Esterman Ministries International - » MINISTRY COMMITMENTS

MINISTRY COMMITMENTS January, February 2012

Sunday 22nd January

RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church10am

Sunday 29th January

MURRAY BRIDGE Living Waters Church 11am

LAMEROO AOG 2.30pm

Wednesday 1st February

RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church

7.30pm Evangelism training

Sunday 5th February

BALAKLAVA Family Church

Visitor’s morning 10am

Theme : Economic crises, terrorism, natural

disasters…what on earth is happening ?

Friday 10th February

MILLICENT Southern Fire Church

Sketchboard youth night

Saturday 11th February

MILLICENT Southern Fire Church

Evangelism training seminar

10am – 2 pm lunch included

Sunday 12th February

MILLICENT Southern Fire Church

10am Visitor’s morning

Youth theme : « When doing wrong comes

knocking, how do you say NO ! »

KINGSTON SE New Life Centre

Visitor’s evening 5pm ?

Theme « How can you believe in something you

can’t see ? »

Wednesday 15th February

RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church

7.30pm Evangelism training

Sunday 19th February

RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church 10am

PARADISE Seniors 3.30pm

Sunday 26th February

KADINA Gateway Life Centre 10am

Wednesday 29th February

RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church

7.30pm Evangelism Training

Sunday 4th March

PLAYFORD Salt Church 10am Visitors morning

Theme : Economic crises, terrorism, natural

disasters..what on earth is happenning ?

PARADISE Seniors 3.30pm

VINCE & DENISE ESTERMAN

MINISTRY ON REUNION ISLAND December 2011

Over a 20 year period Vince and Denise have been visiting this beautiful French-speaking volcanic island which, on a map of the world, only shows up as a barely visible pin-prick east of Madagascar in the southern Indian Ocean. Yet the Island has an ever-increasing population which has now reached 830,000.

A BRIEF REVIEW

In the early 90’s Vince was asked by a few Christians on the island to help plant a church. It would carry the name Christian Life Assembly and later be changed to CEP (Protestant Evangelical Centre) to distinguish it from the cults.

The first convert to be baptised in the church is now it’s pastor, Jeannick Médor, who with his wife Fabienne and their 5 children are leading the church with great wisdom and faith, so much so that the church has become well-known and influential in Saint Pierre, the main city in the south.

Vince visited the island many times in his capacity as president of the movement of churches to which this new fellowship belonged. His role was more apostolic then but now when he comes he fulfils the role of an evangelist, equipping the church to be effective in winning people to Christ. This was very much the case with his last visit in 2008.

RUNNING TRAINING SCHOOLS

This month of December 2011 saw a number of schools conducted :

School of the Gospel – led by Vince – 40 registered from several churches

Preachers School – also led by Vince – for pastors and leaders

School for children’s church leaders – led by Denise – 20 participants from 4 churches.

The effect of the training for some was revolutionary. One preacher even felt like resigning out of embarassement of the way he had been preaching. He said it with a smile. Those who attended the school of the Gospel discovered a much more people-friendly approach rather than the confrontational way they had been doing it and the children workers went back to their churches very enthusiastically with many new creative ideas.

EXTENDING THE KINGDOM

We put the theory into practice with some special visitors meetings as well as a sketchboard street outreach with Vince telling the stories he is well-known for. Many stopped and gladly received an invitation to the meetings. Even the police seemed interested !

The first Sunday was a Visitor’s morning and at the altar invitation for salvation 12 people came forward, all of whom were first time decisions. In the two mid-week meetings in large halls the organisors were overwhelmed by the response. The counsellors couldn’t cope with the numbers of people coming forward to give their lives to Christ.

We can only hope that in the years ahead we will find some of these people in key roles in the churches, like Pascal who was saved in one of Vince’s meetings in the early 90’s and is now an elder and the treasurer of the church and Stéphane who was saved during the 2008 visit and is now the youth leader of the church.

Vince and Denise returned home to Australia with a glad heart having seen all that the Lord had done. They will not be waiting 3 years before the next visit. Plans for a follow-up visit are on the drawing board.

AT LAST… NEWS FROM VINCE & DENISE ESTERMAN

November, 2011

As I write this newsletter to you, I’m sitting in a mountain cabin in front of a log fire somewhere in the southern mountains of Norway, lost in a fog that London would easily claim as its own. Denise is in the same room working at her computer and we are preparing for our return to Australia in two days’ time, after what has been for me, a 10 week trip to Scandinavia and Belgium.

These days, after 35 years of public ministry, I find it easy to pause and reflect on what an incredible journey we are on. It’s been anything but dull!

Just take this trip for instance. We have trained over a 100 young people in effective evangelism in YWAM bases and Bible schools in various countries; ministered in several churches in Belgium, Norway, Finland and Estonia; spoken to hundreds of university students, both on their campuses as well as in Christian meetings; conducted street meetings that gathered crowds of people in 4 countries and taught pastors and Christian leaders on preaching to secular people today.

Here are a few snippets of what happened:

Effectiveness is the key word. In one of the churches, the outreach to the local community – while done with zeal each week – had produced no new converts in the church. We took a group out with my sketchbord to the mall on the Saturday in drizzly weather, but people stopped and listened with interest. That evening, two men who had heard me on the streets, came to the meeting and, at the invitation, gave their lives to Christ. The following morning one of them returned, saying how determined he was to go on with Jesus. The leaders were amazed at the ease of the response.

At the university in Trondheim, Norway, there were over 100 students and staff around my board at one stage and 25 non-Christians came to the lecture I gave on “Do Miracles still happen today?”

In Helsinki, after the teaching, I was accompanied by YWAM students into what was reputed to be the drug and alcohol hot spot of the city. This was not the rarefied atmosphere of a Christian meeting! Drunks were reaching into their pockets to give me some coins as an expression of gratitude. My translator even had to hold a man’s huge glass of rum as he translated for me while the man dug into his pockets. The Christians were thrilled by the adventure of it all and the good response we received.

In a totally different environment, I had the privilege of speaking to nationally-known Christian leaders in Norway over a two-day retreat. The impact was considerable and I’ve been asked to return next year to take them even further in understanding how to reach secular people in the Western world.

DENISE’S JETLAG

Denise hasn’t been just sitting on the front row jetlagged and falling asleep while listening to me either! She’s spoken to young people and church groups on children’s ministry and helped one church in Norway’s Arctic Circle to set up a children’s church programme. She was able to join me so that we could be together for the final 3 weeks of the itinerary and return home together. We are believing that greater financial support will allow Denise to travel with me more and more in the future as we continue to develop the ministry at home in Australia and overseas.

RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS AND BEYOND

We get back to Adelaide early November but we won’t be sitting on a beach waiting for Christmas! In fact, we are home for only 3 weeks, ministering in churches in Adelaide and in country areas before flying out together for a two-week mission on Reunion Island. This is a French territory located in the southern Indian Ocean near Madagascar. Twenty years ago, we helped plant a church on this island which is now leading an initiative to train leaders throughout the island and reach out to the population.

Returning to Australia in mid-December, we will attend the 60th wedding anniversary celebrations of my parents before returning to Adelaide for Christmas.

In March 2012 it’s back to France for another 10-week itinerary.

PROJECTS ON THE DRAWING BOARD

My second book, “Stories From the Street”, is about to be released in French. This will be the third of my books published in French and we are believing that it will be a real inspiration to many.

In English, we are working on a new edition of my manual for new Christians called “Living for Jesus”. This is a series of 15 studies designed to help new believers get established in their Christian faith and church life. It should be released before the end of the year.

I’m also looking forward to doing my sketchboard at the Saturday markets in the car park of the Hillside Church at Ridgehaven.

SOME THOUGHTS TO SHARE WITH YOU

The Bible, from cover to cover, is a book about salvation. This IS important to God.

The Lord’s table was instituted so that we would never forget that, at the very centre of everything we do as Christians, is the saving work of Jesus.

The only thing you can ever take to Heaven with you is the person you led to Christ.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER BEING ONE OF OUR MINISTRY PARTNERS?

We appreciate so much the churches and individuals who believe in the importance of what we are doing for the cause of the Gospel. By prayer and financial support, you can help us in this work. You may want to make a one-off gift or contribute regularly. If so, our bank details in Australia are given below:

Bank:

National Australia Bank

22 King William St.

Adelaide SA 5000

Name of account:

Esterman Ministries International Inc.

Address:

50 Fowler St

Seaview Downs

SA 5049 Australia

SWIFT (BIC): NATAAU3305A

BSB (For transfers within Australia):

085-005

Account number:754418913

Thank you so much for your interest in our ongoing ministry. May the God of grace and peace, fill your lives every day.

Your friends

Vince & Denise

Website: www.estermanministries.com

Email: esterman.v@gmail.com

WHERE WILL Vince Esterman be in Australia ?

You can put these dates in your diary.

28th August: Gateway Life Centre, Kadina, SA – Pastor Geoff Rowland

VINCE & DENISE ESTERMAN’S TRIP TO EUROPE SEPT-NOV. 2011

SEPTEMBER

Tuesday 30/08

Vince flies out from Adelaide to Paris via Hong Kong

Friday 2/09

Fly to Tromso NORWAY (Arctic circle)

FILADELFIA CHURCH Ministry in Family camp, school of

evangelism, combined youth rally, Sunday services, Visitor’s service

Monday 12/09

Fly to Oslo then to Brussels, BELGIUM

Ministry in Christian Life Centre Mouscron,

Belgium (church we helped found in the 90’s)

Leadership meetings, evangelism training, street sketchboard,

Saturday Visitors’ service, Sunday meetings

Friday 23/09

Church Colfontaine, Belgium

Two visitors services, Evangelism training,

inter church youth rally

Monday 26/09

Fly from Brussels to Trondheim, NORWAY (one of N’s major cities)

University Outreach

Campus Christian fellowship meetings, training seminar for students,

outreach lecture,

Teaching on creative evangelism at the Pentecostal Bible School,

Sunday services in one of the local churches.

OCTOBER

Monday 3/10

Fly from Trondheim to Tallinn, ESTONIA

Training in churches and street sketchboard outreach

with Youth With a Mission

Friday 7/10

Take ferry across to Helsinki, FINLAND

Speaking at YWAM staff conference, sketchboard street outreach

Teaching all week in the YWAM Discipleship Training School,

outside of Helsinki

Friday 14/10

Denise flies out of Adelaide to Oslo via Singapour & Paris

Saturday 15/10

Vince flies from Helsinki to Oslo NORWAY

to meet up with Denise

Sunday 16/10 V&D fly to Tromso (in the Arctic Circle)

Teaching all week in the YWAM Discipleship Training School to be

held at the university in Tromso, sketchboard outreach at

the university and outreach lecture.

Weekend meetings including visitors service at the Filadelfia church

Monday 24/10 V&D

fly from Tromso to Kristiansand (another of Norway’s major

cities) Teaching all week in the YWAM Discipleship Training School

Including university outreach with sketchboard

NOVEMBER

Monday 31/10 V&D fly from Kristiansand to Oslo

Speaking at a 3 day national retreat for pastors & leaders

Thursday 3/11 Weekend with friends, Terje & Eva Konradsen

in the mountains north of Oslo.

Monday 7/11

V&D fly from Oslo to Adelaide via Paris & Hong Kong.

Arrive Adelaide Wednesday morning

December

1st – 15th December: CEP Church, St Pierre, Reunion Island (southern Indian Ocean)

BREAKING NEWS

IN THE EXCITING ADVENTURES

OF VINCE AND DENISE ESTERMAN

April, 2011

My latest trip to France and Belgium is drawing to a close and it is time to reflect and rejoice in all that has happened and, of course, to share news with you, our friends and partners in this work. It is good to talk with friends.

WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE

Well, so much has happened since our last newsletter in November, 2010. To be quite honest with you, when we handed our church in Paris over to my successor and returned to Australia after 21 years in France, we didn’t know what the future would hold for us. We simply had this thought that it was now time to develop a different model of the ministry of the evangelist, based on Ephesians 4:11. But was it a “pipe dream”?

Four years later, things are coming together in an encouraging and surprising way. Today we can speak of 3 spheres of operations with a 4th emerging.

AUSTRALIA

We were completely unknown when we settled in the city of Adelaide in 2007. Yet today, pastors of both city and country churches are asking for help to get their churches moving by winning people to Christ in a deliberate ongoing way. This takes time but the demand is there. In the 4-month period before flying back to Europe in September, all my Sundays are booked up, to conduct “Visitors’ Services” or speaking motivationally to Christians to reach today’s world with the Gospel message. Though it will take time, we are confident that there will be fruit for the churches.

FRANCE

This trip to France in the northern spring has seen us take a major step forward. In the past, the itineraries have looked like a patchwork quilt with bits and pieces sown together. As with previous trips, this one looked like a “Tour de France” cycling race taking me north, south, east and west, as well as the Paris area.

However, what is now emerging is very significant: pastors from various denominations like AOG, Baptists and UAPM (the movement we founded 20 years ago) have asked me to partner with them as a consultant in evangelism to train and equip the churches as well as to conduct evangelistic events. On the drawing board are things like a School for Evangelists, a Bible School, training seminars for preachers to learn to preach the message to secularised people, working with pastors to bring a “mission” dimension back to the church and so on. Very exciting development!

These leaders want to replace the paradigm of the headstrong evangelistic types who create problems for the local church and make people feel guilty.

SOME SNIPPETS FROM MEETINGS IN FRANCE

What has particularly marked the meetings has been the impact of words of knowledge given to new people attending the services.

In LILLE, a young man came with newly-saved friends. He came without much interest in spiritual things. The word I had for him was that his life in his hands was like a RUBIC cube and he couldn’t get the colours to line up. But once in the hands of Jesus, the colours of his life would come together. He was powerfully touched and asked for prayer. The pastor tells me he is now getting ready to be baptised.

In MILLAU, a dignified man with a grey beard received a word about having belonged to a network of people which had completely broken down. After years of solitude, God would give him new relationships, nothing like what he had known before. From the back of the hall he called out to me, “You are a medium!” He later came forward to give his life to Christ.

In TOULOUSE, another Vincent, a university graduate, committed his life to Jesus in a meeting held in a Korean restaurant. It was also in response to a clear word of knowledge.

In PANTIN, a Muslim woman wearing a head veil listened to me in tears. She came forward and prayed publicly “Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God, the Saviour of the world”. The congregation was deeply moved.

In VALENCIENNES, a man raised his hand at the Gospel invitation but didn’t dare come forward. We went to him and led him to the front of the church with his wife, both with tears flowing as he gave his life to Christ. The organising pastor in this region estimated that in the 2 week period, 45 new people came forward to give their lives to Christ in the meetings.

In MONS, a woman and her adult daughter heard my sketch board stories in the streets on the Saturday. On Sunday, they came to the meeting and responded to the call to come to Jesus.

Space prevents me from relating all of the things we saw the Holy Spirit do.

Now, let me take you back to the various spheres of ministry.

SCANDINAVIA

In the cold climates of northern Europe, there also, we are seeing some interesting developments. I have been working with a number of YWAM bases in Norway as well as some local churches. This is ongoing but an interesting event is planned for November. I’ve been asked to speak at a retreat for pastors and leaders from across the board in Norway to help them understand and reach secularised people. This will be a most significant time. Visits to Finland and Estonia are also being planned for later in 2011.

USA

In May 2011, I will be making a quick dash to Texas where I’ve been asked to speak on the subject of effective evangelism at a Disciples’ Training School for a YWAM base. There is real concern about Christians being out of their depth in sharing the Gospel in today’s world.

BUT WHAT ABOUT DENISE? (I hear you thinking out loud!)

Would you believe me if I told you that she is coping well with her husband’s absences, though (fortunately) she does miss him a lot? It makes the homecomings sweet! She has always understood that there are



		MINISTRY COMMITMENTS
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		MINISTRY COMMITMENTS January, February 2012 Sunday 22nd January RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church10am Sunday 29th January MURRAY BRIDGE Living Waters Church 11am LAMEROO AOG 2.30pm Wednesday 1st February RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church 7.30pm Evangelism training Sunday 5th February BALAKLAVA Family Church Visitor’s morning 10am Theme : Economic crises, terrorism, natural disasters…what on earth is happening ? Friday 10th February MILLICENT Southern Fire Church Sketchboard youth night Saturday 11th February MILLICENT Southern Fire Church Evangelism training seminar 10am – 2 pm lunch included Sunday 12th February MILLICENT Southern Fire Church 10am Visitor’s morning Youth theme : « When doing wrong comes knocking, how do you say NO ! » KINGSTON SE New Life Centre Visitor’s evening 5pm ? Theme « How can you believe in something you can’t see ? » Wednesday 15th February RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church 7.30pm Evangelism training Sunday 19th February RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church 10am PARADISE Seniors 3.30pm Sunday 26th February KADINA Gateway Life Centre 10am Wednesday 29th February RIDGEHAVEN Hillside Community Church 7.30pm Evangelism Training Sunday 4th March PLAYFORD Salt Church 10am Visitors morning Theme : Economic crises, terrorism, natural disasters..what on earth is happenning ? PARADISE Seniors 3.30pm VINCE & DENISE ESTERMAN MINISTRY ON REUNION ISLAND December 2011 Over a 20 year period Vince and Denise have been visiting this beautiful French-speaking volcanic island which, on a map of the world, only shows up as a barely visible pin-prick east of Madagascar in the southern Indian Ocean. Yet the Island has an ever-increasing population which has now reached 830,000. A BRIEF REVIEW In the early 90’s Vince was asked by a few Christians on the island to help plant a church. It would carry the name Christian Life Assembly and later be changed to CEP (Protestant Evangelical Centre) to distinguish it from the cults. The first convert to be baptised in the church is now it’s pastor, Jeannick Médor, who with his wife Fabienne and their 5 children are leading the church with great wisdom and faith, so much so that the church has become well-known and influential in Saint Pierre, the main city in the south. Vince visited the island many times in his capacity as president of the movement of churches to which this new fellowship belonged. His role was more apostolic then but now when he comes he fulfils the role of an evangelist, equipping the church to be effective in winning people to Christ. This was very much the case with his last visit in 2008. RUNNING TRAINING SCHOOLS This month of December 2011 saw a number of schools conducted : School of the Gospel – led by Vince – 40 registered from several churches Preachers School – also led by Vince – for pastors and leaders School for children’s church leaders – led by Denise – 20 participants from 4 churches. The effect of the training for some was revolutionary. One preacher even felt like resigning out of embarassement of the way he had been preaching. He said it with a smile. Those who attended the school of the Gospel discovered a much more people-friendly approach rather than the confrontational way they had been doing it and the children workers went back to their churches very enthusiastically with many new creative ideas. EXTENDING THE KINGDOM We put the theory into practice with some special visitors meetings as well as a sketchboard street outreach with Vince telling the stories he is well-known for. Many stopped and gladly received an invitation to the meetings. Even the police seemed interested ! The first Sunday was a Visitor’s morning and at the altar invitation for salvation 12 people came forward, all of whom were first time decisions. In the two mid-week meetings in large halls the organisors were overwhelmed by the response. The counsellors couldn’t cope with the numbers of people coming forward to give their lives to Christ. We can only hope that in the years ahead we will find some of these people in key roles in the churches, like Pascal who was saved in one of Vince’s meetings in the early 90’s and is now an elder and the treasurer of the church and Stéphane who was saved during the 2008 visit and is now the youth leader of the church. Vince and Denise returned home to Australia with a glad heart having seen all that the Lord had done. They will not be waiting 3 years before the next visit. Plans for a follow-up visit are on the drawing board. AT LAST… NEWS FROM VINCE & DENISE ESTERMAN November, 2011 As I write this newsletter to you, I’m sitting in a mountain cabin in front of a log fire somewhere in the southern mountains of Norway, lost in a fog that London would easily claim as its own. Denise is in the same room working at her computer and we are preparing for our return to Australia in two days’ time, after what has been for me, a 10 week trip to Scandinavia and Belgium. These days, after 35 years of public ministry, I find it easy to pause and reflect on what an incredible journey we are on. It’s been anything but dull! Just take this trip for instance. We have trained over a 100 young people in effective evangelism in YWAM bases and Bible schools in various countries; ministered in several churches in Belgium, Norway, Finland and Estonia; spoken to hundreds of university students, both on their campuses as well as in Christian meetings; conducted street meetings that gathered crowds of people in 4 countries and taught pastors and Christian leaders on preaching to secular people today. Here are a few snippets of what happened: Effectiveness is the key word. In one of the churches, the outreach to the local community – while done with zeal each week – had produced no new converts in the church. We took a group out with my sketchbord to the mall on the Saturday in drizzly weather, but people stopped and listened with interest. That evening, two men who had heard me on the streets, came to the meeting and, at the invitation, gave their lives to Christ. The following morning one of them returned, saying how determined he was to go on with Jesus. The leaders were amazed at the ease of the response. At the university in Trondheim, Norway, there were over 100 students and staff around my board at one stage and 25 non-Christians came to the lecture I gave on “Do Miracles still happen today?” In Helsinki, after the teaching, I was accompanied by YWAM students into what was reputed to be the drug and alcohol hot spot of the city. This was not the rarefied atmosphere of a Christian meeting! Drunks were reaching into their pockets to give me some coins as an expression of gratitude. My translator even had to hold a man’s huge glass of rum as he translated for me while the man dug into his pockets. The Christians were thrilled by the adventure of it all and the good response we received. In a totally different environment, I had the privilege of speaking to nationally-known Christian leaders in Norway over a two-day retreat. The impact was considerable and I’ve been asked to return next year to take them even further in understanding how to reach secular people in the Western world. DENISE’S JETLAG Denise hasn’t been just sitting on the front row jetlagged and falling asleep while listening to me either! She’s spoken to young people and church groups on children’s ministry and helped one church in Norway’s Arctic Circle to set up a children’s church programme. She was able to join me so that we could be together for the final 3 weeks of the itinerary and return home together. We are believing that greater financial support will allow Denise to travel with me more and more in the future as we continue to develop the ministry at home in Australia and overseas. RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS AND BEYOND We get back to Adelaide early November but we won’t be sitting on a beach waiting for Christmas! In fact, we are home for only 3 weeks, ministering in churches in Adelaide and in country areas before flying out together for a two-week mission on Reunion Island. This is a French territory located in the southern Indian Ocean near Madagascar. Twenty years ago, we helped plant a church on this island which is now leading an initiative to train leaders throughout the island and reach out to the population. Returning to Australia in mid-December, we will attend the 60th wedding anniversary celebrations of my parents before returning to Adelaide for Christmas. In March 2012 it’s back to France for another 10-week itinerary. PROJECTS ON THE DRAWING BOARD My second book, “Stories From the Street”, is about to be released in French. This will be the third of my books published in French and we are believing that it will be a real inspiration to many. In English, we are working on a new edition of my manual for new Christians called “Living for Jesus”. This is a series of 15 studies designed to help new believers get established in their Christian faith and church life. It should be released before the end of the year. I’m also looking forward to doing my sketchboard at the Saturday markets in the car park of the Hillside Church at Ridgehaven. SOME THOUGHTS TO SHARE WITH YOU The Bible, from cover to cover, is a book about salvation. This IS important to God. The Lord’s table was instituted so that we would never forget that, at the very centre of everything we do as Christians, is the saving work of Jesus. The only thing you can ever take to Heaven with you is the person you led to Christ. WOULD YOU CONSIDER BEING ONE OF OUR MINISTRY PARTNERS? We appreciate so much the churches and individuals who believe in the importance of what we are doing for the cause of the Gospel. By prayer and financial support, you can help us in this work. You may want to make a one-off gift or contribute regularly. If so, our bank details in Australia are given below: Bank: National Australia Bank 22 King William St. Adelaide SA 5000 Name of account: Esterman Ministries International Inc. Address: 50 Fowler St Seaview Downs SA 5049 Australia SWIFT (BIC): NATAAU3305A BSB (For transfers within Australia): 085-005 Account number:754418913 Thank you so much for your interest in our ongoing ministry. May the God of grace and peace, fill your lives every day. Your friends Vince & Denise Website: www.estermanministries.com Email: esterman.v@gmail.com WHERE WILL Vince Esterman be in Australia ? You can put these dates in your diary. 28th August: Gateway Life Centre, Kadina, SA – Pastor Geoff Rowland VINCE & DENISE ESTERMAN’S TRIP TO EUROPE SEPT-NOV. 2011 SEPTEMBER Tuesday 30/08 Vince flies out from Adelaide to Paris via Hong Kong Friday 2/09 Fly to Tromso NORWAY (Arctic circle) FILADELFIA CHURCH Ministry in Family camp, school of evangelism, combined youth rally, Sunday services, Visitor’s service Monday 12/09 Fly to Oslo then to Brussels, BELGIUM Ministry in Christian Life Centre Mouscron, Belgium (church we helped found in the 90’s) Leadership meetings, evangelism training, street sketchboard, Saturday Visitors’ service, Sunday meetings Friday 23/09 Church Colfontaine, Belgium Two visitors services, Evangelism training, inter church youth rally Monday 26/09 Fly from Brussels to Trondheim, NORWAY (one of N’s major cities) University Outreach Campus Christian fellowship meetings, training seminar for students, outreach lecture, Teaching on creative evangelism at the Pentecostal Bible School, Sunday services in one of the local churches. OCTOBER Monday 3/10 Fly from Trondheim to Tallinn, ESTONIA Training in churches and street sketchboard outreach with Youth With a Mission Friday 7/10 Take ferry across to Helsinki, FINLAND Speaking at YWAM staff conference, sketchboard street outreach Teaching all week in the YWAM Discipleship Training School, outside of Helsinki Friday 14/10 Denise flies out of Adelaide to Oslo via Singapour & Paris Saturday 15/10 Vince flies from Helsinki to Oslo NORWAY to meet up with Denise Sunday 16/10 V&D fly to Tromso (in the Arctic Circle) Teaching all week in the YWAM Discipleship Training School to be held at the university in Tromso, sketchboard outreach at the university and outreach lecture. Weekend meetings including visitors service at the Filadelfia church Monday 24/10 V&D fly from Tromso to Kristiansand (another of Norway’s major cities) Teaching all week in the YWAM Discipleship Training School Including university outreach with sketchboard NOVEMBER Monday 31/10 V&D fly from Kristiansand to Oslo Speaking at a 3 day national retreat for pastors & leaders Thursday 3/11 Weekend with friends, Terje & Eva Konradsen in the mountains north of Oslo. Monday 7/11 V&D fly from Oslo to Adelaide via Paris & Hong Kong. Arrive Adelaide Wednesday morning December 1st – 15th December: CEP Church, St Pierre, Reunion Island (southern Indian Ocean) BREAKING NEWS IN THE EXCITING ADVENTURES OF VINCE AND DENISE ESTERMAN April, 2011 My latest trip to France and Belgium is drawing to a close and it is time to reflect and rejoice in all that has happened and, of course, to share news with you, our friends and partners in this work. It is good to talk with friends. WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE Well, so much has happened since our last newsletter in November, 2010. To be quite honest with you, when we handed our church in Paris over to my successor and returned to Australia after 21 years in France, we didn’t know what the future would hold for us. We simply had this thought that it was now time to develop a different model of the ministry of the evangelist, based on Ephesians 4:11. But was it a “pipe dream”? Four years later, things are coming together in an encouraging and surprising way. Today we can speak of 3 spheres of operations with a 4th emerging. AUSTRALIA We were completely unknown when we settled in the city of Adelaide in 2007. Yet today, pastors of both city and country churches are asking for help to get their churches moving by winning people to Christ in a deliberate ongoing way. This takes time but the demand is there. In the 4-month period before flying back to Europe in September, all my Sundays are booked up, to conduct “Visitors’ Services” or speaking motivationally to Christians to reach today’s world with the Gospel message. Though it will take time, we are confident that there will be fruit for the churches. FRANCE This trip to France in the northern spring has seen us take a major step forward. In the past, the itineraries have looked like a patchwork quilt with bits and pieces sown together. As with previous trips, this one looked like a “Tour de France” cycling race taking me north, south, east and west, as well as the Paris area. However, what is now emerging is very significant: pastors from various denominations like AOG, Baptists and UAPM (the movement we founded 20 years ago) have asked me to partner with them as a consultant in evangelism to train and equip the churches as well as to conduct evangelistic events. On the drawing board are things like a School for Evangelists, a Bible School, training seminars for preachers to learn to preach the message to secularised people, working with pastors to bring a “mission” dimension back to the church and so on. Very exciting development! These leaders want to replace the paradigm of the headstrong evangelistic types who create problems for the local church and make people feel guilty. SOME SNIPPETS FROM MEETINGS IN FRANCE What has particularly marked the meetings has been the impact of words of knowledge given to new people attending the services. In LILLE, a young man came with newly-saved friends. He came without much interest in spiritual things. The word I had for him was that his life in his hands was like a RUBIC cube and he couldn’t get the colours to line up. But once in the hands of Jesus, the colours of his life would come together. He was powerfully touched and asked for prayer. The pastor tells me he is now getting ready to be baptised. In MILLAU, a dignified man with a grey beard received a word about having belonged to a network of people which had completely broken down. After years of solitude, God would give him new relationships, nothing like what he had known before. From the back of the hall he called out to me, “You are a medium!” He later came forward to give his life to Christ. In TOULOUSE, another Vincent, a university graduate, committed his life to Jesus in a meeting held in a Korean restaurant. It was also in response to a clear word of knowledge. In PANTIN, a Muslim woman wearing a head veil listened to me in tears. She came forward and prayed publicly “Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God, the Saviour of the world”. The congregation was deeply moved. In VALENCIENNES, a man raised his hand at the Gospel invitation but didn’t dare come forward. We went to him and led him to the front of the church with his wife, both with tears flowing as he gave his life to Christ. The organising pastor in this region estimated that in the 2 week period, 45 new people came forward to give their lives to Christ in the meetings. In MONS, a woman and her adult daughter heard my sketch board stories in the streets on the Saturday. On Sunday, they came to the meeting and responded to the call to come to Jesus. Space prevents me from relating all of the things we saw the Holy Spirit do. Now, let me take you back to the various spheres of ministry. SCANDINAVIA In the cold climates of northern Europe, there also, we are seeing some interesting developments. I have been working with a number of YWAM bases in Norway as well as some local churches. This is ongoing but an interesting event is planned for November. I’ve been asked to speak at a retreat for pastors and leaders from across the board in Norway to help them understand and reach secularised people. This will be a most significant time. Visits to Finland and Estonia are also being planned for later in 2011. USA In May 2011, I will be making a quick dash to Texas where I’ve been asked to speak on the subject of effective evangelism at a Disciples’ Training School for a YWAM base. There is real concern about Christians being out of their depth in sharing the Gospel in today’s world. BUT WHAT ABOUT DENISE? (I hear you thinking out loud!) Would you believe me if I told you that she is coping well with her husband’s absences, though (fortunately) she does miss him a lot? It makes the homecomings sweet! She has always understood that there are