Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

As I return home from a ministry trip to Trinity Presbyterian Church in Montgomery Alabama and The Bridge Church in Venice Florida, my heart is full of joy and excitement.  I hope to impart some of that joy and excitement to you, our partners, because without you, the vision of Sixteen:Fifteen to unleash churches to reach the nations would simply be a dream.

Before I rehearse some of God’s work with you, let me remind you again why we focus on mobilizing churches through missions coaching.   Here are just two of the many critically important reasons:

• We believe the local church is a God-designed central player in world missions and that Christ gets glory when she is fulfilling His mandate to make disciples of all nations. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
• We believe, “the vast majority of all the resources God has entrusted to His people — spiritual gifts, vocational expertise, life experience, capacity for spiritual warfare, financial reserves, etc. — He has placed in local churches…” (George Miley, Loving the Church, Blessing the Nations)

Trinity Presbyterian just launched a new focus area within their global missions strategy — they will be engaging the Rujak People of South Asia.  While that is not their real name, this people group includes over 500,000 men, women and children. To protect the identity of the work and the safety of those workers who are among them, the real name and location of this people cannot be disclosed. Only .07% of this population is considered Christian while 99.9 % of the population adheres to a religion that cannot save them. Trinity’s strategy includes a Bible translation project that will put God’s Word into the language of the Rujak for the very first time. This translation project is part of a larger effort to see the gospel penetrate that culture so sufficient numbers of Rujak come to faith and self-sustaining, reproducing, culture transforming churches are established.

Similar things are underway at The Bridge Church in Venice Florida.  Recently church leaders affirmed their global vision and strategy which will include a focus on a Bibleless and Unreached People, the Mwininka of Mozambique.  The Bridge like Trinity, will be working to make disciples who make disciples and plant churches that plant churches among this precious people.  There are 200,000 Mwininka in Mozambique.

Pray that God’s Word runs swiftly among these people groups as they are engaged with the Gospel.

There is so much more to say, but I wanted to give you just a glimpse into some of the recent fruit that God is bearing through the work and ministry of Sixteen:Fifteen, fruit that is owing to you.

With every remembrance of you, the gracious and generous people who have partnered with Sixteen:Fifteen, we thank God.  Your partnership is enabling us to help unleash churches across North America like Trinity Presbyterian and The Bridge Church.  May your heavenly crown be brightened with the acclamations of praise that will redound to the Savior from people groups, like the Rujak and the Mwininka who were won to Christ, because of your Great Commission generosity.

‘Til all have heard,

Matthew Ellison