Dublin: GBIM's summer hotspot

GBIM Europe's summer hotspot for positive spiritual activity is Dublin!

River Liffey—Dublin, Ireland

Scott and Rebekah Becker just wrote saying:
"Just wanted to share some of the exciting things that are happening here in Dublin. Last week I shared with our small group that my hope was that we would:

1) have more guys
2) run out of food and plastic plates
3) have more people coming to know Christ

I wanted to share with you what happened tonight:

We had a full house! There were people on the floor and we ran out of room.

We ran out of food and plastic plates. Fortunately, two of the people who came for the second time brought pizza and garlic bread. We spent almost six hours hanging out, with food, games, some singing, prayer, and reading God's Word. This week we focused on Matthew 8 and 9. Miriam told me that here 19 year old daughter told her she is interested in the Bible too…."

Melanie professed Christ as Savior!

Maria and Paula: sisters, and now sisters in Christ!

A TEAM EFFORT
Roy and Holly Angle have been cultivating spiritual soil and sowing seeds through their relational bridges: "knitting night," a philosophical society, rock climbing, hiking and camping. One of Will and Cheryl's friends led her sister to Christ. Melanie, Joe and some others claim to have "given their lives to the Big Guy"!

Roy (center) and friends—Wicklow Way

In what phase of the church planting process is the team right now?
The soil analysis phase, begun in 2002, though in many respects a continual process, is complete. The team participated in data gathering with the Evangelical Alliance. Will and Cheryl have an especially strong tie to the Alliance, and Will has been asked to oversee a cultural engagement research project for them.

What are Dubliners really like?

Right now evangelism is the Dublin team's prime directive, Will and Cheryl focusing on the north side and the Angles and Beckers on the south side of Dublin. The two sub-teams are in the soil cultivation and seed sowing phases, praying specifically for over 100 of their unbelieving friends; the couples have twelve evangelistic/relational bridges and are sowing seeds of personal testimony and gospel reading. A very encouraging development is that the new believers are "sharing with family, friends, co-workers and neighbors."

Larry DeArmey and Paul discussing Ministering Cross-Culturally with the Dublin team

What does the emerging church look like?
The team envisions a network of house churches, interconnected with other evangelicals of like heart and vision.

The team is experimenting with two different approaches. One is to serve as leaven, permeating extant communities so that the gospel will spread through people and birth spiritual communities. The other is to reach individuals wherever they may be found and bring them together to form a new spiritual community.

On the south side of Dublin, for example, there are two discipleship groups that meet weekly for prayer, study and accountability. On Sundays there is what one attendee calls the "Matthew study church," with an attendance of 10-14 believers and unbelievers.

Rebekah describes the incipient south side church: "Hours disappear as we eat together, play games, talk and read God's Word…. We are seeing Christ lived out in our small groups and people keep asking questions."

"One friend is struggling to understand Christ's sacrifice and why there is punishment. In a world where everyone makes up their own truth Matthew 7 was a hard chapter to accept and read." Another asked, "Why does God make us choose Jesus? Why can't everyone go to heaven?" "We are seeing God working in peoples' lives as they wrestle with the truth of God's love and sacrifice for them."

How can you pray for Jesus' work in Dublin?
"MORE PLEASE DADDY…. This is often the prayer that leaves our lips as we pray to God. We are asking God to bless… and to add to our numbers daily, weekly, monthly," wrote Scott and Rebekah.

For leaders to emerge in the “Matthew study church” group, and for the Angles and Beckers as they share, mentor and encourage those believers, so as to have a strong testimony.
For good fruit to be borne from the twelve relational bridges, that people would agree to read the gospel together.
Pray for a major evangelistic breakthrough from both approaches—permeating existing communities with the gospel and from broadly sowing the gospel.
Pray for spiritual protection over the team and the new believers during this time of intensely positive spiritual activity in Dublin.