Paul's June Update from the UK

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, greetings from the United Kingdom. We’ve reached the end of yet another semester here at the Bible College in York. I was blessed with the privilege of teaching through the books of Acts and Leviticus this time around. Leviticus is sometimes mistakenly thought of as a dry book but in reality it is anything but that, providing great inside into our New Covenant blessings and the finished work of our Savior on the cross. This semester we’ve had students representing the UK, USA, Mexico, Romania, Netherlands, Germany and Israel. Please pray in particular for our Israeli students as all of them have been in the IDF and some are heading back to reserve or active duty obligations.

CCBCY Spring 2024 Semester

Speaker’s Week

About a year ago I mentioned in a blog post a conversation I had with a shepherd named John.  A few weeks ago we were back in the Yorkshire Dales for Speaker’s Week and I met the same shepherd again; he had just finished assisting with the delivery of a newborn lamb- the lamb was about 10 minutes old when I walked up.  It had been breech so John gently pulled it out by the hind legs.  We were talking about sheep and one of the things John said is that shortly after a lamb is born, the ewe (mother) will emit a bleat and the lamb will then respond, effectively exchanging acoustic signatures that both will recognize for the rest of the time they are together.  John said that there can be a thousand sheep in a pasture and the lamb will recognize its mother’s bleat out of all of them.  God designed it to be that way, as a natural bond between creatures but our attention is surely drawn to the embedded spiritual parallel given in the words of our Lord:  “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).  From the beginning of my conversion experience some 34 years ago I knew His voice; I was born of God (1 John 5:1).  There is nothing like the voice of God; there can be a thousand other voices in our “pasture” but when He speaks, we know that it is Him.  We recognize His acoustic signature.

Shepherd John and I

Austria

Over the past few years I’ve been regularly bringing groups of students to the Castle (Schloss Heroldeck) in Millstatt, Austria during outreach week.  This summer I will be spending about 7 weeks there helping out with the ministry and also serving at the nearby Calvary Chapel in the town of Spittal.

Ewe and Lamb in Yorkshire

CC York

Calvary Chapel York is a thriving international church with people attending from many nations.  One of the greatest blessing of my life has been the privilege of serving this portion of the body of Christ here in teaching, leading worship, and many other practical ways.

York city walls

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for our students that they would continue to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd after their season at CCBCY is over; also that the Lord would send the students He desires to be here for the fall semester. Please also pray that the Lord would give me doors of utterance to share the Gospel this summer.  Thank you for your prayers and may the Lord richly bless you!

About Me:

 Prior to launching out into the mission field, I served at several Calvary Chapels in New Jersey for many years.  I have been serving at Calvary Chapel York, England since 2016.  I teach at the Bible College and serve at the church in a variety of ways including teaching, prison ministry and leading worship.  If you wish to support this ministry, contributions can be addressed to "Shepherd's Staff" with account #1454 in the memo section of check and sent to Shepherd's Staff, PO Box 24174, Knoxville, TN 37933. Automatic EFT can be set up through Shepherd's Staff website: www.ssmfi.org. Prayers are also greatly appreciated.  The Lord bless you!