Dear Friends of Eastern Europe Renewal: 

The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

Greetings from Switzerland, where I am briefly before going tomorrow morning to Northern (!) Sweden. Please pray for the Sweden trip as it involves 6 flights, a University lecture, a big conference in Stockholm and all the things that come up in between. I pray and believe that God will use me to encourage some people and help them work out their ideas and worldviews on various issues.

Here is our news since August: Mary went to Poland for 2 weeks! This involved some planning and organizing with her walker, etc. but everything went well and she is talking about doing it again. She could visit with doctors and therapists, parents and patients connected with her many years of work in Occupational Therapy in Poland. It was a very encouraging outing.

We got the birds mentioned in the last letter. They are an odd couple of Parakeets. The hope is for little birds eventually, but they are in their late teens and not behaving very parental yet. Perhaps in the spring….

In late August we went to the wedding of David and Christiane Richter in Germany, where I could be a witness. They have since moved to the neighbouring village in Germany, so we can go on seeing them.

Jim Giardina, a friend a former parishioner, has died of pancreatic cancer. Jim and I had a lot of contact during his illness and his wife, Wendy, asked me to preach at the funeral. It was an honor to help celebrate with thanksgiving the wonderful life and person of this man, who was loved by many and had an encouraging effect on everyone he met.

This quarter has seen visits to 2 branches of L’Abri; Swiss L’Abri for a lecture on Authority and Epistemology and English L’Abri for the 3rd. Annual Film Festival. 100 people came. Some local people got a better idea of what L’Abri is and does and several friendships were made and cemented. L’Abri is alive and well and growing and being used of God as salt and light in the world.

Somehow the most exciting thing I’ve done is begin a preaching class with a few men (see attached photo). We have met twice and they are excited to work hard and learn to handle and present God’s Word. Pray for these men that the fire and vision will remain hot and clear.

After teaching in Germany for a week in October, I flew to Edinburgh for the Interface Arts Conference. They had 85 people for the weekend in the Leith School of Art, where the faculty of the school gave themselves in organizing and facilitating the conference. We had a very rich time together. After the conference I stayed one night at the home of the parents of the director at the Firth of Forth at Fife, which is as Scottish as you can get with St. Andrews across the water beyond an island which is a Puffin Sanctuary.

Just last week I could visit dear friends, Dean and Arlene Johnson in Spain and teach some classes in the Christian School where they are working. It was a refreshing time.

The work in the Church in Lausanne, although only 2 weekends a month, is very satisfactory. A Young Peoples’ Group has started, where we eat together and discuss whatever is important to people about the Christian life. Gradually more people are getting involved in leading and participating in the Church life. We are very international and interesting. Last week, Mary went with me and saw old friends. We hope she can come again.

I’ve been reading some books by NT Wright, which are rather controversial among Evangelicals, I guess, but very stimulating and challenging.

In the next couple of months I should visit Sweden, Bavaria, Hamburg, a couple of Churches in Switzerland, Vienna and Bulgaria, where I will be teaching some Gypsy leaders. It is a wonder to be able to touch peoples’ lives in all these different places and I am very grateful to God. There are various indications that some people actually learn and grow from my visits. What more can you ask?

Thank you for your prayers, your friendship, your communications and your financial support. God bless and keep you. Let me hear from you.

Yours in Christ,

Ellis

Preaching Class

Return to Top

Copyright © 2007 Ellis Potter.