2022 July Newsletter

DEDICATION SERVICE AT CBBC:                                                                                                                Our Dedication Sunday was an exciting time for our church in Sekondi, Cornerstone Biblical Baptist Church. It was a milestone moment. Pastor Prince preached the Sunday school hour, I preached the main service. At the end of the service Bro Koasi, Pastor Prince, and I prayed and dedicated the building to the Lord. After the service we ate rice and chicken there having a 430 picture slide show Jackie put together showing the start to Dedication Sunday of our Bible Studies there in Sekondi in July 2004, the meeting places of our church services, ministry involvements, activities, many other special times through the years, and our construction work on the building for CBBC. Things you invest in, especially, the things that are of God are things that take your time, your sweat, your tears, your all, and God’s grace, but also fulfill. “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” – Lk 10:27-28. Sometimes it does not feel so rewarding, but yet, it is so rewarding. I. Dedication Stems From A Desire - II Sam 7:1-3, 4-11, 12-17; II. Dedication Takes Determination – II Chr 2:1-6; 3:1-2; III. Dedication Is A Designation – I Pt 1:19; I Cor 10:31. Thank you Cornerstone for giving to CBBC. 

OUR VISITORS, VBS, & SALVATIONS:                                                                                        Wednesday, May 18th Emmanuel and Nehemiah at our Anaji Bible Study taught their VBS lessons to us during the service for preparation. May 20th the Cahill family came and spent two weeks with us during CBBC’s May 23rd - 27th VBS and our Dedication Sunday. Monday Emmanuel taught VBS; Tuesday and Thursday Benjamin taught, Wednesday Kyan Cahill taught, and Friday Nehemiah taught. During the Cahill’s visit we went to the “Swing” Bridge Walk and the Slave Castle in Cape Coast, and the Stilt Village in the far Western Region of Ghana. On May 31st during soulwinning/visitation at the Anaji Bible Study Kyan and I with Bro Prince got to lead two young men, Charles and Kalvin to the Lord and just last week I was able to lead an older man to the Lord named Mr. Mensah. When I got to Mr Mensah’s door I asked him if he would go to Heaven when he died, he said, “I do not think so because I have not structured my life for Heaven?” Then I mentioned to him about thieves who died with Jesus, how that one rejected Jesus and that how one through a repented heart received Jesus. After about 45 minutes to an hour of speaking to him he received Christ as his Savior by Faith and Trust in Christ only without the Law/Works – Romans 3:20-26. Thank you Calvary Independent for giving to CBBC from your annual VBS “Penny” Offering.

Teaching at Anaji School

VBS

Canopy Walkway

Charles & Kalvin Soul winning

TURNED OVER & LEAVING:                                                                                                                       I believe “IT IS TIME” for us to leave Ghana West Africa so on this past Sunday, July 3rd I Preached again at CBBC a challenge to them in Growing their Faith and Going Farther into Missions taking the Anaji Bible Study on as their Judaea. I preached to them about their “VISION” in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Speaking to them how that their vision needs to be wrapped around what the Lord Jesus wants and what he said. That will keep us thriving spiritually and that will keep us happy and fulfilled. Then I spoke to them on their “GROWING” in II Corinthians 10:15-18, What I Would Like To See (v15-16), “Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.” As Cornerstone’s Church-Planter I challenged them to take on the Anaji Bible Study as their Judaea growing CBBC in their mission endeavors and possibilities of planting another church. Then lastly, I spoke to them about our “LEAVING” 1. How It Is Expedient - Jn 16:7. Expedient means to urge forward; fit or suitable; profitable. Jesus going was for his followers’ profit and the furtherance of their faith; 2. How It Is With Concern and Warning – Acts 20:28-30, 31 of their failures, feed the flock, and others pulling them away for themselves; 3. How It Is Of Commending and Praying – Acts 20:31-38 (v32), “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” Commending them to the Lord and Parting in Prayer. 

Last Sunday @ Deaf School my student helpers

Deaf School

Nehemiah and student helpers in front

Giving challenge to CBBC last Sunday

Pastor Prince Tackie Family and Siekbert's 

PRAISE & PRAYER REQUEST:                                                                                                                      My father had a clogged artery in his neck of over 95% and surgery was done on it Tuesday of this week. The surgery was a success. My family and I arrived back in the States last Friday evening. We are in a time of transition. We do not know the next step God has for us as of yet, but we are asking that our supporting churches will keep us in prayer and continued support for the next 6 months as we seek God’s direction. We have been involved in missions for almost 23 years and on the mission field for almost 19 years. We need to get acclimated back into society here, setup housing, get doctor check-ups, and etc. When we left Ghana we told our church plant CBBC that we need to go back and be missionaries in our own country now that they are established. This is a big concerning step for us now that we have worked ourselves out of a job. It took faith for us to decide and go to Ghana, now it is taking faith to make the decision and come back from Ghana. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE FOR GOD and FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO US. I will update you in our September Newsletter. My new contact number is: 234-802-5342

BITS OF BREAD:                                                                                                                                    …“;but he honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” – Psalm 15:4b 

 Matthew J Siekbert

2022 March Newsletter

COMPLETION FOR DEDICATION:

On Cornerstone’s new church building they have run some thick gaged wire up the outside of the building for the meter box we hope to get soon; they have covered all the light switches and the plug sockets; CBBC still need banisters for the staircase, lighting, construction of the bathrooms in the back of the property, preparing of the grounds, and entrance gates. It would be great to see it completed by the time we have our Building Dedication which will be May 29, 2022.  Thanks to Calvary Baptist, Bible Baptist, Church at Troy, and First Baptist for giving to these projects.     

                                                    

THE BIBLE HAS THE ANSWER:

In Our Visiting the Bible has the Answers! On our soulwinning/visitations efforts in Anaji and in Sekondi we are passing out John and Romans some refuse but most take. At the last of January visiting down in Sekondi with CBBC my wife got to lead 2 teenagers to the Lord, a brother and sister, Eric and Anthea and I got to lead a teenager to the Lord, Esther. Up in Anaji during our visiting for the Anaji Bible Study we notice a little bit of a change in having a more “elite”attitude in some places. Jesus making reference to the religious, self-righteous Pharisees in Matthew 9:12-13said, … “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”We are faithful in doing our job because there is someone out there that knows they are sinners and will repent. There are 2 men that within the last 2 weeks I have met from 2 different parts of town. They both have given me some of their background and are looking for an answer. Please pray for them. Their names are Asamoah and Richard. I’m not sure how far it will go. With that being said there are some that are afraid to speak in favor of us and even come to us for fear of others in what others will say or do like ostracizing them from the African Society. The Bible says in John 7:13,“Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.”

Eric on left, Anthea on right end, brother and sister in between

Esther (middle)

In Our Teaching the Bible has the answers! It is a joy to be back teaching Bible on Fridays during the Anaji school’s worship time. My wife teaches the 1^stgrade, Nehemiah teaches 2^nd-3^rdgrades, Bro Prince teaches half of the 6^thgrade, and I teach the other half of the 6^thgrade. We would like to teach every class, and I believe we would have that opportunity, but since COVID there are restrictions on class sizes and the class rooms have been adapted to smaller sizes although we stretch that. We have given the 6^th grade New Testaments, the teachers and the headmistress whole Bibles in the classes Prince and I teach in. We have Sword Drills, questions on the previous Bible lesson and then teach the days lesson. Sometimes even the teacher asks questions! God is working! I believe that I am getting across to them that the BIBLE is what is to govern the Christian, It has our answers, and It is our guide. And then off to the K-School to teach. 

Another joy we have is going to the Deaf School of Sekondi Sunday Mornings before our regular services in Anaji at the Anaji Bible Study. Sometimes I think more of the Bible sinks into the Deaf than the hearing. Jackie’s class is 1^st–3^rd, Nehemiah’s class is 4^th-6^th and my class is the Junior High grades without limitations of Covid Restrictions. We also gave out Bibles at the Deaf School. During morning worship. I have a student write out the lesson that I have prepared for them while I write out some questions from the previous week’s lesson. On the previous lesson taught many of them have written down the lesson and look over it during the week then when I get there and ask questions many 

looking in their Bibles that we gave them and find the answers. After the Bible Lesson of that Sunday is signed and taught, then I have them go over the lessons learned from that days Bible Story. God is at work there! In Our Church the Bible has the Answers! In my teaching of ABS’s Evening Bible Classes we have finished up through chapter 4 in I Corinthians. It has been hard, but many lessons are being taught from this most valuable book! Eph 5:26, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

                 

Linda/Jackie visiting

Mack, Prince, Ben, Emmanuel going out visiting

 PRAYER REQUEST:

Please pray for a friend of mine and Pastor in Bucyrus, Ohio, Dan Dornbirer. Dan  and his family need some special prayer the next few days, 1st for God to miraculously remove his tumor by March 15th and if not that all will go well in the surgery removing his tumor scheduled for the March 15th. The surgery is very intense and serious. The tumor is setting practically on his heart and the surgeons may also have to remove his lung. This could prove to be fatal. Pray that God will give them peace and comfort in this situation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

BITS OF BREAD: 

 As John the Baptist Immersed people with water, we spiritually need to Immerse people with the Water of the Word In Sowing It, In Teaching It, In Preaching It, and In Living It! Immersing people into the Word of God is helping show people Christ and God’s Way as the Right Way! “And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.” – John 1:31

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Matthew J Siekbert~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

2022 January Newsletter

CORNERSTONE’S BUILDING UPDATE: On Cornerstone’s new church building we have all the windows, screens, and the doors hung. The storage doors upstairs were the hardest. I made them and fit them. To save money and be a good steward of what we already had, I made the storage door frames out of some 2x2 hard wood and covered the frames with sheets of ¼ inch plywood that we had remaining from the building construction. Thank you Matt for the circle saw! I have put it to use! (For those who do not know, a Christian servant at CLBC, our church in Ohio). Along with making the Storage doors from December 21 – January 1^st we were able to get the whole building painted. The painting started in the storage area upstairs so some of us could get the boxes of Bibles, N.T. and the John and Romans moved into the storage area. The moving frees up room in the back building for other classes in time to come. During the moving, arranging of the boxes of Bibles, and the door construction I think I sweated off 20 pounds a day judging from the drenching sweat saturating my clothes. If you would like to give towards the projects that still need to be done that would be great! They still need banisters for the staircase, lighting, construction of bathrooms in the back of the property, and finally preparing of the grounds. It would be nice to be completed with all the building wants by the Building Dedication time which will be at Easter time or in May. 

NEW YEAR PLANNING FOR ABS & CORNERSTONE: On December 16^th Bro Prince, Bro Koasi, and myself had our yearly planning meeting. Comparing to when we started their offering records, the  2021 records look better than they ever have. Our plan is we help them and they help us! One of our plans this  year is for Cornerstone to come up from Sekondi to help our visitation efforts in Anaji at our Anaji Bible Study once a month and then we at the Anaji Bible Study go to Cornerstone in Sekondi for their visitation efforts at the end of the month. We have stamped and prepared our John and Romans for those events. We will be listening and watching some special topics taught by Dr Ron Williams once a month on the last Sunday evening of the month with Cornerstone at Cornerstone. Pray that this will help with our visitation/soulwinning efforts and Bible teaching efforts, giving a good challenge, spiritual understanding, and growth to the church folks. From Bro  Prince and Bro Koasi, they both have testified to the fact of how blessed the are in the teachings they have had in the last 17 1/2 years. That is not even remotely common.

                                                                                                                                                                                                              

WE HAVE FINISHED UP & ARE STARTING UP: On December 16^thwe finished our Life Of Christ Bible class and on the 10^thof January we started the Corinthians Bible class at the Anaji Bible Study; On December 5^thour Bible Teachings at the Deaf School stopped for Christmas Break and resume January 23^rd; Our Bible teachings at the Anaji School will resume this Friday the 21^st along with teaching K-Kids after we finish  teaching at the main school. November meeting with the head-mistress All of the teachers and head-mistress that were there were excited for us to come back after the Devil’s season of COVID shut downs and disruptions.   

 I/WE WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR THE ABUNDANT CHRISTMAS GIFTS THAT YOU ALL GAVE TO US THIS YEAR (2021).IT WAS A BLESSING!!!  They not only were a blessing to us but we were able to help Cornerstone with the painting of their new building. Also, I was able to revise my car with a lot of needed body work that hopefully, will last another year.                                                                          

                                       

BITS OF BREAD:  “More About Jesus Would I Know” – Author Eliza Edmunds Hewitt                               

Verse 1:More about Jesus would I know, more of His grace to others show, more of His saving fullness see, more of His love who died for me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Verse 2:More about Jesus let me learn, more of His holy will discern; Spirit of God my teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Verse 3:More about Jesus—in His Word holding communion with my Lord, hearing His voice in ev’ry line, making each faithful saying mine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 Verse 4:More about Jesus on His throne, riches in glory all His own, more of His kingdom’s sure increase, more of His coming—Prince of Peace.                                                       

Refrain/Chorus
More, more about Jesus, more, more about Jesus; more of His saving fullness see, more of His love who died for me.                                                                                                                                                                               

“MORE ABOUT JESUS WOULD I KNOW”should be every Christians longing, stirring, desire, and ambition!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Matthew J Siekbert~~~~~~~~~~

November Newsletter 2021

CORNERSTONE’S BUILDING:                                                                                                 

Cornerstone is in the process of hanging all the doors, all of the windows and the screens. All cement work on the building is done, Praise the Lord! They still need to paint everything, stain the doors, put up the banisters for the staircase, and putting up lights. We are planning on Dedicating Cornerstone’s new church building about May 2022 that might change.  

“WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU?!”:                                                                                                                              

This was a question from one of our faithful churches and I’m sure a question for many others looking to be able to send birthday cards and Christmas cards. We are in Ghana!!! Our address on the field is: Matthew Siekbert PO Box MC 2325, Takoradi, Ghana West Africa. Our Interlude (an intervening period of time: a pause between the acts of a play)in the Stateswas not our usual  plan of attack, but this is the stage of life we are in with our family. In April we came home to the U.S. for our   son Joseph’s graduation and so he could get a job to finance college at Bill Rice Bible Institute; We renewed our son Nehemiah’s Passport and Visa to travel to Ghana which took from July to October 12th. Under President Biden and COVID as the excuse for everything. We were told that it would take 18 weeks to get the passport done and ONLY 12 weeks to EXPEDITE the passport processes which would have taken us up to November or January. Then our daughter Naomi got married at the end of September. After receiving the passport and visa on October the 12th we flew out on October 19th to Ghana. Our last meetings were in Ohio and Kentucky at: Old Paths, Faith Baptist, Bible Baptist, and Lighthouse. Thank you for your Love Offerings. They were very much needed. October was a very expensive month! Thanks for keeping up with us and our interlude! Thanks To All Our Supporters in prayer and finances. We are grateful for your faithfulness.

Redeeming The Time:                                                                                                                                                              We have resumed at our Bible Studies in Anaji with Koasi continuing them. We as a family (Jackie, Nehemiah, and myself) have resumed with teaching three individual classes at the Deaf School  in Sekondi. Some of the students in my class received Christ at the end of class with them, Amen!; and also, I  have resumed with teaching evening Bible Class in our Anaji Bible Study on the “Life Of Christ”. The class is  two times a week to make up for our late start. We will finish by Christmas. Please pray for us as we have been involved with a lot of paperwork with our Quota for Ghana that it gets finished by the Ghana government so we can get our yearly non-resident permit stamp to stay in the country of Ghana which is due by December 20^th. Please be in prayer for my friend Pastor Dan Dornbirer along with his family. He has stage 3 cancer and is in the midst of chemo. We thank the Lord for those that prayed for my wife’s Dad and his open heart surgery. He made it through!        

  

                                                                                                                   

BITS OF BREAD:Knowing With Understanding!!!                                                                                                   “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise,  but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” – Eph 5:14-17

1.    There is no Understanding to the dead – v14; Eph 2:1

2.    There is no Understanding to those in a fleshy walk – v15; Eph 2:2

3.    There is no Understanding when you are not wearing God’s watch (not fit-bit or apple, who is your Master) – v16

4.    There is no Understanding to those not knowing God’s Will - not merely knowing as a matter   of fact, but knowing with understanding. – v17; Lk 12:17, “And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.”

                              HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Matthew J Siekbert~~~

                          

 

September 2021 Newsletter

CORNERSTONE’S BUILDING:

As we would say in Ghana W. Africa, Cornerstone’s church building is coming together ‘Nkakraa kakraa’ meaning ‘little-by-little’!!!While we are back here in the States Cornerstone Biblical Baptist Church has completed plastering the inside of the auditorium walls with cement which completes the whole building being plastered with cement. Next, they have completed putting on the ceiling tiles in the auditorium which also completes all the ceilings inside and eves outside of the whole building. With that being said this week they have been constructing permanent outside steps which lead to each entry way into the building. Friday and Saturday they are to lay on the auditorium floor conduit and run wiring through them for the lower wall sockets; then starting on Monday covering the conduit and wiring with pouring the final auditorium floor in sections throughout the week. This endeavor has depleted their building funds. If you would like to help them more financially, I’m sure they would be glad for the help. There is always more to do, but God is faithful! They still need to paint everything, stain the ceilings, and put up and stain the doors, (there are 4 – 60” W x 8’ L entry way narrow double doors; 2 – 36” office/auditorium doors; 2 – 5’W x 4’L Auditorium/Storage Room  Doors; 1 – 2 ½’ W x 3 ½’ L Office/Storage Room Door; then the banisters for the office staircase; and 33 windows and 33 screens. Cornerstone has all the doors besides the storage doors and they have all of the windows besides the screens. They only need to pay to get the doors and the glass louvers for each window cut down to fit and then installed. With a very rough estimate, I would say $60 per opening for only the installment. That is 42 openings: 9 doorways and 33 windows which is about $2,520.

UPDATES IN THE STATES:

The later part of July and the first part of Augustin between our travels  and meetings we have helped out at our church, Chippewa Lake Baptist Church with their Camp Chippewa Week. Visiting, preparing the grounds, and cleaning up the buildings. It is like VBS in that it had for the kids a Message time, Games, and Crafts, but multiple times with food, water slides, and different other activities all day from 9  am to 4 pm every day for a week. There were about 140 plus registered and about 40 of them made professionsof faith during the week. We took Joseph to school at the Bill Rice Ranch Bible Institute at the end of August. We  got to eat lunch with him before we said our goodbyes. We have heard from him and he is doing well. If you would like to have his address it is as follows: Joseph Siekbert, 627 Bill Rice Ranch Road, Murfreesboro TN 37128. When sending make sure that it is noted for Joseph Siekbert. This address is the main address for all other mail also. Nehemiah has finished his first 9 weeks of school. We also have had to get a new Passport for  Nehemiah and when we went to start the process they said that it will take 18 weeks. I asked to get the passport expedited and they said that it will take 12 weeks. The government agency received it July 30th. With the timeline that I was given we should receive Nehemiah’s new passport by the end of October then we need to get a visa put in it. Please pray for Naomi, our daughter as she will marry her fiancé at the end of September and start a new journey. Matthew Jr and Sarah will be celebrating their one-year anniversary September 26^th. We had meetings in Pennsylvania and Ohio. We have more meetings in Ohio and in Kentucky. The meeting in Kentucky will be a   new church for us to be at.                                                                

Joseph's Dorm/Cabin

Getting Joseph settled

                                                                       

BITS OF BREAD:

With God’s Leading comes the Devil’s Tempting! “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” – Matthew 4:1To Be the Christian the Lord would have you to be has its difficult times!!! The Devil Tempts You:1.In Your Weakness, your want 4:2, “he was afterward an hungered”; 2.In Your Position or with your position 4:3, “If thou be the Son of God”; 3.In Your Ability, your capability 4:3, 6, “Command”, “Cast”, “Charge”;4.In Your Priorities, always look to the Higher Authority/ Principle 4:10, “For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Are You Giving Into Your Flesh?; Are You Rightfully Using Your Position?; What Command or Charges Are You Giving That Lead To The Wrong Outcome? What Does The Bible Say About What You Are Tempted or Attempting To Do???  

                                                                                            

                                                                          

Matthew J Siekbert