Update from Sam and Claudia
Portugal
Hello dear friend, these last few days and months have been very busy, full of challenges and joys.
Since the beginning of the year, we have been looking to the Lord to know which direction we should take as a church. We are studying Paul´s letters and it is amazing to see the work and dedication that Paul had in the process of planting and growing the churches to which he addresses his letters. We know that it was not in his own strength, but through the action of the Holy Spirit in
his life. Therefore, our biggest prayer request is that the Lord have mercy on us and help us to grow as a church, being active agents in the planting and development of new churches.
We have discussed as leadership our ability to be in action, always doing the will of the Lord without interfering with our human plans and desires. We don’t just want to react to the conditions and situations that appear before us, but like Paul and his companions, we want to be led by the Holy Spirit as we advance in the Kingdom of God.
We started by talking about our trip to Poland. Our greatest desire was to contribute in some way to the great world problem: the war between Russia and Ukraine. Undoubtedly, a huge challenge that does not seem to have an end so near. We were there to bring humanitarian aid, bring refugees to Portugal and explore ways we could help from where we are. Portugal has received refugees just like the rest of the world and we at Surf Church Porto too. We have 1 family and a boy who came from Ukraine and a Polish family who also decided to live in Portugal in search of a quieter place (here you can see a video summary of the trip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYwRSImoI00).
In April we had the 7th anniversary of the church, and we took the opportunity to hold our annual conference. It was a simple celebration, but full of meaning. We had the chance to remember our history, we also talked about the opportunity we are experiencing now with our own space and to present the plans for the future. Our main mission continues to be a church that plants other churches and for this reason, we have developed our planting program called P2P
(https://www.potential2plant.com).
Now we prepare for the arrival of summer, the most intense time of our year. It is always an expectation to receive those who come as interns, those who will be visiting us, and all the attention dedicated to preparing for the 2022 surf camp.
Be in Prayer:
1. May the Lord continue to inspire us with His Holy Spirit to be an active and motivated church to expand His Kingdom;
2. We praise God for the opportunity to complete another year. May our story continue to grow and inspire people to follow Jesus;
3. May our planting project come to fruition and let us see new churches being planted in the north of Portugal.