Tom and Christine Poovong - International Ministry Project

The following in an excerpt from the Poovong's April 2016 Prayer Letter.  

We greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It has been a very busy year for us in Thailand and also back in Calgary where we call home. We thank God for His grace and mercy to give us strength to continue this ministry. We would like to thank our partner congregations for your prayers and support, including First Mennonite Church of Saskatoon, Carman Mennonite Church of Manitoba, Mennonite Women Canada, and our home congregation Trinity Mennonite Church of Calgary, our brothers and sisters at the Lao Mennonite Conference churches, as well as our friends and family.

Last year, in partnership with two local families, we started Menno Nursery, an income generation ministry in a different neighbourhood. We have now closed that first nursery location and moved most of the supplies and materials to the church where we continue to provide a nursery service in our church neighbourhood. Now other families have joined us and we plan to start Menno Nursery again here at the church.  

To read more about their work click on April 2016 Prayer Letter.

 

Tom and Christine Poovong - International Ministry Project

Tom and Christine Poovong, Mennonite Church Canada workers in Thailand, report that the Lao government has now given permission for Christians in Laos to celebrate Christmas in public during the whole month of December. While they are not permitted to hold public church services, they are excited for this new opportunity to celebrate Jesus’ birth. (from a Mennonite Church Canada report)

You can connect with the Poovongs through their facebook account.

As we celebrate Christmas let's remember to keep our ministry partners in our prayers. Christmas can be a difficult time for them as they are far from relatives and friends back home.

Tom and Christine Poovong

Recipients of our International Ministry Project for this year.  

Pray for the growth of Menno Nursery, an initiative of Mennonite Church Canada workers Tom and Christine Poovong and the Maliwan Mennonite Church in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Pray especially that enough families will bring their children to this nursery so it can grow as a business and as a ministry to the wider community.

Mennonite Church Canada offers a short term ministry position as a nursery child care worker under the direction of Tom and Christine.  If you are interested in learning more about this position click on nursery child care worker above.

Tom and Christine Poovong

Mennonite Women Canada supports Mennonite Church Canada workers, Tom and Christine Poovong, in Khon Kaen, Thailand, through their International Ministries Project.   In their October 2014 newsletter Tom and Christine ask for prayer as they strive to build relationships and lead people to become disciples of Christ.  "Pray that the Lord will use us to minister to many people in this community."   

The Poovongs will celebrate the grand opening of Menno Nursery on December 1, 2014.  They write: "It is a ministry to reach out to young family. The ministry includes teaching English, pray for the children, read Bible story to them, and get them ready for preschool.  The Nursery will also help to build relationships with their parents with kindness, love, Joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, and faithfulness. We are planning to take in six children from age 1-3 years old to start with. Christine will be the first to lead this ministry so please pray for her that the Lord will give her strength and wisdom, pray that the Lord will bring local worker. This too is part of what we are doing in Thailand is to teach them to become disciple maker and be able to have their own business and do ministry at the same time. It is called “Income Producing Ministry”. Please pray for our grand opening on December 01/2014."

Their full newsletter is available for you to read on our website at Mennonite Church Canada. 

If you would like to donate to this or any of our other projects you can do that on-line.  Please check out our "Opportunities for Giving".    

Tom and Christine Poovong

Tom and Christine are current recipients of our International Ministries Project.  A while back Dan Dyck, Mennonite Church Canada's Director of Communications shared some background information about Tom and Christine in an article called "A matriarch, a passion, and the gospel".  Click here to read how Tom's passion for the gospel developed and how he and Christine are answering God's call to ministry in Khon Kaen, Thailand.  

Poovong Family Update

About a month ago I posted the following information about Tom and Christine Poovong, pictured here with their children, Phimchanok and Joseph.  Mennonite Women Canada is supporting their ministry among the Isaan people of northeast Thailand. 

Tom and Christine will provide pastoral care, Biblical teaching, preaching, income generation and entrepreneurial development with the goal of equipping new believers to take on leadership of the church.  A related ministry would be to start a bilingual (English/Thai-Isaan) preschool both as a business and as a relationship building ministry in the community. 

We will be sharing their prayer letters on our website under the heading Poovong Update.  You can read about their joys and challenges as well as their specific prayer requests.  
They also have a Facebook page which you might want to visit.  

Please remember them in your prayers!

New International Ministries Project

We are pleased to introduce you to Tom and Christine Poovong, pictured here with their children, Phimchanok and Joseph.  Formerly of Trinity Mennonite Church in Calgary they are embarking on a term of ministry in Thailand with Mennonite Church Canada.  The ongoing ministry among the Isaan people in northeast Thailand seeks to invite people into Anabaptist faith communities and build bridges with other Mennonite / Anabaptist groups in Thailand.  Tom and Christine will provide pastoral care, Biblical teaching, preaching, income generation and entrepreneurial development with the goal of equipping new believers to take on leadership of the church.  The idea is for a new, Anabaptist congregation to form. A related ministry (perhaps in the same building) would be to start a bi-lingual (English/Thai-Isaan) preschool as both a business and a way to make relationships naturally. Tom & Christine have seen this model work in other locations as a way to also build sustainability over time.

Tom and Christine will be sending regular Prayer Letters which we will post on our web page to keep our readers informed.  They also have a Facebook page which you might want to visit.  

Please remember them in your prayers!