New Look: The Centre continues to be bustling with activity. Our vision continues to be using non-formal education as a means to share the Gospel with university students. Conversational English classes are still the "meat and potatoes" of what we do here and God is still working in the hearts of students. As a result of teacher-student relationships in the classroom, it is natural for friendships to form outside the classroom. In addition to our native-speaking English teachers, our five Thai staff (James, Esther, Fad, Nan, and Nudi) play a key role in coordinating classes, spending time with students when they arrive, and assisting in day-to-day operations. We currently have 13 teachers and 100 students. New Maejo Centre Plant: Because The Centre model has been effective here in Thailand, the concept of non-formal education as a means of sharing the Gospel is reaching more students. Two years ago, we told you about a new Centre that was planted in the province of Korat, and we're continuing to expand as we now have another facility in the sub district of Maejo, approximately 15 minutes north of Chiangmai that is growing.
What is The Centre Network?: As we continue to grow, we are excited to announce The Centre Network.
The Centre Network is a small team of people dedicated to the success of new and existing locations of The Centre by providing core and critical services outside the capacity of any one Ministry Partner or Centre. With the continued interest in developing new Centres across South East Asia and beyond, we gathered our Directors and key people from our current facilities together to develop some policies for next steps. These meetings were designed to develop a system to better equip our leaders to operate our Centres. It was exciting to meet with this team to reflect on what God has done through our ministry bases but also to help us organize for the potential we have yet to realize through the ministry of the team. Please pray with us as we work on planting a Centre in Cambodia in January of 2013!
Cooking Nights: Cooking Nights are a highlight for both students and staff! In June, we celebrated the Queen's Diamond Jubilee with tea and scones and in July, American Independence Day. There were also short-term teams from Canada, South Africa, and the U.S. that hosted Cooking Nights. Pictured below are a Mexican-themed night and a Vietnamese night.
Coming Up: The Centre Chiangmai will host special events for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Historically, these have been very well attended and we're already planning how we can share the Gospel with the students that come. Meet Rynier. The Maejo ministry started last October (2011). Due to a lack of teachers, staff, and Thai Christians, I am currently the only one teaching English here. We hosted our first Cooking Night this summer, which was a success! There is tremendous potential for our Centre to develop as the one in Chiangmai has but for this to happen, we need the manpower. Without more help, the only thing I will be able to do is simply continue to teach English classes. In addition to reaching university students, there are opportunities to be involved in other schools in Maejo for different ministry projects. We are located a block from a local Thai church called New Creation Church which is also opening doors for broader ministry with them. The Centre MaeJo has a lot of potential for ministry - the only thing needed is the manpower. Please pray for skilled workers who have a heart for students that can join our team and see lives transformed. If you're interested in helping, please email me: rynierk@gmail.com. Teachers: Pray for boldness for our staff as we initiate spiritual conversations with our students and that hearts would be open to receive the truth. Also, please pray that God would send more teachers to all our locations. When there aren't enough teachers, students are put on a waiting list until teachers are available. A full staff would enable us to interact with more students. English Camp: Please pray for both the planning process and the actual event. Pray that students' schedules would be open and that they would be interested in coming. Because many of our students don't have the money to help cover this event, we are looking for individuals to contribute financially. A gift of USD $1000 would enable English Camp to happen. Photo Contest: We will be hosting our first photo contest at the beginning of December, inviting students to express themselves and tell their stories through photography. This will be a low-impact community-building event and we are praying for God to use it as another step in leading students to Himself. |
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