April 2023 Newsletter
UGANDA UPDATE
I can honestly say that I was a little skeptical when we brought Brother Stanley on as our new ministry partner in December and I heard his plans concerning planting churches near and around Bombo, Uganda. The traditional method of planting churches begins with finding a ‘person of peace,’ or ‘person of good will,’ and then starting a small bible study in the village, inviting family and neighbors to come and examine the word of God each week, and then answering questions about Christianity and what it means to truly follow Jesus. Brother Stanley, on the other hand, goes right for the jugular by purchasing land, building a church building, and then going door to door to gather people to come to his church meetings each Sunday…and the remarkable thing is, they come! We purchased the land in Kibajjwe Village on December 29, 2022, the church building project began on January 6, 2023, and their first Sunday worship was January 22, just 16 days later. When we arrived on January 28, the church, ‘Cornerstone Baptist Church,’ (which Brother Stanley named without knowing that my church was ‘Cornerstone Community Church’) was nearly finished aside from the upper half of the walls, windows, and the wiring for the electricity.
The second Sunday service at ‘Cornerstone Baptist Church’ Kibajjwe 01/29/2023
Since Brother Stanley had previously planted 4 churches in Uganda, his plan was to bring in teams of 8 to 10 dedicated followers of Jesus each week from his previous churches, as well as brothers and sisters in Christ that he knew from bible college, to carry out door to door evangelism and preach the gospel in the village square. He began his evangelism strategy the week before we arrived and there were more than 50 people from the village the first Sunday of our visit, plus a LARGE group of children for Sister Loy’s children’s ministry.
I say all of this to say that God’s ways are not our ways and God’s plan are not always our plans. The Lord builds the church His way, and in His time, and this little village had been waiting for someone to come, build a church, and invite them to meet the Savior. Now, ‘Cornerstone Baptist Church’ Kibajjwe is growing faster than we can keep up with…which is a good thing. Since their first meeting, they are now averaging more than 100 people attending each Sunday and their weekly schedule is full for every day of the week:
Sunday – Morning and evening worship
Monday – Church leader team meeting
Tuesday – Prayer meeting
Wednesday – Bible study
Thursday – Discipleship study
Friday – Baptismal class
Saturday – Village outreach
Street preaching in the village square to those who have never heard the good news of Jesus
Villagers typically walk 2 to 3 miles each morning to get their water for the day, so we just sent funds to dig the ‘bore hole’ (water well) next to the church
Though the church is growing at an enormous rate, so is the persecution. Several of the young people, specifically Ronnie and Salimah, are facing persecution from their families and were even kicked out of their homes. Brother Stanley has brought them into his home temporarily until he can find a safe place for them to live and be able to grow in their new found faith in Jesus. Our Lord said that persecution and suffering was to be expected. “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” John 15:20. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:10. Our prayer is not that the Lord would stop the persecution, but that the Holy Spirit would strengthen them and help them to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus, no matter the cost. Please continue to pray for those from Cornerstone Baptist Church who are suffering because of their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Brother Stanley is nearly ready to start his second church plant among the Nubians of Bombo in a village called Bembe. When we make our next trip in July, we fully expect to be going door to door telling villagers about Jesus in this Muslim village. When the Lord is moving, we must take every opportunity to join Him in His work to ‘seek and save the lost.’ I pray that many of you will continue to support ‘Cornerstone Baptist Church’ as well as this second church plant in the village of Bembe…because God desires to make His name great among the nations: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
Sunday morning worship with over 100 in attendance and dozens of children in the Children’s ministry. The Lord is moving in Kibajjwe Village. 03/26/2023
UKRAINE MISSION UPDATE
Pastor Paul Dudka has continued his ministry to the refugees and orphans in southwestern Ukraine despite the ongoing military attack from Russia. Recently, he had the opportunity to visit a village called Yablonitsya where there were more than 46 military families in need of basic necessities such as food, clothing, and medicines and more importantly, in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There were also 15 refugees and several orphans that were helped and when the gospel was preached to the more than 100 people present, 20 individuals gave their lives to Jesus as Lord and Savior. On April 21, Brother Joe Nail will be traveling to Vizhnitsa, Ukraine to take vital equipment and supplies to Pastor Paul and will be spending the majority of his time ministering at Revival Baptist Church, helping meet the needs of refugees, orphans, and those in mountainous villages, as well as fellowshipping with Pastor Paul’s family. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Pastor Paul has been under severe physical, emotional, and mental stress from the war that rages all around him and Brother Joe will be such an encouragement to him and his family.
Pastor Paul delivering gift boxes of food, clothing, and medicines and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ to more than 100 people in the village of Yablonitsya
FUNDRAISER
As much as I dislike fundraisers, primarily because of the nightmares from my many years in youth ministry nearly 35 years ago, we are now in the process of raising funds for the fastest growing church plant that I have ever been a part of, ‘Cornerstone Baptist Church.’ Brother Stanley recently sent me a list of all those who have attended their new church: 145 people have attended their Sunday services and 32 waiting to be baptized on Thursday, April 6th. Some of the funds will be going to assist Brother Joe Nail as he travels to visit Pastor Paul Dudka in Vizhnitsa, Ukraine in April. These ‘Nail Art Sculptures,’ not to be confused with the silver shrines of Artemis made by Demetrius who was a silversmith in Ephesus (Acts 19:24), depict Jesus carrying His cross for you and me. These nail art sculptures are 100% hand made from various types of nails and clear coated to prevent rust and corrosion. We are asking for a donation of $35 each and $8.00 for shipping if you are unable to pick them up. You can learn more about them on our website: https://www.unreached4k.com/
Nail Art Sculptures of ‘Jesus Carrying His Cross
List of 145 people total from Kibajjwe Village who have attended ‘Cornerstone Baptist Church’ along with 32 new converts waiting to be baptized
FACEBOOK MINISTRY OUTREACH
The ‘Jesus Film’ was sent out through Facebook Ads three (3) times to (UPG’s) since the last newsletter:
Maldives – Dhivehi – 40,848 reached, 1,457 engagements, 61 reactions, 961 link clicks, 4 comments
Istanbul, Turkey – Dari – 70,068 reached, 1,348 engagements, 45 reactions, 1,298 link clicks, 2 comments
Abuja, Nigeria – Gbagyi – 43,464 reached, 7,978 engagements, 282 reactions, 7,670 link clicks, 15 comments
You can pray for the ‘Unreached People Group of the day’ at: https://joshuaproject.net/
UPCOMING TRIPS:
Brother Joe Nail will be traveling to Vizhnitsa, Ukraine April 21-May 5, 2023
Brother Gary Burkett and myself (Grant) will be traveling to Odisha, Chennai, and Coimbatore, India April 15-30, 2023
Team Trip to Bombo and Tororo, Uganda July 7–21, 2023
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Brother Stanley Kwagalana as he leads Cornerstone Baptist Church in Kibajjwe Village Uganda and will soon be planting another church closer to Bombo Town where 38,000 Nubian Muslims are desperate to hear the good news of Jesus. Also, please pray for Pastor Paul Dudka as he ministers to hundreds of refugees and orphans in southwestern Ukraine as well as Brother Joe Nail as he travels there to minister to him and his family, the refugees and orphans, as well as the nearby villages, next month.
HOW YOU CAN BE A PART OF OUR MISSION –
- Refugee and orphan support in Ukraine - $25 per month
- Bibles for new believers in Uganda - $8 each or $205 per case
- Projector to show the ‘Jesus Film’ - $165
- Water well in African village - $2,500
- Motor scooter (Boda Boda) for church planters - $1,400
- Church building in Africa - $6,000
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THE MINISTRY IN UGANDA, UKRAINE, AND AROUND THE WORLD.
To make a tax-deductible donation by credit card, please visit the donation page of our website. You can also send a check payable to ‘unreached4k’ to, 4713 Railroad Ave. Louisville, KY 40258.
Unreached 4K, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit our website to learn more: Unreached4k.com
