EPC of Plant City

• 1993-The original team leaders, Ken and Tammie Matlack, come to Berlin to church plant and form a partnership with the Luke Church, an evangelical German church with a 100 year history
• 1996-Team leaders Tim and Lyn Newbrander start church planting using the house church model
• Early 2000s God gives them the idea of starting fresh with a family center that provides programs which reach out into the neighborhood
• 2000-Phil’s gifts of intercession and evangelism become more evident
• 2001-Phil makes his first visit to the team to participate in a week-long neighborhood prayer walking/spiritual mapping event with team intercessor Paul Clarkson in the Boetzow Quarter.  (Paul is now the pastor of the Jacob Church.)
• 2002-2004-Phil, Diane and Kelsey take further trips to visit the team and are invited to join the team with Phil as intercessor with evangelism in view as well
• 2005-Thrashes arrive on July 30 in Berlin to work with the church planting team
• 2010–to date the larger team, which separated into sub-teams after the initial church (Jacob Church) was planted, has planted three churches.  We are now involved in the fourth church plant in the Prenzlauer Berg district and have been privileged to pray with three Germans to accept Christ as Savior.
• The Berlin branch of the reformed Martin Bucer Seminary is also a ministry supported by our team financially and in prayer

Dear Prayer Warrior,

As you may know, different seeds, when sown, take different amounts of time to come up and bloom or produce fruit.  Sowing seeds of the Gospel also take time to mature.  We sow or water and God makes it grow.   As Paul said, ”I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ”
(I Corinthians 3:6)

And regarding our prayers: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  (Galatians 6:9)

Praise Reports

• PTL for the response to the prayer event on January 29th. We had a small, but engaged, group.  Two men, Detmar and Tom, gave a report during our church service that they really enjoyed the atmosphere and found it a wonderful experience.  Tom now wants to pray for people during or after our services. Seeds were planted for the church plant to become a praying church.
• I was able to give 2 copies of the Why I’m Not an Atheist book to two workers at the fitness center in the last weeks.  Pray they’ll read it as both were interested.
• The missional family center programs are mainly well-attended thanks to prayer and work.  People are “crossing over” and coming to other events where they can hear the Gospel.

Prayer Requests

• that the family center programming and other team family events will lead to further opportunities for our team to share the Gospel verbally and for courage (for which Paul requests prayer in Ephesians 6:19-20)
• for the punctual beginning and completion (Feb. 2011) of the new building that will house the family center/church plant services called the Christian Health and Wellness Center (it will seat 120 for church and our costs will actually go down)
• for our team prayer times (to hear from the Lord), staff meetings (wisdom), prayer walking (guidance and hearing from the Lord as to what and where to pray) and our church plant core group meeting on the 18th where Michael will discuss the postmodern/atheistic culture and how to reach it

Thank you for praying and let us know how we can pray for you.  May the Lord bless you today.

Blessings from Berlin,

Phil with Diane and Kelsey

P.S.  We are feeling great with no colds etc… going on.  Thanks!