December 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

For unto us a Child is born, 

Unto us a Son is given;

and the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Is. 9:6

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

With the busy holiday season upon us all, this newsletter will be short and sweet.

• We will be having two special Christmas services this year:  the first on Jan. 3rd with an evangelistic Christmas message geared for unbelievers followed by festive refreshments, and the second on Jan. 7th as a Christmas celebration for believers.  Please pray for many to come and learn of the Son given unto us.

• The application to have the student ministry, EUS-Montenegro, recognized as a legal entity (NGO) was denied by the government.  There are several directions to go from here, including an appeal for reconsideration of the original request.  Please pray for wisdom regarding next steps and favor from the state.

• Our next step in improving our meeting facilities is an intercom system so parents of infants can hear the service while in the nursery.  Peter S. plans to bring one from England when he returns from his Christmas holiday.  Please continue to pray for a dedicated Children's  worker to oversee ministry and outreached geared to the young ones.

• We will get to enjoy the company of three of our children this Christmas season (Amy, Josiah, and Milijana) and will greatly miss Anna Marie and Christian this year.  Please pray for us as we work out and live with the dynamics of being a transatlantic family.

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

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

November 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Rev. 21:3,4

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

• We can summarize this past month as seeking to live out these exhortations from Romans 12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer; share with God's people who are in need; practice hospitality; and do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good."

• Stan finished up the book of Ruth this past Lord's Day in our evening services.  From now until after the new year, he will be preaching on various thematic topics, including a number of Christmas messages while we continue with the gospel of Luke in our morning services. After the holidays, he will begin a series from 1 Timothy in the evening.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

• The regular fall routines of Bible studies, prayer meetings, weekly worship services, and visitations continue with the Lord's help although we've experienced a fair amount of ongoing illness within the congregation.   Please pray for strength and for perseverance that we might not grow weary with well-doing. 

• We are still reorganizing our meeting facilities to accommodate both infants and children for services/Sunday School.  Please pray that we would solve the various obstacles of our current facilities and that God would provide a place of our own and someone both gifted and dedicated to working with children.  We would love to expand our ministry to the young in our community.

• The ongoing Refugee Crisis calls for extra wisdom on our part and for all the organizations and governments aiding those tragically displaced.  Please pray that we, God's people, would be bold ambassadors showing forth Christ's love and compassion, loving our neighbor as ourselves, without fear; for God Himself says:  Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous hand."  Is. 41:10

• In God's providence, we get organizations and individuals asking to partner with us for both short term projects and longer term ministry opportunities.  While each one individually can be a good thing, too many such activities can be disruptive to the life and growth of the church rather than the help it is meant to be.  Please pray that we would wisely respond to each of these well-meant opportunities.

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

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

Prayer and Praise Bulletin Points:

• Praise God for His steadfast love, mercies, comfort, and help in this uncertain world and that the time is coming when He will wipe away every tear and death shall be no more. Soli Deo gloria! Pray that we would show forth the light, love, and hope we have in Christ even as others react in fear.  
• Praise God for His living Word, for the freedom to proclaim its truths, for our Kinsman-Redeemer who gave His life that we might live.  Pray for Stan as he prepares messages for the upcoming Christmas season, for the congregation as they invite friends and family to these services, for the Holy Spirit to shine His light into dark hearts.
• Praise God for the various outreaches and Bible studies that we engage in each week and the slow growth we see, both in depth and in numbers.  However, please keep praying that more would come--more families, more singles, more men, more women, more unsaved--many know and are interested but afraid of family/social repercussions.
• Praise God for the babies and children coming every week, that they are growing up in families where it is normal to go to church on Sunday.  Pray that we would  quickly finish the refurbishing that needs to be done and for a gifted children's worker.
• Praise God that He is the help of the helpless, and for the opportunity we have to be His hands and feet in helping the refugees.  Pray for peace, compassion, the building up of tent cities, the provision of warm clothes, and more for the refugees, the volunteers, and the nations dealing with this heartbreak.

Note:  If you would like to receive this newsletter update directly, please subscribe at:  http://christianitymontenegro.blogspot.com/    

October 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us 

in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those 

who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we 

ourselves are comforted by God.        

2 Cor. 1:3,4

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

Highlights of the past month include:

• In the morning service, Stan is preaching from the gospel of Luke, Ch. 8, with an in-depth look at what it means to Take heed how you hear! (v. 18). In the evening, Stan is covering Ruth 2 and the role of the kinsman-redeemer who points to the ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ.

• We hosted the first-ever board meeting of EUS-Montenegro (a branch of IFES, the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students).  The main purpose of this first meeting was to outline the steps needed to have EUS-Mne recognized as an NGO by the local Montenegrin government.  Please pray that the entire process will be finished quickly and smoothly, to the glory of God.

Rejoicing in the good things God is doing!

• There will be NO Samaritan's Purse/OCC Christmas Shoebox Outreach this year.  For a number of reasons,  including the fact that despite many pockets of need, Montenegro's economic standing in the world has risen over the last decade, there will be no delivery of shoeboxes to any of the churches here in MNE.   In many ways, this relieves a lot of pressure and time commitments on the churches here, but it is our prayer and desire that we would use this freedom and find new and perhaps better ways of sharing Christ's love during the Christmas season.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests

• As a fellowship, we are meeting and working together this weekend to revamp our rented meeting facilities to better meet the needs of families with young children.  Please pray that our time and energy will lead to a much improved nursery-like facility and Sunday School classroom.  Of course, please continue to join us in prayer and material support for a dedicated church building for our growing congregation.

• Pray for Stan as he prepares to preach every Sunday and to lead the congregation to grow in favor with God and man: for wisdom,  stamina, and health.  Pray also for all of us, that as we share our faith and lives, whether through leading formal bible studies, informal mentoring, or just everyday living, that we might take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that (our) progress will be evident to all. (1Tim. 4:15)

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

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

Prayer and Praise Bulletin Points:

• Praise for the continued freedom to preach, teach, and freely share our faith in this beautiful land.  Pray that we would be busy about the Father's work.  Pray, too, for the proposed religion law discussed in previous newsletters.  Comments (including ours) are being reviewed before the next draft is published.  This process will take awhile, but we need to continue to pray!
• Praise for the growing student work here in Montenegro.  Thank God for those willing and gifted who are working with the university students and pray that many more would be raised up.  Nationwide there are nearly a dozen universities, yet only one (Nikšić) has an active EUS community.
• Praise God for the Samaritan's Purse/OCC outreaches that we have had over the years and for the slow economic improvement.  Pray that we would establish a fruitful outreach this coming holiday season.
• Praise God for our many, many blessings and pray that we would rise above and beyond our enjoyable lives to reach out and be the hands and feet of our Lord.  The Refugee Crisis has not yet directly touched Montenegro, but we have opportunity to help our brethren in Serbia.  May we be as Job:  I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger (Job. 29:16) and heed the admonitions of Jehovah-Jireh: You shall not oppress a stranger: for you know the heart of a stranger, seeing you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Ex. 23:9) But the stranger that dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself... I am the LORD your God. (Lev. 19:34)

Special Note:  For those concerned about the recent protests held in Podgorica which made international news, thank you for your thoughts and prayers.  We are happy to report that the news headlines were sensational rather than accurate.  The protests have been underway for several weeks and have been generally peaceful and orderly.

September 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice;

Let the multitude of isles be glad!

Clouds and darkness surround Him;

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. 

Ps. 97:1,2

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

While we enjoy the last of warm weather and garden produce and look forward to settling into fall rhythms and routines, this end-of-the-summer month was full of special happenings.

• Nemanja and Jelena Poluga welcomed their much prayed over little girl, Iva Sara, at the beginning of September.  Mom and baby are doing very well. Iva Sara is the first baby to be born to a current member who "grew up" in this church; we've known Jelena since she was a child.  What a joy to see God grow His Church in this manner!
• Stan has begun a new evening series preaching through the book of Ruth; we look forward to seeing how God turns the bad beginning (Ch.1) into blessing.  In the morning, Stan is continuing with Luke 7, looking at Christ, the friend of sinners.
• Stan did meet with a government official regarding the proposed law on religion as well as attend the town-hall meeting this past Monday.  On behalf of the Nikšić Fellowship, he was able to submit  a statement outlining our concerns with the draft law.  For comparison, his statement ran 6-7 typed pages, the group one (signed by all the Protestant pastors) was about 4 pages, and the Serbian Orthodox church's statement was approx. 80 pages.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests

• We continue to feel the strain of the unsuitableness of our current meeting facilities due to the growing number of families with small babies and children.  Please pray and consider your part in providing both material and prayer support for a church building that the work may be furthered here in Nikšić for God's glory.

• Regarding the draft law on religion, next steps are for the government to rework the proposal based on submitted comments and concerns, followed with a review by the European Commission for Democracy through Law.  Details and timeline have not yet been made available.  Pray that God will allow regulations that best suit the growth of His Kingdom here in Montenegro.
• This month, fall routines kick in with weekly visitations, one-on-one mentoring, student outreaches, bible studies, Conversation Club, and more all starting up again.  Please pray for those preparing and ministering as well as for the hearts of those who will be hearing the gospel for the first time and for those seeking to live by the Word.

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

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

Enjoying the beautiful Krka Waterfalls

 Prayer and Praise Bulletin Points:

• Praise for the safe arrival of Iva P. and her continued well-being.  Pray for her and the other babies and children in our fellowship, that they may know the love of Christ from a young age and desire to love and serve Him all their days.  Pray, too, for a full-time, gifted individual to oversee a children's ministry here in Nikšić. 
• Praise for the body of believers that God has put together here and is slowly growing.  We've recently had two men begin attending regularly; they came to faith while at a Christian rehab center and have just recently returned to Nikšić.   Please pray for their integration into the normal life of the church as well as into society.
• Praise God for the freedom to proclaim His Word here. Please pray for Stan, Danijel, and others who prepare sermons and bible studies, that they might handle the Word faithfully and proclaim it by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Pray, too, for the new season of ministry to university students, that many would hunger for truth and not be swayed by popular culture and superstitions.
• Praise God for His sovereignty, that even as nations wax and wane, His purposes continue steadfastly.  Pray for the lawmakers and overseers that the next draft of the religious law will preserve our freedom to go into the world and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
• Praise God for our delightful vacation at the end of August; Vicki had recovered sufficiently that we were able to enjoy our time away and come back refreshed. Please continue to pray for Vicki as she is still troubled by ongoing discomfort from her bout with shingles.

Note:  If you would like to receive this newsletter directly, please sign up at: Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

August 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
     And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul, 
     And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Ps. 107:8,9

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

August is always a transitional month between the high-energy outreaches of summer and the rhythm and routines of fall.  The coming-and-goings of short-termers is replaced with the coming-and-goings of believers on vacations; ours will be at the end of this month.

• Stan continues to preach Lord's Day mornings from the gospel of Luke, currently in chapter 7.  This week's evening sermon wraps up the book of Habakkuk which has been a great encouragement to all on the reality that The just shall live by his faith. (Hab. 2:4b) in all times, places, and circumstances because of God's glorious sovereignty, justice, and mercy.

• The first draft of the new proposed law on religion and religious freedom in Montenegro has just been released and is open for public comment until mid-September.  There are definite issues that the evangelical church will want to address.  Stan has made a request for an appointment with the appropriate government minister; we are currently awaiting a reply.

• Every week we continue to have a number of families with young children, and one young couple is expecting their first baby very soon, so we expect to see this trend increase.  We thank God for this first generation of Montenegrin children who can say "I grew up in a Christian home." Soli Deo Gloria!

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for a fruitful meeting with the Minister of Human Rights, that the new law would prove favorable to the growth of God's church here in Montenegro.

• It is increasingly apparent that suitable facilities, geared to the growing number of current (and potential!) families, are a pressing need.  Please pray and consider your part in providing the prayer and material support for a church building that the work may be furthered here in Nikšić for God's glory.

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

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

Praise and Prayer Bulletin Points:

• Praise God for His infallible Word which is food for our souls.  Pray for the ongoing ministry of the Word as Stan faithfully prepares each week and for those who will take the pulpit while we are away for a week.
• Praise God that we were informed in a timely manner about the new proposed religion law while we still have an opportunity to air our concerns and suggestions.  Please pray that the meeting would be scheduled soon and that Stan would wisely and engagingly discuss the issues.
• Praise God for the blessing of children and the growing number in our own fellowship.  Pray for the families as they seek to raise their children in a manner pleasing to God even when counter to culture.  Please pray for God's provision of a full-time gifted individual to oversee ministry to the children.
• Praise God that our church facilities have served us so well and for so long.  Please pray that He, through His people, would provide larger facilities, suited to the needs of our growing congregation with space for a nursery and sunday school.
• Praise for the evident hand of God on this summer's outreach activities amongst both the leaders and the students.  Pray for lasting fruit in the lives of the young people who heard the gospel with gladness-that they would continue in the way of truth even when the going gets hard.  And for those believers who are prayerfully considering returning for a longer (one-to-two years) period of ministry.
• Praise God for His strengthening during the busy summer months.  Please pray for our rest and recovery, and particularly Vicki's health as she is currently experiencing a slow, fitful recovery from shingles.

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Note: It has come to our attention that we've never specified in the newsletter how to give monetarily, whether for ongoing support or as a special offering for new facilities. 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 it touch and we will give you bank transfer information.)

All funds are accounted for and overseen by the elders at Faith Community Church and receipts are issued. 100% of funds go to the expenses of the ministry in Montenegro-nothing goes to "administrative surcharges."

Thank you for your support!

July 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

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

It has been a busy (BUSY!) month here in Nikšić as we've gone from one intensive outreach to another.  Thus, another shorter-than-usual newsletter with more-than-usual photo highlights. Even so, the ongoing work of preaching, teaching, praying, discipling, living, and loving continues on.  How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

• Share our delight in God's answer to prayer regarding employment for not one, but two of the young men in our fellowship.  With skills gained from their help in the Tonewoods business Stan set up to help believers, they are now working full-time with a growing local custom-furniture factory.  Please pray for N. and R. to be both valued employees and lights of truth in their workplace, growing in favor with God and man.

• We just finished up this summer's intensive camp outreaches with the departure of the last of the Camp Monty team.  Many hundreds of young people have heard God's word this past month.  After a brief rest, we will be busy following up on those who are most interested to continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.  Please pray for these young people to heed the Word they heard, that they might build their lives on solid ground, not sinking sand.

• Please continue to pray for the Lord to raise up a gifted individual to oversee and minister to the growing number of young children in our congregation.   Along those same lines, please pray for a larger meeting place, that we might have suitable rooms for a nursery/sunday school classroom.  And why not be bold and pray that we might have our very own facilities, rather than renting, all for the glory of God and His kingdom here in Nikšić.

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

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich
Mission to Montenegro

As promised, here are some photo highlights of the last month:

The UCCF 2015 Team from the UK

Discussion groups at camp in the mountains

English Camp for (mainly) university students

Follow-up Bible Study in Nikšić 

Plenty of opportunities for practical help!

Enjoying first fruits....

Camp Monty Sports Camp for children

Sports include soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, and more!

Evening program includes gospel content

Children attending the evening programs

Camp Monty farewell dinner under the grape arbor

June 2015 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Matt. 28:18-20a

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

One highlight of the busy summer season is our delightful taste of heaven as we join with those (at least in part) "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb."  To God be the glory!

Last night with the Italian team and local friends

• The season of summer outreach has officially begun.  No sooner did we say good-bye to our Italian brethren than the Great Danes (Rebekka, Tanja, and Andreas) arrived for their fifth(!) summer to pick up and further student outreach.  This includes meeting up with students, leading bible studies, being a good friend and helping hand with formal events like the upcoming English Language Camp for university students.

• We've had a renewed awareness to be sober-minded, knowing there is one who seeks to devour.  One woman, Ms. S (40ish), has been coming to both our morning and evening services for the past several months.  She's been asking questions, listening carefully to the sermons, and desiring to understand rather than be blindly accepting.  Last week, convinced in her own mind, she gladly offered to host our mid-week prayer/sermon discussion meeting--and has met with fierce (and ongoing) opposition/persecution from both her immediate and extended family and others.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

• The UK team arrives this coming week and will be here until July 8 as will two American young women coming from New Jersey.   The camp will be held in a different venue this year for a week beginning June 29 with both pre- and post-camp activities.  Please pray for an abundance of students to sign up.   And before our next newsletter, Camp Monty will be in full swing.
• The normal life of the church continues even as the evangelistic outreaches take place and our household size balloons, so please pray for Stan's faithful sermon preparation as well as our visitation and one-on-one ministries to non-students. 

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

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Mission to Montenegro

Praise and Prayer Bulletin Points:

• Praise for the many short-term workers God is sending to Montenegro for truly the need is great. Please pray for those leading and organizing the camps, for many unbelieving students to come, for good weather, for tender hearts to receive the word of God, and for fruit-filled follow-up.
• Praise for the love of the saints, our sweet fellowship, and slowly growing congregation.  Please pray for Ms. S, that she would persevere, resist the devil, and stand firm in the faith.  Also pray for wisdom as to how we can best support her as well as productively engage with her resistant family members.
• Praise that one member of the fellowship has found steady work.  Please pray for the many others seeking employment and a means to support their families.
• Praise for the new babies--we had five young children at last Sunday's services.  Please pray for both the still-expectant mothers and for someone gifted to come and oversee ministry to young children both within and without the church.
• And lastly, a minor tribute to Athena who passed away recently.  We miss her.