Calvary Chapel
Greetings from Vienna, Austria! Our church is going through the book of Philippians now. May the Lord help us apply this letter of joy! Above is a photo from our recent outreach. This was a breakthrough, because the last time our church did a “coffee outreach” was before Corona. This time we also offered fresh waffles, so a lot of people stopped to ask us, “why the free waffle and coffee?” Since we were on the sidewalk right next to the door of our church, it was a great chance to get to meet some of our neighbors and invite them to church. The first person who stopped was a young man from Egypt who told me all about his spiritual search. Say a prayer for Mustafa—he realized that being “born Muslim” does not really make him Muslim, and currently he is without religious affiliation. He said that he even sits down with some other “deep thinkers” sometimes to ponder the religions of the world, picking the best parts from each of them in a hypothetical exercise to create their own perfect religion. I got to explain the Gospel to him, which he assured me he knew about, as he has two Bibles on his shelf at home. It is no coincidence that he lives just down the street from us. He gave me the polite, “maybe I will stop by one day,” but please say a prayer that by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that he really does. Please pray for our next outreach, on April 27th.
Praying in the Parliament
Last month, I got to attend a pastors’ prayer breakfast in the Parliament of Austria. It was a group of about 30 of us, hosted by a Christian politician, Gudrun Kugler. It was a special experience, and I am happy that this group of pastors from various Bible-teaching churches are excited about meeting for a prayer breakfast every few months, in a different church each time. Afterwards, I sat down in a café to study, and an elderly gentleman joined me at my table. Soon, he opened up about how Jesus touched his heart 40 years ago in late March, but then he got choked up and said to me, “I have been wandering in the desert, with idols in my life, for the past 40 years now.” He had tears in his eyes, and it was one of the most touching moments that I have ever had with a stranger. He seemed truly grieved about his sin. He is Catholic, but he did visit several Protestant churches years ago. With sadness, he told me “I am religious, but not a real believer.” And yet, he said that he believes in the forgiveness we find through Jesus. I prayed for him, and he asked me to read a Bible passage as well, and then he was on his way. I did invite him to our church; just pray that this soft-hearted man meets with the Lord again. His name is Karl.
Oasis
I only visit The Oasis refugee once a month now, but it is always a blessing. Last time, I got to preach to two Farsi speakers and a Russian speaking woman with two daughters – may the Lord water the seeds!
Prayer Requests
- Keep praying that our vision of more discipleship and evangelism becomes a reality. Our church family got smaller in 2023, and we desire to grow in depth and breadth this year. May the Lord work in our hearts, and reach the lost here.
- Pray for my family in NJ: my dad is nearly bedridden, and that puts a big strain on my mom and sister.
- The Christian family that we financially support is now in Pakistan. Pray for Abdul, his wife, and two children to be kept safe and make it to Austria somehow.
Email me at viennnaken@gmail.com if you would like to get in touch and/or receive our updates via email directly.
Blessings, Ken & Michi Meyer