Misión Montana Vista:

Montgomery Family Newsletter December 2007

 “I will praise you, O Lord, . . . for Great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” Ps. 108:3-4

 

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ,

I hope that this letter finds you all very well. As you consider 2007, I truly hope that you can see how God’s hand has blessed and worked in you throughout the year.  We have had quite a year here on many levels. We’ve seen God working and transforming Christians here, including His work within our own lives.  We’ve seen people here reborn into a living hope and others listening to the gospel for the first time. We do believe that God has been glorified here in El Paso during the preceding months.  I also know that none of this would have been possible if you were not letting God use your resources for His good. So before going on, I again want to express my gratitude for first giving yourself to the Lord and secondly letting him work through you here in El Paso. May God richly bless you for your partnership in the work here.

 

2008 a Year of New Adventures

As most of you know 2008 is shaping up to be full of some new experiences for the Montgomery family as well as for the church here in Montana Vista. Lord willing, in June of 2008 Alicia, Bethany and I will be moving to Houston, Texas to work with the Texas Gulf Coast Bible Institute.  For some of you this may be a bit of a surprise, so I would like to tell you how this all has come about.  In March of 2007 I was contacted by the director of the institute about working with the school to train Spanish-speaking ministers and church leaders. At that time I said clearly that we were content doing what we were doing but that I would spend time in prayer about the possibility.  In April we visited Houston to see the school face-to face, so to speak, and determine if we even wanted to consider the possibility. At that time we were clear that the visit was simply to gather information to make a wise decision.  After returning, we spent the next 3 months seeking counsel with godly saints, praying, fasting and seeking God’s will. It has been one of the most difficult decisions we’ve made. Finally in July we officially decided to go. During the months that followed we continued to seek guidance on just how to transition the church here. In November we made the decision to join our work with the Montwood church of Christ (I will explain more regarding the future of the church here in a moment).  Thus, Lord willing, on January 13, 2008 the two congregations will begin working and worshipping together as one. From January until June, I will be working in an advisory position to help facilitate the joining of the two groups. This will include teaching, advising about cultural and language issues, working through bilingual/bicultural problems to name just a few. Finally, in the beginning of June we will move to Houston, and I will begin work as the assistant director of the Texas Gulf Coast Bible Institute.

Alicia and I see this move as a positive step. As most of you know very well, Alicia’s health has greatly suffered during the last three years here. We cannot prove conclusively that it is related to something atmospheric, but we feel rather certain that something in the area is keeping her from improving (possibly allergies to a particular vegetation in the area, pollution from Juarez, allergens inside our mobile home, or something completely unknown). We hope that by living in a different place we can allow her system to begin recovering.  Also, we have found Doctors in Houston who specialize in her illness, which, of course, will make it much easier for her to get good healthcare.  On a different note, we believe that through the school I will be able to influence and train more Spanish-speaking leaders, and thus have a greater impact on reaching Hispanics in the U.S. and abroad.  As many of you are very well aware, Spanish-speaking ministers are rare and valuable commodities, so to speak. We see such a great opportunity to begin making inroads into this enormous need by working with the institute.

 

The Future of the Montana Vista Congregation

The biggest concern for our departure has been the future of the group of believers here. We feel a tremendous burden for the church here and its continued development in the Lord. After making our decision to leave, we spent time with each individual member to assure that our love and, more importantly, God’s love continues. Since then, we’ve been studying transitions in the Bible and gleaning principles about God’s faithfulness, sovereignty and power in order to prepare the saints for what is to come in 2008.  We have had great support in our decision from the saints here and do not foresee any of them walking away from the Lord because of the changes.

As I mentioned above, we will be merging with the Montwood church of Christ on January 13, Lord willing. We chose this particular route for a number of reasons.  It is the closest congregation to our area (about a 15 min drive). I have had extensive contact with the church over the last four years and have found it to be a healthy, godly group of believers.  I feel very comfortable with entrusting the saints here to the oversight of godly elders there. Third, there is already a connection between the congregations. The dispensa (food pantry) that I have mentioned regularly in our work here actually takes place at Montwood. Many of our contacts and converts were reached through the dispensa at Montwood. Our two youth groups have done several things together over the years. Fourth, I see a great opportunity to receive further leadership and support from godly elders and other mature Hispanics at Montwood. Finally, we see new opportunities to evangelize more broadly in a larger area. For example, Montwood is beginning a television ministry that could reach throughout the city of El Paso.  We can only wait and see how God will bless the saints here through His continued work at Montwood.  The members here in Montana Vista are all willing to move together as a group and continue serving and worshiping the Lord as a unit, just in a different physical location. Also, when Alicia and I leave in June, Lonnie and Romie our co-workers here, will continue to work with the group here under the oversight of the Montwood elders.  So, we really believe it will be a very positive step for the kingdom of God.

 

 

Texas Gulf Coast Bible Institute

Here is a brief synopsis of the school and what my responsibilities will be there.  If you would like to learn more, feel free to go to the website at www.tgcbi.org. The school has been training Spanish-speaking church leaders since 2004. It is a two year program that includes basic textual courses over the Bible, biblical languages and ministry training.  Along with their academic program the students must work 10 hours/week in a church-plant in the Houston area, under the guidance of an experienced church planter. My responsibilities will fall into three categories: Administration, teaching and recruiting.  I will be responsible for much of the day-to-day administration of the school (paying bills, technical difficulties, etc.). Also I will be teaching one course per term (textual courses and possibly Greek).  In addition to these responsibilities I will be seeking Spanish speaking Christians to become full-time or part-time students at the school. By the way, if you are interested in starting or know of anyone who might be interested please contact me!

One aspect of the school that might require a bit more explaining (and what actually drew me to the school) is its use of current available technology to reach greater numbers of students throughout Latin America.  The school currently offers 22 live courses via the internet to 100 students at 19 locations in 7 different countries.  Let me explain through an example.  From October to December 2007 I taught students in Houston and Dallas while sitting in my office in El Paso. Each location is equipped with a computer, a camera, speakers and the internet. Through a computer program we were all able to see and hear one another and interact much like in a regular classroom—even though we were hundreds of miles apart. Thus, in essence through this technology I can be teaching students anywhere in the world if (1) they have access to internet and basic equipment, (2) are interested in deepening their understanding of God’s word. As you can probably see, the opportunities are almost endless! 

 

I know this has been a very brief overview of such substantial changes that are on the horizon for our family and the work here in Montana Vista.  If you would like any more information about any of this please feel free to contact me (phone (915) 921-8141, or email kevandaATattDOTnet). In addition, if you would like, I would be more than happy to present this information to the congregation to clear up any confusion.

 

We deeply love and appreciate your work in the kingdom of God.  I truly hope that the plans for the future will only cause God’s name to be glorified even more through us all.  We especially covet your prayers as we face new challenges in the coming months as we transition the church here and begin our move toward Houston. Also, I ask that you continue to keep Alicia’s health in your prayers.  We love you all deeply and hope to see each of you soon. May God richly bless you.

 

Kevin, Alicia and Bethany Montgomery