Never would we
have imagined that our calling to show marginalized Honduran peasants God’s
dignifying love would have led to Tierra Nueva being established in Washington
State amongst immigrant workers, inmates and gang members and now in the UK
through Tierra Nueva Europa. The
Holy Spirit expertly leverages the heart of what we’ve been about in ways that
astound us.
In June we
traveled to France because the church we worked with in Paris for a year had
gifted us with a round-trip ticket, and Bob was invited to speak at a
conference there, “L’eglise qui croit” (the church that grows), that drew
together leaders committed to the growth of the body of Christ in France. Bob was asked to speak about what we’ve
learned in starting a church with people on the margins of society who are
normally excluded from traditional churches. What is most exciting to Gracie and I is our own beloved
Tierra Nueva faith community, which is growing up disciples of Jesus who come from
prison, addictions, gang involvement and
homelessness.
Our message was
very well received in Paris, and was followed by an invitation from Jean Vanier
to share with L’Arche Community leaders about how to introduce Jesus to not-yet-believing
people interested in ministry to the poor. Bob is in the midst of writing a book Experimenting with God, which will hopefully serve as a primer for
people exploring faith in Jesus.
homelessness.
While in France
and in the UK speaking at Westminster Theological Centre’s theology conference,
we were impressed by the need for training in the theology and practice of
ministering to unreached populations. The growing demand for training has led to a
re-envisioning of our role in this season of our lives.
Recently we
decided to move from Executive and Associate Directors to General Directors of
Tierra Nueva. Rev. Mike Neelley is
stepping into the role of Executive Director, freeing us to focus more on
expanding the vision and scope of Tierra Nueva, overseeing TN’s international
mission and equipping leaders locally and abroad through The People’s
Seminary.
We will continue
to spend two-thirds of our time in the Skagit Valley, strategically supervising
some of our leaders who supervise others, training new apprentices, developing
TN’s praying ministry and ministering in the jail and prison. Part of Bob’s work with The People’s
Seminary includes part-time teaching of Old Testament and Missions at The
Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and at Westminster Theological Centre
in the UK. A primary role is to develop The
People’s Seminary’s offerings locally and internationally
We are excited
about the launch of our Certificate in Transformational Ministry at the Margins
(CTMM) beginning in October in Burlington. Plans are in
the works to start CTMM’s in London (January 2015), Seoul (March 2015) and
eventually Paris and other places.
Preparing practitioner-trainers who teach this course is a high priority
if we are to expand this training nationally and internationally. All of these trainings will
include weekly distance-learning materials that will be available on a new The People’s
Seminary website.
While being ‘empty
nesters’ frees us for a broader ministry together, having Anna in University
and Luke in art school means our expenses have never been higher. Currently we are lacking $2,000 in regular monthly
support. We value your prayers
and also your financial partnership with us as we step into this new stage of
our life and ministry. If you feel led to give here are three options.
1)
Online E-giving through: https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php?giftid=5C7582D0-5705-4EF9-ABB5-F1DB00D9447B
2)
Donating via PayPal through: http://give.fivetwo.org/give.tierra-nueva.org/
3)
Sending checks earmarked “Ekblad Support” to Tierra Nueva, PO Box 410,
Burlington, WA 98233
May God richly
bless you as you engage in God’s highest calling.
Bob and Gracie
Ekblad
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