Missionary Update

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January 2010

January 25-29, 2010

Jim & Janice Mitchell, Pueblo West, CO

We had another good day with 52.  A couple return visitors and one new young couple with a toddler. I attached a pic of our SS announcer, piano player, song leader, greeter, and a couple of pics of the congregation.  Please pray as I start follow up this week with our new believer.  Janice also is meeting with some ladies for discipleship.  We had two new couples over for dinner today and had a real good time with them.  Janice and Julene did a great job preparing the meal.  Please pray for several contacts we’ve had that the doors would open for further ministry.  Today our dog got out and we didn’t have time to look for her till our visitors left at around three thirty.  When we finally located her, one of the neighbors was holding on to her and Janice had an opportunity to invite her to church.  God gives all kinds of different ways to meet people.  We also had a great praise time tonight with many sharing opportunities they’ve had to witness to people.  One of the new ladies meet a girl at Sam’s Club that was having a baby and after building a relationship with her volunteered to give her a baby shower at her home.  We were excited about the opportunity this will provide the ladies to minister to her.  God continues to give us a great spirit of unity and excitement as we work together.

Scott & Brooke Greening, Schaumburg, IL

Retention, Retention, Retention + 1st Time Guests
Church plants could have numerous first-time guests each weekend, but if none of them returned for a second time it would not be especially helpful. We were wondering if anyone would return to GCBC on Sunday from our first-time visitors the week before. We had prayed, sent follow-up emails, sent handwritten notes on custom made GCBC cards with a gift-card enclosed, and prayed some more, but we still didn’t know what would happen. Thankfully, God allowed several of the people from two Sundays ago to return. Five of our first-time visitors returned! In addition we had 4 new first-time visitors: a mother with two of her children and a single 30-something. God is so good to be at work in people’s lives and allow us to be a part of it. Thank you for your prayers.
We are also excited about having a good problem. With the addition of several guests over the last few weeks we started over extending our time in the room we rent. Our guests and launch team members really enjoy staying around and talking. Last week we added an additional hour to our rental. Now we have more time for set-up and tear-down and plenty of time for conversing.

Coffee Meeting
A couple that returned as a second-time guest do not appear to have a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ. However, they are seemingly very open to spiritual things. They are willing to get together with Brooke and I for coffee and to talk. Please pray that we can make this happen and that we would be able to share the gospel with them.
Hosting a Staff Party
Brooke and I have been working part-time at Oxford Learning Center in Palatine, (my time there seems to be coming to an end :-D). This Friday evening most of the people from our job will be coming to our home for a staff party. Please pray that we would be able to continue to build relationships with our co-workers, ultimately seeing them come to Christ for salvation.
Anti-Valentine’s Day Event
GCBC will host an “Anti-Valentine’s Day” event the weekend on February 14th. This event will be a no pressure time for singles to come together and enjoy a meal together and then an activity afterwards. Please pray that we can continue to reach single people and encourage them. Please also pray that we can encourage our sister churches in Chicagoland. We will be inviting other churches to mention this event to their singles.
Praising God for Plastic
We continue to strive for effectiveness with our set-up and tear-down at the Community Recreation Center where we have our Sunday meetings. However, each week we add new pieces to our Sunday experience. This has resulted in us carting in an assortment of boxes and bags in from our cars. This week we invested in plastic containers that hold all our supplies. This is a big improvement over our practice of the last several months. Brooke is especially excited about this development. I think it might save us from marriage counseling.

Praise & Prayer

Praise: Our 2nd-time guests and new 1st-time guests!
Praise: Increased effectiveness on our Sunday morning process of setting up and tearing down.
Praise: People wanting to hang around and talk after our services.
Prayer: That Brooke and I would be able to meet with this couple that have started visiting the church and that we would be able to share the gospel.
Prayer: For our work party on Friday.
Prayer: For our Anti-Valentine’s Day event.

David & Melissa Whitcher, Lorain, OH

NO CONVERTS, NO BUILDING; JUST CHRIST’S PROMISE TO BUILD HIS CHURCH

As we begin the effort of making contacts here in Lorain, we are reminded of how impossible the task really is.  We are seeking to establish a thriving, biblical church in a town where there is no pure gospel witness among Hispanics.  Furthermore, there are currently no converts, there is no building, and we are just beginning to make contacts.  Logic says, “This is impossible.”  Faith says, “I cannot wait to see what God will establish out of nothing.”  Please pray for an English as a Second Language class that we desire to begin in the local library.  Also pray for a few contacts who have shown some interest in studying the Bible with us.

DAVID’S HEALTH

During the month of December, David was feeling extremely exhausted but still continued on with ministry responsibilities.  Throughout Christmas he felt very sick and continued out of commission for the first couple of weeks of January.

The Dr. ran some tests and had concerns about David’s heart and eventually admitted him to the hospital.  After several tests they have diagnosed David with mono (again) and said that it was causing some minor heart complications.  He has been advised indefinite rest until the symptoms subside.

God is so good to give us great co-workers who are carrying on the bulk of the ministry in Lorain while David is sick.  Other ministries are on hold for the moment.  It has been a long couple of months but God has shown Himself to be very faithful.  As Dr. David Little encouraged us, “God is doing something because when we don’t understand, it means HE is doing something.”

Thank you for your prayers as we calmly rest and wait on the Lord.  We will keep you updated.

Roy & Fran Cupples, Fullerton, NE

Can you hear the wind blowing?  I’m sitting in my office at home and the wind sounds so cold.  I am very thankful to be inside out of the weather and grateful for all of God’s provision for our needs.  We are very blessed.

Speaking of blessings, I want to share a couple right away.  They may not seem like “total” blessings but in the end you’ll see that they really are blessings.  Rick and Carolyn have a daughter, son-in-law and three granddaughters in Hastings.  Last week they were asleep and the fire alarm went off waking the husband.  He and his wife ran downstairs where the three girls were sleeping in the living room.  The fire was not far from the sleeping girls.  The fire soon headed up the stairs but all the family was able to safely escape.  The house is a total loss and everything in it.  The wife thought she had forgotten to blow out a candle and that she had caused the fire.  Of course, she felt terrible. But, it was soon discovered that the candle was not the culprit but it was, rather, an electrical fire.  The blessing in all of this is that they are all safe and the wife does not have to cope with guilt.  They were given some money by a lady for clothes right away and are being housed in a motel for now.  They belong to a good church and will, we are sure, get fine help from their church.  Please pray for this young family as they adjust and start over in so many ways.

Rick and Carolyn have another daughter and family that live in Iowa.  The family had just walked into the house from the carport when the carport collapsed due to ice on the roof.  No one was injured and their car was not in the carport, either.  If they had been a little later in entering the house they might have been killed.  I believe both of these instances took place in the same week.  Rick and Carolyn (part of our church family) are very thankful for God’s protection.

Progress on the church foyer is moving right along.  Roy took out a door and a window (where the hall and the new foyer meet) and the place really opened up but the folks still stayed in the auditorium to visit after church. They’ll move out into the foyer once it is finished.  We have an outside double door on our prayer list and last evening Julie called about a motel being demolished in Lincoln and an entrance door possibly for sale.  Please pray that we will be able to get the needed door for a very reasonable price.

Today was “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday” and Roy preached a message entitled “Choose Life.”  The songs, video clip and bulletin all centered around the theme.  Abortion is not a pleasant subject but one that we need to look at from God’s perspective.  The video clip showed the various stages of development of the baby in the womb.  Life does begin at conception and we, as believers, need to pray, challenge, inform and do all we can save babies’ lives.  Also, as the song says, “People Need the Lord.”  Hearts must be changed.  Roy’s message was clearly pro-life because God’s Word is and forgiveness and the gospel were compassionately presented as well.

Prayer requests:

* Pray that the JOY Club children will strongly believe that the Bible is God’s Word and be like the wise man who built his house on the rock.

* D and C still have not come back to church; the K family was absent again and they are hurting.

* Decisions need to made concerning a speaker for our banquet, Day Camp plans for next summer and a speaker for Senior Saint’s Camp

* Our annual church business meeting is Feb. 7 - need unity, wisdom, vision and commitment; election of officers

* A man that Roy drinks coffee with down town is asking some very good questions.  He showed up for our Christmas program all by himself.  He is reading his Bible and seeking.

* Pray often for President Obama, other individuals in authority and for our Congress.

* Please pray that our church family and we will be well prepared and grounded so that we handle the Word of God correctly; use every opportunity to share Christ.

Even though I recycle “stuff” all the time, today’s great SS memory verse reminded me that the earth belongs to the Lord.  “The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.  For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.” 

Fred & Marie Henzler, Perry, GA

I told about a deputy who came over and talked to us in a restaurant and introduced us to his family. I did not know his name. This week were at the 911 Center and the Main Sheriff’s Office in Warner Robins. One of the first people we saw was this deputy. With almost 100 deputies assigned to that building, this has to be of the Lord. As we talked, my old mind started to remember that I had talked to him well over a year ago. At that time, he was looking for another church because he felt he was not accepted in the church where they were members because of his job. Police and deputies constantly deal with the bad, mad and sad. It is hard for them to relate to those who do not understand this. He is a Christian but still is having problems finding Christian fellowship and handling the people he deals with everyday. Please pray for Scott and all the Christians in law enforcement.

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