Archives for November 2023

[This is Rev. Rudy Poettcker,
missionary with Reformation Christian Ministries (RCM), giving you a brief update.]

Greetings from Suriname!

I am so thankful to the Lord for the safe driving and flight; I actually arrived 15 minutes early too! I see so much that can take place in travelling and know that the Lord blesses through your prayer.

Last week I gave a test in one class and was preparing all classes to write Second Qt. Exams (which are this week). Between class work and other matters, we also go over and decide on various matters relating to the construction. Your continued prayer is very much appreciated.

As you see below, on Friday, Nov.24th we had “Cultural Dress Day” at CLA (Nov.25th was Independence Day). Some of it was a bit “over the top” but over-all it was a fun time for the school.

Rev. Hamid preached at FPC yesterday and I will be preaching the next 3 Sundays, God willing. We plan to have an Eldership (Session) Meeting this week and also to examine two applicants for membership by profession of faith. Please pray for this and that it may be a blessing to the Body of Christ here (especially as we continue to be burdened over the discipline to two members and seek God’s grace to grant repentance and restoration).

Serving our Lord together with you all,

Rev. RP

Friday, Nov.24-Cultural Dress Day at CLA (just some examples!):

Aria Eloise Haniff (4th child to Imran and Rachel Haniff):

The ministry of SALT (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training) includes:

• Director of RITS & RIC (Reformation International Theological Seminary & Reformation International College).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in College studies (especially teacher training for a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in Seminary studies (especially training for ministry and eldership in the M.Div. degree program).
• My work, together with Rev. Hamid, in Administration of CLA (Christian Liberty Academy) in Suriname. I serve as Headmaster, and he is Administrator.
• I also serve as Elder in First Presbyterian Church in Suriname (FPC).

Pray for my preaching ministry at King’s Reformed Presbyterian Church in Melbourne, Florida.

Link to church website (and live stream of Sunday worship): https://www.krpc.us/

Link to RCM website: https://www.reformation.edu/wp/

To support this ministry (tax-exempt), you may write the check to “Reformation Christian Ministries” and designate it to “SALT” (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training).

Mailing address: 1300 East University Blvd. Melbourne, FL. 32901

If you wish to donate online, you may use this link (and select SALT for designation):

https://gorcm.org/product/donate-to-rcm/

[This is Rev. Rudy Poettcker,
missionary with Reformation Christian Ministries (RCM), giving you a brief update.]

Greetings in the name of our Lord!

May we all be encouraged in our service to our Lord; He is worthy. I certainly do not claim to have an understanding of the fullness of the glory due to Him and if it were not for His revelation to us, we would be left to our imagination of even the smallest aspect of His glory. So may we be deeply thankful for His revelation of Himself to us. It is so immense, we scarcely “scratch the surface.”

When I was in Seminary and learned that my preaching mentor had been in the ministry for 50+ years, I said to him, “you must have worked through so much of the Bible to have preached so many sermons.” He replied: “I feel like I have only scratched the surface.” I never forgot it. And especially now in November when I realize that this year is now the 35th year of having been ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament. I have certainly only begun to scratch the surface! But I am thankful to the Lord and His grace, that He took this farm boy (who really only wanted to farm) and called him to this calling for these 35 years. All is of Him, nothing of me in myself.

Mentioning thanks, I wish you all a very blessed THANKSGIVING.

Please pray for safe travels. Today my wife Sharilyn leaves for Panama (to visit family), and on Tuesday I leave for Suriname (to minister & serve the Lord in both Church and School). Please continue to pray for the Church and School in Suriname.

PTL for the birth of a baby girl to the Haniffs; mother and daughter are doing well.

I am deeply thankful to the Lord for your prayerful support,

Rev. RP

Construction progress:

The ministry of SALT (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training) includes:

• Director of RITS & RIC (Reformation International Theological Seminary & Reformation International College).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in College studies (especially teacher training for a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in Seminary studies (especially training for ministry and eldership in the M.Div. degree program).
• My work, together with Rev. Hamid, in Administration of CLA (Christian Liberty Academy) in Suriname. I serve as Headmaster, and he is Administrator.
• I also serve as Elder in First Presbyterian Church in Suriname (FPC).

Pray for my preaching ministry at King’s Reformed Presbyterian Church in Melbourne, Florida.

Link to church website (and live stream of Sunday worship): https://www.krpc.us/

Link to RCM website: https://www.reformation.edu/wp/

To support this ministry (tax-exempt), you may write the check to “Reformation Christian Ministries” and designate it to “SALT” (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training).

Mailing address: 1300 East University Blvd. Melbourne, FL. 32901

If you wish to donate online, you may use this link (and select SALT for designation):

https://gorcm.org/product/donate-to-rcm/

[This is Rev. Rudy Poettcker, missionary with Reformation Christian Ministries (RCM), giving you
a brief update.]

Greetings in the Lord Jesus!

I was so blessed and encouraged from the Word of God this past Lord’s Day (from Eph.1)…that the Father has put all things under the feet of our Lord, and that it is for the sake of His Church. I pray you all know the blessing of the union and communion we have with Christ as we are living members of His body, the Church.

I have been asking you to pray for FPC (Church in Suriname). And often I mention the Church discipline. I ask for you to continue in this, but also now have the joy of asking you to praise the Lord that we look forward to examining two people for membership by profession of faith. Rev. Hamid has been having membership classes with them and we anticipate examining them as I am there in late November. Please give thanks and pray for this, especially that it may give glory to our Lord and be used by Him to greatly encourage the Church there.

As to the school in Suriname (CLA); the “weight” of being “Headmaster” is a great duty which I take seriously, but I am so thankful that I share this “weight” with Rev. Hamid there as Administrator. I am so profoundly thankful to have a colleague like him, and how well we are able to work together. Please pray for us and that we would know the Lord’s direction and wisdom in all aspects of administration of CLA. [I should correct the previous PPP, where I said that a teacher was expecting and in hospital.
She was NOT in hospital, but will be going there this week, Lord willing.
Please pray for safe delivery of their baby.]

Thankful for your partnership,

Rev. RP

Construction progress:

The ministry of SALT (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training) includes:

• Director of RITS & RIC (Reformation International Theological Seminary & Reformation International College).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in College studies (especially teacher training for a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in Seminary studies (especially training for ministry and eldership in the M.Div. degree program).
• My work, together with Rev. Hamid, in Administration of CLA (Christian Liberty Academy) in Suriname. I serve as Headmaster, and he is Administrator.
• I also serve as Elder in First Presbyterian Church in Suriname (FPC).

Pray for my preaching ministry at King’s Reformed Presbyterian Church in Melbourne, Florida.

Link to church website (and live stream of Sunday worship): https://www.krpc.us/

Link to RCM website: https://www.reformation.edu/wp/

To support this ministry (tax-exempt), you may write the check to “Reformation Christian Ministries” and designate it to “SALT” (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training).

Mailing address: 1300 East University Blvd. Melbourne, FL. 32901

If you wish to donate online, you may use this link (and select SALT for designation):

https://gorcm.org/product/donate-to-rcm/

Reformation Christian Ministries

News and Prayer Letter

FALL 2023

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

We are thankful for your continued prayers and support. The new school year has begun at Christian Liberty Academy, and Rev. Rudy Poettcker has returned from his time helping there. Here are some of his reports while serving there:

We have had a good beginning to the school year. It seems that most of the students are very happy to be a CLA. Even the few who required a kind-of early discipline (like we all, students also see what they might be able to “get away with”!), they have responded very well to it. Of course, it helps to inform students that we have others waiting to enroll as soon as there is an opening! I am truly enjoying teaching Bible/Theology in grades 9-12. It continues to be amazing to me to have the privilege to give biblical instruction to such diverse backgrounds/religions. I assure you that your ongoing prayer, for God to bless and use CLA in the lives of so many, is so important.

I am thankful to the Lord for the time here and what has been accomplished. It kind-of feels like we have run out of time, but then again we also know that the Lord gives time, and it is in His hands.

In the school we instituted some new practices which help the teachers to all be “on the same page” in regard to holding students to the school rules. So far it is working well, and I pray this continues. It is truly a blessing to see how the Lord sends so many students to CLA and from so many different backgrounds (see tables below). Please continue in prayer for CLA and all who work here.

Elementary Chapel (each Thursday AM).

Country of Origin
Suriname	153
China	78
India	21
Holland	19
Brazil	14
Guyana	13
Venezuela	12
U.S.	11
Philippines	10
Cuba	6
Canada	5
France	4
Nigeria	2
Turkey	2
Peru	2
Uganda	2
Mauritius	2
Trinidad	1
Colombia	1
Haiti	1
Saint Lucia	1

Grade	# of students
K4	19
K5	23
1	27
2	30
3	32
4	30
5	27
6	29
7	33
8	25
9	28
10	19
11	24
12	14
Total	360

A surprise birthday party for Rev. Poettcker! Construction Progress

COLLEGE AND SEMINARY UPDATE (RITS & RIC):

We’ve had a few new students inquire or begin studies over the last few months, and as an encouragement to continue in prayer for the students in College and Seminary, here is what a RITS student wrote in an exegesis course:

This has been a great reminder to me that the power of preaching lies completely in the Word of God. Salvation and the effectiveness of the sermon does not lie with me. I am commanded to let Scripture interpret Scripture, use proper exegesis, avoid eisegesis, and let the text speak for itself. Doing this allows the congregation to hear God speak to them through the text.

Seminary Student/Church Partnership Program with RITS:

To help students and churches train men for the ministry, we are offering the following:

• We will reduce tuition $10 per credit for every man who is enrolled into our M.Div. program and is supported financially by his local church for the purpose of preparing him for the work of ministry.
• To receive the discount, applications must include a note from the church that they will be sharing in tuition cost.
• Students should complete a minimum of 18 credits per calendar year to maintain the discounted price.

To learn more about this offer and to see our M.Div. course program, go here: https://reformationseminary.org/master-of-divinity/

Would you continue to pray with us that God would bring many more students who are zealous to learn God’s Word and be equipped to serve as teachers, church officers, pastors, and missionaries? We greatly desire to see biblical reformation in our churches, but sadly so many are caving to the cultural moment, along with many seminaries and academic institutions. Pray that God would use our college and seminary programs to raise up a faithful generation of Christian laypersons and church leaders who will stand firmly on God’s Word, as Paul said to the younger Timothy –

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2).

If you would like to “test drive” our seminary program, listen to free lectures, and sample our syllabi, outlines, etc., take this link: https://reformationseminary.org/course-lectures/

The Good News Bible Series Update:

The Good News Bible Series (GNBS) is a program which has enrolled more than 30,000 people from all around the globe. It is an evangelistic Bible study that covers basic biblical teaching on God, sin, Jesus Christ, faith and repentance, and obedience and holiness. Currently, Rev. John Otis and his wife Christine are migrating GNBS courses online.

Prayer and Praise Items

The Good News Bible Series has seen great increase in traffic on its website. Two years ago, there was a total number of 45,471 visits. In this past year, there has been some 75,000 visits (the reported number of 149,000 was incorrect last newsletter, as some turned out to be bots)! The U.S.A. has seen a high increase in visits, perhaps in part due to having the gospel course translated into Spanish. There is also interest in more translations of the GNBS into other languages.

Please also be in prayer for Christine Otis, who is recovering from some health challenges from the last several months.

If your church would like to know how to utilize the courses of the GNBS to reach your community and further instruct your congregation, please contact us and we will show you how to do this just as we did with a church in Oregon!

In 2019, the great catechism titled Questions About Christianity With Scripture Proofs: A Catechism for Children, Young Converts, and Inquirers was printed and published. This catechism has been used in Sunday School classes to help children learn the Christian faith through Questions and Answers with supporting Bible verses listed below each answer.

If you are interested in the GNBS courses or the children’s catechism, find them both here: https://goodnewsbibleseries.com/.

College/Seminary Website & 50 FREE Lectures!

We are now offering the Bavinck course for $95, and if you complete it, you get a $50 credit toward a future course. In addition, we have made 50 of our lectures across 17 of our courses available for free on our website. These lectures are the first several from each of these courses, giving you an opportunity to learn more about them and enroll if you like what you hear. The new college & seminary website now allows you to sample syllabi, view study guide assignments, listen to free lectures in our seminary program, & more. Stay tuned, as we hope to do more with our lectures and other materials, to make them readily available online in the future.

REFORMATION INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY SPOTLIGHT:

This time we are focusing on our New Testament course surveying the Gospels. The lectures are fully transcribed in an outline format, and also provide the professor’s outline of his class notes handed out to the students and perfected during transcription. As these are available in pdf files, the student can print them if needed. The transcript/outlines cut down substantially on any need for note taking. Also included with these files is a free version of A Harmony of the Gospels of the Life of Christ by A.T. Robertson. These will come in a PDF file format.

If you or someone you know is interested in enrolling for this course, you can find more information about it here tfb

REFORMATION INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE

A one-year Bachelor Certificate in Theology is now offered through RIC to interested students at just $75/credit (courses pictured on the right), or for only $2000 if you pay for the whole program upfront. Please visit www.reformationseminary.org for more information and to check out our full Bachelor’s in Education program.

Donations to RCM

Your generous gift to RCM is greatly needed and sincerely appreciated.

To: Reformation Christian Ministries

U.S.A.: 1300 East University Blvd.• Melbourne, FL 32901 • Phone (772) 663-8844 • tfb

CANADA: 74 MacKenzie Crescent, Lacombe, AB T4L 0B3 • Phone (403) 597-7244 • canada

Name:____________________________________________ Telephone # ___________________

Street Address:____________________________________________ E-Mail:

[This is Rev. Rudy Poettcker, missionary with Reformation Christian Ministries (RCM), giving you
a brief update.]

Greetings dear prayer partners,

Please be assured that your prayerful support is greatly needed and greatly appreciated; may the Lord be praised and use SALT and RCM for the furtherance of His Kingdom.

As you know, recently we have enrolled a few new students. This is a great blessing, and we pray for further people to be interested in training for Kingdom service through studying in the College & Seminary. Please pray for our students in their studies and for me as I work online with them.

Please also continue to pray for CLA (school in Suriname). Be reminded how the Lord has sent us so many students (some 370!) from so many different backgrounds. Pray that teachers are encouraged in their work. I very personally know the amount of work required to be faithful as a teacher. This week is the 4th week of the Fourth Quarter. It is easy to get weary, and even kind-of discouraged at times, and all teachers & staff need the Lord’s encouragement in their callings. In addition, we have a lady teaching in the High School who is expecting and is now in the hospital. She especially teaches English and Grammar classes. Please pray that plans to cover her classes will go well. We of course pray for a healthy delivery.

Praise the Lord for ongoing progress in the construction at CLA.

Please also remember to pray for FPC (Church in Suriname). We continue to wait on the Lord to work through the discipline of the Church on two members living in sin. Pray for repentance and restoration.

Serving our King, for His Kingdom, together with you,

Rev. RP

Construction progress:

The ministry of SALT (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training) includes:

• Director of RITS & RIC (Reformation International Theological Seminary & Reformation International College).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in College studies (especially teacher training for a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree).
• As Dean of Studies, I work with students in Seminary studies (especially training for ministry and eldership in the M.Div. degree program).
• My work, together with Rev. Hamid, in Administration of CLA (Christian Liberty Academy) in Suriname. I serve as Headmaster, and he is Administrator.
• I also serve as Elder in First Presbyterian Church in Suriname (FPC).

Pray for my preaching ministry at King’s Reformed Presbyterian Church in Melbourne, Florida.

Link to church website (and live stream of Sunday worship): https://www.krpc.us/

Link to RCM website: https://www.reformation.edu/wp/

To support this ministry (tax-exempt), you may write the check to “Reformation Christian Ministries” and designate it to “SALT” (Scriptural Advanced Leadership Training).

Mailing address: 1300 East University Blvd. Melbourne, FL. 32901

If you wish to donate online, you may use this link (and select SALT for designation):

https://gorcm.org/product/donate-to-rcm/