18/12/2024
Dear Church Family and Friends,
As we celebrate the joy of this Christmas season and approach the close of another year, we feel led by the Lord to embrace a new season in ministry—one that looks a little different but is filled with exciting opportunities to grow, connect, and serve.
After much prayer and reflection, we feel led by the Lord to step away, for a season, from traditional in-person Church services in a specific building and instead focusing on online gatherings that will welcome people not only from Portugal but from across the world. Instead, we’re embracing a broader vision—one that reaches beyond walls to connect with believers across Portugal and the world, equipping and empowering people both spiritually and practically.
We feel called to focus on coaching, equipping, ministering, and training in a way that is deeply rooted in the Word of God and practical for daily life. This includes stepping more intentionally into marketplace ministry, where we’ll not only encourage believers in their faith but also reach those who may not yet know the Lord. Our heart is to empower people in the corporate world and beyond, equipping them with the armor of God and the power of His Word to stand strong in their purpose and influence their communities for Christ.
Here’s what this next season will look like:
• Online Gatherings: We’ll be hosting online Bible studies, coaching sessions, worship nights, and prayer meetings, creating a space where we can seek God together, intercede for our families and nations, and grow in faith.
• Selah Saturdays in the Algarve: As the weather warms, we will gather on our land in the Monchique mountains of Algarve, for informal, Spirit-led Bible studies, prayer meetings, and worship evenings. We’ll also share meals and fellowship over lunch, creating a time to praise the Lord, dive into His Word, and share life together in community.
• Marketplace Ministry: We’ll work to equip believers to live out their faith boldly in their workplaces, bringing the light of Christ into their industries while empowering them to walk confidently in their God-given calling.
• Times Square Church Connect Groups: We are honored to work more closely with Times Square Church as Connect Group leaders. Currently, we host two Connect Groups, once a month on the last Sunday, and we would love for you to join us online. These gatherings are a wonderful opportunity to fellowship, grow in faith, and support one another. Please read more through the links below.
Through these new avenues, we’re committed to cultivating a community rooted in worship, prayer, and action. Our hope is to see lives transformed—not just within the church but in workplaces, families, and communities all over the world. We truly believe this season will be one of revival, growth, and empowerment as we stand together and step boldly into God’s plans for us.
As we step into this new season, we are filled with hope, expectancy, and excitement for what God is about to do. We truly believe this season will be one of deeper intimacy with Him and greater impact as a body of believers.
We want to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, joy, and God’s abundant blessings. Let’s enter 2025 with hearts full of faith and expectancy for all the Lord is about to do!
With love and blessings,
Thomas and Helena Vernholm
NHNSAOHA - The Scandinavian Church in Portugal
https://tscnyc.churchcenter.com/groups/connect-groups/monthly-discussion-prayer-meeting-in-portugal
https://tscnyc.churchcenter.com/groups/connect-groups/welcome-to-join-our-365-day-journey-through-the-entire-bible-in-chronological-order
