On February 10th-11th our family of churches in Portugal gathered for a leadership conference. The Millers, Joe Leach, and myself were honoured to join them in Portugal. The theme of the weekend was all about faith; receiving, advancing, and conquering by faith. Hebrews 11, the Hall of Fame of Faith, challenged us to dream and ask, "What could be?". What could be if we lived by faith as we read of so many others in Hebrews 11. We celebrate all God is doing through the faithfulness of Commission leaders in Portugal and across the Iberian peninsula. Andrew Shore cast an incredible vision based on Abraham's blessing in Genesis 12 to believe in God for spiritual sons and daughters as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Michael Shore encouraged us, "If you dare to do it, you'll discover you can." Every person left the weekend filled with faith to step into their next ministry step, choosing faith over comfort. Guy Miller shared a picture of all these leaders being like ships leaving the harbour. Each leader is like a ship carrying the gospel's good news to all the places that God has uniquely called them. Pray for each of these leaders to boldly proclaim the gospel by faith. Join us as a Commission family to continue praying for Portugal and beyond to see the gospel transform salvations, church plants, and families.
One of the highlights of my time in Portugal was getting to know the Shore family. The Shore families legacy is profound from one generation to the next. Guy and Heather Miller have faithfully walked alongside the Shore family and their ministry for nearly 20 years now. The family feel and unity among them both was full of joy in the Holy Spirit. Every meal characterized by laughter, storytelling, and incredible food!
Katie, Andrew, and Peter Shore carry on their family legacy of mission to Portugal not out of obligation but with a deep sense of passion for the lost. Their grandfather was truly a missionary pioneer in Portugal before and during World War 2. There is incredible generational blessing through this family. On the Saturday night of the conference Andrew's emotional appeal to give birth to spiritual sons and daughters came out of profound sense of calling and compassion for the lost. The tears that came first from Andrew, and then from nearly everyone in the room were evidence of years of prayer, generations of prayer, and generations of faithfulness to faithfully proclaim the gospel.
Practically I ask you to pray for the A Fonte Church in Penafial. Pray for Porto and Penafial to flourish and thrive for the gospel. Pray against the strongholds of the enemy through the Roman Catholic Church. Historically the reformation did not establish in Portugal and Spain due to wars and culturally significant crises.