was forced out of studies, they stoned him to try to kill him. Thankfully, he survived. He carries the reminder from one of the rocks in a dent near his temple. Freckle now goes in and out of the same area that he came from, to show others the pathway to Jesus. Amazing!

Prayer Gathering - Montpellier, France
In February, we met in Montpellier, France for our annual prayer gathering.  Each year we gather together as network pastors for times of refreshment, encouragement, fellowship, teaching and resource-sharing. We meet each year during the Toussaint (All Saints) holidays in October and again in February to pray. Each time, we take the opportunity to gather in one of our network locations so that we can see and know the cities and churches of our fellow members. We always have a prayer walk around town and pray for the things that are of direct concern to the local church. We also share updates and pray for the other pastors and churches in our network. It is a precious time of fellowship and seeking our Saviour together.
 
Montpellier’s history is steeped in Christianity; notably, the clash between Catholicism and Protestantism. At our Prayer Gathering, we stood and prayed at the very place where a celebration was held for the conquering and full destruction of the protestant movement. It made me think that man’s victories are temporary in view of God’s plan. We can trust that He will complete the work He has begun in each of us, and in His building of His Kingdom.  

Manosque, France
Following the Prayer Gathering, I was given the opportunity to preach at a new church that is joining the ICC network. The church is in Monasque, which is in the same part of France as Montpellier. This church has been set up in a community called ITER. ITER is a huge project moving nuclear energy from fision to fusion, with large hopes for providing a more efficient energy source for the world in the future. Like all of our churches, the nations are coming to them with eternal opportunity to reach the peoples of the world in one place. It is described on the ITER site as :
 
”Thousands of engineers and scientists have contributed to the design of ITER since the idea for an international joint experiment in fusion was first launched in 1985. The ITER Members - China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States - are now engaged in a decades-long collaboration to build and operate the ITER experimental device, and together bring fusion to the point where a demonstration fusion reactor can be designed.”
 
Just imagine the potential of these scientific leaders, from all around the world, being influenced by Jesus and then being used by Him to give Him glory. Pray for the church in Manosque.

Exponential, Orlando
Earlier this month, representatives from ICC went to Orlando to meet with a local church that has supported ICC’s work for some time. In Orlando, we attended the Exponential event for the purposes of sharing the vision of ICC and recruiting workers for the harvest. At the conference we were able to introduce the many different opportunities for people to get involved in the work of ICC Eurasia.  You can watch our promo video here.

We are looking for English speaking, mature Christians to come fill positions in long and short term capacities. We need more pastors, ministry leaders, musicians, youth, women’s and men’s disciplemakers, and we have positions ready to be filled.  Maybe you are or know someone who is interested in international church ministry?
 
In April, ICC will hold it's annual board meeting in Denton, Texas from 19 -20 April. If there are leadership in your churches that make decisions on mission partners, or if you have an interest in getting more information about the International Christian Community, please let me know. We are looking at having an introduction to the ministry on the evening of Thursday 18 April.

Nice, France
The big news in Nice is that we have interns!  Vlad and Inés Painainte will be working alongside us through the summer to help equip and prepare them for a new ICC church plant in Madrid, Spain. Vlad and Inés grew in their faith through our sister ICC church in Lyon, France. After the Summer, they will make their way to Madrid, Spain to plant a church there with Steve Liston.

Vlad comes from Romania and Inés from Mexico. They have a young daughter, Olivia, who brings an abundance of cuteness to the church as well. They have recently started a young professionals study and Vlad preaches a good percentage of Sundays in Nice, and also assists in the other churches. It’s a blessing to have their youthful perspective and energy in the ministry with us.

So, we are telling the story, recruiting laborers and trusting God for His outworking. He has promised that His Word will go forth and not come back void (Isaiah 55:11).  So, please keep us in your prayers and thank you for continuing to partner with us.  Your support allows us to do the things across these nations which is truly God’s heart - to see men and women respond to the Gospel.

Blessings in Christ Jesus,

James

President, ICC Eurasia