Lomas de Cuautitlan Church Plant Update

An update is in store for the Lomas church. Of all the works we are involved with, this one is not going so well right now. Juvenal, the pastor, and I have been in talks with Bethel Baptist Church with the idea that the Lomas church would become one of its daughter works. Juvenal would become a part-time staff person. Things are moving slowly due to the lack of initiative on Juvenal´s part. I am working with another new church plant of Bethel Baptist called Bethel NW which is seen in the post below this one. Please pray for the following things:

Juvenal´s financial situation that he can find enough work to sustain his family.

Juvenal will take seriously the pastorate and begin visitation on a regular basis.

The times of evangelization that are set for October – December.

The Lord will use Manuel Martinez Sr. , the Sr Pastor of the Bethel Baptist Assoc, as well as myself, to exhort and encourage Juvenal in the wok of the ministry.

2. Pray for

New Bethel Northwest Church

You can catch a video of one of the new services of Bethel NW. It´s interesting that we are now connected to a Mexican church that uses the name Northwest besides Hill Country Bible Church Northwest in Austin, Texas. We helped form this new church with Gustavo Peralta, a local pastor that had a small church already functioning in the NW zone of Mexico City. Three other Mexican families also form the leadership team. They are Manuel and Olivia Martinez, Roberto and Rocio Ramírez, José Luís and Rosy Ramírez. Manuel and his brother, Jorge, bought a small private elementary school. We use the school for church services on Sunday evenings from 6-8 pm. A nice coffee shop similar to Starbucks will be functioning within two weeks at the school. Craig and Denise will be coordinating the outreach to the parents and families of the school to pull them into bible studies and church. NOVEMBER 15 is a big kickoff with a SPECIAL BREAKFAST for the entire school and the neighborhood area.

The Williams Family Update in October 2008

In the background is our new home that we moved into on October 1. Alicia and Joshua only have to walk 2 blocks to school! We are also closer to other ministry responsibilities. There is an evangelical church on our street so we are directing new contacts we have to this church.

Craig keeps busy with the Church Planters that he mentors. He is also part of a group of Christian businessmen called Agrupación de Influencia Para México (Influence Group for Mexico). He and Denise continue to do Marriage Retreats throughout the year with pastor´s and ministry leaders and their wives across different denominations. The Williams are part of a new church plant with 4 other Mexican families. Craig has begun to run again after a layoff of too many years.

Denise keeps involved in Craig´s activities when she is able. She forms part of the Mexico City Christian Academy Board where our kids attend. She has kept Craig busy with all the “honey do´s” of getting our new home in order.

Alicia is in 11th grade this year at Mexico City Christian Academy. She just took the PSAT exam on Oct 18. Alicia is part of Andrea´s Soccer Club Team. She practices 3 days a week plus a game on the weekend. Her team is one of the better clubs in Mexico City so this has helped her to improve her game.

Joshua is in 9th grade at Mexico City Christian Academy. He is into music. He plays acoustic and electric guitar. He helps to lead music at the Lomas de Cuautitlan Church on Sunday AM and is practicing to join the band at Bethel Northwest Church on Sunday evening. He takes a voice and guitar class each week at the Bethel NW church.

Mexscape Marriage Retreat August/September 2008

Mexscape: Marriage Retreats for Pastors/Ministry Leaders and their wives. This was the last retreat for Toby and Marilyn Casteel who are returning to the U.S. due to health reasons. We will miss them greatly! The Casteels are selling their home in Cuernavaca so we need to find another place for Mexscape! God will provide something. We are looking into one place for 2009. Pray for God´s provision so this ministry can continue. Also pray for a Mexican couple who God will raise up to work alongside us.

Rick Warren Spoke to Mexico City Christian Business Leaders

On August 7 at the Nikko Hotel in Mexico City, Rick Warren spoke to 80 Mexico City Christian Business Leaders challenging them to transform their city for Jesus Christ using all their available resources that God has given them (relationships, business and money). The event was sponsored by Agrupación de Influencia (Influence Group) which was recently formed by 4 Mexican business leaders, Craig Williams and Campus Crusade for Christ in Mexico City which operates as Enfoque Mexico. 32 business leaders responded as wanting to be involved in transforming Mexico for Jesus Christ. 6 businessmen prayed to receive Christ. Yes, even some interested unbelievers were invited and God changed their lives for all of eternity!!!

August 26: Our next organizing meeting to get ready for the big kickoff meeting on September 2 when we will invite over 20 Christian business leaders who signed a commitment card to attend a meeting and commit to being personally involved in transforming Mexico City for Jesus Christ. Pray for clarity as we communicate vision and mission of Agrupación de Influencia and how we all together can focus on reaching business people for Christ and doing projects that will benefeit Mexico City in order to bring many to Christ. THE TASK IS HUGE! THE CHALLENGE IS AWESOME!

Pray for:

Sept 2: The first big kickoff meeting to bring these business leaders onto the team and work together to transform Mexico City for Jesus Christ! A strong leadership team will form from the Sept 2 meeting. We all will have clarity of vision and mission to reach the city. We will be unified. These men will lay aside other priorities they have had in their lives to follow the priorities of Jesus Christ to make an impact for the Kingdom.

Cypress Bible in Mexico City

On July 26 – Aug 2, a 30 member youth team from Cypress Bible Church in Houston came to serve alongside us and Bethel Baptist Church (Iglesia Bautista Bethel) in Chimahualcan which is a poor area east of Mexico City airport. The church has about 650 Sunday attenders. It is a church of mostly new believers which has grown fast over this past year. From children to adults, 182 people received Christ during Cypress´s week of ministry. There were over 30 mexican workers from the church who did lots of organizing, teaching and leading. The Cypress team helped with Kid´s clubs, music classes, a youth outreach event and sports ministry in a local park. The team taught the Mexican youth how to do mimes, dramas which were performed in the park and for the closing ceremony of the kid´s club. God did some awesome things that week. We are so grateful to God for the partnership that was formed with Bethel Church.

English Camp Follow up for New Church in Atizapan

The Mitchell´s and Ruiz´s, Canadian missionaries with North American Baptist Conference (NAB) along with the mentoring of the Williams are in the process of planting a new church. Pray along with us for the following.

September:

General contacting, socializing and challenging families to consider spiritual things.

Beginning Sept 3, there will be English/Bible Study offered every Wed and Fri nights. 1 hour of English and 1 hour of Bible study. At least 5 families have shown interest in attending.

October:

October 10: Celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving Day with the Mexicans to teach them more English and use it as an English/Evangelistic Outreach to new families.

October 24-26: At least 6 couples have expressed interest in attending a Marriage Retreat. Denise and I will lead the time focusing on biblical marriage principles as well as relationship building and sharing the gospel.

October 10,

Plano Bible Team in Lomas de Cuautitlan

A super team from Plano Bible Chapel in Plano, Texas came and served alongside us and the Mexican believers in a new church plant area of Lomas de Cuautitlan. From God´s and our´s perspective, it was a success. We had 105 kids pass through the VBS July 19-26. Truthfully, the follow up has been slow. Juvenal and Francisca Morales, who are in charge of the Lomas work, have been struggling with dissapointment in their lives, financial struggles, and a general lack of enthusiasm for the work. Honestly, I am struggling also for this work and with the Morales. Pray that God would give me wisdom and find ways to encourage the Morales family to get back into the work of God in Lomas. The potential is great there. Thank you Plano Bible for your efforts. Though things are waning right now, it was not in vain. Pray to the Lord of the Harvest!!!

English Camp July 7-11, 2008

English Campers Learning Songs

A youth team from Parma Heights Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio came to help us do an English Camp at the Williams House. The Parma team of 10 did a super job of teaching English to 27 mexican students of Jr – Sr High age. Two weeks later we had 4 of the families over for a meal along with the Plano Bible Chapel Adult team of 8. The English Camp was done along with Moises and Carolyn Ruiz family, Marcel and Ingrid Mitchell family. These families are missionaries with the North American Baptist Conference. The purpose of the camp was to help them get contacts in our area to begin a new church plant. Pray for the continued follow up process.

Important Dates for Prayer

April 4 – Christian Professor Dinner (see Tec de Mty)

April 19 – Mexico City Church Leaders Meeting

April 21-24 Scott Vair of World Orphans in Mexico City to interview churches wanting to begin orphanages.

May 1-3 Church Planting Conference in Morelos, Mexico.

May 16-18 The Williams and Casteels ministering to Pastors and wives at a Marriage Weekend.

May 18-22 Ed Thomas and Rick B, businessmen from Houston, coming to Mexico City to meet with Mexican businessmen to plan a Businessmen´s Leadership Conference/Outreach

May 23  Intern Heath Alexander comes into town for two months.

May 30 Alicia and Joshua out of school.

June 1 The Williams leave on vacation for a few days before the onslaught of summer teams and ministry hit us.