April 2018 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,  that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  

John 17:20, 21

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!

There is a time for everything under heaven, and spring is the time for Easter celebrations and the start of team outreaches.  Here are a few highlights from the past month:

• For our Easter Service (April 8th), Stan preached from Luke 23:32ff, on Jesus and the two criminals on the cross, highlighting the truth that both criminals wanted to be saved: one, however, to get his old (sinful) life back, the other to be with Christ.  And rather than have an evening service, we encouraged our people to enjoy an Easter dinner with family and friends which many did.  We ourselves had full table, with folks from the church along with our Danish guests.

Good Food, Good Fellowship on Easter Sunday!

• The Danish Bible School outreach to university students was much blessed!  The week's events (Concert, Danish Corner, Danish Culture Night) led up to a Bible study and weekend retreat, all of which were well-attended.  We especially rejoice over the many new people who are showing a serious interest in spiritual things. 

Danish Corner at University

Farewell Night and Sharing the Good News

• On a less than glorious note, our church sign (repeatedly repaired/remade) continues to be vandalized, with a slight escalation in severity of damage.  Even as we take comfort from Jesus's words In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world, we are contemplating next steps such as informing the police and/or installing a security camera.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests

• Please pray for the regular ministries of the church:  the preaching, teaching, visitations, mid-week prayer meeting, budding children's Sunday school, university student outreach&Bible study, and monthly Women's Meeting, as we devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

• Please pray for those who will be ministering in May during our mini-furlough,  especially for Peter S, Danijel P, and Sasa O as they will lead and preach most Sundays.

• Please pray for much fruit from these past two weeks of university outreach with the Danish Bible School team, that students would continue to come and take advantage of the ongoing Bible Studies, the English Conversation Club, and even Sunday Worship services.

• Please pray for us as we prepare to be away, for timely completion of our responsibilities on this side of the Atlantic, for traveling mercies, and for good visits with churches, family, and friends. Soli Deo Gloria!

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

March 2018 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

For as the earth brings forth its bud,

As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,

So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise 

to spring forth before all the nations. 

Is. 61:11

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!

For behold, the winter is past...The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come.   Oh, the joy of spring! The promise of God's triumphal reign! The privilege of serving our awesome Lord God!  We are eager to share a few highlights since our last update:

• Our new monthly Women's Meeting continues to be blessed by the Lord. This past month we saw an increase with 8 women (ages 21-74!) attending for a morning of fellowship and encouragement along with a devotional on cultivating godly contentment.  Please continue to pray for this ongoing event especially as we move into the busy season of Easter (April 8 here) and teams!

• A Confession of Faith with strong reformed and evangelical tenets has now been translated into Montenegrin.  This Statement of Faith completes the first step in the formation of a Balkan Gospel Coalition.  Please pray for the next step which is for the national leaders/pastors to work out and agree to the broader Confession of Faith to define the Balkan Gospel Coalition.

• On Sunday mornings, Stan is finishing up in Luke 21 with the Coming of the Son of Man. Also, in keeping with our commitment to develop the teaching&preaching gifts within the congregation, Saša recently took the pulpit and expounded from Phil. 2:18ff on how believers ought to live with one another, with Christ, and with the world.  We were all much encouraged.

• Thank you to all who contacted us for an in-person update on the Mission to Montenegro work!  We are happy to report that we are fully booked this spring.  (However, if you do contact Stan now, we will add you to the already-begun "Churches and People To See" list for our next mini-furlough!) We are greatly looking forward to our face-to-face visits,  that we might encourage one another and build one another up. I Thess. 5:11

• Sadly, our church sign has been vandalized (and repaired) three times now since Jan. 7 (Orthodox Christmas).  Please join us in praying for wisdom in taking proper measures of protection of property as well as for the opportunity to do good to the perpetrators.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests

• April promises to be a whirlwind month with our Easter Celebration and Outreach on the 8th, the two-week visit of the Danish Bible School seeking to minister to university students,  the normal weekly/monthly life of the church, all happening amidst preparations for our upcoming Spring 2018 Mini-Furlough.  Please pray that we would seek the Lord in all that we do (else we work in vain), and that God would grant much fruit from all our labors and rest as needed! 

• Please pray for the next Balkan Gospel Coalition meeting which will be held in May.  Unfortunately, Stan will not be able to attend. However, Danijel P. will be able to go in his stead.  As the various nations are represented, please pray that God's will be done.

• Please pray for the ongoing ministry with young children.  It is a delight to see how eager the children are to participate, and we long for them to fully know and grow in favor with God and man.  Do continue to pray for Martina (and others), but also for a long-term, gifted individual/family with a heart to minister to children (within both the church and in our wider Nikšić community).

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

February 2018 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!

Shout to God with the voice of triumph!

For the Lord Most High is awesome;

He is a great King over all the earth. Ps. 47:1-2

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!

After our busy transition to a new year (two Christmases, two Slavas, two ministry trips, followed by (no surprise) two weeks of illness, we are back to normal mode (like there ever really is normal!) with one new addition.

• We've started a monthly Women's Meeting!  This provides an opportunity for our singles, young mothers, and older women to gather together for mutual encouragement, a devotional, prayer, and fellowship.    While we've had special Women's gatherings over the years, this will be an ongoing part of our church life.  Our first one was this past Saturday and the Lord blessed us with a very good start.

• In our morning services, Stan took two Sundays to preach from Luke 20:26-40, emphasizing the centrality and necessity of the Resurrection. For as Paul wrote:  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  I Cor 15: 13-14

• As part of ongoing pastoral ministry training and mentoring, Stan is having some of the young men preach *while* he is here for encouragement, guidance, and feedback (and not merely be pinch-hitting, so to speak).  Most recently, Danijel P. preached from Luke 22, and at the end of this month, Peter S will be preaching, and then in mid-March, Saša will be preaching--he is just finishing up a long-distance preaching course which will give him a chance to put into practice what he has learned.  

• In late January, Stan attended a Balkan Pastors gathering with the purpose of discerning the need of and establishing a Balkan Gospel Coalition to defend the true gospel because, sadly, some of our pastoral brethren are being sidetracked into preaching over social and political issues, which is no gospel at all (Gal. 1:7).  One reason we emphasize Preaching-with-a-capital P in our updates is that it is not a given in Christian/Missions ministry despite its centrality in Scripture and the phenomenal growth of the church seen in the New Testament.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests

• Please pray for Stan and all the men as they prayerfully prepare sermons.  We are blessed that we have so many willing to diligently study the Word with humility and reverence in order to present the Living Christ and His gospel.  For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

• Please pray for our newly established Women's Meeting, that women would grow in love and good works pleasing to our Lord,  as well as in preparing (and receiving) devotionals based on God's word (which will be a first for many).  Also, pray for regular participation, particularly for those with unbelieving spouses/families who are apt to hinder their involvement.

• Please pray for Step One of forming the Balkan Coalition which is preparing a Statement of Faith on a national basis which will then be used to hammer out an acceptable Statement for the Coalition as a whole.  

• Please pray for the ongoing ministry with young children, both for Martina and other locals who are seeking to minister in Sunday-School fashion each week, but also for a long-term, gifted individual/family with a heart to minister to children (within both the church and in our wider Nikšić community).

• Please pray for wisdom and endurance to run our race well as March will be spent in preparation for the upcoming Camp/Team/Outreach season (April-July) beginning with Easter, the Danish Team, our Stateside trip in May,  the June UCCF team, the July Camp Monty, plus the many individuals/families coming and going all while the normal life of the church continues.

• We will once again be in the US from early May through early June.  Along with celebrating a graduation (May 19), we want to see some of you in person! With family on both coasts, we will be traveling nationwide. Churches, please contact Stan ASAP as we are putting together our itinerary.  Friends, please contact Vicki to set up a get-together--no need to be formal! 

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
Mission to Montenegro

Note:  Opening photo of gorgeous Montenegrin mountains courtesy of Peter Stonelake.

January 2018 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,

    and his kingdom rules over all. Ps. 103:19

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!

The scripture above are such words of hope and encouragement!  Whatever the year 2018 brings, we know we are safe in Christ, loved with an everlasting love by the One who rules over all.

• Thankfully, the Samaritan's Purse/OCC Christmas Shoebox distribution went well!  The director of a local small theater gave us free use of the premises for a mega-day of gospel presentations and shoebox giving.  Additionally, over the course of a week,  several surrounding villages were willing to allow a religious presentation (despite opposition, see below) to accompany the shoebox delivery to schoolchildren.

• In our Sunday services, Stan continues preaching from various Psalms and from the Gospel of Luke.  For  Christmas Sunday (1/7), he preached from Matt 1:18-23 with an inspiring look at the coming of Jesus as God, Son, Savior, Immanuel.  Last week, however, we were away on a ministry visit, and Peter S and Saša O took the pulpit--Saša for the first time.  Praise the Lord for faithful young men!

• Along with an outward reach during the holidays, we've also been ministering to fellow missionaries--providing time and space and fellowship in our home-- as well as traveling to encourage one of our own members doing a yearlong internship in London in order to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together... but encouraging one another all the more... 

• The advance of God’s Kingdom does not go unchallenged.  As Jesus says:  In the world you will have trouble.  A local, widely-read FB page denounced the OCC Christmas Shoeboxes, promoting the false idea that we are a dangerous sect.  On Christmas morning, we found our church sign (the one above) defaced and spray painted over.  We rejoice, however, that Jesus continues: But take heart! I have overcome the world.  

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for the ongoing ministries of the church:  the teaching, the preaching, the discipling, the various outreaches.  May God be pleased to bring many to salvation through the power of His Word and the love of His people.  And pray that as we are busy about the Kingdom, that we would personally press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  

• Please pray for us as we seek to demystify Protestant/Biblical Christianity.  A longstanding problem we face is the notion and blind prejudice that anyone who is not Eastern Orthodox is a sect (ie, cult).  One reason for this is the complete lack of knowledge of the Reformation.  Our desire is to engage in a broad, public education via newspaper articles, radio, and interviews, following up what we began last October with the Round-table forum on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.  We realize that this is ultimately a heart/moral problem, not merely an educational one, but getting the truth out there is definitely a needed step.

• We will once again be Stateside this coming May to celebrate our son’s college graduation.  And, in the weeks on either side of the great day (May 19), we would love to visit churches—old supporters and new friends—so please contact Stan directly so we can make it happen!

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
Mission to Montenegro

December 2017 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.   I Tim 1:15, 17

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!

This past month has been a month of quiet progress.  Here are a few highlights:

• We’ve had several repeat visitors to our Sunday services as well as our mid-week prayer meeting.  We see this as a direct answer to prayer as well as confirmation that our recent addition of “get out into the community” activities is a step in the right direction; we’ve had a number of good conversations naturally touching on spiritual truths with new acquaintances.

• Stan continues preaching from Luke, having just wrapped up Ch. 19 covering Jesus and the cleansing of the temple with a particular look at what the the temple was meant to be doing instead of being a "marketplace and den of thieves” and what that tells us about God and about us, the church, as His Temple today.  In the evenings, along with preaching through specific psalms, Stan looked as Jesus Christ, the perfect Psalm Singer, who sings over us, for us, to us, with us.

• The children’s Sunday school continues on despite various challenges due to sick children and stressful schedules.  Our good beginning *is* just a beginning, so please keep praying for Martina as she prepares each week, for the children to listen attentively, for the Holy Spirit to touch hearts, and for the right person/couple called to oversee this important ministry to join us soon!

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

• Here in Niksic we will be receiving approximately 2000 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to distribute before Orthodox (Jan 7) Christmas. This is an huge undertaking for a small number of volunteers, mainly through EUS-CG (Evangelical University Student group).  An extra challenge this year is that the theatre we had use of in previous years has been sold and renovated as a pub, so there are numerous logistical problems to solve at present.  Please pray that each box handed out would testify to the children and their families the Good News of Jesus Christ.

• During the holiday season, we have several cultural (secular but rooted in religion) days coming up: two Saint Days (St. Nikola, John the Baptist) plus Christmas (Jan 7).   Christmas this year falls on a Sunday which means that people who might not ordinarily go to church on Christmas Day will. Also, we are privileged to be invited to a number of family Slavas (celebrations of the aforementioned Saint Days) which includes enjoying a special meal together.  Please pray for meaningful discourse and for a packed church room on Christmas Day.  Soli Deo Gloria!

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

We are extremely grateful for those individuals and churches who support this work through prayer, encouragement, and material giving.  If you'd like to join our team of financial supporters or adjust the gift you already give, here’s how:

If you live in the U.S., you may mail checks made out to: Mission to Montenegro with appropriate memo and addressed to:

Faith Community Church

Attn:  Mission to Montenegro

723 South D Street

Oxnard, CA 93030

website: Faith Community Church

If you live outside the U.S. do get in touch (stan.surbatovich@gmail.com) and we will give you bank transfer information.

Thank you for your support! To God be the glory!

November 2017 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col. 3:16-17

Grace and Peace to you in the name of God our Father!

As mentioned in our last newsletter, on Oct. 31st, at a national press center in Podgorica, partnering with the German embassy, Stan organized and participated in a round table discussion regarding the importance and far-reaching influence of the Reformation.

In giving a brief history of the Reformation and the translation of Scriptures into locally understood languages, Stan brought out the fact that the Reformation for Serbian-speaking peoples didn't begin in the 1300s (Wycliffe) or 1500s (Tyndale, Luther);  it was not until the mid-1800s that Vuk Karadžić translated the New Testament into Serbian.

Serbian New Testament first published in mid-1800s

This portion of Vuk Karadžić's introduction to his Serbian New Testament is both moving and sobering:

I hope that this book will be of untold benefit to our people.  From the Gospels people will become acquainted with how Christ came to this earth, what He taught, and how He went from this earth; from the Book of Acts  they will learn what the apostles did after Christ and how Christian truth (law) spread throughout the world; and from the Apostolic Epistles they will learn what the apostles taught so that Christian truth will be better established.

Regarding Christ, that He suffered and rose, our people know something from listening in church and sermons, but about the Acts of the Apostles and of the Epistles they know,  truthfully, nothing.  And how could they know?  Even if there were enough books like this in the Old Slovenian Language, people don’t understand that language; and even if we found people who somehow understand something, there are no books.

I don’t know that amongst all of our people, except for in churches, perhaps at most fifty houses have the New Testament; and except for priests, who read in churches and on various other occasions according to their ministry, I don’t know if even five people could be found who have read through the whole New Testament. 

Between having no books and not being able to understand them, it has come to the point that our people don’t even think that the Gospels and Apostolic books are worth reading or hearing to actually learn something, but they think that they should only be read in church and at other various church services because of ritual.

• We rejoice that in Montenegro there are now many more than fifty homes with New Testaments and more than five people who have read them!  However, many still view the Scriptures as a relic, as something religious, even as a talisman, but not, as Vuk Karadžić notes, worth reading or hearing to actually learn something.  Please pray for God's Word to be a light and sword to those here lost in sin and darkness.

• We rejoice that God's Word is faithfully proclaimed every Lord's Day here in Nikšić.  In the morning, Stan continues to preach through the Gospel of Luke.  In the evening, Stan has finished the Book of Esther and is preaching from selected Psalms, beginning with Psalm 1 and Blessed is the man....  Please pray that we would continue to delight ourselves in the law of the Lord and meditate on it daily.  

• We rejoice that with Martina's commitment to have a simple Sunday School, parents are bringing their children more regularly.  The children range in age from 5-9 and are asking good questions, like "What *was* wrong with Cain's offering?"  Please pray for Martina and other helpers to get a good routine and program in place and for the children to grow in their love and knowledge of God.  

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support in this great work of God,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

We are extremely grateful for all those individuals and churches who support this work through prayer, encouragement, and material giving.  If you'd like to join our team of financial supporters or adjust the gift you already give, here’s how:

If you live in the U.S., you may mail checks made out to: Mission to Montenegro with appropriate memo and addressed to:

Faith Community Church

Attn:  Mission to Montenegro

723 South D Street

Oxnard, CA 93030

website: Faith Community Church

If you live outside the U.S. do get in touch (stan.surbatovich@gmail.com) and we will give you bank transfer information.

Thank you for your support! To God be the glory!

October 2017 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Save us, O God of our salvation,

    and gather and deliver us from among the nations,

that we may give thanks to your holy name

    and glory in your praise.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

    from everlasting to everlasting! I Chron. 16:35,36

Grace and Peace to you in the Name of God our Father!

Greetings from Nikšić!  Fall is definitely upon us:  the leaves are turning color and there is snow on the mountains! Truly, He has made everything beautiful in its time.

• We are enjoying the fresh start autumn brings with the renewal of weekly pastoral meetings, visitations, mentoring/discipleship times along with the regular services and prayer meeting.  The EUS Student work has fully started up again as well with the return of university students.   Please pray that we all would be faithful to use the gifts God has given us to serve Him well.

• We are thrilled to have several new regular attendees to our services, including school-aged children.  Thus, for the time being, Martina (one of our own) has begun a simple Sunday School for the children.  Please pray that God would use this humble beginning to bless the children mightily.  Also, please continue to pray for a full-time dedicated worker/couple to oversee this growing area of need.

• In honor of the 500th anniversary of The Reformation, Stan is coordinating a press conference/round table on its importance and influence in conjunction with the German Embassy.  Montenegrins know very little about the Reformation nor that the most popular Bible translation here is based on Martin Luther's work.  We trust this will increase  understanding and give credence to Protestantism/Biblical Christianity here in MNE.  Please pray for good success! (Interestingly, October 31st will be a national holiday in both Germany and Slovenia!)  

We are extremely grateful for all those individuals and churches who support this work through prayer, encouragement, and material giving.  If you'd like to join our team of financial supporters or adjust the gift you already give, please read past our signature.

One with you in Christ,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
Mission to Montenegro

If you desire to give monetarily, whether for ongoing support or as a special offering, here’s how:

If you live in the U.S., you may mail checks made out to: Mission to Montenegro with appropriate memo and addressed to:

Faith Community Church
Attn:  Mission to Montenegro
723 South D Street
Oxnard, CA 93030

website: Faith Community Church

If you live outside the U.S. do get in touch (stan.surbatovich@gmail.com) and we will give you bank transfer information.

Thank you for your support! To God be the glory!