CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM

December 2018 news Rich and Cindy Brown

Praise God for these words from Matthew 1:21—Jesus is still saving people from their sins! We appreciate your prayers for us. We want you to know how God is answering your prayers for the growing church in Alcalá de Henares. Merry Christmas from Rich and Cindy Brown in Spain!

A LOOK AT OUR WORLD Six months ago, the Spanish Parliament impeached the sitting president and a new president took over who is an atheist. His party´s agenda is very liberal which affects every level of society, even what kids are taught in school. has been named by some “the most LGBTQ-friendly city in the world.” Our current “” is the first transgender to be crowned here and on December 17 will represent the country in the pageant. Please pray for compassion and boldness in spite of the darkness in which we live. A LOOK AT OUR CHURCH Our church continues to grow in grace and in numbers. Many Sundays this fall we have filled our storefront facility and have had to add extra chairs to seat everyone—a good problem to have!

A new age-group class for junior high students was inaugurated in November and meets in the entryway of our storefront facility for lack of another classroom! The junior high students have their own schedule of activities and sometimes combine with the high school youth for outings.

Also in November, Rich had the privilege of baptizing 16 year-old Nataly Martínez (pictured on the right) as she gave testimony of God´s saving grace. Please continue to pray for the salvation of Nataly´s father, Ángel, who is the only one in the family who has not yet bowed the knee to Christ.

At our Annual Meeting the church members reflected on the blessings of the past year and were challenged by our pastor-in-training, Miguel Ángel Pozo, to adopt a fresh vision for the future. Praise God with us for faithfully building His church in our area of Alcalá de Henares, Spain!

A LOOK AT OUR LEADERS Earlier this year we recognized two elders to serve alongside Rich, the missionary pastor. We are also developing other leadership by involving our church members in teaching, music, and leading the youth.

The Lord has burdened another man in our church, Jorge García (below on the far right with Rich), to be involved in fulltime ministry one day. At this point Jorge works a secular job to support his family, but Rich is investing time in this man and seeking ways for him to study and develop into a ministry leader— whether at our current church or starting a new church in another location. Pray for church leaders!

Miguel Ángel Pozo, Adam Byerly, and Rich Brown Jorge García attended a Bible conference with Rich in Nov.

PLEASE PRAY: Dec. 20 we have an evangelistic outreach specifically directed to our English students.

Giving thanks that Jesus entered into our world and saved us from the slavery and penalty of sin, Rich and Cindy Brown, serving with ABWE in SPAIN