Dear friends,
I am writing this from Terminal 4 of the Phoenix airport, waiting to fly to Portland to begin 10 days in the Northwest. I am speaking tomorrow in Hillsboro at Westside Baptist Church. This is a Plymouth Brethren church, which was the movement IBC’s founder was a part of. I am looking forward to sharing about the school and to connecting with some folks that knew IBC’s first president, Gordon Fraser. I always like getting a better sense of the legacy of IBC, which I am privileged to be a part of.
Monday to Thursday I will be taking my first free audit of a Western Seminary doctoral class (a perk of my graduation that I haven’t been able to take advantage of the the last two years). The class is called “Developing a Multi-ethnic/Missional Church;” I am really grateful to be taking this class right now, as I continue to wrestle with the challenges of leading a multi-cultural ministry. Sarah and I also continue to be a part of a group of Navajos and Anglos that desire to plant a cell church this Spring (“cell church” is the oldest church model, in that it is the closest approximation to the early church) and this training will be invaluable in understanding how to help lead a truly multi-ethnic church! (I will share more about this church planting effort in March’s update, but feel free to email me if you want more information.)
On Friday I will head up to Spokane, speak on the 9th in a church that just began to support IBC last month (Valley Bible Church), and connect with a handful of friends and churches in that area. I fly home on Tuesday the 11th, just a week before heading to Orlando, FL for five days for the ABHE Annual Convention, where we will find out if we have been approved into the accreditation process.
Some prayer needs:
- Please pray for my family; I have never been a part from them for this long of a stretch before. Sarah will continue to homeschool, host the cell church gathering at our house, and disciple two different student groups. Pray for her.
- Please pray that the Lord will use this trip to develop me in my leadership in a multi-ethnic context. Pray too that the Lord will use my trip to call many more churches and individuals to support the ministry of IBC; the first six months (July-Dec) of this fiscal year have been expensive and giving is down compared to the year before…
- Please pray for ABHE’s decision on IBC’s application for accreditation, that we will be accepted in the process and can get through the first phase at an accelerated rate of three years (we have been told that this all looks good, but still need the Lord’s guidance and blessing through it all!)
Thank you for your faithful giving and praying–we couldn’t be serving Native Americans without you!
Jason and Sarah Koppen