This prayer was prayed over us this fall and it had a great effect on our lives! We already knew that God was calling us out, but we had not been brave enough to really take the leap of faith. But now we’re ready!
After 8
years in Atlanta, God is opening the door for a new phase of ministry for us. After being involved in others’ journeys to serve
in cross-cultural ministry, it is our turn to go! Like Peter getting out of the boat and
walking to Jesus in faith, Jesus is now looking toward us and saying, “It’s
your turn!” We are taking this leap of
faith to join what Jesus is already doing in other parts of the world.
We are
excited to be involved in global theological education wherever the Lord leads
us. It is our desire to see the church
flourish worldwide, and we consider it a privilege to be involved in empowering
leaders in the global church through teaching and discipleship ministries.
The Lord has
given Johnny a heart to encourage others to grow in their relationship with
Jesus. As you know, Jesus calls us in
our going to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28). England and Europe present incredible
opportunities for discipleship as people from all over the world live there in
a post-Christian society where there is little witness of Jesus. In Oxford, Johnny will be working with a
local Anglican church in outreach and discipleship ministries to students and
families.
God has
placed in Amy a desire to teach Biblical Studies in a cross-cultural
setting. Because her main focus is the Old
Testament, she will be spending the next year completing further training in
Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Oxford University.
Long-term, Amy looks forward to opportunities to teach Old Testament
Studies in a seminary or university overseas and equip national leaders with a
strong foundation in God’s Word.
Our current timeline looks like this:
Mid/late September – Move to Oxford, England
October 2012
- June 2013 – Johnny
will be involved in student discipleship ministries in Oxford while Amy is
completing a Master’s degree in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Oxford University.
Summer
2013 – We will
return to the states for additional training at Mission Training International
in Colorado.
Fall/Winter
2013 – We will
redeploy to our long-term assignment. We
are currently exploring opportunities with several seminaries and universities
across Europe where we could teach after our time in Oxford. These possibilities include Croatia,
Lithuania, and Spain.
We ask that
you would pray for us as we make this transition. Please pray that we would be sensitive to the
leading of the Holy Spirit and follow Christ as he is calling us into a new
phase of ministry.
If you are intersted in joining our financial support team, you can make a special gift or
set up monthly giving online at http://themissionsociety.org/connect/connectmissionaries/people/winkles. Please indicate that your gift is
for Johnny and Amy Winkle #3042.
If you would
like to receive ministry and prayer updates from us, send us your email address at johnnyamyw@gmail.com. We value partners in ministry and know that God has not called us to do this alone. We would love for you to join our team!
