Reassignment by Relocation

Sailing on the Indian Ocean

In these days of social media news travels fast! We imagine many of you may already know that we will be returning to the United States next month and continuing our ministry there. While it is difficult to leave people we've invested in for almost 8 years of our lives yet, we are excited to see what God wants to do in this next season of life.

VSM local teaching Staff.  Noah Gitau, second from left.

Doug will maintain his role as Principal of VSMAfrica and will be returning to Africa periodically both to teach and for Board meetings. For VSMAfrica this is a new season with new opportunities.  Noah Gitau, National Director for the Association of Vineyard Churches, Kenya and a frequent teacher with VSMAfrica will lead the Administrative team that has been ensuring the effective operation of the school for several years now.  

The goal is to recruit additional administrative support to the team -already consisting of a Director of Operations and Registrar – particularly adding to enhance our marketing and promotion.

Students from many countries.

Strengthening and growing the VSMAfrica team is of critical importance with the recent successful and exciting launch of the Tanzanian campus and the possible expansion into neighboring countries. 

For VSMAfrica to continue along the lines of our strategy, we will need to increase capacity both in terms of human resources and financial resources. We have greatly appreciated your past support and ask you to stay the course as we seek to extend the Kingdom of God via learning. 

As we make this transition, giving can still be directed to the Pomona account we've used for the past years.

We seek your prayers as we wrestle with all the logistics of relocating and moving back into our home, purchasing vehicles, Sue restarting her business, and discerning the next steps for Doug. 

for the Kingdom,

Sue & Doug

Connecting Scripture to our World

Ringo Felix, Arusha City Councilman

As it happens, immediately before our Sabbatical, Doug had been in Arusha, Tanzania launching Vineyard School of Ministry (VSM) courses. He was there again last week teaching How to Interpret Scripture. One of the students was a city councilman and church leader named Ringo Felix. As Ringo was heading home one day he was reflecting on that day's lesson on Ruth, and a women's right to inherit land in a man centered world. One of his neighbors joined Ringo as he walked along. He told the story of how one of his female relatives was told by her brothers that her part of the family property she had just inherited from her father, could not go to her according to their culture. What should this woman do?  Ringo was reminded how relevant the Bible is to his world and began to work with this man on a solution.

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Mapping a Church Plant

Later in the course the class was challenged to read how Paul planted the church in Ephesus and then diagram or map out a church plant based on Paul's model. Ringo's team designed their map based on an actual church plant and so merged both Scripture and actual practice.

Christine gesturing.

Relating the Scriptures to real life contexts stimulates passionate conversations and sometimes debate. Christine (pictured on right), is an attorney and church leader. The course helped her process a challenging church crisis, one in which she had had little support. Christine found support in this class.

                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                   



This course included an airline pilot, a Bishop, an attorney, a HIV AIDS worker, a youth worker, a city councilman, a couple of school teachers, and several pastors.




                                                                                                                                                        Please pray for:

• the spiritual growth of our students ("knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." 1 Cor.8.1)
• the completion of VSM's registration process here in Kenya.
• the Administrative Staff as they work with Daystar University to ensure our student records are current.
• the on-going funding of the ministry as it grows.