“Moving Christians from the pew to the harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
November 30, 2019
Greetings, Friend.
I know you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I certainly did. My Thanksgiving Day was spent riding up the mountain to Tarma, Peru with Pastors Omar and Jacob Oscanoa. What a joy to have friends like these and like you. November has been a remarkable month, literally ending on a very high note. (Tarma is at about 10,000 feet above sea level) Thank you for enriching my life and the lives of those we touch!
I am writing this to you from Tarma, where tonight I will be speaking at the 22nd anniversary celebration of FCF Peru: Iglesia “Eben-ezer.” (If this gets to you a little late, forgive me. The internet situation in Tarma is an unknown variable.)
God Loves New York
November began in Glenville, New York with Pastor Dianne Elston and her leadership team from Believers Church @ Glenville. In addition to sharing with the board and leadership, we had a meeting for men on Saturday and a Sunday service that was prophetic and powerful. There is a great sense of expectancy in this house as God moves them into a new season of fruitfulness. All through my time in New York, I could just sense that God is up to something. I look forward to being back in the Spring.
Tucson Leaders Conference
On November 8 & 9, I was privileged to speak at the Southern Arizona Pastors and Leaders Conference at Living Faith Christian Center in Tucson. This was the first of what Pastor Randy Winkles believes will be an annual event. It was a powerful meeting with God orchestrating the messages to encourage leaders to take care of themselves and their families as they set godly examples of Christian excellence and Holy Spirit power. Pastor Winkles, Apostles Jaime Benjamin, and Zane Andersen gave instruction and demonstration as God changed lives. Mark your calendars for November 13 & 14, 2020. You don’t want to miss it.
IEMFe in Hermosillo ends 2019 with a great “Alleluia!!!”
On November 14 and 15 we taught the last two classes in the “Money, Ordinances, and Music” course of Instituto de Entrenamiento Ministerial de Fe (IEMFe). This completed the 7th of 8 courses in our first level of Bible training. The subject was the power of praise and worship, and boy oh boy, did God ever demonstrate His Word. Pastor John Smith, Rev. Joyce Hughes and I taught the classes, and the people internalized the content. Friday night, as we convened for the last hour of class on the power of music, we began to sing in tongues. The presence of God was palpable as the students entered in and began leading songs from the congregation.
It is clear that God is moving in this group. We continue to add students (including new pastors) and are making plans for our graduates to continue the classes so those who didn’t start at the beginning can make up ground, and other students can be added in the future. We are putting together a good team of administrators, and we are looking for the right personnel to be teachers. Pray for us in that endeavor. This current cycle will end in April, so we need to have a workable plan in place by then. That will free me to continue teaching the 2nd and 3rd level courses on specific ministry and leadership skills. (“Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage” is coming up in February)
NOTE: If you are interested in any of this training for you or your church, contact the FCF Tucson office, or take a look at www.fmtionline.com for more information. This thing works.
November Hermosillo Pastors gathering.
I know I say this every month, but the Pastors Breakfast was very powerful. There is a constantly growing sense of unity, commitment to the Word, and commitment to the work before us. In November there were 21 in attendance. This month we reviewed what we learned about communicating the vision God gave each of us. Then we talked about how we are organizing to accomplish the mission. We focused on two things: First, evaluating what we’re doing now and being willing to change things that are not bearing fruit. Second, assessing what tasks need to be done and finding people who can be charged with doing them. It was good.
As the breakfast ended with prayer for one another, the Spirit from the class on worship broke through into the breakfast meeting. One pastor began to sing, and the room erupted in worship. It’s hard to describe the atmosphere as these leaders from different churches and backgrounds blended into praise of their common God. Oh, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity. God is truly doing something here. To keep abreast of what’s happening, check us out at www.pastorvirgil.com.
FCF Representatives Meeting
November 19-22 I had the privilege of attending the FCF Relational Representatives meeting in Tulsa. We enjoyed three full days of impartation from Dr. Dan Radtke, founder of the Ministry Institute. It was one of those times when God just seems to move you to another level of understanding. In this case, it was understanding concerning leadership and organization for ministry.
Peru
And that brings us back to Peru, where I am in my room writing this note. On Wednesday I did a pastors and leaders meeting in Chincha followed by a service that evening then a three-hour drive back to Lima. Last night we were in Huancayo, where I met my new friends, Pastor Rueben and his beautiful family (Including son-in-law Brandon who speaks Spanish with a Mississippi accent) of Iglesia Eben~ezer Huancayo. Huancayo is a city of a half-million people with a rich history and an active economy. The church plant there is a little over a year old. It is a joy to see the work Pastor Omar is doing in supporting, training, and encouraging pastors.
Visit Pastorvirgil.com and the Facebook Page.
Please stop by www.pastorvirgil.com to keep up to speed on what I am writing at the moment. I believe that December will be a month of writing, so keep watch for the fruit thereof. It’s free and easy to access. Also, you can search on Facebook for @contendforthesupernatural. If you want to be a big help, hit SHARE while you’re there.
Holidays
Please pray for me over the holidays. I get home the second week in December and plan to hole up and write. I feel an urgency to get some writing done. I want to finish the study guide for men, and I want to get at least a good rough draft of the book on the power of the tithe. Judy and I also need some refresh time and some prayer and planning time. Seriously.
Coming Attractions:
- December 8. Iglesia Emanuel. Nogales, Sonora
- January 23-26, 2020. Congreso in Hermosillo, Sonora.
- February 20-21, 2020. IEMFe Practical Ministry Skills. Hermosillo
- February 22. Pastors Breakfast. Hermosillo
- February 27-28. IEMFe Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage. Hermosillo
- February 22. Pastors Breakfast. Hermosillo
- March 14. FCF West Region Conference. Cambria, CA.
- March 15. Living Waters Christian Fellowship, Cambria CA. Contact: Pastor Judy Templeton (805) 440-0105
- March 26-27. IEMFe Practical Ministry Skills. Hermosillo
- March 28. Pastors Breakfast. Hermosillo
- April 23-24. IEMFe Practical Ministry Skills. Hermosillo
- April 25. Pastors Breakfast. Hermosillo
Thanks Again!
Thank you for your prayers and contributions. You make it possible for us to continue. You are touching many lives with this wonderful message. Pray for Judy and me as we seek to follow the leading of God. This is an interesting season of life, and God is doing wonderful things in the earth: Right place, right time, all the time.
Financial support can be sent to Faith Christian Fellowship of Tucson or given online at www.fcftucson.org. (Make checks payable to FCFT, you can designate for missions or pastorvirgil and it will get where it needs to go.
Yours in His service,
Virgil and Judy Stokes
pastorvirgil.com 