Dear friends and supporters,
Thank you for being our co-workers by means of prayer and giving.
This is the tenth of twelve prayer letters informing you about the progress and prospects of the ministry in Boston. The subject this week is ministry to the Bostonians.
The name Bostonians is used to describe our ministry to those with very difficult backgrounds or challenging life situations. Most of us who attended the Bostonian Bible study had experienced incarceration and/or heavy drug and alcohol use. For a while, good progress was being made with the members of the Bostonian Bible study, decisions were being made, and lives were changing in good and godly ways. But it causes great sorrow to report that this portion of our ministry is no longer doing well. One member of this group became angry and left our Sunday morning service, kicking the door on the way out. Another Bostonian also became angry for what seemed like unexplainable reasons. A third participant would not care for his addiction and is not welcome until he confronts his problem. A forth person with whom we were working was deported for good reasons. Ministry to the Bostonians took a great amount of time and emotional energy. While this study was flourishing, other areas of our ministry seemed to suffer. For instance, the number of baptisms significantly decreased.
The good news is that the leadership of the Bostonian group is still intact, and our resolve to effectively minister to the Bostonians has not changed. Our God is teaching us lessons and progress is again beginning to be made. With the eyes of faith, we are looking toward the day when our church will be filled with Bostonians who by the grace of God have broken the vicious cycle of sin that destroys the lives of those in the city. We need your prayers.
We love you,
Bill and Deb