Property UPDATE

On May 4, 2020, CBBC with Missionary Matthew Siekbert broke ground for the church building.
Below are some pictures of the layout of the building. Please feel free to share with your church family. We are excited for what God is and will do.

This is the back of the property looking to the seaside 

Front corner of property looking back, you ca see our little building in the back.

Back or property looking to the front, seaside

More pictures of the month in May 2020.

Cover for the gutter to allow vehicles to enter property.

2020 May Newsletter

The Crippling:                                                                                                                                             

As most everyone we have been crippled by the Virus. It has caused the shutdown of the schools that we teach in and it is the blame of the ban on our church services. During this time my family and I have been having services at home as regularly scheduled services. I have been teaching on the 7 Laws of Sowing and Reaping, the topic of Our Walk With God, and the King and his sons by John Phillips in Proverbs 29. Most of the gatherings of people here are mass messes where people have, seemingly, no clue of  self-distancing. Such gatherings as: their funerals, their churches, their market selling, and etc. It would be devastating in Ghana if the Virus really took off here. The government is trying to take those that have contracted the Virus to quarantine in Accra, the capital city where the best hospital facilities are to be and away from others. Most of the housing here is not just for a husband, his wife, and his children; There are relatives and extended relatives, and many who are not related in the same house and one may not know where all they have been. In the villages like where Pastor Prince grew up is where most of your population is. In a kind of community housing there can be at least 5 people living and sleeping in an 8’ by 10’ room. In town they now have containers of water and soap at each businesses before you enter so one can wash their hands. With that being said people still have to make a living.                                                                                                                                                         

      

The Building Progress:                                                                                                                            
I hope that everyone back in the States that get my Newsletter was able to read my March Newsletter before the virus shut things down. There are many updates there to be read. One of the updates mentioned was that 
We Have Started Building!The Profile has been set where the building will be, many   supplies have been bought for starters: Binding Wire to tie with, Iron Rods to form the skeleton of Pillars, Mats, Columns, Beams, and Ring-beams with, and Cement to pour over those skeletons which actually makes the Pillar, Mats, Columns, Beams, and Ring-beams strong, sturdy and complete. Each work has its specialist! As in March I am asking you to help me help CBBC to get their building built. I am told we need about $20,000 in addition to what we already have to build with. If only 20 Churches give $1,000 each the goal of $20,000 would  be met. Will you Pray and Give to this Project, even if you cannot give $1,000, Little is Much when God is in  it??? This seemingly, is not the time to ask for help, but in principle the Church all through the ages Rallied  during It’s persecution and the Devil’s hindering. Who knows the Extent of God’s Supply!!! On May 4^thwe held   a Groundbreaking Ceremony for CBBC, which can be viewed on Facebook. At this point the foundation is dug,  all the foundational skeleton Pillars for starting and the skeleton Mats for the Pillars to sit on have been formed   out of the iron rods that we bought. Some of the church folks dug out a holding pit for water that had to be built  for the masons. It will help the masons to continue work mixing their cement for the building. Many days the city water does not come on. Between a church promise and a church giving us some money towards our goal we    now need $18,240. Thank you Bible Baptist and Fairwinds Baptist. You can check out the Building Progress and how the steel benders do their work by pictures we posted at: siekbertnewsletter.blogspot.com                                                                                                                                                       

Water pit the guys dug out

Water pit

                                                                          Profile                                                                   

The Benders making the mats

Start of digging for foundation 

Preparing for foundation 

                                                                 

The Drop In:                                                                                                                                     
During April at the Bible Study Room we have in Anaji a man named Anthony Annan stopped by and asked me to explain the difference between true salvation and works. In short I told him Salvation is immediate, not progressive, not of mankind’s works but Solely of Christ’s Work. “Good Works” do not bring Eternal Life. True Good Works come after Salvation and are what come as the affects and evidences of One’s yielding to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that is now in him/her who is Redeemed. Afterward I ask him what church does he attend, he reluctantly replied that he and some people broke away from the Seventh Day Adventist knowing that they believe in a works based salvation.                                                                                                                                                 

Bits Of Bread:                                                                                                                                   
When Jesus Spoke to the Rich Man in Mt 19:16-22 and the Religious Lawyer in Lk 10:25-37 about their good works He knew that they also would have a hard time separating their good works from His Salvation! John Phillips Quotes, …“we cannot do anything to gain eternal life for the simple reason that we are incapable of doing anything good enough for God (Rom. 3:9-20).” “People who imagine that works is the way to heaven stand condemned by their own religion.”                                                                  

Matthew J Siekbert

2020 March Newsletter

Going Forward With Building:

After 7 years of delay and struggle on church land in Sekondi for Cornerstone Biblical Baptist Church we have started building. We have started with building a 12’ by 24’ building for the Scriptures we have had shipped from BPS Milford, OH in May 2017. This structure is so we can use the container that was full of Scriptures for building supplies during construction of a church building for Cornerstone Biblical Baptist Church. I am excited to see what God will do!!! CBBC is our first Church Plant with two Pastors, Bro Prince and Bro Koasi, that I have been able to Disciple from teenagers and Train up through the Church and Bible School training them as sound Fundamental Bible Believing Adults who have been Ordained, Pastoring and Leading at CBBC in Sekondi. This has not been an easy task, but …“having obtained help of God, I continue unto this day”… Acts 26:22. Many Supporting Churches and Friends of mine have helped with the start of this project 7 years ago and now I am asking you to help me help CBBC to get their building built. I am told we need about $20,000 in addition to what we already have to build with. If only 20 Churches give $1,000 each the goal of $20,000 would be met. Will you Pray and Give to this Project, even if you cannot give $1,000, Little is Much when God is in it??? To build on our Church property we have been told that we have to build a two story building, which we were not planning, but that is what the country’s STMA commission (the people who issue the building permits) said. So we are planning to build a 2 story, 12’ in length by 45’ in width portion on the front of the main sanctuary. Then the sanctuary portion will be a 1 story structure   of 50’ in length by 45’ in width. Once built we look to be able to utilize the auditorium in partitioning off on Sundays some of the auditorium for Sunday School Classes and also for at least 240 kids we have had in certain villages during our VBS weeks during the summers. You have all seen the pictures we have posted in our Newsletter Blogs, and Facebook Posts during our VBS weeks. In an estimated population of 144,000, Many people in the Sekondi area and the surrounding villages, have heard the gospel, are hearing, and have come to the Saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ in the last 16 years of our ministries at CBBC in Sekondi. PLEASE CONSIDER THE WORK!   

Let the work begin!

                                       

Lunch after a days hard work moving Scriptures

Putting up site fencing

This is front view to back of property and you can see the little building and the red container to the right  of that. 

Public School Devotions/Worship Time & ABS:

As a part of our new Work in Anaji, the Anaji Bible Study, we have started also teaching Bible at the Anaji Primary Public School. My wife has been teaching the 1st-2nd grades, Bro Prince has the 3rd-4th grades, and I am teaching the 5th-6th grades. Towards the end of January one Friday Morning after we finished teaching at the school, as normal, we were walking to where our car was parked and I was passing some teachers at a Pre-school with about 100 to 150 kids sitting under a tree and one of the 9 teachers asked me, “Aren’t you going to greet me?” So, I greeted her. Then she said, “Do you have a message for us today?” So, being somewhat shocked, I said, “Yes, I sure do!” Every week since then after we get done teaching the Public Primary School of Anaji on the way to my car I go and teach the 9 teachers and their 150 Pre-Schoolers. It is pretty cool sitting during the week early in the mornings at our Anaji Bible Study location preparing for the week when a student from the Anaji Public Schools says, “Hi, Pastor Matthew” or a Pre-Schooler, who’s Dad or Mom is taking them to school, shouts across the way to me, “Hi, Pastor Matthew” with their parents trying to figure out how their kids know that White Guy, me. At the Anaji Primary Public School one of the teachers in my class told me towards the end of February, “the kids  are listing very intently to the Seed you are sowing.” The next week in that same class I teach a girl named Barbra, who responds and answers to me all the time came to me after my Bible Lesson and asked me if she could get Saved! So I got to lead her to Christ, Praise the Lord for His Goodness! On Thursday I Teach an Evening Bible Class at our ABS and Fred the owner where we rent comes off and on. A few weeks ago one Thursday night Fred made a profession of Faith! Joseph, a man who speaks French from Guinea W. Africa was passing by our ABS one Sunday and came in, then came back on Tuesday morning that week to the ABS as I was preparing for the week. So, I called Bro Koasi up, our secondary pastor at CBBC in Sekondi who is from Togo and speaks French. Bro Koasi got to lead him to the Lord just last week and send him on his way. PRAY AS GOD IS AT WORK IN HIS WAY!!! 

Fred who got saved 

Koasi (L) led Joseph (R) to the Lord. 

Pre-School Class 

Pre-School 

 Bits Of Bread:

 In many and most cases whether Good or Bad, Right or Wrong, WE REAP IN A DIFFERENT SEASON THAN WHEN WE SOW!!! “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” - Galatians 6:9                                                    

Matthew J Siekbert

Happy New Year:

We closed out 2019 with a message and praying in the New Year at our church CBBC. We then shot off some fireworks and headed home at 2 AM. For Christmas, we had a service on Christmas Day at church. We also played white elephant and had some meat pies and coke. Our Christmas morning at home, Jackie made a nice breakfast and Nehemiah read the Christmas story and we opened  presents. We were able to have our Christmas cookies because, Grace Baptist, in PA, sends us a Christmas cookie box, filled with chocolate chips, Hershey kisses, M&M’s, Walnuts, Pepperoni (for our Christmas Pizza) we had on Christmas Eve. We look forward to that box, and we enjoy the spoils. Thank you Grace! The schools here in Ghana go on break a week before Christmas and resume in January. So this New Year we headed back to the   Deaf School this past Sunday. We have been on break or rather they have been on break. Prince has been teaching at Anaji public schools on Fridays. We have joined him this New Year and have 3 different classes. My wife is teaching the 1st-2nd grades, Prince has the 3rd-4th grades, and I am teaching the 5th-6th grades. Our Bible Study in Anaji is just cater-cornered from the school. We are in a good location. God didn’t allow us to have the  other meeting place we looked at getting in August 2019, but gave us a better one in October. We are on the main  double-road, with two schools, one beside us and the other public school catty corner from us. So please be in prayer we have some of these kids joining us on Sunday. Thank you very much for your love and kindness to us through the extra special financial gifts that were given to us from some supporting churches and the anonymous giver during this past Christmas holiday.  

Anaji Bible Study: 

More services have been added to our Anaji Bible Study (ABS). We have added Sunday mornings at 10 and 11 AM. After the Deaf School, which begins at 7:30 AM, we head to the ABS. I am also still having Tuesday Evening Bible Classes at 4 PM on “OT Survey” of the Books and now we have begun Thursday Evening Bible Class at 5:30 PM on “Church History”. Last   Thursday was our first class on Church History and Fred, the guy we rent our room from, came! He was excited and so were we! Pray that he continues to come and gets saved. We also hung some curtains on the back wall of our ABS. We had some stamps made and have stamped some John and Romans and New Testaments to pass out. Also, we had some sticker signs made and posted on the outside of our doors to show the times of the service. Jackie will post pictures on our blog version of the newsletter, siekbertnewsletter.blogspot.com and Jackie has one as well, jackiesiekbert.blogspot.com  

Fred joining us, Prince is taking the Picture

Miscellaneous Happenings: 

Birthdays,Nehemiah turned 13 on  Thanksgiving Day last year, he blew out a candle in a piece of pie, we then celebrated his birthday on Friday with cake and swimming. Our son Joseph celebrated his 18^th birthday on Jan. 3^rd, with homemade pizza and cake and friends. We also had to mail in his Selective Service and he needs to register to vote. He has a missionary friend who also turned 18 before Christmas, they enjoyed being able to get together for their big day.

 Planning Meeting In December, Between Cornerstone and Anaji Bible Study Prince, Koasi, and myself have scheduled: Individual Ministry Enhancements, like Discipleship Classes at Cornerstone and Bible Classes at the Anaji Bible Study; some Combined Outreaches in targeting villages; and some Combined Activities. 

Prayer Requests: Each  Ministry along with our Goals and Plans to go forward with Christ being honored; CBBC’s building Permit on their property; ABS’s successful growth.  

Bits Of Bread:     

“If Satan Can Get You To Believe Wrong, He Can Convince You To Do Wrong” “What You Believe Is Important” - Quotes by Jerry Ross  “Now the serpent was more subtilthan any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent saidunto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman sawthat the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she tookof the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” - Gen 3:1-7.   Don’t Swallow Satan’s Bait!!!, Are You Doing Wrong Or About To???, What Has Satan Gotten You To Believe???            

 Matthew J Siekbert

November 2019 Newsletter

ABS Happenings:                                                                                                                                    

ABS does not stand for Anti-Lock Brake System with the yellow light on the dashboard  of your car, but for our Anaji Bible Study. As we go visiting it doesn’t seem so successful, but I believe God Blesses  “GO” because it is Obedience to His Command of the Great Commission. Also Sowing His Word  is Seed that will make an Eternal Difference in the Ground that Receives It. To “GO” does not only mean to just go down streets knocking on doors, but also GOING and SOWING the GOSPEL SEED in every turn and aspect of life. One day out on visitation with my family Joseph and I were walking down a path across a soccer field where there was a soccer team sitting, waiting on the soccer team that they were to play. While they were sitting there I got to talk with them about the Gospel for about a half hour. On visitation I usually don’t speak to a group of people, I rather speak one on one, because most of the time someone is clowning around and the people are not sober minded, but in this case they all were listening well. The Gospel was Presented/Sown and many of them made a profession of Faith in Christ. The most affective way of Soul winning in these times, I believe, is what we do, teaching others through a process of time that they are not Worthy of Heaven, that no Work of theirs will get them to Heaven, and about Why they Need Salvation to get to Heaven, and the Only Way to Heaven. People in today’s world really do not think they are bad enough, that Judgment is not real or that it is not of God. At the beginning of October Prince and I put our Anaji Bible Study Sign Up. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I spend must of the day at the Bible Study going over and preparing Bible Lessons for the Deaf School and the Old Testament Survey Class that I’ve started, Practicing Signing for our Deaf School. Pray with us that things that we’ve done will spark an interest. We have had 2 men drop-in passing by at different times saying they will come. Their names are Johnny and Benjamin. Last Sunday Evening for Bible Studies we had 2 ladies come. The older lady is named Elizabeth, and the younger lady is named Abigail. Abigail, Jackie invited. She is about 16. Sunday evening she was very intent in listening to the teaching I had taught. Pray for them and us as we “GO,” Seeking The Lost!!! 

School Services and Other Miscellaneous News:                                                             

In September we had Devotions at the Anaji Public School for the Junior High. Hopefully, the school will allow us to resume that in the New Year. We are trying another avenue into the Anaji Public Schools, Prince has been allowed to go to their elementary school on Friday mornings to have devotions with them. We hope to get in the door by the New Year. At the end of September the Deaf School of Sekondi resumed their classes. The Sunday Morning Bible classes that we have with them are going very well, even the devil showed up last week. A Muslim teacher with a twisted definition of Christianity as would be expected, but his understanding is also twisted in part of seeing what the Country of Ghana displays as Christianity. When God is working the Devil is sure to show up! I’m excited, my class seems   to be excited, even some of the teachers are coming and excited. They are helping explain to the students my Bible Lesson, my Review Questions, and my Lessons To Learn from the Story just taught that is written down on the Chalkboard. Pray for Salvations and more in roads there. On October the 6^th my family and I went to a Naming Service where I preached the Morning Service and did the Naming Ceremony. The sister of the Pastor’s wife came and received Christ as her Savior, Praise the Lord! It was nice to visit and see another work from a former Missionary to Ghana that is pastored by a Ghanaian National. 

Baby Naming Ceremony 

Resent Revival:                                                                                                                          

CBBC in Sekondi, Pastor Prince’s Church, had me preach their Revival Services Oct 27-30. The two words that were my Theme, Thought, and Focus were: Our “NEED” and Our “FRUITFULNESS”. The messages were: What Soul-Winning Brings; The Documented Command To “GO” & It’s Principles; OurRedemption, Explained; “GO’s” Pursuit; Our Attitude, Is A Game Changer; and Finishing The Formula For Fruitfulness. Because I was the speaker for  the Revival, Sunday night CBBC came over for their Service to the Anaji Bible Study so I would not have to leave the new work. We had 3 visitors from Anaji come: Perbi, Abigail, and Elizabeth. Hearts were challenged and God is still at work.  

Bits Of Bread:                                                                                                                            

Jeremiah said, “Why Will Ye Die,..? ”Pleading to Judah to not listen to Hananiah, the false prophet who came in the name of the Lord, but was LYING to them –Jeremiah 27:13-15. Liars Afflict Those Who DON’T LISTEN to the TRUTH. 

 ~~~HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING, MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!~~~  

      Matthew J Siekbert