2009 Mid-Year Ministry Update

The following letter was included in Ligonier's recent newsletter sent to our Ministry Partners. It is nowhere near exhaustive, but it provides a quick glimpse at what we've been up to this year and some new things to come:

We hit the ground running in 2009. This strong start is due in no small part to the generous support and faithfulness of our Ministry Partners. We know that the ongoing outreach of Ligonier is made possible by God's grace through you. I echo Dr. Sproul's "Thank you" for being faithful and uniting with us. Ours is a partnership to see biblical Christianity flourish around the globe.

In addition to your regular support we do ask for your prayers. The Bible teaches that spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons (Eph. 6:12). The Lord Jesus Christ has won the war, but God's elect must stand firm in the battle and His truth must go forward. Briefly, here are some ways you can pray for Ligonier as we seek to advance:

• Ligonier Academy of Biblical and Theological Studies is our new educational institution based here in central Florida. A result of years of prayer and planning, this school opens up an important new front in the battle for truth. Ligonier began as a place of face-to-face learning. The Academy recaptures that energy. We have already announced programs to serve pastors as well as laypeople desiring to enrich their understanding of God's Word. Soon to come are undergraduate programs we'll announce for college students. Please pray for this bold new chapter in Ligonier's history.
• Here We Stand Capital Campaign: our first-ever capital campaign to help secure the future of Ligonier Ministries. Ligonier Academy sits on some of the most beautiful real estate in central Florida and already has several wonderful buildings. But before we can take residence in the property, we'll need to sell our existing building and raise several million dollars to fund the commercialization of the property and also provide for a new library for Ligonier Academy. Pray for this campaign. We're going to need a large increase in support to make this vision a reality and will need to rally new friends to come alongside us in the battle for truth.
• Important work is being done through the ongoing publishing efforts of Reformation Trust and Tabletalk magazine. New titles and new issues are constantly in development and we ask for your prayer for the editorial teams and authors laboring to equip Christians with powerful truth.
• Dr. Sproul's international radio and Internet broadcast Renewing Your Mind expanded to more cities in the U.S. last year. Broadcasts in important markets such as San Francisco help us to encourage believers in areas where opposition to the Christian worldview is severe.
• Our International Outreach is making a jump to warp speed this year with new television broadcasts in the Arabic-speaking world, a German language website in development, and increased distribution in Latin America. Also, Asia is firmly in our sights with a new television broadcast in South Korea and translation relationships in China are developing.
• Ligonier.org, our ministry's teaching website, is undergoing a transformation right now and we hope to launch a new version of this important outreach tool later this year. There is much to do as we seek to archive almost all of Dr. Sproul's teaching and provide it in an easily accessible manner over the Internet.

Again, thank you for your encouragement through prayer and financial support. Don't hesitate to let us know how we can serve you better in your home, your church, and your community.

For the Kingdom,

Chris Larson
Executive Vice President

Note: Ministry Partners are those Ligonier students who have agreed to sponsor our ministry outreach at a level of at least $25 per month. Dr. Sproul calls this support the "backbone" of our ministry. As a way of saying "thank you", these Partners receive from Ligonier a monthly package that includes the most recent issue of Tabletalk magazine and a unique CD message from Dr. Sproul. Partners also receive special updates from the ministry and invitations to private events with Dr. Sproul. Read more about our Partnership Program in this PDF brochure.