Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you for your prayers and support. They have been greatly appreciated.

Things have been going great here at Vineyard Viva! This month we had the honor of ordaining our first assistant pastors, Sarah and Silas. We have been walking very closely to Sarah and Silas for the last two years and they have been a huge blessing in our lives. I often think about how much more difficult things would have been if they had not walked into our lives prior to planting this church. They are both extremely gifted, extremely committed to practicing what they preach, and are committed to pastoring people. Ordaining them was the natural next step in their lives as well as within our church. We are so excited to see what God has in store!

Ordaining Sarah & Silas

Us with Sarah & Silas

This last month I was asked to write an article for the Xingu Mission Field Report about our first church plant. I wanted to share the article with all of you. Please find it below.

Denise and I are doing well and thoroughly enjoy watching Jonas grow up in every way! We look forward to visiting OHIO in the fall on our furlough. It hard to believe that 2 years have passed since our last trip home.

Jonas

Jonas showing off his new teeth

Prayer Requests:

• Continued growth and spiritual health for our church.
• For Sarah and Silas as they continue to grow into their expanding roles.
• Grace, provision and wisdom as we care for our church family, our son and each other.

Thanks again for you love and support. We miss you, love hearing from you and hope you have a wonderful Easter celebration!

In His Service,

Christopher & Denise

Contribution Link: https://xingu.org/opportunities/giving/meyer-ministries/

FIELD REPORT – April 2019

It’s been about 18 months since my wife Denise and I planted a church here in the city Macapá. To say that this has been a learning experience would be an understatement. Although we have definitely had our ups and downs, these last 18 months have taught us so much. It has become clear to us how easy it would be to make the goal of church planting to gather and grow the church. Over and over, God has made it clear to us that that is the byproduct. The goal needs to be, has to be pointing to Jesus and learning how to walk in step with Him. After all, it is His church, he is the great Shepherd and we are all sheep in His pasture.

The number one thing that has become more and more obvious is that people desire real connection with God. Increasingly, we have focused on how to organically bring this about in our church. One of our values we emphasize at each gathering is leaving a chunk of time and space for the Holy Spirit to come minister. An example would be our Sunday service as we deliberately keep our sermons somewhat short so that we can have more time to pray for one another and to invite His presence. We don’t want this time of ministry and prayer to be an afterthought, we want it to be a focus. Leaving room for the Holy Spirit’s movement is a huge priority in our small groups as well.

A person can gain many things being part of a church. They can grow in their understanding of the Bible, be encouraged during difficult times, live with healthy accountability, and much more. These things are good and should not be overlooked. But, above everything else, our desire has been for a person to encounter the real living God. As I said gathering and growing a church is a byproduct. A very necessary God ordained byproduct! It naturally happens when people grow in connection to Him.

Another strong emphasis of the church has been is to acknowledge how much people desire to connect with one another and to feel part of a family. This year we have been amazed by the number of people who struggle with severe loneliness and feelings of isolation. Although many of these people are regularly surrounded by others, they still feel isolated and as if no one truly knows them. For that reason, we began to invest heavily in small groups. We wanted safe places for people to come together, eat together, open up together, encourage one another and allow God to come minister. Small groups have been a huge value in our church from day one and because of this over 90% of our church are regular attenders of a small group.

We realize that these are not new concepts. That connection with God and connection to Christian community are central themes throughout the church and church history. I guess we have just realized these needs in a more profound way, now that we are pastoring a church. Although there are always decisions to be made and questions to be had, we feel that the key will always be about connection.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:37-40

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