October 2020 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

 

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; 

with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

I will declare that your love stands firm forever, 

that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.  

Psalm 89:1-2

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

The day after pushing send on last month’s newsletter, our city Nikšić was put under Tier 4 restrictions (the heaviest) which included curfews, some closures, and no visiting privately in homes.  Our covid-19 numbers have improved over the last four weeks (yay!), so now we’ve placed into Tier 2. What a joy it is to be able to go from house to house once again!

• Stan recently finished preaching from Exodus 30, putting forth how all that touches God must be holy: the priests, their clothes, the altars, the sacrifices, the oils, everything;  and further highlighting the great gift of salvation, procured by Jesus Christ, which proclaims us sinners sanctified and lets us boldly enter the holy of holies.  Hallelujah!

• In our Sunday evening Zoom meetings, Stan and several other men have brought encouraging messages:  from Hebrews 7 (our assurance being rooted in Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice), from  2 Cor. 5:14ff (the compelling love of Christ to be His ambassadors of reconciliation), and from Psalm 1 (the blessed man (with God’s help) keeps himself out of the perishing path of the wicked.) Despite the terrible camera angles and audio lag times, the ability to see each other together electronically is a huge blessing.

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• The first installment of Osnovne Istine (Basic Truths) has been filmed and is currently in post-production.  This is the start of our hoped-for series of 5-10 minute talks regarding basics of Christianity to be posted online.  This first talk centered on why we need the bible.         
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• We are also making progress with our book project:  We’ve received formal permission to translate and publish Good News for Anxious Christians; we have narrowed down the choice of local publishers to two; we have a realistic idea of the costs involved; translation of the text has begun.  Next steps:  finishing the translation and seeking further funds to finish the project.  If you would like to support this one-time project, please contact Stan* directly for costs/accounting.

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests:

Please pray for the regular ministry of the Word as Stan (and others) preach and teach throughout the week at church, via Zoom and other social media, and even in (very small) groups.  We are also hoping to have a Ladies' Breakfast at the end of October after many delays. May hearts be quickened and lives changed to the glory of God.  

Please pray for the Osnovne Istine video series: For Stan as he prepares short talks and for the tech team (Peter and Danijel) who will be recording, editing (which has come with a large learning curve), and posting.  May God use these humble means to bring people to Himself.  

Please pray for  book translation progress and consider contributing to the financial needs* to get it into print.

Please pray for the members of our own fellowship:  for unity, for reaching out to one another, for perseverance in grace and charity, for the financial needs as well as the emotional needs of those hard-hit by closures and disruptions, especially the families with school-aged children as they have much to juggle with ever-changing school scenarios.

Please pray for continued health and strength for us and BabaC (Stan's mother who lives with us).  

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

* If you would like to know more about contributing to the Book Publishing project, please contact Stan directly at stan . surbatovich @ gmail . com (no spaces).

September 2020 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, 

for his compassions never fail. 

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24

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

Between migraines, dental emergencies, and Covid-19 increasing its foothold in the local community, it has been a bit of a challenging month. Sometimes just living each day with grace and joy by the mercy and strength of Christ is a victory.  Soli Deo gloria!

Services have continued, some in person, some via Zoom, some solely through our Youtube Channel or Facebook Page. We are glad we have so many options.

• In the morning service, Stan preached Exodus 26, highlighting the truth that God meeting with His people in the tabernacle in the wilderness is just a foreshadowing of God meeting with His people face to face in the new heavens and the new earth; a glorious promised secured for us by the blameless life and sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus which rent the veil in two.  In our evening Zoom meeting, Stan most recently covered Hebrews 7:26, showing the superiority of Christ's fitness as The High Priest.  We've much appreciated the serendipitous intertwining of covering Exodus and Hebrews at the same time. 

• At the end of August, before the physical challenges arose, we thanked God and prayed for Andrija, (Andrew) a celebration which was postponed since March due to Covid-19.  As a fellowship, we rejoice with his parents and older sister Iva Sara and commit ourselves to seeing him grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  

• Unfortunately, progress stalled on both the book translation and recording of the series of shorter (5-10 min) videos covering basics of the Christian faith for the benefit of seekers and new believers.  However, the plan (Deo volente) is to begin the recordings next week. 

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests: 

• Please pray for the regular ministry of the Word as Stan (and others) preach and teach throughout the week at church, via Zoom and other social media, and even in (very small) groups.  May hearts be quickened and lives changed to the glory of God.

• Please pray for the video series: For Stan who will be speaking and for the tech team (Peter and Danijel) who will be recording and posting.  May God use these humble means to bring people to Himself.  Please pray for the book translation progress, especially as we seek to find a local publisher.

• Please pray for continued health and strength for us and BabaC (Stan's mother who lives with us).  We feel we are being wise with precautions but are not cloistered, so there is some level of risk as Covid-19 is increasing here in our city; so much so, the Covid ward here in Niksic is currently at full capacity.  Please pray for the health care workers who are serving us all.

• Please pray for the members of our own fellowship:  for unity, for reaching out to one another, for perseverance in grace and charity, for the financial needs as well as the emotional needs of those hard-hit by closures and disruptions, especially the families with school-aged children as they have much to juggle.

• Please pray for wisdom to know when and how to resume larger events.  All the events of spring and summer (conferences, camps, teams) were tentatively postponed to fall/early winter.  However, now that we are approaching autumn, the likelihood of being able to safely host such events is diminishing.  Pray, too, that we might find and embrace opportunities to reach out to our community,  as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

August 2020 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

For God is the King of all the earth;

sing to him a psalm of praise. Ps. 47:6,7

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

Isn't it marvelous that grace and peace are ours in these challenging times?!  What an awesome God we serve!

• In our morning service, Stan has wrapped up Exodus 23, highlighting the wonderful promise and provision of God leading His people into the promised land and its ultimate fulfillment by Christ our Savior.  In our evening Zoom meetings, we are continuing to go through Hebrews 7, covering shorter portions of scripture (due to the format) than in a normal service.  This slower format, however, has allowed us to savor the reality of Jesus, the superior priest who is far above and in a different class altogether from the Levitical priests and the mysterious Melchizedek of old.

• As you can see from the picture above, our online presence continues and is growing! So much so that we would like to make a series of shorter (5-10 min) videos covering basics of the Christian faith for the benefit of seekers and new believers.  This project is in its nascent stage of determining a specific scope and sequence.  Please pray for wisdom from above to hit the right topics at the right time.

• In another exciting development, we've gotten permission to translate Good News for Anxious Christians, a book we keep on our coffee table when teams visit, which has proven to be  helpful for young people concerned about knowing and following the will of God. We have a translator and are currently researching the possibility of printing the book locally here in Montenegro and not outsourced (as in the past) to other countries.  Please pray that this project goes forward expeditiously.

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

July 2020 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

You have shown your people desperate times;

    you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner

    to be unfurled against the bow.

Psalm 60:3,4

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

The reality of living in the midst of a pandemic has reasserted itself; cases are rising dramatically here in Montenegro and beginning to touch our circles. However, we remain of good cheer because our hope in Christ is an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

• Taking note of the current situation, we are reverting back to virtual gatherings.  Beginning this weekend, our Sunday morning service will be via pre-recorded video and our evening service via Zoom. Please pray for us as the logistics do not come easy to us!

• We are also cutting back our hoped-for events scheduled in mid-to-late July like our quarterly women's meeting and student events.    As you might expect, this whipsawing of on-again-off-again plans as we seek to balance spiritual needs and health considerations is both physically and mentally draining.  However, we take comfort in knowing that while we make our plans, the Lord directs our steps. Please pray that we would be wise in determining when and how to meet up again publicly.

• In good news, the Good News of the gospel continues to go forth.  Stan is now preaching from Exodus 22, showing forth how God's laws reveal His loving concern for His people and the world as well as highlighting the perfect Law-Keeper, our Lord Jesus Christ. The Sunday sermons are regularly posted online. Please pray for God's Word to change hearts.

• Thank you to all of you who gave financial support for Mission to Montenegro within the past month.  Your generosity has been a great encouragement to our souls, especially as Covid uncertainties remain on the horizon. It does appear that overall giving is still down, so when considering charitable donations, please consider financially supporting the Kingdom work here in Nikšić. Please pray for us to be faithful stewards of all the gifts and talents the Lord has given us.

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

June 2020 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

    He lifts his voice, the earth melts.

Come and see what the Lord has done,

    the desolations He has brought on the earth.

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:6,8,10

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

Here in Montenegro we enjoyed a brief respite from the pandemic as a Covid-free nation for all of two weeks.  It was glorious.  However, with the re-opening of the borders, the virus has been brought back in, so we are required to mask in public places and gatherings but with no severer restrictions at present.  We are grateful for our relative freedom but, like the rest of the world, are weary of Covid-19.  Our prayer is that we would embrace this opportunity to Be still and see the Lord exalted among the nations.

• Our Sunday services (morning and evening) have resumed at our meeting facilities.  We are continuing to video record and post the sermon online to good effect.  We had two visitors to our services last week, one of whom had been watching online during the shutdown. Stan is just wrapping up Exodus 20 in the morning and will resume preaching through Hebrews in the evening.  Please pray for Stan and the other men as they prepare and preach the Word of the Lord.  It is both an awesome privilege and awesome responsibility, unto life and death.

• Although we are not expecting any teams, plans are being laid for the Camp Monty Sports Camp to take place in late July.   We see this as an opportunity for locals to take the lead in serving and ministering to young people (ages 7-17) this summer.  Please pray for Danijel (head of the student ministry EUS-CG) for wisdom in putting together a doable-but-quality program given necessary restraints in terms of manpower, time&money, and health concerns.  

• In conjunction with the Buxton family in Kotor, we have the opportunity to be involved in a humanitarian project funded by Send Relief, to help twelve families (4 within the church, 8 outside the church) financially hit by the pandemic.  We are providing each family with several months of aid for food and hygienic goods.  Please pray that God will use this outreach for His glory and the blessing of many.

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Given the global nature of this pandemic, the Covid-19 crisis will have long-term financial impacts on many individuals and churches.  We expected this to have a trickle down effect upon us; now, three months in, we can see that monthly support for Mission to Montenegro has been noticeably down.  We draw this to your attention, that if the Lord so enables you, you might prayerfully consider joining our supporters or adjust the gift you already give.  Enabled or not, we rejoice that God is able to bless [us] abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that [we] need, [we] will abound in every good work. 

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

Note: If you would like to send support, 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 of Sending Church: Faith Community Church Homepage

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! Soli Deo gloria!

May 2020 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

See, darkness covers the earth 

and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord 

rises upon you and his glory appears over you.  Nations will come 

to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 

Is. 60:2,3

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

• Our Sunday morning service airing online follows the format of our usual liturgy: Call to Worship, Prayers, Singing, Regular Reading through Scripture, and Sermon. Stan picked up his series through Exodus and is currently preaching through the Ten Commandments. This past week, he delved into both the obvious and deeper demands and implications of the seventh commandment, Do not commit adultery, including the gospel seen in God's faithfulness to us.

• Additionally, we are excited about the online Children's meeting which can also be found on our church's FB and YouTube Channel.  Jelena V has stepped forward to make this happen and her dedication and love for both God and his children really shines forth. Check it out!

• In lieu of our typical evening service, we gather together via Zoom so that we have a chance to see one another.  Each week, a different member is asked to give a short devotional or word of encouragement. Our gathering together is a highlight of the week.

Current Covid-19 realities here in Montenegro:

• There is now a rolling lifting of restrictions.  Most shops and businesses are open (with masks and 2m distancing).  Travel within the country is now allowed, although there is still no international travel.  

• The ban on individuals gathering in people’s homes, other than those belonging to the household, is still in effect as are public gatherings, both inside and outside.

• Churches have limited freedom, mainly to perform small rites (like baptism), but not gather together as a corporate body due to the limitation of a maximum of one person per 10m ² (one person/100 sq. ft), inside the religious building.  This means we could have 4 people in our main room, plus one in each side room which does not a church gathering make. 

• However, Montenegro currently has only 4 active Covid-19 cases and has gone 13 days with no new cases.  Thank you, Lord!  We are hopeful that we will get to join together before we write the next newsletter, and what a day of rejoicing that will be!  

Upcoming Ministry and Prayer Requests

• Because of continuing travel restrictions, summer plans have changed drastically.  Definitely no summer intern (Sorry, Benjamin!), and no UCCF team and English Student camp.  The All-Montenegro Believer's Meeting has been indefinitely postponed.  Camp Monty may go on in a very modified form with locals primarily leading and very few outsiders helping.  Please pray for wisdom in knowing how and when to pick up group activities and outreaches.  

• Pray for all the witnessing, encouragements, and seed being sown through personal contacts and our online media presence.  

• Pray for the members of our own fellowship:  for unity, for reaching out to one another, for perseverance in grace and charity, for the financial needs as well as the emotional needs of those hard-hit by the closures, for Stan and the other leaders as they prepare the Sunday services under challenging conditions.

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich

April 2020 Mission to Montenegro Newsletter

 I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all My pleasure. Is. 46:9-10

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

Underneath our current surreal existence in the second month of Covid-19 lockdown, the reality is that the Lord is not bound but rules and reigns. His purposes are being accomplished. We are privileged to share a few of the things happening here in Nikšić.  To God be the glory! Amen!

• After many months of desiring to have a social media presence, we've been catapulted into getting things up and running**. The learning curve has been steep, but we now have both a Church Facebook Page as well as a Church Youtube Channel.  You can find both the whole of our Sunday morning services as well as just the sermons plus the children's ministry online. It is our desire to continue these services post-Covid lockdown.

Home Studio.  Yay for packing tape and smart phones!

• The Lord is certainly using these means to bring in new listeners--and not just from Montenegro.  Granted, it was just one family apiece from the US and England plus a few from Serbia but unexpected and amazing nonetheless.   What is most heartening to us is that a number of the church members who normally come alone or are not able to come (due to work or family persecution) are listening/watching the service and often with their entire families, too! 

Opening Video to our Easter Service

• Along with adopting a social media presence, we've embraced Zoom technology for hosting our Sunday evening service, the EUS Student meetings, and our weekly prayer meeting.  While not at all taking the place of meeting in person, the communal gathering is sweet nonetheless.

• Covid-19 realities here in Montenegro:  The restrictions have only increased since we wrote last month.  Some of the additional measures include:  no mail can be received from the US, no entering another's home (unless family and even that is discouraged), husbands and wives must be 2 meters apart when walking down the street, curfew begins at 7pm weekdays and 1pm weekends.  With these strict measures in place, the rise of cases is linear, not exponential and there are no current hotspots of infection.  Restrictive measures are in place for two weeks at a time.  Next evaluation will be May 1st.  In mid-May we will make decisions regarding possible (but still hoped-for) summer ministry events like Camp Monty, Ben's internship, and the Hearing Aid ministry.

**NOTE:  The putting together of the services online is a major effort and we are grateful for all the members who are making it happen via Scripture reading, testimonies, song leading, children's work, and more.  But, in all these things, we are especially grateful to Peter Stonelake who has been the point man in getting all these bits and pieces together and online in one coherent whole.  A faithful man will abound with blessings... may it be so!

Prayer Requests:

• For a bold witness into our community as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Please pray that our hope and resolve be marked by feet firmly standing on the Rock of Salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

• For God to be merciful to the people of Montenegro and His church and spare many of falling ill and of long-term health consequences.  Please pray also for our own family in the United States; one has been ill (with C-19) but is recovering and another has been without work due to restrictions.

With great love and appreciation for your ongoing prayers and support,

Stan and Vicki Surbatovich