Greetings, AMI partners!
I trust you are all doing well as we head into the fall season. Here in Phoenix, we are thrilled that heat is finally gone and the refreshing cool weather is heading our way. Yes, Lord!
The ministry of AMI is progressing nicely and I have a sense by the Spirit that we are entering a season of ministry expansion.
We continue to work on the new AMI website, which has been a very slow process. We are making headway and have expectation that the new website will be very helpful for the expansion of AMI. Please pray that we are able to complete this project within the next month or so.
Mexico and Cuba
Pastor Miguel Gomez from Compassion Church, our affiliate church in Mexico, went on his first apostolic expedition in September. He led a small team from his church to Cuba and the results were profound; everywhere the team ministered there was Holy Spirit manifestations!
During their last day in Havana, the team sat in a public park, praying and asking the Lord to give them a divine appointment with someone. Shortly after they prayed, a man rode his bicycle-taxi down the street with a sign that read “God saves.” In that moment, Miguel received a word of knowledge, urging him to ask the man, “Is that true?” Miguel asked this very question and the man replied, “Yes, that it is true!” Miguel and the man began to talk and as soon as he learned that Miguel was a pastor, he asked him to come to his church.
As Miguel arrived at the church, the taxi-driver informed his pastor about his encounter with Miguel and the team. Upon learning this news, the pastor immediately fell down, crying and shouting, for he had a great need and had been asking God to send a prophet to help. Soon after, the pastor began to tell his church that Miguel is the prophet God sent to them! When that was said, the Spirit fell on Miguel and he began to prophesy to the pastor and his congregation resulting in many weeping and worshiping God! The incredible outcome of this journey is that this Cuban pastor is an overseer to ten other churches and they need connection and covering from an apostolic ministry. Incredible!
We have already begun a process of discipleship to these Cuban pastors and their churches. We plan to visit them again in early next year to confirm what the Lord is doing and to discern the way on. Presently, I am traveling with Ted Fowler, an Apostolic Intern with AMI, to Miguel’s church. We will be teaching at their leadership summit and laying further plans for developing AMI in Cuba. This is a prime example of what AMI is about and further reveals our sincere commitment to do what the Father is doing, as referenced in John 5:19.
Ireland
I have not been in Northern Ireland since June of this year, and I miss our people and their fair land! I am pleased to be going back to Belfast in November to meet with the team regarding our church plant, Destination Church Belfast (DCB). There is great news to report regarding DCB, which will be disclosed in the following article from Andrew Montgomery, the AMI Ireland Director. I have a sense that God is going to use me to stir up Holy Spirit power while there. Yes, Lord!
Africa
After my time in Ireland is complete, Andrew and I will depart Dublin with Wes Grierson, songwriter and worship leader from Northern Ireland, and head for Africa. During our stop in London, Ted Fowler will be joining our ministry team. Together we will travel to Swaziland, where we will minister in Mbabane, at Pastor David Chillyumba’s church. While there, we plan to do a four day conference on Experiencing God, teach at a church leaders’ meeting, and at the Sunday church service. We are progressing toward Pastor David and his church becoming the first AMI-affiliated church in Africa, so this is an exciting trip for us!
All our ministry meetings with David will be recorded for television and broadcast throughout the African continent; this will produce significant exposure for the ministry of AMI in Africa.
I hope this AMI news is encouraging to you. Thank you all for your prayers and support.
Might the Holy Spirit be increasing upon you!
Dr. Dennis Bourns,
AMI Director
Please do not post or re-communicate details of this communiqué on any websites or blog sites.
Greetings from AMI Ireland!
At Destination Church Belfast [DCB] we are continuing to seek to grow a culture that desires to gather through consistent repeated reaching using various opportunities. These are seen in a number of forms such as our weekly Small Groups to periodic picnics; from worship, teaching and ministry in a local hotel to monthly ten pin bowling for the men, inclusive of good chat and great chicken! Such has been the men’s enthusiasm that the women have ventured to the lanes as well!!
We completed our outreach experiment, surveying the local area around one of our Small Groups, seeking to listen, learn and serve the community. We knocked on nearly 300 doors, had exchange on just under 200 doorsteps, prayed for 20 people, and gathered one young lady. Which in church planting terms is a good return: this is not for the faint of heart!!
That young lady took our business card, checked us out on the website, liked what she saw, was compelled to come to our gathering in the local hotel and had a most profound encounter with the Holy Spirit! She came to our Small Group shortly afterwards and has been coming regularly ever since.
Over the summer months, we have had a growing sense by the Holy Spirit that it was time to actively pursue a plan for a Sunday morning church launch. Colin was thrilled to announce at our last Gathering Event in the local hotel that our Sunday morning launch would be at 10.30am on Sunday 8th January 2017: the countdown is on! If you are on the island on that day, or any Sunday thereafter, you are most welcome to celebrate with us!
This announcement has had a significant impact on a number of levels. Our deeply religious culture really struggles with the concept of church without a visible Sunday morning expression. So much so, that for many people, if there is no Sunday morning expression, there is no church!! That will now change and people are indicating an interest and genuine excitement about our next stage of ‘public’ church.
With the announcement, we now have much planning and preparation to do in order to present our values, practices and priorities with excellence. This is stirring our community to faith, vision and taking on responsibility to build and establish DCB. These are exciting times!!
We have also had a sense by the Holy Spirit of a fresh vision and revelation for the ministry of AMI Ireland. This will involve new and different ministry events and our current calendar has been rescheduled. We will start to roll these plans out when Dennis joins us in mid-November. Although we have no more ‘Experiencing God’ events scheduled, it is always our priority as a ministry to ‘experience God’ as we engage with Him and are transformed by the encounter. As always, our band of passionate and enthusiastic interns will be in the midst of the action!
Thank you for your continued financial and prayerful support in this great adventure!!
Blessings,
Andrew Montgomery
(Director AMI Ireland)