Ministry Newsletter

Dear Friends of the Mordecai Project:

Thanks so much for all the cards, texts and notes of encouragement after I lost my mother in January. The Lord has been so gracious to heal my heart and give me new strength. At first I wasn’t sure how it would feel to go back on the road and invest in ministry assignments after such a stressful season. But Isaiah 40:31 is a reality to me these days: “Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”

I took some time off to grieve, but new strength did in fact arise. In the weeks of March and April I have been running, and the Lord has supplied the grace. And our work overseas continues to expand. Thank you all for praying for us!

Many of you remember the testimony of Mahipal, the Indian man I led to the Lord in a gas station in my city of LaGrange, Georgia, in 2020. Mahipal went back to India after he was discipled, but he came back to the United States this year and got a temporary job in New Jersey. When I preached at a Ukrainian church in New Jersey in March, Mahipal was able to join me (see photo below) and he even gave his testimony to a group of young adults. Everyone was thrilled to hear his story. He is doing well and continues to grow spiritually.

Mahipal inspired me to write my book Follow Me, which is my life message about relational discipleship. He and his boss, Venkat, also inspired me to write a Bible study for new believers called Let’s Go Deeper. That book has just been released, so both books are now available. (Let’s Go Deeperofficially releases on Amazon and other online platforms on May 3.) If you want to learn how to invest your life in other Christians, I encourage you to get both books. The Bible study is also a great tool to use in a small group study, workplace Bible study, or for personal devotions. The book is available through Charisma House, Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook and Thrift Books, as well as local Christian bookstores.

When I was in New Jersey I was with a Ukrainian church in South River. I’ve been discipling the youth pastor there, Igor Marach. God is moving powerfully in this church, and the young people have been reaching out to their generation. The Lord has been bringing people from many racial backgrounds to encounter the Holy Spirit there. We had a powerful weekend together. Below you can see some of the young people kneeling at the altar after I preached a message about the power of surrender. It was also precious to see how this church has been collecting clothing and supplies to send to the refugees affected by the war in Ukraine.

Another young Ukrainian pastor named Gennady Bogdanets joined me on a recent ministry trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Gennady is from Erie, Pa., and he has attended a few of my Bold Venture events. One of my greatest joys is pouring my life into these young leaders. We had a wonderful weekend ministering at Church at the Heights. It was especially meaningful when Gennady was asked to pray in Ukrainian for the crisis in his country.

In Pittsburgh I was with my friends Ralph and Cindy Vogel, pastors of Church at the Heights. We had a powerful men’s event on Saturday plus two Sunday services. People were deeply encouraged through prophetic ministry, and some of the men were healed from father wounds and other struggles.

Also in March I ministered at Arise Church in Deland, Fla., where my friend Antione Ashley pastors with his wife, Andrea. We had a great weekend, and I was able to give a special seminar on relational discipleship. It is wonderful to see how Antione’s congregation is raising up leaders and starting small groups to effectively disciple everyone in the church. I want to see this kind of discipleship culture develop in every church!

The same thing happened at Crossroots Church in Effingham, Illinoi, where my friend Bryan Newswander is the pastor (see below). Bryan and I worked together at Charisma years ago when he was a young college graduate. When I traveled to Effingham a few weeks ago, I trained the church’s leaders in healthy mentoring. I am now helping Bryan and his wife, Sarah, to develop a discipleship track to make sure all members are growing spiritually.

Twice a year I visit Randy Clark’s Global School of Supernatural Ministry in Pennsylvania to train a new group of young leaders. I was there in late March for three days to teach on discipleship, women in ministry, healthy prophetic ministry and character in leadership. Below you can see one of the morning worship times with the students. It is so encouraging to meet young people who are so passionate for God!

Last fall I sponsored a Bold Venture event for men in Mobile, Alabama. After that retreat some of the local pastors were so inspired by what happened there that they decided to continue the momentum. They launched an event for men called Kingdom Builders, and they invited me to come there to speak on a Sunday night. Below you can see some of the pastors who participated. Men from many local churches came, and many of them came to the altar for emotional healing at the end of the night. It is so exciting to see that the fire that began at Bold Venture is still burning, and it is spreading to more men.

Our work overseas is continuing to expand. Below you can see the women’s discipleship class we are hosting in Pakistan. Our directors are ministering every month to these needy women, and providing spiritual mentoring as well as food and vocational training. I hope to go to Pakistan soon, now that the pandemic restrictions are being lifted.

A donor recently gave us $750 so we could purchase a motorbike to use to reach the women, who live in a remote village. You can see two of our team members below with the bike. Thank you for your investment! Our projects in Guatemala, El Salvador, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and India are also expanding thanks to your donations and prayer support.

Below you can see some women gathered in a church in Goma, Congo, for a special meeting. They are already preparing for my visit there in August. Please pray with me now as we make preparations for this major trip. I will be doing conferences for women and for men, as well as a special event for pastors. I will also be inaugurating our sewing center and cutting the ribbon on the facility we built at Pastor Udjasiri Wakahasha’s church there.

Thank you again for your partnership! Please pray with us as we have approached a donor about a major gift. We really need $100,000 to launch the overseas projects that have been planned. We are trusting the Lord for a financial miracle!

We love you and thank God for your love, prayers and financial support. We could not do this without you. If you’d like a signed copy of my new books, Follow Me or Let’s Go Deeper, just mail me $15 plus $3 shipping and I will send you one. You can also email me at james.lee.grady1976@gmail.com and I can give you my CashApp or Zelle.

To give to our overseas work, just hit the “Donate” button below and follow the prompts. To give by check, mail it to The Mordecai Project, P.O. Box 2781, LaGrange, GA 30241.