ITERO
The International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones (ITERO) will be Friday to Lord’s Day, March 30 to April 1. Lord, prepare the way for rich dispensing and blending during this time.
“Fellowship unto the Furtherance of the Gospel” (Phil. 1:5)
The move of the preaching of the gospel must be a matter in fellowship, because it is a matter of the Body. If this were a matter of individuals only, there would be no need for fellowship.
In order to be prevailing and fruitful in the preaching of the gospel, we must pay our full attention to the Body life. The more we live in the Body life and have the reality of the Body life, the more we will be fruitful. Such a life will be a strong testimony to our relatives, friends, schoolmates, and neighbors. When all these people see the kind of mutual love we have among us as Christian brothers, they will be very impressed and influenced. This will pave the way and open the door for the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts. To have the real Body life helps us to be prevailing. I believe that this is the very reason why the apostle Paul uses the word fellowship in Philippians 1:5. (from Preaching the Gospel in the Way of Life, by Witness Lee, ch. 8)
Santa Monica
In the 1980s there was an English-speaking church life in Santa Monica. In the early 1990s they moved to west L.A. with a burden for UCLA. As they were moving, the Lord gained a Spanish-speaking group to continue the church life in Santa Monica. Through these decades the church met in the Santa Monica Red Cross building. Use of that building ended this month. Because the largest number among the Spanish-speaking saints now live in Inglewood, they have begun to meet as the church there.
Santa Monica is home to many young professionals. The church has an on-going work at Santa Monica College and several saints from L.A. work in Santa Monica. Let us ask the Lord, as He did in the early 1990s, to again restart the church life in Santa Monica. Lord, raise up an English-speaking nucleus to continue the church life in Santa Monica with the Spanish-speakers who are still there.
Inglewood
As a result of the transition from Santa Monica, the church in Inglewood began meeting this month.
UCLA (Hall 3) and SBCC Spring Break Trip
Over 40 saints and gospel friends, mainly from UCLA and Santa Barbara City College, have registered for our three-day trip (March 24-26) to the Bay area. Please pray for the blending in the Body and the safety on the way.
UCLA (Hall 5) Spring Break Trips
UCLA students will be going on two spring break trips March 24-31. Twenty-six will go to Florida and 24 will go to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Virginia. Please pray that:
- The Lord will cover and supply all the saints on these trips.
- There would be a sweet blending and building among all the students on the trips and with the saints in the localities that they will visit.
- The new ones see the vision of the Body of Christ and taste the sweet church life.
High School Conferences
The high school brothers’ and sisters’ conferences are this weekend. Nine high school brothers are registered but we lack one serving brother with a car. Pray for the release of this brother.
Northeast Ohio
The Lord has been moving in northeast Ohio since last year. Saints from the surrounding area are gathering in homes, and on Lord’s Day mornings in a rented room in the town of Wickliffe. Among these more than 20 attended the winter training; a few in Anaheim, most by video. Pray for further development in this part of Ohio.
San Luis Obispo
The labor on Cal Poly campus is progressing steadily as we have individual and group times with the students. Thursday is our main day for one on one meetings on the campus but we also make appointments other days. Our campus meeting is Friday and our college dinner and fellowship is Saturday night. Please pray for:
- saints who are seeking jobs in San Luis Obispo;
- the upcoming open house on campus where many high school students will be checking out Cal Poly (we will have a table set up for this event);
- the students that may be going to the College Conference in Southern California.
BfA at Tucson Festival of Books
The Festival was March 10-11. Nearly 200 copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and Basic Elements of the Christian Life were distributed, along with tracts and other ministry materials. Three recipients prayed to receive the Lord and several families with young children indicated that they are seeking fellowship and a place to meet. One believer, the chief of an Indian tribe from New Mexico, came to the booth multiple times to have fellowship with the saints. Several recipients from last year’s festival stopped by to share their enjoyment, and one asked to be contacted for a home meeting.
Please pray that:
- The three who prayed to receive the Lord would remain under shepherding care.
- The Lord would lead the saints as they contact the open recipients.
- The Lord would nourish the out-of-state recipients through the ministry and the Word.
Albania
Albania is a nation of about 3 million people; it is adjacent to Greece. It is one of the poorest nations in Europe. A majority of the people are Moslem; others are Albanian Orthodox. A couple from Albania, the Rikas, were in L.A. recently for their daughter Genta’s wedding. Last week they were baptized into Christ and into His Body. They testified that their time here was the happiest in their life. Since returning to Albania, they continue to be happy in the Lord and continue to call on Him.
May this interaction between L.A. and Albania cause us to pray for His move there. May the Lord gather a little flock to Himself and in Himself there.
Greece
Please continue to pray that the Lord will gain more homes among the ministry readers in Athens and Thessaloniki in which regular meetings can be held to enjoy the Lord through the ministry.
Русскоязычная Kонференция (Russian-speaking Conference)
The conference will be Friday evening through Lord’s Day afternoon, March 23-25, at the meeting hall in Sacramento. There will be messages on “The Line of Life in the Book of Genesis,” time for saints to testify, and time outside the meetings for saints to blend. We especially hope that the saints attending this conference will be able to bring seeking friends and relatives who might benefit from the atmosphere and riches of this time.
Announcements
- Morning revival: Psalms, week 19.
- Five to 10 minute video highlights of the Psalms are posted about once a week at https://churchinlosangeles.org/ministry/psalms/.
- The Memorial Day Conference will be Friday night, May 25 through Monday noon, May 28, in Bellevue, Washington. Information is posted at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/. If you will take children, register them with your district by April 27.
- An invitation to the spring conference in Israel is at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/. Registration deadline is April 1.
- There will be a time for saints in the Lord’s recovery to go to Israel for a summer tour and blending meetings with the saints. The tour begins July 15; it is in summer particularly so that college students, trainees, campus workers, and high school students could attend. Registration deadline is May 1 unless all spaces are filled earlier. Information is posted at https://churchinlosangeles.org/prayer/.