Category: Bill and Deb’s Report

A Note: A reminder that this is a continuation in a series of communications, that lay a foundation for an explanation of what our next step in ministry will be. I don’t desire to be preachy, but I hope to ethically inform those who have so faithfully supported us through the years. We want you to know what you can expect of us in the future. Typically, I have kept these to one page. However, this one is a bit longer. 

A Needy but Strategically Located Church

Late last year Deb and I received a prayer request concerning a church family located in Des Moines, Iowa. They had lost two pastors to Covid, and as a result, were without a pastor. Having followed the church for years, this both burdened my heart, but also stirred my interest. About 25 years ago, a leader in the same church asked me to consider becoming its pastor. My responsibilities at the time were such that I regrettably needed to decline. I have been aware of the church ever since, and have watched as the neighborhood, where the church building is located, has become a global community. Indeed, when Deb and I visited recently, we noticed three or four (maybe more) international groceries located within easy walking distance of the church—but I am getting ahead of myself. 

Having read on their website, “Interim Pastor Needed”, I contacted the church leadership and offered to minister to the church family during its time of need. We were able to fill in during February, for which we were very thankful. Deb and I traveled the 90 miles to Des Moines for three Sundays and I spoke five times. The church is Northridge Baptist Church, and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the eager-to-succeed church family.  

Here are some of the things I touch on, (as I did at Northridge), when teaching about ministering in the global community.

• Our Personal Preparation—where to begin
  Before we can do something, we must be something. To become faithful gospel witnesses, we must become: 1) people of the Book, 2) those who walk in the light, 3) faithful to our local church 4) and engaged in Christian service. 
• The Biblical Story—the priority of reconciliation
  While the glory of God may be foundational to our understanding of the Bible, God’s work through history to reconcile mankind to Himself is the central theme of the Bible. Helping people become reunited in their relationship to God should also be the church’s primary focus from which all its activities flow. 
• The Evangelistic Relationship—the context of evangelism
  We often think of the Christian world as totally separate and distinct from the non-Christian world. This cleavage prevents us from effectively ministering the gospel. However, effective evangelism begins with organic, authentic friendships with not-yet Christians. These friendships can naturally flow into evangelistic relationships and evangelistic Bible studies. These evangelistic Bible studies produce Christians, and then baptized Christians. 
• The Good News—the evangelistic message
  If we are not clear on what a not-yet Christian must know and do to become a Christian, then we will not be able to help the not-yet Christian to become one. A person must know they are lost before they can be found, and one must know what faith is before exercising it. 
• The Evangelistic Process—the evangelistic Bible study
  Although justification happens instantaneously, arriving at the point of new birth, usually takes time and is a process. The gospel messenger must know how to enter and how to develop the evangelistic relationship. This often involves an evangelistic Bible study. 
• The Gospel-Centered Church—organized for effective evangelism
  The church is described as, “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” (1Tim 3:15) I like to paraphrase this, “God’s household, the launching pad for ministry, the stability and protection of the truth. The church is a living organism and when healthy, is growing and multiplying. Individuals are becoming Christians and then mature Christians. Just like anything living, there are processes which help the organism to thrive. (Focused Preaching, Relevant Services, Stairstep Discipleship, Organized Prayer, Tailored Program, and Wholistic Ministry) 
• Philip the Evangelist—characteristics to be embraced
  We are all commanded to be evangelistic, but God also gives evangelists to the church. Philip the evangelist is an example of such. By studying Philip, we can discern characteristics which accompany the biblical evangelist. 
• The Globalized Opportunity—the Sovereign’s leading
  “All authority is given to me, therefore go…” Our all-powerful, sovereign Lord has both commanded us and provided for us, so that we are able obey Him by making disciples of all nations. We should seize the opportunity. 

Northridge now has an interim pastor—Dr. Dean Taylor of Faith Baptist Bible College & Theological Seminary. Our responsibilities at Northridge are now complete with one exception. We will continue to pray that the Northridge church family will thrive within its global community. May the world hear the gospel because of the Northridge ministry.  

Tomorrow: Continued Education and Networking:

Our Ministry to Aakesh

In the synopsis of these communications, I mistakenly stated that Aakesh is from India. He and his family are practicing Hindus from Nepal. Like Toluwalase, we met Aakesh at a picnic.  Although we had a good day together, we have not been able to meet in person since. However, we have communicated online several times, and Deb and I dropped off food at his home after our Thanksgiving dinner. 

We intend to have Aakesh and his family in our home soon. Our desire is to learn more of his belief system and become better acquainted with his family. We do this believing all people are of inestimable worth—image bearers of God and those for whom Christ died. We know that unless we get to know them, love them, and understand them we will never be able to share our Savior with them.

Aakesh will frequently remind me that he is Hindu. I am not deterred by this. His devotion informs me he is serious about spiritual things, and I know his seriousness may be turned towards the God of the Bible. I know this because there is only one way to God that works. Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life, and all other ways fail and will leave one wanting. By the help of God, we hope to join our Savior, showing Aakesh and his family a better way—the way of justification by faith in Jesus the Savior. This will take time, study, and much prayer.

It is these kinds of people to whom we particularly desire to minister, those who are convinced in another way, but serious about talking with others about life and belief and are open to genuine friendship and serious discussion.

Along with Toluwalase and Aakesh, we have other friends from around the world to whom we hope to minister the gospel, and with whom we are currently building the relational foundation. I think particularly of a Japanese friend with whom Deb meets online weekly.  There is also a Chinese family who desire to immigrate to the USA, who hosted us when we visited their city in China, and with whom we are still in communication. 

Hindus, Muslims, Japanese, Chinese:  four very different kinds of people who are our friends and in need of the gospel. The gospel remains the same, but the way to help each of these to understand the gospel may be very different. We need wisdom, so thank you for praying for us, as we seek ways to demonstrate the love of Christ to them.

As I have explained in a previous communication, Deb and I will always be fundamentally about developing these kinds of gospel relationships. Please pray with us, that God will bless our efforts.

Bill and Deb,

Tomorrow: A Needy but Strategically Located Church

The Surprising Demographic of Iowa

In 1976, as a new believer, and while courting Deb, we attended dinner at the home of one of her coworkers, whose family was from India.  Before dinner, Deb and I asked permission to pray, thanking God for our food–our first ‘witnessing to the nations’ opportunity.  Walking home later that evening, we marveled at the opportunity God provided to share the gospel with India from our college campus in Iowa. 

After having lived in many places, and using those places to speak the gospel globally, God has brought us back to Iowa.  My love for Boston has caused me to ask God, “Why Iowa?”  Part of His answer to me has been this: Iowa is a divinely prepared place for Great Commission ministry. 

Demographic studies confirm that, increasingly, immigration trends favor the area between the coasts, and specifically, Iowa. The reasons are many, but they chiefly include lower cost, economic growth, better schools, and a more friendly atmosphere. 

But statistics can be boring things.  Instead, those of us who live in the Heartland should pay close attention to the foreigner living next door, immigrants trying to make their way in a new and perhaps strange places.  We should recognize that our sovereign God, our Great Commissioner, has brought these precious souls within arm’s reach of us, who have the gospel in our hearts.Just think.  The distance from our heart to their souls is the distance the gospel needs to travel for new birth to occur.  

Rather than give in to the temptation to be annoyed by the inconvenience of dealing with folks different than us, let us be amazed at how our Savior is doing what He said He would do, making it possible to obey His command to disciplize the nations. 

A friend informed me that 500 foreign-born folks were recently hired to work at his factory—many of them from Afghanistan, (we can expect many Ukrainians, as well).  What an opportunity!  In addition to sending missionaries, why not equip our church families to minister to the nations in our own backyard?  Why not mobilize to do so?

My point is this.  The great strategic places of gospel ministry are no longer confined to global centers like Boston. Opportunities are all around us, in the city, as well as in rural areas. Our neighborhoods have become global, which provides the believing church unparalleled opportunities for faithful gospel proclamation. 

What does faithfulness demand of those of us living in the Heartland? 

Bill and Deb

Tomorrow– Our Ministry to Aakesh 

The Death of an Old Friend

In January, John, one of seven children of an old and close friend, called on the phone. He began our conversation by asking me if I would be available to do an online funeral for his grandmother. I replied, “Sure, but why am I not talking to your dad?” John informed me that his father was also in the hospital and in critical condition. It soon became clear that I would very likely be doing two funerals, for mother AND son, over the course of a few days—and that’s exactly what happened. 

It was an amazing experience, in which Deb and I were honored to participate. 

We have not been in close communication with this family for 20 plus years, yet the memories we shared are warm and vivid. Often the children would be dressed in military fatigues, which could be purchased cheaply at the army surplus—their play resembled their attire. I recall seeing well-camouflaged youngsters swaying in backyard trees, paintball battles interrupted by concerned police, and many other amazing, daring, and dangerous exploits performed by this clan. One of these boys has William as a middle name, given with yours truly in mind. 

More importantly than their activities, however, are their testimonies of Godliness. Their mother is a quiet but firm prayer warrior around which the family has always revolved. It was her faithfulness that brought her husband to faith in Christ. It was her trust in our God that preserved her as her adult sons became warriors, some of whom came home badly injured. In fact, her warrior sons are so accomplished that I am not allowed to share names or branches of service. Her only daughter was not a wilting flower. She explained to me that her boy friends were more afraid of her than the protective brothers—some family! Oh, and there is one brother who did not enlist, but who came to the funeral with two concealed firearms along with one very sharp knife. It doesn’t end there. One daughter-in-law is a Jiujitsu world champion. I have wondered what would have happened if someone dared to interrupt the funeral service—I have never felt safer. 

The Godliness of the father, my old friend whose funeral we are remembering, is perhaps best understood by considering the family he produced. When asked what they would like said at the funeral, the family made it clear that the gospel must be proclaimed, because that was what was important to “Dad.” I watched my friend through the years and have been informed, inspired, and edified by his deep, blue-collar spirituality. 

As the funeral approached, and the warrior sons prepared their uniforms, I reminded them that this was a day to honor God and the memory of their dad. The funeral message included the following: a gospel invitation, a reminder to use this time to draw near to God and to each other, an admonition to care for Mom, and a charge to carry on their father’s legacy of faithfulness to God.

Thank you, Father, for allowing us to be part of this,

 Bill and Deb

To our precious and cherished supporters,

I have shared that, by March of this year, a clearer picture of our ministry should emerge. This reflected the changes which both the geo-political realities and our personal move to Iowa necessitated. Over the next week or so, I hope to describe what those changes appear to mean for our future ministry together (the Edmondsons and their supporters). The description will take the form of nine communications. Although few will read all these, they will provide a public record on our Supporters Website. Following is a synopsis of what you can expect:

1. The Death of an Old Friend: I was asked recently to preside over the funeral of a close friend. Rather than being a somber time of intense sorrow, it was an occasion of fond reflection concerning God’s goodness and sovereign care.
2. Our Introduction to Toluwalase (Authority belongs to God): Deb and I are asking God to help us engage truth seekers from various religious and secular persuasions with the gospel. Toluwalase is one such precious individual.
3. The Surprising Demographics of Iowa: As Deb and I have asked God to help us understand how to minister to the global community in Iowa, we have been astounded at what we have found.
4. Our Ministry to Aakesh (Lord of the sky): The foundation of the global ministry to which God has called us is the ministry of personal evangelism with folks from other places. Aakesh is the father of a family from India.
5. A Strategically Positioned but Needy Church: Des Moines, Iowa is the home of a thriving global community. The Lord gave us the opportunity to speak to a church about how to develop an effective global ministry.
6. Continued Education and Networking: Deb and I frequently travel to Ankeny, Iowa, where I am auditing a course in Hebrew Poetry. This allows for networking with Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary.
7. A New Sending Church: What seemed like a bit of a problem turned into a great blessing, propelling our ministry forward.
8. The Ministry Plan: Based upon our prayerful investigations and activities, God has helped us develop a new ministry plan. The location is new, but the ministry remains the same—reaching people here to minister the gospel there.
9. Financial Support Report: With the move to a new location comes a new support estimate and an adjustment of estimated support needs.

Hopefully these communications will provide clarity of vision, and accountability of mission. We love you, appreciate you and need you,

Bill and Deb

Printable Version

Dear Supporters,   Rather than recounting what we are doing or accomplishing, this is the time of year to be particularly thankful for our Savior, who saved us and continues to save us. I still remember the first Christmas after I became a Christian in my third year of college. Our Savior saved me from a self-centered life, which was going nowhere. In its place was the wonder of a new life, a new direction, with many new lessons to be learned and a Savior to begin to know. That first year, having been born again, I thought salvation meant I would be wrestling for God for many years to come. You see, I was a wrestler at the University of Northern Iowa, and had lofty goals for my wrestling carrier. My Savior had other ideas. One year after having received the Savior, I was married to Deb, going to Bible college, and Deb and we were expecting our first child, William Henery. Instead of living life for my glory, our Savior was training me to live a life for others—pleasing to God. Deb and I are still on that wondrous journey of trusting our Savior as He leads us along and cares for our souls. Through this last year Deb and I have experienced a rerun of those first days of experiencing our Savior’s care. There have been mammoth change in our lives, which we did not foresee. And yet our Savior is reminding us to trust in Him, and we do. We know He is our portion, and the only One who is trustworthy. He leads us. He saves us. We are not able to save ourselves. We are thankful today for the journey on which our Savior is leading us. We are thankful for our five children, their spouses and our grandchildren with whom we journey together. We are thankful that our Savior has allowed us to join Him in the building of His church and the rescuing of souls. We are thankful, that while we aren’t always sure where our journey is taking us, we are sure our Savior will lead us, and will continue to care for our souls. We love our Savior and our God. We love Him, and are so thankful, Bill and Deb Bill and DebSupport Information For more information concerning our monthly support needs, you can go to Bill and Deb’s Website for Supporters and click on the Financial Information tab.

Dear Supporters, 

In our last prayer letter, I wrote about the encouraging and prophetic words of Dr. Vernon Rosenau. Our God has also reminded me of an encounter I had with Dr. Jason Ormiston, a professor at Bob Jones University, pastor of a church in the Greenville area and board member of Baptist Mid-Missions. It was around a year ago, when I was visiting with Dr. Ormiston, seeking advice on how best to network with BJU for strategic globalized city ministry. He explained that because of my new responsibilities with Boston and Beyond, I should move to the Greenville area or an area like Greenville. His thinking was that it would be much easier to recruit vocational workers for Boston and Beyond if I lived closer to more potential workers. To say the least, I did not think much of his idea, being bound heart and soul to my beloved Boston. But now, a year later, the Lord has providentially led us to a place like Dr Ormiston described. Indeed, I am beginning to see the wisdom of his words. Actually, I prefer the word, networking, to recruiting,- because areas like Iowa or South Carolina, where there is a larger number of like-minded churches, makes it easier to work together in many ways to accomplish a common purpose, like ministering the gospel globally. 

Last week, Deb and I visited with Elva Craig, who is looking forward to joining her Lord in heaven soon. Elva is perhaps the most effective international student worker I have ever know. In fact, she has now visited China four times,  following up on disciples made in Iowa, mostly at the University of Iowa. It is comforting to know that we will be able to partially fill her shoes as we begin developing relationships with the global community of Iowa City. In fact, there is a team of workers diligently laboring in Iowa City, ministering to the international academic community. We hope we can help these servants in their efforts to disciple the world from Iowa City.  

Last Sunday we spoke at Calvary Baptist Church of Dysert, Iowa, which gave us an opportunity to explain our move of ministry to Iowa. The folks of Calvary were exceedingly supportive. On Monday of this week, Deb and I met with a missions team from Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary. They will join us in Boston for a week in August. Monday afternoon we attended a fellowship of churches meeting in Des Moines where we were able to meet up with many pastors from our supporting churches in Iowa.  We hope to be in all of our supporting churches in order to report on our new ministry location. Wednesday night we began to get acquainted with some of the ministry team in Iowa City. Saturday, we leave for Minneapolis where we will meet up with friends who labor in the inner city of Milwaukee. Together we will attend Family Church, where we will visit with Jason’s father, Lee Ormiston. We do this to help our friends in Milwaukee get to know the Ormistons, who have labored faithfully and effectively in the inner city of Minneapolis. On Sunday evening, we will attend the commissioning service of Jean Tsen, who is a Boston and Beyond worker. Then on Monday and Tuesday of next week, we will be attending classes at Central Seminary and be involved in a discussion concerning city ministry with seminarians. On Tuesday afternoon of next week, we return briefly to Boston. In addition to this, we continue several online meetings across the Untied States and around the world (Russia, Japan, China). As you can see, we remain fully engaged in ministry.  Our stewardship remains: 10 discipleship centers in 10 cities representing 10 civilizations. 

Life giving Words

After our announcement of our change of ministry location, many friends and supporters gave words of encouragement. They were greatly needed and much appreciated. 

“Dear Bill and Deb: I appreciated your prayer letter outlining the changes ahead. It was transparent about your fears yet revealed such hope in Christ. It was very encouraging to me. I deeply respect what you said about ministering to your parents. It is an example I will not forget. We will continue to pray for you as you make this transition. We send our love to you.”

Another,

“In my study of Isaiah, I read this morning, 

‘For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?

His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?’

It will be exciting to see what God does in this next chapter.”

And another,

Bill & Deb:

“You are doing the right thing.  Thanks for your example!

Praying the Lord will bless every aspect of this move.” 

Prayer Requests 

1. Continue to pray as we form new relationships with not-yet-believers from the global community of Iowa City and Iowa University.
2. Pray as we get acquainted with team members in Iowa City who are already ministering on the campus of Univ. of Iowa. 
3. Pray for a ministry team coming to Boston from Faith this summer. Pray that we are able to give them a good introduction to city ministry. 
4. Pray for our time with the seminarians at Central Seminary of Minneapolis. We hope to explain principles of effective city ministry. 
5. Pray for us as we seek to schedule meetings in all of our supporting churches to report and explain our move to Iowa. (I will be calling pastors in the Northeast next week and in the Midwest in two weeks) 
6. Please pray that our churches will understand the move to be of the Lord and profitable, not only for family, but also for ministry—the fulfillment of the Boston and Beyond ministry plan. 
7. Pray as we invite new supporters to our financial team.

“When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.
But Philip found himself at Azotus”

We love you, 

Bill and Deb

Dear Fellow-workers, 

It was early Tuesday morning November 21, 2017 that Vernon Rosenau , ( at that time, the president of Baptist Mid-Missions), stood in our doorway preparing to leave for his return trip to Cleveland. Deb and I had spent several days talking with him about the vision for ministering in globalized cities. Those were exciting, exhilarating days which laid the foundation to what was to become Boston and Beyond. As Dr Rosenau was saying  goodbye, it struck me what a momentous meeting this had been.  I said to Dr. Rosenau, “Now everything is going to change. He replied, “ Yes, it is, and the Rosenaus are here to tell you, it will be ok.” 

You see, Dr. Rosenau’s family history is tied very closely with the history of Baptist Mid-Missions—Vernon Rosenau was a third generation missionary to the Central African Republic. During his visit he explained to me the personal pain it caused him when God made it clear that he was to leave Africa. He said tears were pouring down his face. When he told Deb and me things would be ok, he was speaking from experience. After leaving Africa, Dr. Rosenau served the Lord in broader ways and became a blessing to the whole world. 

Dr. Rosenau’s words, “It will be ok”, comfort Deb and me as God continues to bring significant change to our lives and ministry.  We trust that His moving in us will bring more fruitfulness, as well. 

I explained to you last summer about our need to spend time, monthly, in Iowa, to care for family needs. Well, now we have come to realize that we need to spend most of our time in Iowa, which means Boston will no longer be our ministry headquarters—Iowa will be. This has been a very difficult decision, but actually, there really was no choice—God’s firm hand led us firmly 🙂 We cannot minister to the world while not caring for our parents. It is with tears we leave Boston, with hearts full of wonderful gospel centered memories. We love Boston, the ministry in Boston, and our fellow warriors of the International Baptist Church, who will be greatly missed. There is no choice, however. As you can tell, the pain is real, and we could use your prayers.
 

At the same time, we are excited as God is beginning to show us the rest of the story. Laying aside the ministry responsibilities of Boston allows more focus on other areas of City Ministry. (Boston will remain an intricate part of the ministry, but at some point a name change from Boston and Beyond may be in order).  Let me give you a glimpse of what we see God doing. I can do so by using the main points regularly presented as the Boston and Beyond (City Ministry) Plan. 

We will have a new location, but are bringing with us 40 years of experience in missions, local church ministry, teaching, evangelism, and city ministry. Our desire is to use this experience to help prepare and launch qualified missionaries into strategic cities, globally. We hope to prepare these individuals to do what God led us to do—inhabit a global city in order to minister the gospel to the whole world. 
 

The Plan:

Build the Church—The International Baptist Church (IBC) is far from self-supporting, but it has a gifted core of people who are equipped to do the work of ministry. They know what I know, and with prayer and arduous labor, they are able to complete the task. Deb and I will continue to recruit interns, vocational workers, and tentmakers for the IBC of Boston. 

Evangelize the Nations—Evangelism has historically been our strength and passion. Our house is 20 minutes from Iowa City, a global community and home to the Univ. of Iowa, where we will have ample opportunity to develop relationships, which will hopefully become Bible studies, and then believers in Christ. Iowa City is much smaller than Boston, with a fraction of the global community of Boston. However, with the limited time Deb and I have to give to the evangelistic stewardship of the globalized city initiative, Iowa City will be fine.  

Recruit the Workers—This is where I become excited. The Midwest is an awesome place to recruit workers, with a strong number of like-minded churches, a solid Bible college,  as well as two sound theological seminaries within driving distance. This will make it much easier to build the foundation we need for Boston and Beyond—City Ministry.  Iowa is a plus for those reasons. 

Selecting the Cities—This involves studying cities, looking at statistics (demographics), and visiting them personally. This is as easily done from Iowa, as it is from Boston. O’hare Airport works as well as Logan 🙂

Launch the Teams—Deb and I entered Boston more than 20 years ago with a vision for the city, but with little knowledge of how to minister in the city. We still have much to learn, but what we have learned, we hope to deliver to others who have a God-driven passion to enter the globalized cities of our world. We believe we can provide some guidance for succeeding in the city. By God’s grace and omnipotent power, we will find the cities, advertise the cities, recruit the workers and help them flourish in their God-appointed city. 

So, God is still on His throne and our Savior is still building His church, and Dr Rosenau was correct: It will be ok.

---

Missiologist Roland Allen

“Paul thought in terms of regions rather than cities or villages. Paul established discipleship centers from which the gospel could travel to the surrounding regions, and he considered his work finished when he had finished establishing these discipleship centers. So when the discipleship centers, which were to carry the gospel out to the world of Paul, were finished, Paul had finished the race.”

From my thesis GLOBAL-CHURCH PLANTING WITHIN THE MOBILE ACADEMIC AND IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES OF THE BOSTON METROPOLITAN AREA [found on www.interglo.org , 
link: The Plan—bottom of page. (pg. 117)]

Dear Prayer and Financial Supporters, 

It is a new year with new challenges, along side old and reliable promises. “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” In addition: “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…. And lo, I am with you always…” 

I am reminded of Joseph who victoriously served in a less than democratic administration:-). It was through Joseph that God preserved the people who became Israel, from whom the Savior came. I also think of the Apostle Paul who ministered under the tyranny of Rome. It was this, the Apostle to the Gentiles, who by the sovereign hand of God, was taken as a prisoner to Rome. From the geo-political center of Rome the Gospel was able to travel globally. Finally, it was the faithful Baptist missionary, Adoniram Judson, born not long after the Revolutionary War, who served the Lord during the time of the War of 1812, dying not too many years before the Civil War, who served under a Nebuchadnezzar-like ruler in Burma. He lost two wives, several children, and many missionary colleagues while serving there. Burma also claimed Judson’s life, as well. Yet, he was instrumental in opening Burma to the Gospel, a place missionary William Carey advised him to forget, believing it was beyond hope. 

Joseph, Paul, and Adoniram Judson, did not allow the politics, plagues or hardships of their day to stop them from faithful and victorious service. Instead, they joined God in His sovereign dealings in order to accomplish His will. 

By God’s grace and almighty power, Deb and I are endeavoring to follow the example of Joseph, Paul and Adoniram. Below you will find some to the ways in which we believe God is leading us: 

1. We will continue to ask God for wisdom to discern how He is working to build the body of Christ in the city. One thing we are sure of, God is working His plan. Therefore, exciting days are ahead. It is our responsibility to discern His plan and join Him. 
2. We will be aggressive, but wise, as we minister in a pandemic-laced world. Health hazards will be taken under consideration, but trusting the Lord with discipleship opportunities will take first priority. 
3. We will add to our online meetings/ministry additional online written material to evangelize not-yet-believers, to disciple young, not fully formed believers, and to mobilize individuals to serve in cities. (The Lord willing, Deb and I will write more about this in a future prayer letter.) 

Praises and Prayer

The Boston and Beyond team is on the move: Our colleague, Jean Tsen, is finishing up her deputation ministry and is now working towards moving to Boston. Please pray for the many details as she does so. Megan Mullins is raising support to come serve with Boston and Beyond as an intern. Andrew Eddy is getting married in February and will hopefully start deputation soon. The International Baptist Church is small but with an abundance of leadership potential. We are in regular communication with those international individuals who were once in Boston. The church continues to minister to them as well. I (Bill) will be speaking to students interested in missions at Faith Baptist Bible College on February 8. 

There are other important strategic ministry plan adjustments that will be shared in future communications. But for now, our most important prayer request is for wisdom and discernment to serve effectively in a Covid-filled and geopolitically-challenged city environment.  

As we seek to join our Savior, we are hopeful our most fruitful ministry years are yet ahead. Thankful for you, to be serving with us,

Bill and Deb

The goal of Boston and Beyond a globalized city initiative (B&B) is to obey the Savior by joining Him in the fulfilling of His command to disciple all nations. We believe this is possible for two basic reasons: 1) Jesus has all authority, and He has promised to help those who surrender to do His will. 2) The Savior has providentially prepared globalized cities, places where the nations can be discipled, both locally and globally.