Nakornchon Church, led by Pastor Somchai, located in the Chonburi Province and the Phanat Nikom district, is our partner church. We work together to accomplish the vision of Pastor Somchai and his wife Aun to plant a church in every subdistrict (neighborhood) of Phanat Nikom. This is slow and tedious work with many setbacks along the way. In shame and honor cultures like Thailand, leaving the religion of your ancestors to follow Christ is not taken lightly and often requires years, if not decades, of time.
Nakornchon Church has been thriving for many years. Recently, they have been engaging in many discipleship ministries to equip leaders and grow the church both numerically and spiritually. They have designated leaders to care for groups of four to six members. The leaders are responsible to follow up with and encourage their group during the week and teach them in a Bible study on Sunday mornings (image below). This ministry makes sure the congregation is cared for and prepares the leaders to eventually plant a church.
The church is equipping the body in various areas of life. They have launched several practical classes from which the community can benefit. They offer marriage, parenting, and personal finance groups. They also have fun together with games and sports. These are important elements of community, especially in a place where choosing to follow Christ often results in losing one’s family and friends.
The church has many young people and a thriving youth ministry. Aun said the youth are “working like ants.” They are very active in serving the church and the community. They also participate in regular evangelism efforts in the district. Pastor Somchai and Aun ask for prayer for Sai, the youth coordinator.
Finally, many in the church are part of an online Bible class that is expanding in Thailand. WDMC meets in the mornings every Monday through Friday. This is an online program for which Pastor Somchai serves in leadership. It is daily structured Bible teaching that, according to Aun, is expanding rapidly.
It is exciting to see people coming to know the Lord and being discipled in Thailand. The dedication of the Christians at Nakornchon Church is inspiring. They are eager to learn and grow so that they can reach their neighbors with the gospel. May our churches do likewise! If you would like to partner with the work in Brazil and/or Thailand, you can contribute online at livingbread.org/give. A monthly commitment is a huge blessing, but we love single contributions as well.