In April, Global Mission Partners’ CEO, John Lamerton, and Major Gifts Manager, Craig Brown, undertook an urgent trip to Vietnam. The leader of the Vietnam Churches of Christ, Pastor Doan, had suffered a debilitating stroke.
Pastor Doan has been responsible for leading a small network of churches in Vietnam for over ten years. When she had the stroke, Doan was unable to communicate, so the church leaders had to make some new adjustments. They were mostly trying to understand the breadth of Pastor Doan’s role and determining who was responsible for what came next.
Church representatives gathered with John and Craig in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss the next steps forward. In the space of a day, an updated partnership agreement was signed, a new committee formed, and Pastor Nguyen Tan Bin was appointed as the National Director for the Churches of Christ in Vietnam, pending an official vote in 18 months.
Pastor Bin resides in Central Vietnam, with his wife, daughter, and son, where he leads the local Church of Christ. Pastor Bin is a natural networker with a proactive approach to ministry. He has recruited new churches to join the Vietnam Churches of Christ, with a vision to assist vulnerable people.
“As the National Representative of the Church of Christ in Vietnam, my current challenge is to expand God’s work to more provinces nationwide.” Pastor Bin explained.
“Under Pastor Bin’s leadership, the Churches of Christ in Vietnam are in good hands,” Craig said. “He has worked closely with Global Mission Partners over the years, is well respected within the movement and is a strong leader.”
Pastor Bin shared how you can support him in his new role, “I ask you to pray for my ministry so that God may grant me the grace to fulfil His calling.”
At the end of their trip to Vietnam, John and Craig were able to visit Pastor Doan, whose recovery was progressing slowly but well. They prayed for her, and she was able to understand the changes and give her blessing to Pastor Bin.