RENEWED Ministries Update – 12 April 2021

This is the RENEWED Ministries update for 12 April 2021 as provided by Reverend Courtney Richards.

Dear friends and prayer partners, Shalom Aleichem! The peace of God be with you and your loved ones. I pray that you are abiding in the vine and abounding in love, grace and favour. I am praying for you regularly as I know you are doing for me. Thanks and much appreciated.

There is so much to tell you, much of it is really a blessing and some of it very troubling. Let me start with this: In March, my son, Robert Green from Montego Bay, Jamaica, announced to a group of us that he was planning to start an online Bible and Theological training Institute. Due to the coronavirus, online training has exploded and he is rightly taking advantage of the opportunities that are available to train persons in Bible, Theology, Church and Bible History etc. The name of his school is Doulos Theological Training Institute (DTTI) with the motto: “Training Lay-leaders to show themselves approved.” Please pray for Robert and his team as they continue to work on this. Pray also for its success by the anointing and enabling of God Almighty to whom be all the glory and praise.

Last week, my son Juma Peter in Kenya sent me photos of four students in graduation gowns. This is the first batch of students from the one-year certificate program he has started in Ukunda, Kenya in Theological and leadership training. He has 13 more students registered. He and his team have built a facility that houses the training and where he also meets with his discipleship and mentoring groups. The facility is not fully furnished but they have been using it to equip persons to make disciples and impact and transform lives for the Kingdom and glory of God. Praise His holy name.

Also, last week, I got a WhatsApp call from Mbekweni, South Africa (near Cape Town) from a young man I knew from the Manyano Centre, our host ministry in nearby Paarl. He introduced me to two other young men, one of whom spoke eloquently about the need to engage males who are involved in gender-based violence. They were concerned that most of the focus in treating persons and dealing with the issues surrounding gender-based violence in South Africa is on female victims and nothing is being done to help the males who perpetrate the violence or who themselves may be victims of gender-based violence. They asked me if I would look at the proposal they are working on to get help with their ministry to men. I said, Yes! I was blessed when they told me the name of their ministry: “Unmasking Men’s Emotions!” What a name and what a goal to help men and boys deal with their underlying emotions that may lead them to aggress. Most of these emotions are rooted in family and especially father wounds.

Why you may ask, is RENEWED Ministries getting involved in gender-based violence issues? A simple answer: Because God is concerned about the whole person and in discipling and mentoring people, which is our key focus, we must be engaged with the whole or total person in helping them be transformed and formed into Christ.

Please pray for God’s empowering and equipping of all these persons and ministries that are part of the RENEWED Ministries family. Pray for great wisdom from God Almighty and the leading of His Holy Spirit as we go forward in these challenging times. We all need to constantly know the mind of God. And we need His success, not ours! Pray also for provision so that these ministries and RENEWED Ministries itself will have the resources to fulfil what God has called us to do!

Lastly, you may have heard of the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano in the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. I have several sons, daughters and friends there and this is one of the main islands in the Caribbean where we minister. This is a very volatile, dynamic and dangerous situation that needs constant prayer for God’s protection and provision. So pray for the safety of all persons in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and also in Barbados which is greatly impacted by the volcanic ash and other islands too like St. Lucia and Grenada to a lesser extent. These are difficult times but we serve an all-powerful and gracious God!

Thanks for being a VITAL part of our ministry over all these years. We truly appreciate each of you. May God richly bless and keep you from all evil in these very evil days. Remember, also, that we continue to need your financial support. During our 25th anniversary year this year, we especially ask that you consider giving us extra gifts as our ministries expand or give regularly US$25 per month or multiples of that. All other gifts, one time or regular, are just as welcomed!

Send your gifts by check/cheque to: RENEWED Ministries, P.O. Box 1229, Mishawaka, Indiana, 46546, USA or give via PayPal on our website at: www.renewed-ministries.org

God’s richest blessings, grace and favour to you and your loved ones. Thanks always for your prayers, encouragement and support. Coram Deo!

Always in God’s grip,
Courtney

For more on Reverend Richards’ missionary journey, go to our Archive pages.