Need some help!

Dear Folks – I mentioned on Sunday that we have a unique and fun opportunity to minister to our community next week in preparing lunch for the teens in the Britton Marching Band during band camp. 

 

We are scheduled to provide lunch on Monday for 65 people (Taco Bar and fixin’s).  We need people to donate money and/or food and need at least four people to help cook and serve it.  So far, no one has let me know that they can help cook or provide anything for it.  That’s not good!  I’ve committed our church to this event and need your help.

 

On top of that, I just got a call that one of the other churches is not going to be able to take their day (Tuesday).  Can we do both days? 

 

I’m thinking that on Tuesday we could grill some hot dogs and serve chips and water – and maybe make some brownies or something (and also need four more people).  What do you think?  Can we do this?  How cool would it be if our church is the one that comes through and supports the teens in our community! They will remember it – so will the parents!  How many families do 65 teens represent in Britton?

 

Let me know what you think.

 

Pastor Bob

 

P.S.  An update on Dave Newman – he had surgery on his leg today.  Doctors said it went well.  He did not break his neck, but does have serious injuries to the rest of his body (foot, ankle, leg, pelvis, ribs, shoulder, etc).  He will not be able to put weight on his leg for 4 – 6 months.  Please pray for this family – they are definitely dealing with a lot – and we have an opportunity to show them the love of Christ!

prayer request for Dave Newman

Folks – just got a call from Justin Newman.  His dad (Dave) fell over 20 ft from some scaffolding and broke his foot, ankle, leg (several places), pelvis, ribs and neck (not sure about the neck yet).  He is at U of M in ICU right now.  Please pray for him as they evaluate his injuries.  He will be having emergency surgery tomorrow.  Thanks for praying!

 

Pastor Bob

Robbery story from Steve - a little long, but worth it!

Folks – Debbie had a conversation with Steve today over the internet concerning the recent robbery in Africa, and I thought I would post some of it.  It’s quite something to read!  Keep praying for him!  He is now in New Delhi, India ministering at a leper colony and an orphanage.  He said conditions there are very difficult – over 100 degrees each day with mosquitoes and filth everywhere.  The only thing to eat is peanut butter and jelly.  Very little water.  It’ll be an interesting month!

 

[2:26:09 PM] Debbie Wright says: kind of tough when someone rips your stuff away from you with a gun pointed at you

[2:26:15 PM] Debbie Wright says: that has to be pretty traumatic

[2:26:22 PM] Steve Wright says: yeah, I was in the other room

[2:26:49 PM] Debbie Wright says: did they have you go in the big room?

[2:27:15 PM] Steve Wright says: yeah, I was joking around with Eli and Matt S when the guys came into the room and told us to leave the room

[2:27:20 PM] Steve Wright says: I thought it was a joke at first

[2:27:37 PM] Debbie Wright says: yeah, it would be hard to believe something like that was really happening to you

[2:28:05 PM] Steve Wright says: I looked over at Eli, and his hands were up, so I figured out it wasn't a joke

[2:28:21 PM] Debbie Wright says: did it kind of seem like you were in a TV show and not real life?

[2:28:32 PM] Steve Wright says: ummmm

[2:28:34 PM] Steve Wright says: I guess

[2:28:54 PM] Steve Wright says: I wasn't scared at all during, just thinking through things

[2:29:06 PM] Steve Wright says: after talking with other people, I realized how much danger we really were in

[2:29:11 PM] Debbie Wright says: did it kind of hit you afterwards?

[2:29:17 PM] Debbie Wright says: the scared I mean

[2:29:30 PM] Steve Wright says: yeah

[2:29:42 PM] Steve Wright says: several different people told us we were lucky to be alive

[2:29:46 PM] Steve Wright says: we saw their faces

[2:29:49 PM] Debbie Wright says: very true

[2:29:50 PM] Steve Wright says: that was scary

[2:30:01 PM] Debbie Wright says: I was wondering if they had masks on or not

[2:30:06 PM] Steve Wright says: later we talked with a waitress, and she told us we were lucky

[2:30:21 PM] Steve Wright says: one of my teammates told me that a lot of Americans are shot dead in Africa

[2:30:27 PM] Debbie Wright says: wow

[2:30:29 PM] Steve Wright says: anyways, I’ll stop giving you details

[2:30:32 PM] Debbie Wright says: God watches you

[2:30:32 PM] Steve Wright says: we are safe

[2:30:36 PM] Steve Wright says: yeah

[2:30:46 PM] Debbie Wright says: always has and always will

[2:30:47 PM] Steve Wright says: I kept praying through the whole thing

[2:31:04 PM] Steve Wright says: I think that might have been why I wasn't so scared

[2:31:11 PM] Debbie Wright says: yeah

[2:31:37 PM] Debbie Wright says: I don't mind the details

[2:31:49 PM] Steve Wright says: I could tell you the story if you have a minute

[2:31:53 PM] Debbie Wright says: sure

[2:31:58 PM] Steve Wright says: alright

[2:32:01 PM] Steve Wright says: so,

[2:32:05 PM] Debbie Wright says: always have a minute for you!

[2:32:23 PM] Steve Wright says: Eli and I had went out for supper, and then on the way back we stopped at this Chinese internet cafe

[2:32:51 PM] Steve Wright says: we played this shooting video game, where me and Eli were on a team, and we played against two other Chinese people we didn't know

[2:33:02 PM] Steve Wright says: so it was dark, and Eli and I were joking about

[2:33:22 PM] Steve Wright says: if people were going to jump us, we were ready and kind of wanted some action so that we could get some aggression out

[2:33:38 PM] Steve Wright says: we got back to the hotel, and just relaxing for about an hour

[2:33:53 PM] Steve Wright says: then Matt S left, and Eli and I were about to leave to see what else was going on

[2:34:25 PM] Steve Wright says: as soon as matt left, a small guy came into the room waving a gun, followed by a tall guy with a gun

[2:34:36 PM] Steve Wright says: he said, don't look at my face, and get out of the room

[2:34:48 PM] Steve Wright says: I looked him straight in the eyes and thought it was a joke

[2:35:03 PM] Steve Wright says: but then looked at Eli and saw him with his hands up, so I did the same

[2:35:12 PM] Steve Wright says: he said, go to the lobby, and get down

[2:35:40 PM] Steve Wright says: I stepped into the lobby, and he kind of twisted my arm so that I would go to the ground

[2:36:04 PM] Steve Wright says: When I was on the ground, I realized I was breathing really heavy, which was weird because it was only a few steps

[2:36:15 PM] Steve Wright says: I breathed deeply so that I could think clearly

[2:36:27 PM] Steve Wright says: then I heard a dog bark and it caught me off guard

[2:36:40 PM] Steve Wright says: I jumped, the dog was huge, and he bit at me earlier

[2:36:54 PM] Steve Wright says:  I kept thinking, God keep the dog away from me, because he could bite me

[2:37:16 PM] Steve Wright says: then the dog came right up to me and sniffed me, which was so scary, because at the same time the robbers had guns

[2:37:28 PM] Steve Wright says: He went away

[2:37:35 PM] Steve Wright says: we kept hearing threats from the gunmen

[2:37:40 PM] Steve Wright says: I’ll shoot you dead

[2:37:49 PM] Steve Wright says: don't look up, I’ll kill you

[2:37:50 PM] Steve Wright says: you will be dead

[2:37:54 PM] Steve Wright says: lots of threats

[2:38:36 PM] Steve Wright says: one guy next to me kept looking up, I thought he was going to get shot, and I kept thinking of what I would do if his blood spread over to me, pretty graphic, but that was what was going through my head

[2:39:05 PM] Steve Wright says: the guy next to me was the owner, the gunmen grabbed him, and hit him a few times, then told him to get to the safe

[2:39:30 PM] Steve Wright says: he opened it and then they took off with about $12,000 USD from one of the other guests that lived in England

[2:39:37 PM] Steve Wright says: then they left

[2:39:56 PM] Steve Wright says: Robbie, Rusty and I took off to see the girls in the other room

[2:40:02 PM] Steve Wright says: they were crying

[2:40:06 PM] Steve Wright says: they were fine though – not hurt

[2:40:13 PM] Steve Wright says: they had it much tougher then us

[2:40:18 PM] Steve Wright says: I have low battery on this computer

[2:40:24 PM] Steve Wright says: but anyway

[2:40:35 PM] Steve Wright says: the robbers thought that they (the girls) had all of the money

[2:41:00 PM] Steve Wright says: they would get the girls up and tell them to give them their money and purse, but they didn't have any because the team leaders were in a different room

[2:41:14 PM] Steve Wright says:  the gunmen didn't believe them, so they said, I will shoot someone, or something like that

[2:41:28 PM] Steve Wright says: I only stayed up for another hour, then got a shower and went to sleep

[2:41:38 PM] Steve Wright says: a lot of them stayed up the whole night

[2:41:58 PM] Steve Wright says: then I stayed with a few others at the hostel, and the others left for Pretoria until the plane ride to India

[2:42:05 PM] Steve Wright says: that’s about it

[2:42:07 PM] Debbie Wright says: wow that's quite the story!

 

church potluck tomorrow

Hey folks – I wanted to remind you about the potluck dinner after church tomorrow morning.  Please bring a main dish and side dish or dessert to pass.  Church will provide rolls, beverage and table settings.  We’ll enjoy a meal together, and then have a short business meeting for members afterwards.  Doug McMullen will be leading the meeting.  Please have your reports ready to share!  There will be no evening service.

 

See you tomorrow!

 

Pastor Bob

Taylor McMullen & Stuff

Hey Folks – Taylor is home now and recovering from surgery.  Yesterday was her birthday!  She is doing well and would love to hear from you.   Her email is taterbug725@yahoo.com.  Please give her an encouraging word! 

 

Also, Esther Sroufe’s father in law’s funeral is today at 10:00am at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Adrian.  Please be praying for the family.  Todd had bariatric surgery this week, so there’s a lot going on!

 

Steve is flying to India today with his mission’s team to start ministering there.  They have not been able to  find the people who robbed them yet.  I did find out that they were at a hotel in Johannesburg when they were robbed, so that was pretty bold of the men who did it.  Also, he’s been looking into serving at a church in England after he finishes the World Race.  He was accepted by them, so he will begin serving there in December for about a year! He’s pretty excited.  You can read all about the robbery at www.stevewright.theworldrace.org

 

I was able to speak with Chuck Koman on Thursday (he has terminal cancer) and he assured me that he finally ‘gets it’ (salvation).  He was so appreciative of our church praying for him and is now ready to meet Jesus!  I was pretty happy to have a part in his salvation.  He said he wished he would have understood it 50 years ago.  But is so glad to know that when the time comes, he will be with Jesus.  Such a great God we have!

 

Thanks and see you tomorrow!

 

Pastor Bob

Pray for Steve's Team

Dear Folks – I just got off the phone with Steve (4:00pm).  He arrived today in Johannesburg, South Africa with his  team.  They are waiting to leave for India in a few days.  Tonight as they were settling down for the evening (it’s 10pm there), four men with guns burst into the building they were staying in.  Steve and a friend were in one of the rooms and thought it was a joke at first, then realized that they were serious when they started waving their guns and shouting. 

 

The men gathered the group together (about 20 of them) and made them lay down on the floor.   They took most of the group’s possessions (computers, money, passports, etc), and were being quite threatening.  Steve said it was pretty scary.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.  The men didn’t find Steve’s money or his passport, but did take his computer and other things.  Then they left.

 

Please pray that the police will find the men and be able to get their possessions back (especially the passports).  Also pray for the team as they process this situation and praise God for His protection.  While it’s scary to think what might have happened (kidnapped or worse), we know that God is in control, that Steve has been called to serve on this mission trip and that everything that was taken can be replaced. 

 

As parents, we thank you for praying for Steve.

 

Pastor Bob

Update on Taylor McMullen

Dear Folks – wanted to give you a quick update on Taylor.  She went into surgery around 8:00am this morning (Tuesday), and was supposed to get out around 1pm.  The best news is that they aren’t going to have to do the more extensive surgery that would have required her to wear a halo around her head for 3 months.  That is a blessing.   Keep praying!

 

Pastor Bob

correction

Hey – a piece of information in Steve’s blog is incorrect – it should read that almost 5,000 kids (not 50,000 kids) are fed at the center each week.  Still way too many – but fewer than he wrote!

 

PB

Update on Steve and pics

Hey Folks – thought I’d send out an update on Steve.  He just finished a three-month ministry in Africa and is getting ready to leave for India in a couple of days.  Here’s a recent blog he wrote…

 

Hello to everyone back home.  It’s been awhile since I blogged last, but the internet at Durban went down as soon as we got to the missionaries house.  Things have been going very well this month, and we are getting ready to move on to India soon.  Thanks for all of your support.

This past month, we worked with Missions Ablaze.  This is a missions organization located about half an hour outside of Durban that focuses on the poor.  They feed about 50,000 people a week.  Also, they are busy building an orphanage that will house one hundred children and give jobs to ten widows.  There are about twenty people that are missionaries here, and it was amazing to be a part of their lives for the past few weeks.

Our team mostly helped out with the orphanage.  We were busy building beds and tiling walls.  Tiling can be difficult, and several times I was very tired from the day of work.  I had a lot of time to think about the work that we were doing and I was overwhelmed many times about the significance.  There were three areas of ministry that stuck out to me, even though in actuality I was only doing one thing.

The first and most obvious was the children.  These  children currently were being fed, but their living conditions were less then suitable.  They were all crammed into a small house, and it definitely gets cold here in the winter.  I was excited to know that these children will have a nice place to stay.  It’s one less thing for them to worry about, and they can focus more on growing into strong and intelligent adults.

The second area I saw myself being used in was in helping the widows.  I can’t relate too much to a widow at this point in my life, but I know that being connected is important to me.  These widows will be connected with each other, the children, and the missionaries at the base here.  Besides that, they are crucial in these children’s education and health.  I know that a hard day’s work is actually a blessing, and I am glad that these women will be able to live better.

The third area that I saw myself, and to a much greater extent the missionary that I was working with (Peit) was with the workers I was with.  Some of these guys knew how to build things while others didn’t know anything about building.  Peit showed me that these guys need to learn how to make a living, and he was teaching them what he knew about building so that they could earn a living on their own.  Along with that, he was also telling them about the gospel.  It was encouraging to see.

 

Sounds amazing doesn’t it?  We are going to try to connect live via internet with Steve this Sunday during church.  He’s at a place where there is internet access.  That should be fun!  Praise!!  Steve recently received enough support to get him through the next phase of his trip (he’s currently at $12,000 and needs about $2,000 more by Sept 1^st to finish the race).  Thanks to all who are giving and praying for him!

 

Also this Sunday, we are going to be hearing a report from Anna Wright about her recent mission’s trip to Africa last month.  She has some great pictures and stories to tell!  We’ll be seeing a brief video presentation in the morning, and then have a full report from her in the evening.  Please come!  The Mission’s Committee has asked everyone to bring a dessert to share.  We’ll be meeting in the Fellowship Hall at 6:00pm.  All groups will meet together.

 

See you tomorrow!

 

Pastor Bob

 

P.S.  Here’s some pictures.  Enjoy!  You can follow Steve’s team and travels (and give toward his support) at www.theworldrace.org

 

 

   

Church News

Hey Folks – Just wanted to let you know about a couple of things…

 

We got back from the church camping trip (those who were able to come) tonight.  We had a great time together, and the weather was really nice!  We stayed at a wonderfully rustic (yet surprisingly comfortable) campsite.  There were only three other campers around – so it was really quiet!  The scenery was breathtaking!

 

When I got home tonight, I visited (along with some teens) Kristin Korican (one of our teens) in the Hospital.  She had surgery today and some of the teens wanted to see her, so I took them up.  The surgery (to correct her leg) went well.  She will be in the hospital for three days.  Please pray for her recovery.  Also, pray for Mary Gardener.  She visited our church last Sunday (lives across the road in the Apartments), and is going through some pretty deep struggles.  She is reaching out to us, and is finding help! 

 

Tomorrow, I’m leaving for Chicago with a group of teens from Britton School to take them on a service trip to see the difficult side of life.  We will be touring Pacific Garden Mission, visiting a local shelter and will be feeding the homeless on Saturday.  Please pray for us as we minister to the teens and present Christ to them!

 

If you get a chance, invite a friend to come to church with you on Sunday!

 

See you then!

 

Pastor Bob

Invitation

Folks - Just wanted to let you know you’re all invited to come to church this Sunday J.  We’ll be having a communion service and be challenged by a special message from Jesus (Revelation 2 – 3).

 

Don’t miss this opportunity to worship together.  We need each other!

 

Also – if you can come earlier (at 9:45am), you’ll gain special insight into the Bible.  Ladies class is studying repentance; Pastor’s class is studying how to memorize and meditate on Scripture. Both are helpful in developing a growing Christian life.

 

See you Sunday!

 

Pastor Bob

 

Here’s a cartoon to enjoy!

 

Anna pictures

Some of you couldn’t open the pictures – maybe this will help!

 

Anna teaching them the chicken dance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna helping to lay the foundation of the missions building.

 

 

Update on Anna

Folks – just wanted to let you know that Anna returned home yesterday safe and sound (and tired).  She had a great time and wished she could have stayed longer!  We’re glad to have her back.  We looked through her pictures last night and heard all the stories – it was really fun!

 

I want to encourage you to strongly consider sending your kids (or grandkids) on an international missions trip.  It is one of the BEST things you can do for them spiritually.  I know there are always concerns to think about (health, safety, etc), but the rewards FAR outweigh the potential risks.

 

I’ve included a couple of pictures of her trip.  The first two are of her working on the missionary building.  The third one is a picture of her teaching the African kids the ‘Chicken Dance’.  She said they loved it!  It was part of a VBS-type outreach they were doing.

 

Anyway – hope you’re having a great week.

 

God Bless

 

Pastor Bob