Abiding Fathers

ENCOURAGING, EQUIPPING AND ENGAGING MEN IN DEVELOPING THEIR GOD-ORDAINED LEADERSHIP ROLE AS FATHERS IN ORDER TO MAKE DISCIPLES FOR THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.

FATHERING 101, INCLUDING FATHERS FORUMS: ABIDING FATHERS' RESOURCES, INCLUDING THE BOOKS FROM FAITH TO FAITH AND HERRAMIENTAS DE PAP (DAD'S TOOLBOX), INTRODUCE MEN TO THE BIBLE'S PERSPECTIVE OF FATHERHOOD, AND PROVIDE TOOLS, RESOURCES, COMMUNITY, AND LOTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT TO ENCOURAGE, EQUIP, AND ENGAGE MEN TO BE THE DAD GOD CREATED THEM TO BE. ABIDING FATHERS ALSO PURSUES DISCIPLESHIP RELATIONSHIPS IN THE NORTH TEXAS HOMELESS COMMUNITY, BONTON FARMS, MEN OF NEHEMIAH, LOCAL PRISONS, AND MORE. IN ADDITION, MATURE FATHERS PARTICIPATE IN FACILITATOR TRAINING TO BECOME CERTIFIED SMALL-GROUP FACILITATORS THAT WILL DISCIPLE OTHER MEN WITHIN THEIR ORGANIZATIONS AND/OR COMMUNITIES. APPROXIMATELY 150 MEN FROM THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY WERE DISCIPLED THROUGH THE ABIDING FATHERS' CURRICULUM AT UNION GOSPEL MISSION. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE 12 PRISON UNITS THAT ARE IN SOME WAY PARTICIPATING IN EQUIPPING INCARCERATED FATHERS. APPROXIMATELY 120 INCARCERATED MEN WERE DISCIPLED AT HUTCHINS STATE JAIL IN DALLAS (2,000+ IN THE LAST 5 YEARS).FATHERS FORUMS ARE TYPICALLY BREAKFAST OR LUNCH MEETINGS IN INTIMATE SETTINGS FOR 20 TO 30 MEN ACROSS THE DFW METROPLEX TO GATHER, HEAR A TESTIMONY OR TEACHING BY A FATHER RELATING TO FAMILY AND FATHERHOOD, AND PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSIONS RELATED TO THE MESSAGE. THERE ARE CURRENTLY THREE FATHERS FORUMS MEETING ACROSS THE DFW AREA, INCLUDING ONE VIRTUAL OPTION. MESSAGES FROM THE FATHERS FORUM AT NORTHWEST BIBLE CHURCH ARE RECORDED AND POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE AND DIFFERENT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS FOR ONLINE ACCESS BY MANY OTHER FATHERS.

INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY- PADRE DE CORAZN: PADRE DE CORAZN (PDC), THE HISPANIC MINISTRY OF ABIDING FATHERS, HAS EXPANDED IN CUBA, ECUADOR, MEXICO, PERU, MADRID, SPAIN, AND PARTS OF EUROPE. PADRE DE CORAZN'S DIRECTOR, RAFY GUTIERREZ, HAS RECORDED OVER 150 SPANISH RADIO PROGRAMS (FOR A TOTAL OF OVER 500). HE IS NOW ON THIRTEEN DAILY (SPANISH) RADIO PROGRAMS, ALONG WITH THE LIFEWAY EQUIPA PLATFORM, WHICH REACHES 22,000+ LATIN SUBSCRIBERS. IN CUBA, DESPITE MANY ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND THE INSTABILITY OF THE COUNTRY DUE TO POWER OUTAGES, LACK OF WATER, AND POOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND AND STRENGTHEN THE MINISTRY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CUBAN PEOPLE. PASTOR RAUL GONZALEZ, PDC CUBA NATIONAL DIRECTOR, IS WORKING WITH THREE COORDINATORS (EAST, CENTRAL AND WEST) TO RESPOND TO THE OVERWHELMING REQUESTS FOR WORKSHOPS AND MATERIALS. THEY ARE WORKING DILIGENTLY TO PROVIDE HERRAMIENTAS DE PAP (DAD'S TOOLS) WORKSHOPS, TRAIN FACILITATORS, AND COLLABORATE WITH DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS AND THE MAIN PRISON MINISTRY IN THE COUNTRY. PDC CUBA HELD THE FIRST FATHERHOOD CONFERENCE IN BARACOA FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. PER BARACOA'S PASTORS AND LEADERS, "IT IS THE VERY FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY OF BARACOA THAT AN EVENT FOR FATHERS IS HELD." PASTOR RAUL GONZLEZ LED THE TWO-DAY CONFERENCE WITH AN ATTENDANCE OF 153 MEN. PASTORS AND LEADERS REPRESENTED 27 CHURCHES AND TWO MINISTRIES (MEN'S AND PRISON). THE 27 CHURCHES ARE MOVING FORWARD TO IMPLEMENT PDC MINISTRY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE DIRECTOR OF BARACOA'S BAPTIST MEN'S MINISTRY, REPRESENTING 29 MEN'S GROUPS, IS TAKING THE MINISTRY TO THE GROUPS ACROSS BARACOA. GUANTANAMO PROVINCE CHAPLAIN MINISTRY FROM THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH IS ALSO TAKING THE MINISTRY TO BARACOA'S PRISON (32 INMATES). BEYOND THE CONFERENCES, WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOOD (RICE, PORK, FISH, PLANTAINS) TO 27 FAMILIES IN BARACOA.IN ECUADOR, THE DEMAND FOR WORKSHOPS CONTINUES. PASTOR BONILLA AND PASTOR CASTRO'S SCHEDULE IS FULL 6-7 DAYS A WEEK, WITH UP TO 3 WORKSHOPS ON SOME DAYS, IN THE GUAYAQUIL AREA ALONE. 1,700 HERRAMIENTAS DE PAP BOOKS WERE PRINTED IN LA HABANA AND CESPEDES.PADRE DE CORAZN HOSTED A 3-DAY WORKSHOP IN RIOBAMBA WITH AN ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE OF 150 TO 180 PEOPLE FROM VARIOUS DENOMINATIONS. IN ATTENDANCE WERE PASTORS, AND LAY LEADERS, INCLUDING PASTORS, ELDERS, AND LEADERS FROM THE QUECHUAS, INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES. RADIO STEREO FAMILIAR 107.3 FM BROADCASTED THE 3-DAY WORKSHOPS/CONFERENCE FROM LOCATION AND THEN BECAME THE 12TH RADIO STATION TO BROADCAST OUR HERRAMIENTAS DE PAP (DAD'S TOOLS) PROGRAM. RAFY WAS INVITED TO SPEAK TO THE STUDENTS' FATHERS AT JIM IRWIN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (PRIVATE SCHOOL). THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE SCHOOL HAS HOSTED AN EVENT FOR FATHERS SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1996. ATTENDANCE WAS BETTER THAN EXPECTED, CREATING SIGNIFICANT INTEREST IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT FATHERHOOD.IN QUITO, 120 PASTORS FROM FIVE DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS, (BAPTIST, PENTECOSTAL, ASSEMBLY OF GOD, MENNONITES, ALIANZA CRISTIANA Y MISIONERA), NON-DENOMINATIONAL CHURCHES, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS GATHERED IN ONE LARGE ROOM "MAKING HISTORY" IN QUITO AS THEY ATTENDED THE THREE DAYS FACILITATORS/COLLABORATORS WORKSHOPS OF HERRAMIENTAS DE PAP, (DAD'S TOOLS) THE PASTORS ALSO RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF THE WORKSHOPS, MAKING THEM FACILITATORS/COLLABORATORS OF THE MINISTRY. QUITO IS ALSO WHERE THE INITIATIVE "CORAZN DE MUJER" (WOMEN'S HEART) WAS LAUNCHED FOR THE FIRST TIME. MRS. MELIDA BONILLA TAUGHT A SERIES BASED ON THE MATERIAL OF DAD'S TOOLS ADAPTED TO WOMEN AND SPECIFICALLY TO WIVES. THE INITIATIVE CREATED A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM AMONG DIFFERENT CHURCHES IN QUITO.IN ADDITION, PDC HAS BEEN SELECTED TO MINISTER TO INMATES IN ECUADOR PRISON SYSTEM. THIS IS AN INITIATIVE OF ECUADOR'S GOVERNMENT. PDC WILL BE ALLOWED TO MEET/TEACH TWICE A WEEK, TWO HOURS SESSIONS. IN MEXICO, WE TRAINED OVER 150 PASTORS AND CHURCH LEADERS ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS THROUGH THE HERRAMIENTAS DE PAP CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS IN GUADALAJARA AND MEXICO CITY.

INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY- ABIDING FATHERS AFRICA: IN AFRICA, ABIDING FATHERS HAS EXPANDED FROM RWANDA TO ETHIOPIA, ZAMBIA, UGANDA, KENYA, TANZANIA, AND CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. MULTIPLE CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS WITH MILLIONS OF FATHERS HAVE ADOPTED OUR DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAM FOR THEIR CHURCHES. TRANSLATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN KINYARWANDA, SWAHILI, AND AMHARIC. THE NUMBER OF TRAINED ABIDING FATHERS IN RWANDA HAS GROWN TO 2,300 AT THE END OF 2022. THIS NUMBER COMPRISES PASTORS FROM DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS IN DIFFERENT PROVINCES THROUGHOUT THE NATION, INCLUDING THE LEADERS FROM THE BIGGEST DENOMINATION OF THE PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF RWANDA, WITH OVER 3 MILLION MEMBERS. AS A RESULT OF ATTENDING ABIDING FATHERS' SMALL GROUP MEETINGS, MANY FAMILIES OF THE BUGESERA VILLAGE IN RWANDA HAVE BEEN RESTORED, AND MANY MEN HAVE SURRENDERED THEIR LIVES TO JESUS.70 MEN IN ZAMBIA, 28 MEN IN ETHIOPIA, 15 MEN IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, AND 2 MEN IN SOUTH AFRICA HAVE GRADUATED AND ARE NOW ABLE TO TRAIN OTHERS THEY LEAD IN DIFFERENT CHURCHES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THEIR COUNTRIES. IN KENYA, 51 FATHERS GRADUATED AND ARE ABLE TO TRAIN OTHERS AND THE LARGEST DENOMINATION, THE DELIVERANCE CHURCH IN NAIROBI, HAS ADOPTED THE ABIDING FATHERS' PROGRAM TO BE TAUGHT IN THEIR CHURCH. IN ADDITION, 18 TRAINED FATHERS IN TANZANIA ARE READY TO TRAIN MORE FATHERS USING THE SWAHILI VERSION OF THE ABIDING FATHERS' PROGRAM.