The pastoral and evangelistic work of the French African Ministerial Committee (FAMC) carries on despite the limited number of holy workers.
We prepare our missions with weekly meetings via the internet.

French-Speaking Countries in Africa

• Countries generally considered to be French-speaking. Out of the 54 countries that make up Africa, 26 countries and two French islands speak French (i.e. half).

• Countries or regions sometimes considered to be French-speaking.

• Non-French-speaking countries that have joined the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).

Benin

We had a pastoral mission to Benin at the beginning of the year to strengthen the church board, evangelists, religious education teachers, and students. We also visited the various church gathering points in the country and strengthened the newly baptized members.

Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)

Missionary work continues in the Ivory Coast. Last year, a deacon from a religious association in Abidjan, the economic capital of the Ivory Coast, wanted to know more about the gospel because he had read a leaflet from our church. He understood the truth, accepted it immediately, and received the Holy Spirit the same day. This year, three more people around him received the Holy Spirit.
In addition, a truth seeker brought people together to hear the gospel preached by our workers who were on a pastoral visit in the capital Yamoussoukro.

 

Congo

Concerning Congo, a part of the dissident group that followed the heretic has awakened. The area of Goma, where the church was established, is currently in a war zone and difficult to access. We are also working with truth seeking friends in Lubumbashi and Kinshasa.

Please keep the FAMC mission in your prayers. May God help us to do the difficult work in the French-speaking areas of the world.

Praise and thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ!  The USGA is very pleased to announce that after all due process, both Brother Chad Liu and Brother Andrew (Andy) Wang have been ordained as full-time ministers of the True Jesus Church in the United States.  The ordination ceremony was conducted on November 4, 2023, at Elizabeth Church.

 

On behalf of the USGA Council, we sincerely request all brothers and sisters in each church and house of prayer to remember Preacher Chad Liu and Preacher Andrew Wang in your daily prayers.  May our Lord Jesus Christ continue to bestow upon them strength and power throughout their ministries!

Thank you for your prayers.  May God bless you abundantly!

Pioneering areas in the Eastern Hemisphere include all the areas that are yet to mature. They have yet to set up their own regional church organization and to achieve self-governance, self-propagation, and self-support. There are regions at differing levels of maturity but yet unable to fulfill the above requirements. These regions have been entrusted to the care of well-established General Assemblies and Coordination Boards to continue to help them mature. This article discusses the younger pioneering areas that need the direct care of the EHDWM.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh is the most recent pioneering area that we have reached out to. We started to spread the gospel of salvation to Bangladesh after a Bangladeshi read our beliefs online. Knowing that our beliefs are all according to the Scripture, he contacted us in 2018. We then started to correspond with him. In the same year, in September 2018, we made our first missionary trip to Bangladesh.

We found a group of zealous Christians who had suffered persecutions when they turned to Christ. Though zealous and determined, they lack knowledge of the truth. This is where we as stewards of the mysteries of God are indebted to them, to bring the complete truth to them. We began to make frequent missionary trips to guide them to the knowledge of the truth. Seminars were conducted to build up their understanding of the word of God. 

When the pandemic struck in the beginning of 2020, we could not travel there anymore to teach them the truth face to face. Nevertheless, we thank God, we were able to bring our missionary work online. In this way, we continued to hold services and seminars to teach them the truth. However, the poor internet speed and lack of facilities posed a problem to our work. During this period, we were able to complete the translation of our church’s ten gospel series and Essential Doctrines into the Bangladeshi language. Having found the truth, these truth seekers began to actively share the gospel with their friends.

When the borders reopened, we resumed our missionary trips to Bangladesh. Being physically present has allowed us to better understand the state of these truth seekers’ faith. In September 2022, seventeen people were baptized into the fold.

We pray that God will continue to guide the work in Bangladesh.

Religious Education class

 

Sri Lanka

Our Sri Lankan members first came to know the truth when they scattered to Chennai, in the southern part of India due to the unrest in the northern regions of Sri Lanka. They came in contact with our church in India and were baptized in India. Some returned to Sri Lanka after the war, while others migrated to the west.

Afterwards, we began to make missionary trips to Sri Lanka to pastor our members who had returned. We took the opportunity to spread the gospel to the locals when we were there. After the war, the situation was unfavourable and many of our members gradually migrated to the west. Our work continued with the few remaining members in Sri Lanka.

When Sri Lanka reopened its border after the pandemic, we resumed our missionary trips. The member who has been our main contact point migrated to Canada, and another was called to the Lord during this period. With this, we do not have any members remaining from the first batch of believers.

However, God was gracious. In the years prior to the pandemic, a Sri Lankan family believed in the Lord in Malaysia. They spent a few years studying the truth, understanding our system, and having fellowship with our members in West Malaysia. The family returned to Sri Lanka in 2021. They attend the Malaysian church’s online services. Sometimes, they will hold their own service. They are zealous and determined to bring the gospel of salvation to their relatives and friends.

Their home became our worship and evangelical point. After the authorities opened the borders, we made two visits to Sri Lanka. We thank God, this year another four were added to the fold. We pray to God to guide our members during this challenging period in Sri Lanka.

 

First baptism in Sri Lanka

 

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is a country in Oceania, geographically adjacent to Indonesia. The members here are all from China. They came here for better prospects. Most of them either set up their own retail business or work with other Chinese retail businesses. Their working hours are very long, from before sunrise to after sunset. Since the country is not very safe, most of our members spend most of their time in their own premises, and only have contact with people within their own community.

We started visiting our members in Papua New Guinea quite some time ago to pastor them. In the process we have tried preaching to the locals. However, follow-up work is difficult due to language and cultural barriers. Logistically, our missionary work is challenging. Our members reside in different places, far from one another. In most of the cases, there are only one or two members at each location and these places can only be accessed by plane. 

Due to these reasons and the need for our workers in other areas, we have stopped visiting them for many years. We do understand that we have the responsibility to seek out every single sheep who has gone astray and to bring the gospel to all tribes and nations. We pray to God for His guidance.

 

Statistics

1. Number of Churches: 14 churches, 3 prayer houses, 2 places of worship
2. Number of Believers: 1700 members
3. Number of Ministers: 14 deacons, 4 deaconesses, 5 preachers
4. Number of REU students: about 207 (with 35 teachers)

Situational Report for the Second Half of the Year 2021 until August 2022

Thank God, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the India Coordination Board (ICB) together with the India Mission Committee (IMC) organized an online National Spiritual Meeting on 12th September 2021. The theme was “Let not your heart be troubled…” (Jn 14:1).

After India reopened its borders, Elder Joshua Phoong made pastoral visits to India and Sri Lanka from 16th March to 4th April 2022. During this trip, Elder Phoong not only visited the churches in India, but also conducted various services with the members over there. 

In addition, ICB held their Annual Delegates Conference (ADC) for the year 2022. During that year’s ADC, new office bearers were elected.

The new office bearers elected are as follows:

Chairman: Pr. Andrew Nickelson 

Religious Affairs: Dn. Timothy Christodass

General Affairs: Pr. Simon Daniel

Financial Affairs: Dn. Stephen Raju

Literary Affairs: Dn. Moses

Educational Affairs: Dn. Joshua Jaishanker

Youth Affairs (appointed by IMC and NEAC-ICB): Dn. Boaz Pradeep

Zone 1: Bro. Madhi
Zone 2: Bro. Isaac
Zone 3: Bro. Paul Raj

In order to improve ICB’s administrative system and work, IMC decided to work closely with the ICB’s various departments (i.e., pastoral, literary ministry, and religious education) and to provide guidance. We thank God that over the years, ICB has been able to actively participate in evangelism by regularly holding evangelistic meetings at church, outdoor evangelistic meetings, and other evangelism events. Therefore, the local preachers have been able to venture out to preach the gospel in new areas. We pray that the Lord will continue to guide ICB and the work of evangelism in India. 

Below are some photos of the holy work carried out in India.

Elder Phoong meets with ministers and visits members.

 

 

Mahachai House of Prayer

From 2018 to 2019, Pr. Chih Ming Huang served as a resident preacher at Mahachai House of Prayer. He began to hold evening family services and each family took turns leading the weekly family altars. Therefore, the local believers became more united, which contributed to their commitment to the church. Preacher Huang’s work was based on his care for the holy work in Thailand. He had been a board member of the church in Bangkok, and hence he could put himself into the shoes of the believers.

Thanks to the Lord’s grace, and with the assistance of Pr. Jiasheng Yang, who pastored the church in Thailand, the Mahachai Prayer House was officially established on July 1, 2020, just before the outbreak of the pandemic. The house rented from a Taiwanese businessman was remodeled for use as a chapel. All the believers here branched out from Bangkok Church. There are nine members from four Chinese families, and they mainly speak Mandarin.

God led the evangelism work. Sister Lin Jinzhen in mainland China introduced her classmate, Ms. Li Yuping, to the True Church in Thailand. She contacted Sis. Cuifen, a believer in Mahachai, actively guiding her to the truth. On December 26, 2020, she was baptized and successfully became our first newly baptized member.

After the outbreak of the epidemic, physical services were suspended and changed to online services. In September 2020, the person in charge of the prayer house started an evening prayer group on LINE, which met daily at 9:00 p.m., except for Friday and Saturday. They prayed and read the Bible to fellowship with each other, and thanked the Lord for His guidance. It has been two years since. We felt God’s presence and miraculous works. In the front yard of the prayer house, there was a mango tree. The owner had planted it many years ago, but it did not bear fruit. It has now produced fruit since the beginning of church gatherings. From August 12th to 14th of last year, we held a spiritual convocation and evangelism services. Eleven people partook of the Holy Communion, and a total offering of 15,600 baht were received. We can see that God has been leading believers to move forward smoothly.

Kamphaeng Phet Gospel Center

In early March this year, we actively searched for a suitable location as a new evangelism center to meet the needs of evangelism and pastoral training in the area of Pankadai Church and Kaoqiao House of Prayer. Thanks to the Lord’s guidance, soon there was a house prepared by God, which had never been used. The land is 68 square meters. It is a single-family three-story building. The original design was for a restaurant. Floor-to-ceiling windows were set on the second floor, well-lit and spacious. Approved by the General Assembly of the True Jesus Church in Taiwan, we officially signed a three-year contract and began to rent in April. Finally, we held our first service on July 9th, and our first spiritual convocation on August 6th. Five people were baptized, and 23 people partook of the Holy Communion, and a total offering of 2,043 baht was received.

The USGA would like to share the latest updates from Honolulu Church regarding the wildfire situation in Maui. Thank God, all of our members in Maui have been evacuated safely; however, there was considerable damage to our members’ homes and businesses.

Please inform your congregation that if they would like to offer any charitable assistance, they may contribute to the USGA Emergency Relief Fund as follows:

Via Zelle:

Account Name: General Assembly of the True Jesus Church in the U.S.A.

Account Email: usga@tjc.org

Note: Mention “USGA Emergency Relief Fund” and also provide the donor’s name and email address in the memo.

Via PayPal:

Account Email: tjcusga_fa@tjc.org

Note: Mention “USGA Emergency Relief Fund” and also provide the donor’s name and email address in the memo.

Via checks:

Payable To: General Assembly of the True Jesus Church in the U.S.A.

Note: Ensure the donor’s name and contact information are on the check and mention “USGA Emergency Relief Fund” in the memo.

In compliance with IRS requirements, please do not earmark the contribution for any specific disastrous event.

For further questions regarding the Maui members’ situation, the Honolulu Church can be contacted via tjchawaii1917@gmail.com.

Please continue to intercede for those affected by the Maui wildfires.

Thank God! By God’s mercy, the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control towards the end of 2022. Since then, our daily lives, as well as spiritual lives, have been rapidly returning to normal. During the year, the Korea GA appointed new council members. Since the end of 2022, the new council members have been touring churches across the country to understand the status of the local churches, explain the work of the General Assembly, and explain the local ministry of the stationed preachers. Churches everywhere are encouraged to prioritize the restoration of the believers’ spiritual lives and the holy work of the church, which have been negatively impacted due to the pandemic. Thanks to the Lord’s guidance, face-to-face services and the holy work of churches all over the country have returned to pre-pandemic levels. 

I am even more grateful to God that during the COVID-19 pandemic, several churches have rebuilt their chapels with love for the Lord: Seo Bu Church has held a dedication ceremony; Cheong Ju Church and Daejeon Church plan to organize dedication ceremonies this year. All the brethren who participated in Seo Bu Church’s dedication ceremony experienced deeply that even in the most difficult moments, God always shows His unchanging love through the true church. They gave all the glory to God’s name.

Evangelical Department

To encourage believers to fulfill the mission of spreading the gospel of the true church in the end time, the Evangelical Department organized evangelism seminars in various churches. On April 10, 2022, 95 members from 17 churches nationwide participated in the evangelical workshop held in Cheonan Church. This seminar specifically proposed methods of evangelism that thrive even during a pandemic. Currently, church members worldwide hold fellowship gatherings with similarly aged peers on Sabbath afternoons. Therefore, the evangelical department teaches preaching methods and successful cases for these fellowships so that fellowship members can actively participate in the ministry of evangelism, seizing the opportunities that the Lord has given to all of us. As it is recorded in the Scripture, preach the gospel, in season and out of season. 

 

Training Department

Currently, there are two second-year theological students who are training at the Korean GA Theological Seminary. 

The newly promoted ministry this year is an online short-term theological course. Our training department organizes a two-week short-term theological course during the winter and the summer break. However, some believers are unable to attend in person, so we designed online courses for these members. This time, the number of applicants was much higher than expected, with a total of 168 participants (136 first-year students, 17 second-year students, and 15 third-year students). It is hoped that the online short-term theological course will be beneficial to the ministry of our churches and evangelism in various places, and lay a good foundation for the church’s spiritual growth and missionary workforce. We ask the Lord to guide and bless this ministry.

 

Religious Education Department

The RE department regularly organizes various events for different age groups, ranging from children to working youth. One notable event is the Junior High School Growth Camp for grade three. In previous years, the Korean GA would organize a trip for third-year middle school students to visit Taiwan as an opportunity for spiritual cultivation, but this activity was placed on hold due to the pandemic. However, we still believe that faith and fellowship are very important in the middle school/early high school years, so we shifted our focus to the early churches in Korea, conducting visits to early churches and holding spiritual cultivation seminars. This year’s Junior High Grade Three Growth Camp was held from July 23rd to 27th. The theme was “The Abidance of the Holy Spirit in the Journey of the True Jesus Church.” A total of fifteen students from churches across the country participated. They visited Gimcheon Church, which was the first True Jesus Church established in Korea, where they learned about the history of the early True Jesus Church. They also walked among the mountains behind Shudo Church, where Pr. Phill Sun Park was martyred for the gospel, and learned the spirit of martyrdom.

In the Early History Education Center, visitors can see exhibits on church history and learn more about the development of True Jesus Church in Korea up to the present day. In addition, they can also visit churches around the world, participate in various activities, share beliefs and testimonies, and come to the understanding that we are one body in Christ. We hope that the hearts of our students, who must grow and develop in an increasingly corrupt world, will be more firmly rooted in the word of God and the true church to live out Christ in their everyday lives.

 

Information and Literary Ministry Department

In addition to publishing periodicals, the Information and Literary Ministry Department helped local churches to hold live-stream services during the pandemic. In 2022, the online newsletter “Like Salt” was released on the web. Two information personnel from each local area were appointed to facilitate evangelical news and announcements from the General Assembly, sharing quarterly updates about organizations, newly baptized brethren, believers’ testimonies, and other works of faith.

The online newsletter is tailored for mobile users, making it easy to view and share anytime and anywhere. The purpose is to share the grace of the Lord with the whole church, as well as share comfort and joy with fellow evangelists and truthseekers. We hope that the Lord will be with every holy worker and make them the tools to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom all over the world.

IA has published several promotional videos to introduce the currently available media ministry resources in the following areas: 

1. Website Resources 
2. Bible Learning Resources 
3. Social Media Resources 
4. Bible and Hymnal App Resources 

To watch these promotional videos, please visit the IA YouTube channel (URL: youtube.tjc.org or click on Media Ministry Resources).

European Coordination Center (ECC) Report on Europe and Pioneering Area
– Current Situation

Thank God, with fewer restrictions due the coronavirus pandemic since the end of last year, we have resumed pastoral visits to local churches. With God’s guidance, we have used the past two years to teach the brethren online in the word of God. Numerous online courses such as “Church Board Training”, “RE Teacher Training”, “Doctrine Course”, or “How to Prepare a Sermon” were also carried out. Nevertheless, the brethren in the pioneering regions have been waiting for on-site visits for a long time.

Since on-site Spiritual Convocations and Special Services have resumed, we have seen how Jesus has been guiding the church through this difficult time. Although, we were worried that the brethren would backslide in their faith, Jesus has been looking after His sheep all the time, and “no one will snatch them out of my hand” (Jn 10:28). 

In October 2021, by God’s grace and after only a short search and subsequent renovation, we were able to dedicate the new prayer house in Tbilisi, Georgia. During this convocation, two people were baptized, which was also the first baptism ever held in Georgia. We need to keep praying that God will continue to guide the church and help the brothers and sisters grow in faith.

In early 2022, the brethren in Albacete, Spain began to set up the organizational structure of the church and elected the first church board. The local brothers and sisters grew so much in faith during the pandemic that they now meet regularly and keep the Sabbath together. Thank God, a suitable place to rent for spiritual convocations and special services was also found. Now the brethren are busy looking for a suitable church building. At the same time, they are preparing to set up their own religious education classes. We must continue to pray for them too, so that the church in Albacete will become a light of Jesus.

In Italy, where the pandemic was particularly serious, we were able to see the greatest development of the church. The brethren in Prato have found a new place to worship God and have resumed on-site services. In Empoli, we were able to dedicate the new church building on August 21, 2022. It took a long way to get there, and there had been many difficulties during the one and a half years of renovation, which we would never have overcome without God’s help. Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain (Ps 127:1). But with God’s grace and the great commitment of the brothers and sisters in Empoli, the new church building was completed and dedicated during the largest spiritual convocation ever held in Europe, with over 130 participants. Everyone could feel the presence of the glory of God. During this convocation, we also had three people baptized and five brethren received the Holy Spirit.

A total number of eighteen new members have been baptized across Europe since visits resumed in eight different church locations. This shows that our brothers and sisters continued to spread the Word of God despite the pandemic restrictions.

In the coming years it will be important to strengthen the local churches and the members’ faith, as well as to train brothers and sisters for church work. ECC has set up further RE teacher training courses for this purpose. Piano lessons are planned for Madrid Prayer House to train young people to accompany hymns. ECC is also in the process of registering the True Jesus Church in Greece and is supporting the brothers and sisters in Albacete and Budapest to find a suitable church building. All these tasks require a lot of time and energy. This is not possible without the help of God. Therefore, we must trust in His leadership. With God’s grace we will continue to spread His Word in Europe so that people will see His great glory.

All glory and honor be to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

The outbreak of COVID-19 at the end of 2019 and the global pandemic in 2020 caused many countries to impose border restrictions, leading to many changes in the work of the TJC Cambodia Evangelical Center. Thank God, in 2021, God continued to guide the evangelical work of the Cambodia Evangelical Center through prayers.

Spiritual Convocations

Spiritual convocations were postponed in the first half of 2021 due to pandemic restrictions. It was not until the beginning of October that the Cambodian government announced the country would gradually open up again with conditions, and normality did not resume until November. To meet the requirements of the government and spread out the believers, the number of service locations in each province was increased. In the second half of the year, from October 22 to November 14, a total of seventeen locations across the country held spiritual convocations and performed Holy Communion. These included four baptisms and footwashing sacraments, with twenty-six people being baptized and one receiving the Holy Spirit. 302 members received the cup. The thanksgiving offerings during these spiritual convocations totalled 4,558,781 riels (1,108.56 USD). 

Phnom Penh Chapel Space Planning and Third Dormitory Construction Project

• After moving into the new chapel and using it for a period of time, we discovered that there was a slight shortage of space. Therefore, the original multi-purpose room on the second floor was divided into a children’s classroom and a multi-purpose room that can be used as a prayer room, audio-visual room, meeting room. etc. 
• Thank God for bestowing an opportunity to us. The owner of the house next to the parking lot asked the landlord (a church member) whether he would like to purchase the house. After negotiation between the landlord and the owner, the purchase was completed in March 2021 for 75,000 USD. Construction started in October 2021 after simple planning. The house is expected to be handed over at the end of December and will be used by the church in Phnom Penh. The space plan is to use the first floor as the parking lot for the church’s business vehicles, and the second floor as the third dormitory for full-time workers and their families. 

Exterior of the Third Dormitory

 

Current Situation of Religious Education

The First RE Teachers’ Training in Cambodia

The first RE Teachers’ Training was held from November 16-20, 2021 at Phnom Penh. This course was primarily for kindergarten class education. The existing textbooks and hymns for the kindergarten class were used as study materials. Youth from the countryside were taught how to apply them, so as to train them to become teachers and assist in the work of shepherding the Lord’s lambs. There were a total of 10 workers, 11 lecturers (6 brothers and 5 sisters), and 16 students (10 sisters, 6 brothers), totalling 37 attendees.