[symple_highlight color=”green”] Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. [/symple_highlight]
Pastor Brian, “The best part about this new church is that no one gets dressed up for our church service. Typically, in Haiti, people aren’t allowed into church unless they are dressed very well. I ask people ‘why aren’t you in church?’. They say, ‘I can’t go, I don’t have water or soap or clean clothes, so I can’t go.’ The enemy uses it to rip people off and keep them out of church. Not at our church. Everyone is welcome, everyone can come dirty. If you get dressed up you get moved to the back. I don’t even get dressed up. Everyone comes dirty. They come dirty and clean by the washing of the Word.”
Bible Training Center Amphitheater Church Beginnings
At the beginning of July, a mission team came out from Calvary Chapel Fredericksburg and held a week long Vacation Bible Study (VBS) just outside of the Haiti Bible Training Center (BTC) gate. Pastor Brian had at that time been praying for a location for a church plant near the BTC. Through the fruitfulness of the VBS and other events, the Lord confirmed both the new location and the church structure. A Cross to Light team member had been praying ever since the BTC opened over the slanted piece of seemingly useless land situated right in front of the Bible Training Center. He kept thinking of different uses for it but nothing seemed quite right. When the picture came in of the VBS and all the children sitting near the slanted land it was suddenly crystal clear. The piece of land that had been useless but was prayed over for so long was to be the new church. Another team member was at her church the week before thinking about how her church was an amphitheater and how there was so many different amphitheaters on the church campus. She couldn’t get “amphitheater” out of her mind. When the praise report about the VBS came in everything came together with the Lord showing the slanted land was to become the new church – amphitheater style! The fruit of that VBS along with all of the other confirmations was the Lord pointing a big red arrow at the land for the church plant.
Since then, Haitian workers have built half of the amphitheater. The first service was held on Monday, September 9th. The kick-off study started with the book of John, chapter 1, line upon line. Each night at 5pm there is a bible study. The people attending are increasing each day. People that come to the Lord are given a bible. The second night was packed and we gave away our first 100 bibles. People are coming back to the services with their bibles in hand. Pastor Brian and the student Pastors are teaching and giving worship. This is giving the BTC students an amazing training ground for what it will be like for them when they go out to plant a church with hands on experience everyday after their own bible studies.
The mission teams that come out will also have a safe, close church to hold VBS and bible studies during the first half of the day before going out for other outreach activities.
Praise God for what He has done!
