November 2019 newsletter

ROMANIA TRIP IN APRIL/MAY 2020 NOW BEING PLANNED

We have another opportunity to invest the gospel in Craiova, Romania and Alpha & Omega Baptist Church (Pastor Costel Burlacu). We are going to the “junior” mall very near Alpha & Omega Church to show a Christ-centered movie. And we already have the Catalin Ciuculescu band scheduled for the second weekend we are in the city.

What do we do to get some students to attend these events? The basketball ministry in the schools is an excellent way to network with middle school and high school students. Leon Caldwell and Aaron Jones will be traveling there a week before the rest of the team arrives, and they will make sure we have several schools to go to and teach the game of basketball. This past August I was privileged to meet with a teacher and her whole family; this teacher was at one of the leading schools in the city. She is “on board” with what we are doing. So much so that we may spend part of two days at that particular school.

We will also travel to a school about a one-hour drive outside of the city; Salcuta is the name of the area. Alpha & Omega Church has been going there on Saturdays and leading a gospel-centered time of teaching and singing and giving them a snack. It is a very poor area and there are a lot of gypsy families there. We will probably have a special meeting there with some preaching and music and explain the gospel.

I have been invited to speak at the University of Craiova in May. Hopefully that can result in some of the students attending the movie and concert as well.

We are accepting new applicants for this mission trip. Please contact Michael Palmer at revmike1@cox.net; text or call at 540-798-9824. The dates for the trip are April 30 through May 11. The cost is right at $2,400.

Your support makes all this possible: rental of theater, transportation, the Christian band, the gospel materials, and the New Testaments to give to everyone. I thank you for your support and helping touch this lost nation and city for Christ.

PRAYER KEYS FOR STRATEGIC PRAYING

FOR ROMANIA AND THE CRAIOVA MISSION TRIP

• Pray that God will begin working on hearts and minds before we arrive

• Pray that the schools will continue to be open to our basketball ministry

• Pray that some teachers and school administrators will want to check out the church

• Pray that the Lord will give us “the right” movie to show; and pray for conviction as a result of the movie, the concert, and our witness.

MIKE PALMER MINISTRIES PARTNERING WITH CAMPUS CRUSADE IN ROMANIA TO GET SPORTS NEW TESTAMENTS

Daniel Zafiris is a former soccer star in Romania. He is with Campus Crusade for Christ there. He has overseen a process of development of a brand new Sports New Testament. He has gathered testimonies from modern sports figures who have a clear gospel testimony and life. Their testimonies, along with a gospel presentation, will be included in this New Testament.

MPM is purchasing two thousand of these at a cost of $6,500. That works out to a cost of just $3.25 each. These have been one of the BEST tools we have used. Everyone of all ages LOVES IT. I praise God that we will have these for our upcoming trip in May 2020.

The photo is of ladies in Salcuta reading the New Testaments soon after they received them!

TRIP TO HELP PASTOR BEN MOGOS IN THE WORKS / BUCHAREST

Ben Mogos has planted a church in Bucharest, Romania. He has just completed his PhD at Dallas Theological Seminary. We are currently discussing a time I could come (in 2020) and invest in his work there. Pray that the Lord will work all this out. Ben was a translator for us 19 years ago!!!

OPPORTUNITY TO HELP PASTORS AND CHURCH PLANTS IN GUATEMALA

One of the young men I met about a year ago had graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University. He was married with a new baby and had just come to Roanoke. Well long story short, his father is a pastor/church planter in Guatemala. Pastor Job Marquez (Missions Pastor at North Roanoke BC) has arranged for me to go with him to invest in this church planter and the pastors/churches he oversees. It will be a relatively short trip but one of import, as we will have a pastors conference on Saturday, January 4th. We leave Thursday, January 2nd, and come back on Thursday, January 9th. Pastor Juarez has his own church, and also works for the Guatemalan Baptist Convention. His region is a six-hour drive away from Guatemala City! Pray that this relationship will be a source of strategic encouragement and that the pastors and key leaders in the churches will be strengthened. And as always pray for our safety.

WORKING WITH A COUPLE OF CHURCHES TO HELP IN CHURCH REVITALIZATION

There are three churches involved in a Revitalization Cohort (meeting monthly) in the Roanoke area. An outside group (the MALPHURS group) is leading this effort. I am partnering with pastor Reggie Oliphant and Metropolitan Baptist Church (Shenandoah Avenue) to help him in this process. I met with his Church Health Team in early November. I have also met recently with the pastor of Good News Baptist (Ferrum) and also spoken with Jeff Reynolds, pastor of Mountain View Church in Catawba. I have a vast amount of books and other resources that I make available to these pastors in order to help them move their church towards Gospel effectiveness. Please pray that the Lord will open doors locally that I might be able to help as many as possible.

MPM is a small but EFFECTIVE ministry. I thank God for all of you who participate in encouragement, prayer, and financial support.