International Restoration Church

Update from International Restoration Church (IRC) and Prayer and Mission Center in Austin, Texas:

We want to thank all who have prayed and extended their generous hands to help us as we step out in faith to fulfill our God given vision and mission. We believed and continue to believe that God wants us to have a church building on the 4.5 acre land we purchased in May 2019. We originally purchased our land for $550,000. We were able to put $100,000 down which reduced our mortgage to $450,000. The bank only allowed us to do a 5 year balloon note. This year, we were able to apply more money for our mortgage and it is now down to $270,000. But our note came due May 7, 2024. We have applied for a 3 month extension with the bank. It will come due August 2024. We are praying to be able to pay off the note by that date. Would you also pray and partner with us in getting this paid off?

Our Ministries

Our land came with a three bedroom home which we use for prayer, counseling, helping ministries, Sunday school classes, and fellowships.

In the house we also had daily dawn prayer where we met every morning from 4:30 AM to 8:30 AM to pray and meditate the Word of God together.

Next to our house is a small one room building that is our prayer room. People come and pray there any time they are able and wanting to come. Jesus said His house shall be called a house of prayer and our heart is to honor Jesus and be the house of prayer.

Towards the back of our property is a shed. At the end of 2023, God put it on the heart of Pastor John for IRC to start meeting on our own land for Church services. All of IRC was in agreement and eager to convert the shed into our Church building. The cement floor was redone, the walls were insulated and then sheet rocked. The ceiling was insulated and painted black and the AC duct work was installed overhead. We began meeting at our church building on January 7 the first Sunday of 2024.

Recently we purchased 2 mini-split air conditioners. It gets really hot in Texas in the summer! A porch with a metal roof was added in the front of the building so we are able to meet on the porch after Church services for fellowship.

We believe that our land, house, and church building all belong to God. We know the need of immigrant Churches to have a place to meet so we have opened our land and Church building to other immigrant Churches. We have a Congo congregation that meets at 1 PM and starting in August after our Discipleship and Leadership Training we will have an African Church having their services beginning at 3 PM. We are excited to have them come.

Currently, we do not have a septic system where the shed is, so we are temporarily renting port a potties until we are able to get a septic system in place. It will cost $50,000 to get this completed. We are working with Travis County to get the needed permits and have hired a Septic designer.

IRC Church Building

Discipleship Training

In July, IRC, will have our Discipleship Training School as we do each year. We will have anywhere from 50-70 students come from around the world to attend. Our teachers also come from other nations and other states in the USA. It is an intensive one month training. Our Church building becomes the boy’s dormitory at that time, with cots set up for sleeping. From this ministry, we see people step into their calling, whether it is as pastor, missionary, evangelist, worship leader, or helper within the Church.

Universal Prayer Movement

When Covid hit Austin in 2020, God did an amazing thing with our dawn prayer. Because we were restricted from meeting together, we needed another way to meet. God put it in the heart of our pastor, John Monger, to continue dawn prayer through Zoom. From that the Universal Prayer Movement (UPM) was born. Through this prayer ministry, people from many nations are attending and being reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have come to know people from Israel, Kuwait, India, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Korea, Myanmar, Canada, Iraq, and also some European countries. Through UPM, 175 people have received Christ. Many are being discipled as we pray and meditate the Word of God together each morning. We have people in other nations and where there are no churches are attending UPM as their primary source of Church discipleship and fellowship. They in turn are sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in places where others have not gone. We are seeing God impact the world through UPM. Churches have been planted in Nepal, India, Bhutan, Canada and the USA through UPM. We have seen many wonders and miraculous things through UPM. Prayer is powerful!

International Student Ministry

God began another ministry for IRC. We have begun receiving students from other nations, who have come by Divine appointment to attend college in Austin. They come knowing little English, not understanding American ways or how to live here. They need help with paperwork, transportation, finance, obtaining jobs, having a place to live, speaking English and navigating American life in general. They are homesick, missing their families and in much need of encouragement and support. God has opened the door to help these students by providing them first with the Good News of Jesus Christ, the support and encouragement of a Church, helping them to get financial support, and helping them make the adjustments to living in America. We have housed them in our house for their first semester, helped them get a job in their second semester and are present to help them as they continue in their education. We praise God for how He is working!

Homeless Ministry

Also, a homeless ministry has started with a homeless community that is living in the greenbelt behind our land. We have connected with them; loving them, ministering to them, embracing them, giving them a hug, and sharing the gospel with them. Now they are sometimes coming to our Church services. We have food donated to us from a barbecue restaurant on Wednesday and Saturday. We began sharing that food with them and now that food is being distributed in other homeless communities.

Our Purpose

Through IRC many people have come to salvation and are being discipled. We see many called into ministry, and churches being planted. The primary purpose of IRC, UPM, and Discipleship Training is discipleship. Our desire is to set the habits of prayer, meditation, Scripture, and corporate fellowship into the hearts of people so they are coming into the presence of God and having an intimate, love relationship with our triune God and with His Church. It is to yield to the Holy Spirit, to worship and pray in union with the Spirit, to fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is the start of a great relationship with the Lord and with each other.

We would love to have you pray and partner with us!