It is good for me to draw near to God;
in the Lord God I have made my refuge
that I may tell of all your works

Psalm 73.28

Today’s Psalm encourages us to place our trust in God even when life is difficult, even when things seem unfair. I am always with you, says the psalmist, confessing that it has not always been easy for him to remember this; you will guide me with your counsel, and afterwards receive me with glory.

In the midst of trouble, we are encouraged to seek peace. We have just received an inspiring report from the latest Rooted in Jesus conference, which was held in the Missionary Diocese of Zambezia, Mozambique, where people are doing just that. Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world, and Zambezia is one of its poorest provinces. It is both rural and isolated, and things have been made immeasurably worse by the recent ravages of cyclone Freddy, the most powerful and long lasting ever recorded worldwide. Despite these difficulties, 160 people made their way on foot, by bus and on the back of trucks to get to the conference, and threw themselves with enthusiasm into everything that was offered them: “God is here!”, they exclaimed. Groups have already started and, remarkably, four new churches have been planted.

The team, with members from both the UK and South Africa, was led by Bishop Martin Breytenbach; you can read his report here. We have also uploaded video presentations by team member Daniel Maganin of the Relay Trust, which helped fund the conference, and by Bishop Vicente Msosa, who has chosen to take on this remote and poorly resourced new diocese because he has a passion for evangelism and discipleship.

Here in the UK our ministry to church leaders continues, with regular meetings for those in similar ministry situations taking place both in person and virtually, and a series of events on prayer being held in various locations around the country. We would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to John Benson, who has for many years led the ministry of EQUIP in North Wales, but who now finds that his ongoing health circumstances mean that he must draw this phase of his ministry to a close. We invite you to pray for John and for the members of that group.

If you would like to pray with us for the support and growth of discipleship in the UK and in Africa please do get in touch; we produce a regular prayer diary, and we have a dedicated team of intercessors who pray for our Rooted in Jesus missions.