Acts 16:6-10
6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Dear friends,
I recently took some time to meditate on Paul's experiences that led him to Philippi. His first desire was to go to Asia. Vast multitudes of unsaved people lived without the gospel and yet he was forbidden by the Spirit of God to preach in Asia. How would Paul respond to this prohibition? Obviously he would obey but was he as perplexed by it as I am? I can see Paul wrestling with God, reminding Him of the great commission to make disciples of ALL THE NATIONS. And yet God resolutely said, "no".
He then turned his attention to Bithynia; another land in great need of the gospel. Once again the Spirit opposes him. How did the Spirit "prevent" Paul? Was there a voice? A vision? Or were the circumstances orchestrated in such a way that Paul understood the movement of God in His life? It would be easy to be discouraged at this point but instead Paul went on to Philippi where he would hear the beautiful question, "What must I do to be saved?"
I find this passage very instructive. First it teaches me that God is actively involved in my life. He has not given a command and then left me alone to figure it out. He leads and directs sometimes in very confusing ways.
We have sensed His call to Scotland. Mostly because we long to reach the world for Jesus and we were invited to serve in Scotland. Over the last year, we have found a deep passion to bring the gospel to the unbelievers in Scotland. This passion has guided us to work diligently in recruiting and leading our team. It has also sustained us as we traveled around the world trying to raise the necessary financial support. Everyone involved expected this to take about two years.
After one year we are still at around 25% of our needed funds. We know that our job is to make contacts and then present the vision and the need. It is up to God to move the hearts of His people to send us to Scotland. He has not so moved them. People see the need, acknowledge our unique giftedness to reach the need and yet not enough people and churches are able to support us. The best conclusion that we can draw from this is that God will not permit us to go into Scotland. We, like Paul, do not want to fight God.
After Paul was prevented from entering Bithynia, God gave him a vision of a man in Macedonia pleading with him to come over and help them. Paul wisely chose to follow the vision.
Just when we were considering if God was blocking our path to Scotland through the lack of support, we received an email from one of our supporters asking if I would be interested in serving as the pastor of their Church. After much prayer, many discussions and seeking counsel, we decided to send a resume to the Church and ask God to reveal His will through the process. In the end, Cornerstone Fellowship has called me to serve as their pastor. They have a deep desire to reach their community and the world with the good news of Jesus. We have therefore concluded that God has not only closed the door for us to go to Scotland but that He is opening a field of rich service in Florida.
We will begin our work with Cornerstone in mid-June. Until then we will still receive our salary from MTW. Thank you for your gifts over the last year. We have seen God bear fruit through our labors. Our vision for the Church has grown and we are again ready to enter the pastoral ministry. Please pray for our labors as we seek to help Cornerstone develop and implement an outreach strategy for their neighborhood. We will likewise work to find how we can impact the world through cross-cultural missions.
You have been God's instruments to care for our family for the last year. Your prayer has kept us strong against the many temptations that we have faced. Your financial gifts have driven away our discouragement and met our needs allowing us to reach out beyond ourselves. We thank you and we thank God for you.
In Jesus' love,
Vince
Friday, April 24, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Michael
I guess it is appropriate for a Father to be proud of his sons. The Father expressed His pride in Jesus when he said, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him!" Here is a video of Michael hitting a buzzer beater. Not only did Michael show athletic prowess this season, he demonstrated a great character, extending grace to those who did not deserve it. I am so very proud of him!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Scotland
Our Goal in Scotland is to establish Church Planting movements in the 5 major population centers of Scotland.
Once the Church in Scotland was a city on a hill; sending missionaries throughout the world. Scotland produced such shining lights as David Livingstone and Eric Liddell who carried the message of salvation by God’s grace to the uttermost parts of the world. Today less than 3 percent of Scotland’s population is Evangelical Christian. It is heartbreaking to see the light slowly covered up by the darkness.
Scotland is a team of church-planters and resource workers working to reap a harvest among the Scottish people. It is their plan to work with various Scottish denominations to establish church-planting movements in all five major population centers in Scotland. They will be involved in churches that are strongly committed to growth through evangelism; believing that Jesus will build His Church, Matthew 16:18, by the power of the Gospel, Romans 1:16.
Our team intends to help reach Scotland through the following areas of ministry.
Church planting
The goal is to build church-planting movements, whose energy continues to grow far into the future, long after our workers are gone. In keeping with this goal, we will help plant Churches that focus on reaching Scottish communities with the life transforming message of the gospel.
Church Revitalization
We will seek to place workers in her partner Denominations in order to help facilitate revitalizing strategic congregations. These workers will be involved in a wide variety of ministries designed to rebuild the Church in Scotland and help her effectively reach her nation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Family Support Scotland
Family Support Scotland is a charity-based counselling service that offers support to individuals, couples and families as they deal with a wide range of issues including: depression, marital problems, anxiety and child-parent problems.
Evangelism and Discipleship
Our team members will all be involved in sharing the gospel in their neighborhoods and through the various ministry fields in which they serve. Her members will actively serve in local congregations to strengthen the faith of believers in Scotland.
Youth and University
God is moving among the youth in Scotland. We will seek to educate young people about the work of Jesus Christ and its implications for their lives.
Short-term teams
Many American Churches have a great interest in the work in Scotland. This interest will find expression through one and two week mission trips. We will help to connect US and Scottish churches of similar convictions to work together in the expansion of the gospel throughout Scotland.
We need people to pray for our success, support us financially or join us in Scotland. Is God calling you to join in our effort to reclaim Scotland for Jesus Christ? Join us in praying like John Knox “God, give me Scotland or I die!”
For more information contact
Vince Wood
vrwood@live.com
Once the Church in Scotland was a city on a hill; sending missionaries throughout the world. Scotland produced such shining lights as David Livingstone and Eric Liddell who carried the message of salvation by God’s grace to the uttermost parts of the world. Today less than 3 percent of Scotland’s population is Evangelical Christian. It is heartbreaking to see the light slowly covered up by the darkness.
Scotland is a team of church-planters and resource workers working to reap a harvest among the Scottish people. It is their plan to work with various Scottish denominations to establish church-planting movements in all five major population centers in Scotland. They will be involved in churches that are strongly committed to growth through evangelism; believing that Jesus will build His Church, Matthew 16:18, by the power of the Gospel, Romans 1:16.
Our team intends to help reach Scotland through the following areas of ministry.
Church planting
The goal is to build church-planting movements, whose energy continues to grow far into the future, long after our workers are gone. In keeping with this goal, we will help plant Churches that focus on reaching Scottish communities with the life transforming message of the gospel.
Church Revitalization
We will seek to place workers in her partner Denominations in order to help facilitate revitalizing strategic congregations. These workers will be involved in a wide variety of ministries designed to rebuild the Church in Scotland and help her effectively reach her nation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Family Support Scotland
Family Support Scotland is a charity-based counselling service that offers support to individuals, couples and families as they deal with a wide range of issues including: depression, marital problems, anxiety and child-parent problems.
Evangelism and Discipleship
Our team members will all be involved in sharing the gospel in their neighborhoods and through the various ministry fields in which they serve. Her members will actively serve in local congregations to strengthen the faith of believers in Scotland.
Youth and University
God is moving among the youth in Scotland. We will seek to educate young people about the work of Jesus Christ and its implications for their lives.
Short-term teams
Many American Churches have a great interest in the work in Scotland. This interest will find expression through one and two week mission trips. We will help to connect US and Scottish churches of similar convictions to work together in the expansion of the gospel throughout Scotland.
We need people to pray for our success, support us financially or join us in Scotland. Is God calling you to join in our effort to reclaim Scotland for Jesus Christ? Join us in praying like John Knox “God, give me Scotland or I die!”
For more information contact
Vince Wood
vrwood@live.com
February
The Wood Family
vrwood@live.com
February 2009
Dear friends,
Recently we had the opportunity to speak at a Mission's Conference. The theme of the conference was The Gospel Under Attack. The keynote speaker gave a stirring presentation of the attack on believers in Muslim countries. It was eye-opening to consider the dangers faced by those who give their life to Jesus.
In one of the 'break-out' sessions, Vince was asked to describe how the gospel is being opposed in Scotland. This provided us the opportunity to seriously consider the warfare being waged for souls in Scotland. In addition we realized that as we seek to take the Gospel to people who are perishing, we face opposition from a demonically cruel and angelically powerful enemy. Peter describes our enemy as a roaring lion. We have seen and heard a roaring lion. We grasp the seriousness of Peter's warning.
One of the difficulties we face is that we are here in the US and our work is in Scotland. As we are in the States, the need to build trust with our Scottish partners remains. Satan tirelessly tries to drive wedges between those committed to reaching the world for Jesus. Distance is a great tool that Satan uses to breed distrust. We have seen some of this develop recently with our brothers in Scotland. We need to be on site to sit face to face and reassure our coworkers in Christ.
Our separation from the field also brings difficulty to our team. Some of our members are struggling and we cannot assist them. Others will be moving to Scotland unaided, trying to begin a ministry without the leadership they need. Recruits need to visit Scotland to get a feel for the ministry to discern God's call. Vince, as Team Leader, needs to be there to provide the necessary leadership.
In addition to these difficulties, we also face personal attacks. As Vince was away traveling recently, he experienced great waves of discouragement. While we are raising support we are limited in the amount of service we can render to our local church. We love Christ's church. We love to serve her. And yet, as we are frequently gone, our involvement is greatly limited. On a positive note, recently at our apartment complex, the three of us were able to share the gospel with two couples, one of whom admitted that Vince was the first pastor she had ever met. Please pray for these couples and for more ministry opportunities to our neighbors.
Will you please pray for us? As we face such attacks from that roaring lion, please ask God to place a hedge of protection around us keeping us strong against the temptation for discouragement. As the armies of Joshua were strengthened while Moses prayed, may God empower us to resist the devil through your intercession on our behalf.
Will you join our team? Our monthly support is currently about 25% of our total need but we draw close to 40% from our account each month to cover living expenses and travel costs. We also need to have 80% pledged by June if we are to meet our January 2010 goal to move to Scotland.
• Have you planned to support us but you haven't gotten around to it yet? Have you forgotten or lost our pledge information? We understand how that happens!
• Will you jump on board now? Will you give monthly or a one time gift?
• Please contact MTW at the address below and commit yourself to sending us to Scotland.
Let us know if you or your church would like us to visit and share more specifics about our work. We are open to speak at any gathering in which we can promote the work of Jesus around the world.
We are very confident that you pray for us regularly. We are very thankful for those who are faithfully supporting us financially as well. Thank you! We thank God for you and your participation in the gospel.
In Jesus’ love,
Vince, Robin and Michael
please send support or pledges to
MTW
PO Box 116284
Atlanta, GA 30368-6284
Account #18279
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Christmas letter
The Woods
December 2008
Dear family and friends,
Merry Christmas! We hope that you are well and enjoying the holiday season.
Our lives have been filled with some significant changes during 2008. Change involves mourning the lost past and looking with hope to the opportunities that the future holds. Here is a quick recap on these changes in our lives.
The beginning of 2008 was filled with much prayer and deliberation in our home as we decided on a career change. This was not a mid-life crisis type of change but an opportunity to reach further out in our passion to see people embrace the love of Jesus. March marked our acceptance as Missionaries to Scotland. On the last Sunday of April, Vince resigned as the Pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church after 14 and a half years of service. We had seen much change in this congregation during our tenure and we pray that she will keep her focus on reaching the world for Christ.
In April, we also sold our house. We are so thankful that the house sold quickly in the midst of a declining market. We moved into a friend’s vacant home as a temporary measure. We needed time to get our bearings in the midst of the myriad of changes we were facing and our friends needed help remodeling the house. It was a match made in heaven. On December 12 we will move into our new apartment. (Please note our new address.)
In August, we packed up a small U-Haul trailer and drove to Chattanooga, Tennessee where Patrick began his Junior year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Pat is majoring in Music Theory and Composition. He found jobs at a local music store and working on the stage crew at UTC. This change has been dramatic and good in his life.
Back in Mesa, Michael began his Sophomore/Junior year at a charter school named Heritage Academy. After 10 years of homeschooling, Michael is excelling in this new environment. He is the starting point guard on the JV basketball team. He loves making new friends and finding opportunities to talk about Jesus in this new venue.
Robin is adjusting to an empty house during the days along with the pleasure of running Mike to and from school. She has been diligent to run the administrative aspects of our mission as she prepares our home for an overseas move. In addition, she is trying to build relationships with some of the women on our Scotland team while she also meets with several ladies here in Mesa. Hopefully the next few months will find Robin with brush, paint and canvas expressing herself with artistic flair.
Vince is trying to raise a support team in the States while recruiting members to join us in Scotland. In addition, he is overseeing the current members in Scotland. He
travels a lot just now but enjoys promoting missions in the churches where he is privileged to speak. He has developed a basic strategy for the work of MTW Scotland. Of course this will be adjusted somewhat when we discover more of the needs of Scotland.
We find that the past has taken from us much that we mourn losing. We loved our time with small sons whom we could direct as they discovered their call from God. We have left behind the wonderful experience of leading a congregation to reach out in the name of Jesus with love to a dying world. We no longer rest in the house we called home for six years. Truly the past swallows many joyous times.
And yet the future is filled with such bright hope. Patrick has heard the Lord whisper his name. He is busy pursuing that high calling with great confidence that God will be with him. Mike is listening to God and preparing himself to follow exactly where Jesus calls him to go. We have left a rich ministry and full baskets of fruit in Mesa with full assurance that even greater fruit awaits the picking in Scotland. The future is filled with hope because Jesus said, “All authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples…”
On the first Christmas God was so thrilled with the birth of His Son that He sent an angelic choir to Earth to sing. Remember their words which describe Jesus’ will for His creation, “Peace on the Earth and good will to men with whom He is pleased.” We truly want all of us to experience the hope that those words convey.
We hope you have a very happy Christmas and a New Year filled with hope.
In Jesus’ love,
Vince, Robin, Pat and Mike
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12
December 2008
Dear family and friends,
Merry Christmas! We hope that you are well and enjoying the holiday season.
Our lives have been filled with some significant changes during 2008. Change involves mourning the lost past and looking with hope to the opportunities that the future holds. Here is a quick recap on these changes in our lives.
The beginning of 2008 was filled with much prayer and deliberation in our home as we decided on a career change. This was not a mid-life crisis type of change but an opportunity to reach further out in our passion to see people embrace the love of Jesus. March marked our acceptance as Missionaries to Scotland. On the last Sunday of April, Vince resigned as the Pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church after 14 and a half years of service. We had seen much change in this congregation during our tenure and we pray that she will keep her focus on reaching the world for Christ.
In April, we also sold our house. We are so thankful that the house sold quickly in the midst of a declining market. We moved into a friend’s vacant home as a temporary measure. We needed time to get our bearings in the midst of the myriad of changes we were facing and our friends needed help remodeling the house. It was a match made in heaven. On December 12 we will move into our new apartment. (Please note our new address.)
In August, we packed up a small U-Haul trailer and drove to Chattanooga, Tennessee where Patrick began his Junior year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Pat is majoring in Music Theory and Composition. He found jobs at a local music store and working on the stage crew at UTC. This change has been dramatic and good in his life.
Back in Mesa, Michael began his Sophomore/Junior year at a charter school named Heritage Academy. After 10 years of homeschooling, Michael is excelling in this new environment. He is the starting point guard on the JV basketball team. He loves making new friends and finding opportunities to talk about Jesus in this new venue.
Robin is adjusting to an empty house during the days along with the pleasure of running Mike to and from school. She has been diligent to run the administrative aspects of our mission as she prepares our home for an overseas move. In addition, she is trying to build relationships with some of the women on our Scotland team while she also meets with several ladies here in Mesa. Hopefully the next few months will find Robin with brush, paint and canvas expressing herself with artistic flair.
Vince is trying to raise a support team in the States while recruiting members to join us in Scotland. In addition, he is overseeing the current members in Scotland. He
travels a lot just now but enjoys promoting missions in the churches where he is privileged to speak. He has developed a basic strategy for the work of MTW Scotland. Of course this will be adjusted somewhat when we discover more of the needs of Scotland.
We find that the past has taken from us much that we mourn losing. We loved our time with small sons whom we could direct as they discovered their call from God. We have left behind the wonderful experience of leading a congregation to reach out in the name of Jesus with love to a dying world. We no longer rest in the house we called home for six years. Truly the past swallows many joyous times.
And yet the future is filled with such bright hope. Patrick has heard the Lord whisper his name. He is busy pursuing that high calling with great confidence that God will be with him. Mike is listening to God and preparing himself to follow exactly where Jesus calls him to go. We have left a rich ministry and full baskets of fruit in Mesa with full assurance that even greater fruit awaits the picking in Scotland. The future is filled with hope because Jesus said, “All authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples…”
On the first Christmas God was so thrilled with the birth of His Son that He sent an angelic choir to Earth to sing. Remember their words which describe Jesus’ will for His creation, “Peace on the Earth and good will to men with whom He is pleased.” We truly want all of us to experience the hope that those words convey.
We hope you have a very happy Christmas and a New Year filled with hope.
In Jesus’ love,
Vince, Robin, Pat and Mike
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12
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About Me
- Vince Wood
- I have been a PCA pastor since 1993, having been a pastor in Arizona, Florida, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and as the Team Leader for MTW’s work in Scotland. I am currently the Senior Pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church in York, PA. As a pastor, my desire is to help everyone I meet live out Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in Heaven but You, and besides You I desire nothing on earth.” I love my Wife Robin, my two sons, Patrick and Michael and my daughter in law, Britney. I am firmly wrapped around the fingers of my granddaughters.