Jorge and Hermelinda are missionaries who serve with the Baptist Churches in the Dereham region of the United Kingdom. They are assisting churches of the Baptist Union of Great Britain reach out to the communities of Portuguese-speaking migrant workers in the region. Their work involves visiting migrant workers, assessing needs and working with the churches to develop strategies to welcome and provide services for the migrants so that they may grow in the understanding of God’s love, truth and justice.

Jorge writes: We rejoice in the Lord for another city reached with the Gospel of Jesus. In the town of Milton Keynes, about 100 miles from where we presently live, we started a new congregation. Every Saturday night at Loughton Baptist Church, we do a service for a group of about 18 people. This group is very excited and very hungry for the Word of God. 

 Couples Meeting: As part of our strategy to restore family values in the community we held our 2010 Couples meeting in the town of Dereham. It was a success! We had twenty participating couples and the feedback we've had from these couples was that the event served to further strengthen their marital bond and remind them about how important is to spend time together in order to preserve the foundations of the family.
We have had many cases of divorce among the immigrant community and this has worried us. We have linked this to the fact that immigrants work long hours and often neglect spending quality time with their families; as a result the weakening of the relationship is imminent.

Men’s Meeting: We have sought to invest more in the men of our community. To be hones it has not proven to be an easy task. We had a modest beginning in our first meeting but rewarding. It was nice to hear from men who left their countries, how they feel about being in a new culture facing new challenges. Such information will help us establish a better structure for our future meetings with the group of men.

Preparations for Christmas.  Christmas is here. However we must not forget that Christmas also points to hope and solidarity. During this period many needy families do not have the resources to celebrate Christmas. We have worked closely with Salvation Army to meet the basic needs of these families in order that they may see the God of all hope through our witness.

• Pray for the growth, spiritually and numerically, of the new congregation begun in Milton Keynes.
• Pray for the ministry to the marriages in the immigrant community – and that God would guide Hermelinda and Jorge to know how to minister to these people living with such economic stress.
• Pray for the Damascenos as they seek to reach Portuguese immigrants in Great Britain for Jesus and to establish believers strongly in the faith.