ROMAN CATHOLIC FLO?

While in Jakarta last week I met with a RC priest who heard about our FOR LOVERS ONLY group and is interested in starting a program for his young married couples. He has around 100 young couples in his parish, and it seems they all need help! Changing culture has them confused and unequipped to cope with modern lifestyle in a Godly manner. I will meet with his planning team during my visit in July, and we tentatively plan for a retreat for 10 leader couples from the 5 major RC areas in Jakarta for November. If this goes as I hope, they will be able to develop their own program.

This is perfect because it will help the church to establish community that has been largely lost with the infusion of worldly values and culture and breakdown of family values over the past few decades.

The values decay has been less in Indonesia, but greatly accelerated since they only became open to these outside influences about 20 years ago. Before, there were strict censorship laws; movies, music and advertising were strictly controlled. One thing most of our terrorist enemies are right about is that we are exporting lots of evil stuff which destroys Godly values and culture!

FOR LOVERS ONLY COMMUNITY

After the March retreat with 9 pastors and their spouses, the participants requested us to form a ‘Community of Love’ to help them live according to the new life they had experienced during the retreat. I agreed to meet monthly with them as long as they are diligent. They settled on the third Thursday of each month (we move some because of national Holidays), and I arrange to be in Jakarta for them as best I can. For the March meeting two weeks after the retreat, only three of the couples were present, so I figured it was a safe commitment: they would soon loose interest.

But for the April meeting, I was surprised to see that all nine couples were there, and they had brought three couples along. I set forth the arrangement that every odd month meeting would be alumni only, and even numbered months would be open to potential participants in a future FOR LOVERS ONLY retreat.

This past week in Jakarta was a big test for them, as they are all Charismatic or Pentecostal churches, and here in Indonesia it is a ‘must’ to have 10 days of prayer and fasting, meeting each day, from Ascension day until Pentecost. Six of the couples made the sacrifice!

We are planning the next FOR LOVERS ONLY retreat September 4-6 at the same venue in the mountains outside Jakarta. This will be another test of the group’s resolve and dedication!