June 2021 Update
Greetings!
Here is a link to a prayer letter I was asked to write for Bethlehem College & Seminary in May. If you didn’t see it, please read it and rejoice with me over the privilege of teaching our Cameroonian students this past semester about God’s global purpose: to pursue worshipers from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. You will notice that many of Bethlehem’s global partners and pastors teamed up with me in this course. Our passion is that our students will share this passion and live it out in the African context. Too many of our brothers and sisters in Africa have seen themselves as a “field” rather than as “senders and goers” reaching out to the unreached and less reached peoples of Cameroon and beyond. I am full of confidence that our students will champion well the global glory of Christ and mobilize their churches and future church-plants for meaningful cross-cultural service in the advance of His Kingdom.
I have purchased plane tickets for three more teaching trips to Cameroon in 2021. Lord willing, I will be leaving for Trip #1 the end of this month. Please pray as I join up with Dieudonné and with two families from Bethlehem who are planning to eventually be in Cameroon for long-term service. It will be wonderful to be together as a team in Yaoundé. We will be teaming up to teach a course entitled “God-Centered Living and the Pursuit of Joy: The Foundations of Christian Hedonism.” The last few days of this two-week intensive course will include a seminar for pastors and Christian leaders in Cameroon. Our students will join the teaching team and lead discussion groups to help the attendees process what they are learning. Pray that the 2 families from Bethlehem will get their visas. The borders of Cameroon are still closed but essential workers are granted visas. Dieudonné has a gift for writing persuasive letters to the Cameroon embassy requesting visas for these truly essential workers!
Lord willing, I will also be on site in Yaoundé teaching this fall both at the beginning of the semester and then wrapping it up at the end of the semester. I will teach the in-between time through zoom.
With Covid restrictions being relaxed I have had more opportunities to preach and/or report at supporting churches. What a joy! Please pray for this ministry of the Word that it will be used to deepen people’s passion for Christ and His purpose.
I want to thank every one of you for your interest and for your on-going partnership in prayer and support. Julie and I are close to being !00% supported. Our main donor, Bethlehem Baptist Church, has been supporting us super-abundantly during our first year of work with Training Leaders International. The understanding has been that the support level would come down every 5 months through the first year. I transitioned off of Bethlehem’s paid pastoral staff on my 40th anniversary (August 1, 1980). The church overwhelmed us with generosity by offering to continue 75% of my Bethlehem salary the first 5 months and 50% the next 5 months. Then beginning this coming July, Bethlehem plans to continue to support us generously and long-term as one of their Global Partners. This gracious partnership has sustained us during the support raising process. Every time the per-centage of Bethlehem’s support decreased, the Lord made up the difference through new financial supporters coming on board. Now Julie and I are in that position again as the final reduction is on the verge of taking place July 1. Once again, we are trusting the Lord to raise up new supporters. If you or your church would like to help fill in this gap, we would love to talk with you.
Together with you in the Greatest Cause,
Tom & Julie
tomsteller.com