Alumni Prayer Focus

Alumni Pray Focus.   Philip Pretorius, 2022 MET graduate.  Philip and his family (Maryke, Noah and Nathan) moved to the Netherlands from South Africa to attend Tyndale and to plant a church in Utrecht.  He did this simultaneously and during COVID!

  Church Planting Vision

They are working with a team to lead Every Nation Utrecht which is a part of a global family of churches known as Every Nation.  Every Nation exists to honor God by establishing Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, socially responsible churches and campus ministries in every nation.  Their strategy is to pray, make disciples, raise leaders and plant churches and campus ministries. 

In these two short years, God has been faithfully growing His church.  Currently there are over 70 adults being discipled in and through the Connect groups, and around 30 children being discipled by their parents in partnership with the kids ministry.  They have launched a bi-weekly Sunday service and are trusting God that as the serving teams grow, they will be able to do weekly Sunday meetings soon. 

Why Utrecht?

Through prayer as a couple and with their elder team, they felt God calling them to Utrecht.  They are excited about the large student population and it is their desire to see the next generation being reached with the gospel.  There are a lot of unbelievers in Utrecht and it is their desire to reach them, and disciple them so that they can become followers of Jesus and live lives bringing glory to God which only He deserves. 

Beyond Utrecht

The vision God gave them goes beyond Utrecht.  They are trusting God to see the lost being reached, disciples being made, leaders being developed and churches and campus ministries being planted in every major city in the Netherlands. 

Prayer Needs

New Venue. Pray for them as they are settling into their new venue, they are renting a school.  Pray for all of the interactions between the church and the school to be handled and received with grace, for favor and trust to be built between the church and the school.

Campus Ministry.  Pray for opportunities to share the gospel at Utrecht University, open hearts and wisdom for follow-up conversations.  They hope to start discipleship groups on campus.

Salvation and Discipleship.  Salvation as they share the gospel with their Dutch friends, neighbors and colleagues.  For the healthy growth of the discipleship groups. 

Upcoming Events: 

Miracles Sermon Series (based on the book of John).  Pray that the church will gain a biblical understanding of Miracles and that they will trust God to miraculously work in and through their lives to the glory of God. 

Making Disciples Training – pray that the training will result in leaders being raised who will be disciples of Jesus and make disciples who make disciples. 

Pretorius Family.  Pray that they will continue to lead from a position of abiding in Christ and not become moralistic in their leadership and ministry.  They would like to buy a home this next year – pray for the financial provision and qualification of a loan.  Pray for their two sons (Noah, 5 and Nathan 3) and their integration into Dutch culture and society.  Pray for Noah’s protection as he is passionately sharing the gospel at school with his friends.