Ecuador Church Planting Initiative Supported by Eastern North Carolina Pastors
Eastern North Carolina Administrative Bishop O. Wayne Brewer, along with nine ministers from the region, traveled to Guayaquil, Ecuador in November to assist in the planting of a new church. The Church of God leadership in Guayaquil has set an ambitious goal of planting forty new churches in their city by 2020 and welcomed the assistance from the North Carolina ministers.
New believers gather for a time of discipleship training.
The ministers who made the trek to the Central American country along with Administrative Bishop Brewer included Richard Beasley, Dallas Berry, Danny Byrd, Richard Dial, Joe Ferguson, Richard Franklin, Ricky Freeman, Jeff Person and Brian Wible.
The Eastern North Carolina church plant team arrived in Guayaquil on Saturday, ministered in a local church on Sunday morning and spent the evening in prayer and preparation. On Monday morning, after a time of prayer, they boarded their bus along with their translators and local hosts, and made their way across the city.
When they arrived at the church plant area, they divided into ministry teams and again prayed for the Holy Spirit’s supernatural empowerment. Then they were off on a great adventure with God.
They spent the first day, like every other day that week, talking with people, praying with people, and sharing the Gospel. Primarily, they engaged people by stopping folks on the street and knocking on doors. God opened the hearts of the people to receive Jesus. It was God that did the work.
They invited everyone they met to join them at the end of the day at 4 p.m. for discipleship training. They met and prayed with a lot of people that first day. Many professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but the fruit of the day’s ministry was demonstrated by the people coming to learn about following Jesus.
First there were only a few, but then they increased in number. The team gave each new adult believer who came to discipleship training a new Bible. By day two they had given out all of the 120 Bibles they brought with them. The team purchased an additional 150 more Bibles and gave all of those away. On Thursday for discipleship, there were over 250 adults and approximately sixty children who came with their parents.
The conversion stories were incredible. For example, two police officers professed Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The gentleman who rented out the property for the church plant accepted Christ. He made his living by renting out that property and running a bar on the premises. Gang members accepted Christ. Professed alcoholics and drug addicts became Christians. Over 300 adults professed Christ as their Lord and Savior and over 250 participated in discipleship training.
Please pray for Pastor Milton Ganchozo, who is the church plant pastor for this wonderful group of new believers in the Delicia sector of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
–Richard Dial, Eastern North Carolina
