Dear Partners in the Gospel,
We are so grateful for your interest in our work here in Germany. Thank you for prayerfully reading this brief report. The Lord truly is good to us and I am delighted to inform you about the recent developments.
News from the Schild Family
The Lord has carried us through a very arduous time of pregnancy. My dear wife had to be admitted to the hospital four times. Altogether she was not at home for about a month. My wife suffered from certain difficulties with her organs. It has been quite challenging for me to take care of my children and my ministry as pastor of the church. I am truly grateful to say that the Lord has graciously carried us through this laborious season.
At the beginning of April our fourth child, Jemima Johanna, was born. We praise the Lord for His wonderful gift. After the time of convalescence, our daily life gradually normalizes. I want to sincerely thank each one of you who prayed for us.
News from the Church
The LORD is very gracious and proceeds to build His church. We received testimonies from people who testify to having come to faith. A few months ago, I informed you about a Chinese family with a non-Christian background. For the first time in their lives, they attended a church service and have been coming to us every Sunday ever since. Recently, the couple confesses that the Lord has saved them and given them new birth. They want to be baptized and added to the church. Also, a young woman, recently told us, that she has now the assurance that Christ is her Redeemer, too. She likewise desires to be baptized and become a member of our church. In addition, there are other applications for baptism and membership.
Our church is on average quite young, so it is a great delight that a somewhat older Christian couple has recently found us and wishes to become part of the church. Please pray for our small church. We are currently about 50 members, but the average number of people attending the services is about 100. It is not always easy to take care of all the guests and we need a lot of wisdom and grace to accompany each of them.
We have started to ask seven brothers in our midst to preach regularly on Wednesday evening in the prayer meetings. We accompany these men in preparing their sermons and then evaluate them together with them. Please plead for these seven men to grow in their usefulness for the church.
Since we have quite a few children in our midst, we recently started Sunday school after the evening services. The children gather to hear the Word of God and to memorize our catechism. All this is not meant to replace the daily family worship at home, but it is meant to be a valuable addition for souls of our little ones. Please pray for our children that they will find faith early and please pray for our workers who make every effort to teach the children the Word of God.
Church Plantings
We are pleased to support the planting of a Reformed Baptist Church in the Basel region (Switzerland). As accountability partners and supporters, we accompany the work of two families who are friends of our church. They start in June with weekly Bible studies in the middle of the week and with church services on Sunday. Please plead for this small group who desires to plant a biblical church for the glory of God.
There is also a group of Christians who are members of our church but live about 2 hours from Frankfurt near Stuttgart. At the moment, we are asking whether we can work on the planting of a church here. A fitted man, one of our deacons, already lives on site and we prayerfully consider if we could send another man to come along. We clearly need a lot of wisdom to make a good decision. We thank you very much for your prayers.
Establishing a Christian School
As I have mentioned in the past, home-schooling is a crime in our region. It is on our hearts to establish a Christian school where our children can be taught in a healthy way by teachers from our congregation. A school planting team from our church is already taking the first steps so that one day, God willing, we can start a school for the glory of God and the benefit of our children.
A Time of Encouragement
Recently I was invited to a Grace Baptist assembly of Christians from roughly 60 churches in the UK to share about our humble work in Germany. It is has been a true encouragement to my soul. I met brothers and sisters who assured me that they had been praying for us for years now and they delight with us in everything the Lord is accomplishing in our midst. I cannot state enough just how important our contacts with brothers and sisters from abroad are to us. Being connected with like-minded Christians is incredibly strengthening for us. So let me use this opportunity to once again thank you all for your intercession. Your generous support makes it possible for us to fulfill our task in this godless nation, Germany.
We greatly appreciate your faithfulness and love! May the Lord continue to bless you and your family abundantly to the glory of His name!
In sincere gratitude and esteem,
Peter Schild
