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Page 1 2020 Issue 3 COAH COME OVER and HELP C O a H C O M E P P L L E E H H H H D D N N A A Country inNeed A of theGospel A Belarus: A R R 4 E E V V O O O O E E COVID-19 Response M M 12 O C C O O M C E O C C O C V E R 2020 Issue 3 A A N D H H Church Planting Church E L in Krakow, in Krakow, P Poland 14 Phone: 888-844-2624 COAH E-Mail: [email protected] The Mission of the Church COME OVER AND HELP Website: coah.org Dear Come Over and Help supporter, AMERICAN ADDRESS: Social distancing, quarantines, racial strife, protests, riots, and recessions fill our P.O. Box 431, Hudsonville, MI 49426 newspapers, social media feeds and newscasts. It is hard not to feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the events from this year. Mission Statement CANADIAN ADDRESS: COAH partners with churches in What is the mission of the church in the face P.O. Box 275 Stn Main, Brantford ON N3T 5M8 Eastern Europe to bring glory to of all the chaos and darkness? Sadly, some churches have tried to pacify societal anger God through gospel proclamation Board Members by bending a knee to political pressures. and practical ministry. Mr. Bas DeLeeuw, Chairman These vain attempts will only diminish the Mr. Rob Brouwer, Secretary importance of the gospel. The mission of Mr. John Brink, Treasurer the church is the same as it was during the Mr. Ross Derkson, Board Member time of the apostles and will continue to be Mr. Tom Moerdyk, Board Member the same until Christ returns. Pastor Andy Dr. Gerald Procee, Board Member Johnson summarizes what the mission of the Greg Slingerland Mr. Scott Vanoostveen, Board Member church should be: “The church’s mission is Communications and Development Director [email protected] Pastor Arnoud Vergunst, Board Member to display the glory of God by declaring the Mr. Raymond Mr. Greg Dr. Sacha Walicord, Board Member gospel to all people, by gathering churches in every place, and by filling them with Roth Slingerland disciples who obey God and will praise Him forever for His grace.” Administrator & Communications Committee of Recommendation Come Over and Help has a role to play in this mission as we partner with local Project Director and Development The committee consists of those who endorse churches in Central and Eastern Europe to proclaim the gospel and to gather and Director the vision and mission of Come Over and Help. disciple believers. Though COVID-19 has brought complications to how the mission is carried out, we know God has a perfect plan. Despite cancelled pastors’ conferences, COAH is a non-profit organization Dr. Joel R. Beeke Pastor & President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI summer camps, and other outreach events, we have seen unexpected opened doors with charitable status in Canada Dr. Gerald Bilkes and blessings as churches find new ways to shine the light of the gospel. and the USA. Professor at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI Pastor William Boekestein The foundation of COAH is the Pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Church (URCNA), Kalamazoo, MI Instead of getting bowed down with the groanings of the creation around us, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson let’s embrace the mission before us and look towards a time when racial unrest, Bible, which is the Word of God. St. Peter’s Free Church in Dundee, Scotland COAH adheres to the revealed Dr. W. Robert Godfrey social distancing and division will be done away. The apostle John describes for truths and principles in that Word President of Westminster Theological Seminary (West), Escondido, California us what the fulfilled mission will look like in Revelation 7:9-10: Dr. Michael Horton “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, and to the Three Forms of Unity Professor at Westminster Seminary California, Host of White Horse Inn, and Editor of Modern Reformation magazine) (Heidelberg Catechism, Canons of from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the Dr. Steven J. Lawson throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their Dordt, Belgic Confession) and the President of OnePassion Ministries. hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs Westminster Confession. Pastor David Lipsy Pastor of Heritage Reformed Church, Burgessville, Ontario to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” The board and staff of COAH Dr. John MacArthur Pastor & President of The Master’s College in Newhall, California I want to thank you for standing alongside are affiliated with Reformed, Dr. Albert N. Martin Come Over and Help and encouraging us and our Bible-believing Churches Emeritus Pastor Trinity Baptist Church of Montville, New Jersey partners to stay faithful to the mission of the church. Pastor Conrad Mbewe and ministries. Pastor of the Kabwata Baptist Church in Lusaka, Zambia Pastor Iain Murray Author and former editor of Banner of Truth Trust Dr. Jon Payne U.S. Charitable Registration Number Senior Pastor of ChristChurch Presbyterian in Charleston, South Carolina 38-3415486 Pastor Maurice Roberts CDN Charitable Registration Number Emeritus Pastor in Inverness, Scotland and former editor of the Banner of Truth (UK) 868109091RR0001 Dr. Derek Thomas Senior Pastor of The First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina Pastor Peter VanderMeyden Connect With Us Emeritus Minister of Free Reformed Churches of North America Mr. Paul Washer facebook.com/COAHelp General Director of HeartCry Missionary Society, Radford, Virginia 2 3 Belarus: A Country in Lukashenka is known as ‘Europe’s last dictator’ for his authoritarian style of Need of the Gospel government; repression and force are used to maintain control and power. By Raymond Roth Area: 207,595 square kilometers Population: 9,408,400 (declining) Religious Context Official Languages: Belarusian, Russian According to WorldWatch government pressure because of Capital: Minsk Monitor, the constitution of Belarus perceived links to the West. Non- Ethnic Groups: 84% Belarusians guarantees religious freedom, but traditional denominations such 8% Russians the reality is different. The Belarus as Baptists and Presbyterians are 3% Poles Orthodox Church enjoys privileged labeled as sects and viewed with 5% Other status, while all others endure suspicion, if not outright hostility. GDP Per Capita: $6,744 USD Come Over and Help’s Role in Belarus Recent History Come Over and Help has supported of Gospel & Reformation Publishers, Under the reign of Catherine II, the sovereign nation, and in mid-1994, the small Reformed church community which puts out the best of classic and Belarusian territories were acquired their first president, Alexander in Belarus for many years already. The current Reformed works into Russian by the Russian Empire and held until Lukashenka was elected. He remains Brotherhood of Reformed Evangelical and is supported by Come Over and World War I. During this time, it was president to this day, duly re-elected Churches is a loosely organized group Help. The study centre is also used for intensively ‘Russified’, with effects every so often via elections criticized of about 20 churches, most very small, filming book talks on various Reformed lasting until the present day. Following by the West as not being open and and of Reformed persuasion. We are books in Russian, which are posted the Russian Revolution, the people fair. He is known as ‘Europe’s last helping a number of these churches to YouTube. These videos are being of Belarus were subjected to Soviet dictator’ for his authoritarian style of which are not yet self-supporting widely viewed, with many of them agricultural and economic policies, government; repression and force are with their financial needs, including receiving over 1000 views! leading to collectivization and political used to maintain control and power. evangelism programs and diaconal Friends, please pray for the church repression. Belarus, unlike surrounding Latvia, assistance. Each year we help organize in Belarus! Pray for steadfastness in During World War II, the Belarusians Lithuania and Poland, which are two conferences, one intended to the face of a hostile government; for suffered terribly. As Nazi Germany pro-West, leans toward Russian assist pastors specifically, and the other faithfulness to the Word of God in the steamrolled eastward into Russia, they influence and partnerships. At the directed more generally to church churches; for God’s blessing to rest on destroyed 209 out of 290 Belarusian time of printing, Belarus is approaching members. In both cases, the topics the preaching, teaching, conferences, cities and 85% of the republic’s a tipping point of protests and strikes are selected in cooperation with the literature projects, study centre, industry. The German master plan as the population has made it clear Belarusian church leadership, themes called for the extermination, expulsion that they reject the latest election which are targeted to address specific or enslavement of most or all results which gave Lukashenka a areas that need attention. We’re also Belarusians for the purpose of creating decisive victory. helping a theological student with more living space in the east for study expenses this year. Germans. Deaths are estimated at over In addition to these projects, in 2020 1,000,000, and the pre-war population we helped to set up a ‘Reformed Study was not reached again until 1971. Centre’ in Minsk. This room is stocked Following the war, the final borders of with a good library and provides Belarus were set by Stalin. Today, this pastors and theological students a landlocked country is about the size of well-resourced and quiet place to Reformed Study Centre, Minsk the state of Kansas. come and study, read, write sermons, For the next few decades, Russia etc., away from the bustle of their small YouTube channel; for more pastors continued their cultural hegemony and crowded apartments.
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