prayer request

Dear Folks – Tragic news!  I just heard this morning that Dick & Dorothy Skampo’s (one of our elderly members) grandson was killed yesterday in a motorcycle accident.  He was in his 20’s.  I don’t know too many details yet, but as I get them I will pass them along.  Please pray for their family in this difficult time!

 

Continue to pray for Justin Newman as he recovers at home from his accident.  He mentioned to me that he knows he needs to get his life back on a better course.  Please ask God to help him in this decision!

 

Also – we are having several special things going on tomorrow - Graduate recognition, missionary dedication and communion.  We’ll be having a shortened message to accommodate all of these things – I will be talking about our choices and how they determine if we will be a casualty of the culture or one of its leaders.  Should be a fun day! 

 

Finally - Remember that Mark’s Open house starts immediately following the Morning Service tomorrow.  You’re all invited to a Mexican Fiesta!  There will be no evening service for the adults (I believe High School and College Age groups will still meet as scheduled).

 

See you tomorrow!

 

Pastor Bob

Another prayer request

Folks – I received the following email from Esther Sroufe last night…

 

Todd's dad had tests done and saw the doctor at U of M yesterday.  The cancer is worse than they thought.  He is in stage 4.  The cancer is in his bones also.  They will be starting chemotherapy on Wednesday to try to improve the quality of the time he has left.  They say that anytime within the next year could be the end.  Everyone is having a hard time with this.  Please continue to pray for the whole family.  Thanks, Esther

 

Please pray for their family, too.

 

Pastor Bob

 

please pray

Folks – please pray for Debbie’s Uncle Marv.  He recently had a moderate heart attack and they found out that one of the main vessels supplying blood to his heart is 100% blocked and two others are close to 90% blocked.  He was transferred yesterday to Toledo hospital for surgery today.  He is in serious but stable condition.  Debbie is pretty close to him.  He is a retired pastor from the Hudson area.

 

Thanks,

 

Pastor Bob

A moment of blessing

Hey folks – I was wondering if you could take a  moment to bless Steve.  In his most recent blog, he said,

“I just wanted to take time to thank everyone that has read some of my blogs and are praying and supporting me.  I have been praying and thinking of all of you back home.  take a second to post on this blog and bring me up to date on what you have been up to/how the lord has been working in your life/how I can pray for you.  God bless.”

Could you log on today to www.stevewright.theworldrace.org and give him a reply?  I think it can get lonely at times when you’re half a world away and know he wants to keep connected to his friends and family.  It would definitely be an encouragement to him to have you respond on his blog site. 

It’s really easy to do if you’ve never done it before.  You just log on, go to the bottom of the page, put in your name and email address (it’s private so no one will see it except him) and then type your comment.

Hope you’re having a good day today!  We’re busily getting ready for this weekend – Phillip is coming home from Texas and Mark’s graduation is on Friday; Mark’s open house is on Sunday afternoon (you’re all invited!); Phillip leaves for Texas and Anna leaves for Africa on Monday.  It’s going to be a miracle if we make it to Tuesday!

Blessings – Pastor Bob

 

Update on Justin Newman

Dear folks – just a quick update on Justin Newman. 

 

When he got to Herrick Hospital at midnight last night, they thought he had a skull fracture and there was internal bleeding.  That is why they life-flighted him to U of M.  When they did the CAT scan at U of M, they determined that he didn’t have a skull fracture but there was some bleeding and he had many superficial cuts, scrapes and bruises.  Fortunately, he didn’t break any bones. 

 

He is currently being tested neurologically for any damage – but is conscious and talking with family.

 

Please pray for him as he recovers.  He is in room 5407 if you want to contact him.

 

Pastor Bob

Please pray

Dear Folks – just got a call early this morning that Justin Newman was in a serious car accident this morning and was life-flighted to U of M.  I am on my way to the hospital now (6:00am) and will give you an update as soon as I can.  Please pray for him and the family.  I was told he has serious head injuries.

 

Pastor Bob

Update Letter for Steve Wright

Dear Folks – here’s an update letter from Steve Wright.  He’s completed 5 months of his World Race Trip!  He’s written some new blogs lately – check them out at www.stevewright.theworldrace.org  I know he would appreciate a comment on his blog from you!

 

Here’s the letter if you can’t download the attachment…

 

Dear Family, friends and supporters:                                                                                      May, 2008

 

I wanted to give you an update on my World Race mission’s trip.  It’s hard to believe I’ve already been gone for five months!  I’ve seen things that I will never forget, and have made some great friendships.  God has used our team to minister to hundreds of needy people – many have come to faith in Christ!  In the process, we’ve also met the urgent physical needs of those we come into contact with.

 

Peru!  When I left in January, we went straight to South America.  We ministered for a month on the coast of Peru (the town of Chincha – very hot and desert-like) where the people had experienced a devastating earthquake (even larger than the one recently in China).  They lost everything and many people died – and we provided both practical relief and spiritual ministry. 

 

Amazon Jungle.  The next month (Feb/March) we went to the Amazon Jungle (Iquitos, Peru) to help with church planting.  This is where my computer was stolen (thankfully it was replaced by insurance!).  We lived on a riverboat and helped a local missionary set up contacts for establishing churches along the river.  Mosquitoes were EVERYWHERE!  We also worked with children and teens.  There was a strong demonic presence in the jungle that we had to deal with – but God was gracious and many people responded.  While there, I was able to teach seminary level Bible classes to several pastors in the area.  It was a real blessing to be a part of that. While I was in the Jungle, I contracted a nasty intestinal parasite and struggled with sickness (several of my teammates had them).  It took awhile to get better. 

 

Bolivia.  In March/April, we travelled to the mountains (and rainforest) of Bolivia where we helped build and upgrade some orphanages for a ministry there.  It was an amazing experience!  It was quite a bit different from the previous ministries and provided for better living conditions for the 27 of us.  For the most part, our team lives in individual tents and we share everything.  It gets pretty tight sometimes!  While in Bolivia, I was bitten by a poisonous spider and had to contact a local doctor for treatment.  It’s taken a few weeks for the venom to get out of my system.

 

South Africa.   We left South America April 16^th and travelled across the Pacific Ocean to South Africa for three months of ministry there.  Our large team has split into smaller groups of 5 – 6 for these months and will be going to different countries to do ministries with local churches.  One of the places my team recently went to is a Compassion Site (Compassion Int’l) where the money many of you send (to “adopt” a child) is used to feed, clothe and teach African children.  I was able to experience this ministry first-hand.  It was amazing to see over 400 children being fed each day in the community we were in.  We were also able to go to the nearby country of Mozambique and present the gospel (through the “Jesus Film” and a translator) for the First Time to a tribal group there.  They had NEVER been visited by a missionary before!  Over 200 people responded!  The missionary we worked with will be taking another team back there next month to do follow-up work.  Exciting!

 

Swaziland.  This coming month my small team will be travelling to Swaziland to work with AIDS kids (almost half of the population in Swaziland has AIDS – many of the kids’ parents have already died).  It will be a humbling and heart-breaking month, I think.  Please pray for us! 

 

Support Level.   My support is currently at $9,600.00.  I need $14,000 total to finish the trip.  God has been graciously providing for me, and I am asking Him to encourage others to give the rest of what I need.  Many of you have already given toward this ministry – THANKS!  I’m asking if you would consider giving again.  I really appreciate the large gifts that some of you have given ($1,000 or more!), and would like to challenge you to do that again.  But I also would ask that you consider a gift of $200, $100, $50 or less (any amount helps!) so that I can continue the World Race to the end.  My next deadline is July 1^st, 2008. I’ll need at least $12,000 total by that time – or I will have to return home.  Please help!

 If you want to donate to my ministry on the World Race (it’s tax deductible), you can log on to the World Race site – (www.stevewright.theworldrace.org) and click on the “Support Me” tab and follow the directions.  It’s really easy and takes only a minute.  Or you can send a check to: Adventures in Missions, 6000 Wellspring Trail -- Gainesville, GA 30506.  Or you can call - 1-800-881-2461 and pay with a credit card. They’ll notify me that you gave, so I’ll know you have participated with me financially in this amazing adventure!  While you’re there, look around at my blog and read some of the things I (and my team) have been doing.  Leave a message and let me know you visited!

 

Results!  I wanted to give you a brief summary of some of the great things God has been doing so far…

·         He has moved hundreds of people to make first-time decisions and re-commitments through our ministry in Peru, Bolivia and Africa!

·         He has introduced me to people who have desperate physical (and spiritual) needs.  He has opened my eyes to the very difficult living conditions that exist in the rest of the world.

·         He has allowed me to disciple several guys in each place of ministry and make contacts with future partners in ministry.

·         He has shown me more truth than I thought I could learn in such a short time, and has caused me to grow spiritually.  He has been faithful in protecting me and taking care of me (with the exception of the parasite and poisonous spider J).

·         He has given me great Christian friends that I am growing with in a close-community setting. 

·         He has shown me older, more spiritually mature men that I can look to for advice and guidance.

 

What’s Next?

We will be in Southern Africa through June (includes South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Botswana).  We will be working with orphans, church planting and feeding /relief projects.

Next, we will head up to Asia (includes India, Napal, Vietnam, Thailand).  Some of the ministry there involves rescuing young girls from the international sex/slave trade.  That should be interesting!

 

The plan is to finish our Race in China.  After that, I’m not sure what will happen.  I am thinking of doing a ministry internship in England with a church there.  I‘m also interested in spending some more time in Europe – I’ve been learning French and Spanish, and want to learn Italian and German.  We’ll see what the Lord has for me when the time comes!

 

Thanks for taking the time for reading this letter!  I will try to keep in touch with you as much as I can.  Make sure to check my blog (www.stevewright.theworldrace.org) for updates.  I miss all of you and can’t wait to share in person what it’s like to be here.  I have LOTS of pictures and God-stories to share!

 

God Bless!

 

 

 

Steve Wright

 

P.S.  Please be praying about supporting me.  I am at $9,600 and need $14,000 total to finish.  If you can help me raise the final $4,400, I’ll be truly thankful! 

 

P.S.S.  Enjoy the pictures!

 

 

 

 

P.S.S.  Enjoy the pictures!

 

 

 

breakfast tomorrow

Hey Folks – as an added incentive (as if you needed one), I’ll make some scrumptious cinnamon rolls for breakfast tomorrow – they’ll be hot and ready at 9:30am if you want to come!  Just a little way to show how special you are!

 

Pastor Bob

This Sunday @ Church

Dear Folks – Wanted to remind you about some special things going on Sunday.

 

Once in a great while I’ll hear a sermon so compelling, I feel a strong desire to share it with you.  I recently heard a sermon about the greatness of God from Louie Giglio (a pastor and national speaker with Passion Conferences) that simply amazed me (that’s pretty hard to do).  I was able to get a DVD copy of his message and want to share it with you this Sunday morning during church.  I know you’ll enjoy it and will simply be amazed at the greatness of our God.  Please come to this service (and invite a friend if you can!).  It should tell you something about the quality of the message to know that I have never done this before!

 

Also, remember that after the morning service we will be having a special business meeting to discuss and vote on a proposal concerning one of our missionaries.  It is a very important meeting and if you’re a member, you need to attend.  We are not expecting that it will take very long.

 

A couple of other items…

 

A new Ladies Bible Study has started on Sunday mornings during Sunday School.  It is meeting in my office.  If you would like to join or need more info, please see Dana Hendrickson.

 

The Jr. High Group will be meeting Sunday afternoon/evening to work on the float for the Britton Memorial Day Parade.  If you can lend a hand, please see Sam McCarty.  The parade starts at 9:00am.

 

We have six high school seniors graduating this year!  Their open houses will be in the bulletin this Sunday.  We will be having a special service for them next week (June 1^st). 

 

Don’t forget about VBS (June 16 – 20) and the Church Fun Day (Sat. June 21^st).  These are big community events that need your promotion and attendance.

 

See you Tomorrow!

 

Pastor Bob

news/prayer

Dear Folks – Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow on Mother’s Day!  We are doing some things during the service to make it special.  Every mom in attendance will receive a flower from Right to Life – and one lucky mom will receive a special gift!

 

A few additional notes…

 

Please pray for Peni Howder as she ministers in Bangladesh.  She is very close to the recent devastation in Myanmar (the hurricane that struck there).  I haven’t heard anything in particular, but I’m sure we will soon.

 

Also, please pray for Joy Brown (from the group Soul’s Harbor that recently ministered at our church).  She is having some kind of medical emergency with her pregnancy.  I don’t know much about it, only that they have requested prayer.

 

Also, Stephanie Cochrane had surgery yesterday (Friday).  I haven’t heard how things went with that.

 

We also have some upcoming events that need to be on your calendar –

 

Sunday, May 18^th, 11:00am – We are planning to set up a video link with Steve Wright during the morning service.  He is presently ministering in Africa right now and would like to give an update to us.  That day also happens to be his birthday!

 

Sunday, May 18^th, 7:00pm – We are in charge of the Baccalaureate Service at Britton High School this year.  I need some people to help with the service (skits, food, set up, etc.).  If you can be involved, please let me know!  This is a great opportunity to impact the community with our ministry.  A majority of the parents of the seniors will be present.

 

Sunday, May 25^th – We are planning a brief but important special business meeting after the morning service to consider the Deacon’s recommendation concerning one of our missionaries.

 

Monday, May 31^st – We are entering a church float in the Memorial Day Parade to promote our VBS.  Please let Sam McCarty know if you can help construct it.

 

Saturday, June 14^th – Remembrance party for Don Russ.  Everyone is invited to gather at Shirley Russ’ home for a party.  There will be food, fun, and stuff for the kids.  See Shirley for details.

 

Mon – Fri, June 16 – 20 – VBS.  The teens are conducting VBS for our community kids this year and need your support.  We need you to get the word out to your kids/neighbors/grandkids.  Last year’s attendance was a little disappointing – the teens’ put a lot of effort into ministering – we need to let them know we appreciate their work!

 

Saturday June 21^st – Family Fun Day & Evening Concert.  We will be gathering in the afternoon for grilled food, outdoor games, a fun talent show, family activities and an evening concert with the vocal group “Carried Away” (check out their web site here: http://www.carriedaway.ca/ ).  They’re very talented and are looking forward to being with us for the afternoon (they’ve agreed to be judges for the talent show!).  You don’t want to miss this day!

 

These are wonderful opportunities to be with your church family and help it grow!  Please support your church with your time, money and abilities.  He will bless you for it!

 

See you tomorrow –

 

Pastor Bob