Prayer News from the Barretts, October 2011

Alcalá de Henares, 25th October 2011

Dear Prayer Partners for Spain and the Barretts,

In this bulletin you will find news of:

1. “Coffee House” project. Important payment is through. What remains to pay.

2. Events for the inauguration of the Coffee House..

3. Ongoing work and vision of the Coffee House project.

4. Preaching and publishing ministry.

5. Testimonies from Brazil and Alison´s English language group.

1.“Coffee House” builder´s bill has been paid.

The bill was correctly presented and was paid in full last week. Individuals and congregations made extra contributions and promises to the amount of 6,600 pounds out of almost 15,000 that were needed. Indeed, we can say “The Lord has helped us thus far” of the last four years of seeing through the building project. The total cost of transforming the building was around 45,000 Euros, of which about a third came from specific gifts from prayer supporters in the UK.

Economically the chief needs right now are:

a) Furnishing and equipping the premises. Things like seating, tables, Wifi, screens etc.

b) Rebuild our reserve account for what we had to cover where the specific donations didn´t. This includes hopefully paying the rest of the personal bank mortgage credit for the premises.

2. Events for the Inauguration

a) The “Kofi Jaus” (spelt as it would be typically pronounced in Spain) has a civic reception for representatives of the evangelical community, with an invitation to the local councillors of the city of Alcalá on the 2nd November.

b) On the 4th there will be a “Cafe Concert”, with Maritza, the evangelistic street singer, also associated with the preaching in Madrid city centre.

c) Early December there will be a week´s “Craft and Fair Trade Fair” to promote the Spanish Evangelical Alliance´s work in the Peruvian Andes. Using the “Kofi Jaus” means that our visitors can be served coffee, an amenity not permitted in the City Council´s premises.

3. Ongoing work and vision of the Coffee House project

a) If the personal mortgage credit were paid off, this would leave us free to cede the property to the local church for the use of the Association, rent free. That would be a healthy step away from being the landlords of the “Cultural Association” (a body legally independent of the church), removing any justification for the impression that missionaries “controlled the purse strings”. In the longer term we are looking at how both the church and the Association are able to develop this opportunity, with the possibility of donating the premises outright.

b) Pray for the strengthening of our volunteer base for both the “Kofi Jaus” and the churches local outreach. The adults in the Alcalá congregation number about 25, when they all come. We have some keen volunteers but don´t want to run them into the ground and they need further training.

c) The City Council´s Health Dept. has yet to inspect the premises for the granting of a licence. Please pray for a change of heart and for the Lord to overcome what is either inefficiency or deliberate obstruction of the City authorities.

4. Preaching and publishing ministry

a) We supply equipment and training to a variety of churches who want to reach out in the open air. At the Madrid conference for open air preachers 28th - 29th October, Ken will be able to show the advantages of the sketch-board.

b) The second book on the history of the Spanish Brethren movement is due to be published this week by the Bible Teaching Centre in Madrid, in which we also serve. Getting increasing church support behind Christian books often means preaching and reporting in other local churches. The next Sunday visit will be 13th November.

c) The “Christianity Explored” course begins in our Alcalá church on the 13th November. Outreach based on the national “My Hope” campaign in homes in mid December also requires preparation and organization. Please pray that the Lord will add to our congregation those who are being saved. Remember Carlos and Roberto, who are more open to the Gospel than previously.

5. Testimonies

a) From Brazil. As Ken prepares for another South America visit in January /February 2012, the following comment from a youth leader shows the influence that this investment can have:

“Whilst preparing for our Carnival outreach, we were a group of more than 40 brethren and we took along the “Evangelicube” which you brought to us (we´ve bought many more identical to those you presented us with!) and we also talked about how to evangelize like you do in Madrid. Up until now we haven´t managed to bring together a group that could do it, but after that meeting people have come up, encouraged to preach in the street. I used the sketch-board during the event and also we did the message with the shop-window model…¡Please pray that we have a group with skill, creativity, dedication and the blessing of the Lord to preach on the street here!”

b) From Alison´s weekly Monday night English language discussion group. Les, a fellow missionary who has helped this last while, relates one conversation:

“We seem to be able to move into spiritually related topics quite regularly with O. This time we were speaking about Bible codes ... That took us into speaking about a film called the Book of Eli, which turns on protection of the last remaining copy of the Bible. I ended up quoting some passages of scripture that feature in the film, B. saying it was so beautiful it made her cry and then saying she really would like to read the Bible! We asked if she had one and she said yes but, if not, it might be nice to give her an attractive modern version...”.

With our love and thanks in the Lord. Thanks for standing with us in prayer,

Ken and Alison Barrett

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