PMI Missionaries
Natee & Bee Tanchanpongs
Ministry Area: Thailand
Responsibilities: Campus ministry
E-mail Address: natee4covenant@hotmail.com
Natee returned to Thailand after completing his M.Div. in 2000. He joined a cooperative effort with the MTW church-planting team in Bangkok. The team's strategy involves direct church planting, university ministry, and community development/mercy ministry. To find out more about this church planting effort in Bangkok, visit the team's website at www.mtwthailand.org.
After their marriage in May 2002, Natee and Bee moved to Chicago so that Natee could begin the Ph.D. program at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Systematic Theology. Following the birth of their daughter Maisie in April and the completion of his doctoral work in May 2007, Natee is back in Thailand teaching at the Bangkok Bible College and Seminary and rejoining the MTW church planting team. He sees this as a great opportunity to lay a well-grounded biblical foundation for the Thai church.
Latest Report: (updated 10/1/2008)
Dear Partners in the Ministry,
BBS Semester is coming to a close. That it having gone by so quickly is a good sign and perhaps a confirmation of my calling into teaching and training pastors and theological scholars. The two theology classes went great. We have a good first year M. Div. class that as a whole would be of higher quality in many ways than even last year. As an institution, BBS is looking to increasingly upgrade both her academic and ministerial standards. The task to produce ministers for the gospel that do all things with excellence is a large but also a necessary one. In addition, the Isaiah class is very timely considering the political situation in Thailand. The recurring question is what role Christians should play in the society in light of our service of a righteous, just and merciful God. It addresses the wholeness of the gospel in the struggle against various forms of injustice in the culture.
As of late, God has given me an amazing opportunity to minister at the international level. I had mentioned in the previous newsletter of my involvement with a study unit in Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA-TC). Our charter is to address and produce a document that recommends how contextualization and contextual theologizing should be done among evangelicals. The twelve of us who comprise theologians, biblical scholars and missiologists from around the world met in Oxford for a three day consultation in August. The end product of phase one of this study group is a book with various articles on this topic. We aim to have it published by the middle of next year. Please pray that our work would help to further God's kingdom. Pray especially for me as I have been asked to be a part of a small editorial team for the book. In addition, I am also hoping to put together a secondary project to translate the book into Thai. If you or your church be interested in funding this project, please let me know.
On October 2-4, Singapore Bible College (SBC) is having its annual theological forum. This year the main speaker is Dr. Harold Netland from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He will be presenting three papers on "Globalization, the Religions, and Christian Mission." The organizers of the forum have asked me to be a responder to one of his papers.
There are also three additional local involvements. First, on October 24th, I shall be a part theological consultation organized by WEA-TC entitled "The Holistic Gospel in a Developing Society." This will be attended by missionaries, pastors and theological educators from all over Thailand. Second, I have been asked to speak on "Planning an Education for your children." This short interview format conference hopes to draw young Christian couples and encourage them to exercise their Christian worldview in this area of parenting. Lastly, I have been asked to write a two-booklet Bible study on Isaiah as a part of a larger series called 119 (Ps 119). The uniqueness of this series is in its use of exclusively Thai authors.
On the Church Planting front, New Community Fellowship's relationship with YWAM continues to flourish. Just last week, about 15-20 college students came to worship, had lunch with us, and stayed on for our fun and fellowship time in the afternoon. Many of them also started serving with us on the worship team. This gives us an opening to help those in this parachurch organization to become more integrated with a local church body. Also, the church's tie to BBS continues to be strong. The seminary has given us three students for our weekend ministries and one intern for the year. This is in addition to the one former BBS student that is already on staff. With this help, I am able to primarily just teach Sunday schools and preach occasionally. Bee continues to rotate in to lead worship and prayer meetings. She is also a part of outreach to local moms and is in a small group bible study downtown with some single women.
I would like to end on a good personal note. Three weeks ago, Bee and I had decided to do and Amiosynthesis. We found out Sunday that (if the Lord is willing) 20 weeks from now we shall have a HEALTHY baby BOY! Please rejoice with us.
Blessings of the Messiah,
Natee, Bee, Maisie & ?
Prayer summary:
- Praise God for a good first year M. Div Class. Please prayer for the quantitative and qualitative growth of the school.
- Praise God for an incredible opportunity to be a part of WEA-TC study unit. Please pray for the production of the book on contextualization.
- Please pray for Singapore Bible College theological forum and for Natee's involvement in it.
- Praise God for many ministry opportunities in Thailand. Please pray for the theological consultation, for the "Planning an Education for your children: conference, and for the work on the Isaiah Bible study.
- Praise God for the good relationships that our church plant are having with YWAM and BBS. Please pray that the gospel may bear much fruits through them.
- Please pray for the political situation in Thailand. Pray for God to bring about justice, righteousness and mercy through the work of his church in this turmoil time.
- Praise God for our healthy baby boy in Bee. Please pray for continual protection for both him and his mother.
Presbyterian Mission International
12330 Conway Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63141
Telephone: (314) 434-4044
Fax: (314) 434-4819
