Scott Jackson

During this current season, the Scripture that has been one of my focal points is....

"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building." 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 NIV

Through so much of life, as things are initiated, and new learnings are applied in our life, it can take time for the effects to show. They require a 'watering'...constant nourishment. And that is the same in ministry. As we seek to be faithful to God, He enables growth to take place.

So I begin this newsletter by saying that over the last two months, nothing 'new' has been started. But a constant watering of what was already started. And it has been encouraging to see how they are developing.

Homegroup

It has been really encouraging to see how the guys are becoming more accustomed to both the Bible studies and the missional games nights as a part of a regular rhythm. That might sound like a strange thing to say, but in Macedonia, a country with a very spontaneous culture, having a regular weekly rhythm in life, and even within the church, outside of the Sunday service, is not very common. It can take many messages to remind people that meetings/gatherings are on.

Within the Bible Studies, it is wonderful to see how people are growing in depth of understanding as we process the Scriptures together. The nature of a Discovery Bible Study means that it is very easy for new people to engage with, and for everyone to contribute.

The games nights regularly have people from across different churches attending, which is great for building relationships, and we have regular invites going out to non-christian friends to join us.

As we move forward, one of the next exciting things to work out is what will our name be. So much can be contained within a name, and so we want a name that inspires and declares what we want to be about.

Prayer - MakHOP

The regular weekly prayer meetings at the House of Prayer are continuing, and whereas it is often that it has far more international people attending, it is really encouraging to increasingly see more and more Macedonians coming to join.

The Balkan Call is moving ever closer, and will take place at the end of October in Istanbul. This will be an amazing opportunity for believers from across the Balkans to come together to pray and seek God together for His Kingdom across the region, and in the relationships between these nations, looking to see repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation from the tremendous hurts of the past with the Balkans wars. With the gathering this year taking place in Turkey, it will be a good opportunity to recognise together, both the impact of the Ottoman Empire in the region, and everything that came with that, and for declarations of forgiveness.

Prayer - Oaza Church

As a local congregation, we are wanting to have bi-weekly prayer meetings. This is something that we have been wanting to do for a while, but so far have been struggling to find a venue that could host the meetings. However, through multiple discussions, we think we may have found a solution.

Below photos show the city skyline, taken from the Skopje fortress or 'Kale' in the local language.

Thanksgivings:

• The growth in the homegroup, in terms of engagement and depth of understanding.
• The increasing engagement in the House of Prayer, especially from local Macedonians.

Prayer Requests:

• For growing understanding within the homegroup of what a 'family on mission' is, and how to apply it in our lives.
• Always, for ever more revelation of the character of God, of who we are in Him, and His calling upon our lives.
• For increasing engagement from non-christians with the games nights, and from there with the Bible Study as relationships are developed.
• For ever increasing development of a prayer culture in the church here in Macedonia.
• For the upcoming Balkan Call. Please pray for God's grace upon the team organising that all remaining things to prepare would come together smoothly and against any distractions of the enemy.

Thank you so much for reading my latest newsletter. Your partnership, both in prayer and financially enables me to do what I do, and because of that, you are directly connected and involved in the mission that is taking place here. Christ bless you richly.

Please stay in touch. I love to hear how you are doing.

With much love and shalom,
Scott

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