Paul has recently asked permission to step down as national overseer of Paraguay. We are very pleased and excited to share that the new overseer will be Dr. Antonio Montiel, a long-time friend and colleague of ours for almost 14 years in Paraguay. He is a Paraguayan, and very well qualified to lead the church into the future. Antonio has been serving for the past eight years or so as the national director of education in Paraguay, where he has done an outstanding job of training local pastors and leaders throughout the nation.
Paul will continue as overseer until the end of September, then will focus on a new area of ministry that is equally or more exciting that the position he is leaving. Paul will work in two areas, not just in Paraguay, but on a continental level. Paul will serve as South American missions coordinator in an effort to find, train, send, and support South Americans called of God to be missionaries sent into the unreached areas of the world. There are many places where North Americans cannot go as missionaries, such as most of the Muslim countries. It is here that most of the remaining unreached people live?literally billions who have never even heard the name of Jesus. It is our belief that God is now raising up Latin Americans as missionaries to send into these areas to bring the Word of God to a people who are severely oppressed spiritually. It is an extremely large, but exciting challenge, and we believe that God is leading us in this direction.
The other area where Paul will be working has to do with reaching people where the traditional church has as of yet had little impact. These are the institutions and governmental areas of South America. The Church of God Chaplains’ Commission has certified Paul as the training coordinator and board chairman for the South American Church of God Chaplains’ Commission.
This is also a fairly new area in South America, although Paul has been involved in this kind of work for almost 20 years. We have recently been able to reach into national police command centers, military bases, and others. We have had incredible success in the jail and prison ministry in Paraguay, as well as being able to hold Bible studies and prayer with cabinet-level government officials reaching to the Vice President of the country. One of our ministers has even served as a spiritual and family advisor to the President of the country.
God is opening doors in this area, and we feel obliged to march through them in victory through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. We ask for your continued prayers as Paul broadens his work to include training ministers in this new form of caring and loving people into the Kingdom in all of South America.
Paul and Rhonda Stockard
Missionaries to Paraguay
Project Number 0600073
. . . . .
© 2007 Church of God World Missions
DISCLAIMER: Church of God and Faith News does not necessarily endorse or sanction all or any part of this news item.