Missionary Update

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January 2010

Week of January 4-8, 2010

Scott & Brooke Greening, Schaumburg, IL – January 4, 2010
Calling Campaign
This morning at 9:00 AM our calling campaign began. We will be contacting 50,000 households this week between now and Saturday evening. People will be presented the opportunity to hear information about a new multi-ethnic church that is forming in the community. If they desire to hear more information they can indicate that by pressing a button on their phone. Once responding in the affirmative they will hear a short synopsis of our ministry and their potential involvement. We are praying that God would choose to use this ministry tool to greatly aid in the establishing of Great Commission Baptist Church. Will you join us in praying this week? Our three major prayer requests for the calling are:
1.  Diversity - We are asking that God would allow the calling campaign to bring to our church plant people with a diverse set of relationship networks, ethnic backgrounds, and life situations. We desire to be a church that looks like our target area. We specifically are praying for Indian, South-East Asian, African-American, and Hispanic individuals and families.
2.  Strategic Skills - We are also asking that God would grow our group’s ministry potential by adding people with strategic skills. We need people to help us with community outreach, children’s ministry, music, graphic design, web site, greeters, and more. A church needs people with complementary and strategic skills to accomplish its God-ordained task.
3.  Outreach Contacts - While the primary goal for the calling is to find believers that might be interested in helping with a church plant. We are also asking that God might give us some contacts for evangelism either directly or by way of the people that God causes to be interested in our church.
We know many of you will be praying for this week of calling. If you would like to receive daily updates of the calling progress please follow the directions located in the sidebar on the right (Those who have already communicated that you are praying daily for this ministry are already on the list!).
Deputation Presentation this Wednesday
Brooke and I will be presenting our ministry in Berea, Ohio this Wednesday evening during their prayer meeting. Please pray that we will have a safe trip to the Cleveland area and an effective, God-honoring ministry. If you are by chance in the area we would love to see you there!

Jim & Janice Mitchell, Pueblo West, CO – January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!  Thank you for your daily prayers on our behalf. New chairs just came in today.  They will really spruce up the auditorium not to mention make it a lot easier to sit through my sermons.  We also were able to add a new 400 watt exterior light to illuminate the parking lot.  It was a safety issue on these dark nights as there was no lighting on the parking lot other than the lights in the drive through. 
We had a another good Sunday though we had some family members out sick and no record attendance at 46.  Our Sunday School series on finances is going well if our offering was any indication at just under $2,500.  I believe it is a blessing from the Lord confirming our decision to give money to the church plant in Surprise AZ.
We have three new families that have talked to me recently about going through the membership class so that is exciting.  The man that was saved should be home from their holiday trip at the end of the week so please pray for the follow up with him.  We continue to reach out to those that have visited us and have a couple of visits scheduled for this week.  Pray also for wisdom as we try to pull some of the new men into the leadership to assist us as we only have one deacon this year.
Janelle is safely back in Guam, Jared in FL with the Galkins team and Julene is home looking for a job.
Janice’s parents are doing well considering and we praise the Lord for our family.

Kevin & Kenyata Maki, Fremont, CA
Praise for fall outreach with 6 new deaf.
Praise for many ASL student visitors after outreach.
Praise for apology from one person slandering the church.
Pray for budget decisions for 2010.

Dee Hammond, Perrysburg, OH – January 4, 2010.
New home address, phone number and e-mail address:  200 Zoar Drive, Apt. 41, Perrysburg, OH 43551. Phone: 419-874-3415, e-mail: dghammond31@att.net
Another Christmas has come and gone, and it is almost New Year’s Day!  Last Sunday our pastor talked about making goals for 2010.  During my devotions this morning I found the words of Jesus in John 15 a challenge and a comfort.  He was talking to His disciples about abiding in Him and being fruitful.  He said to them, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love” (John 15: 9).  To continue to abide in His love and to bear much fruit for His glory are two goals at the top of my list, along with some others. 
You may have noticed that I didn’t get a Christmas Hammond Herald letter out but I am sending you one for the New Year.  I hope you had a good Christmas; we did here.  I spent the day with my daughter Sara and her husband, Ron, and his family.  Before Christmas day I celebrated with the folks at church and with my new family at Abundant Life #2.  It is one of the complexes housing about 50 seniors.  I moved November 21.  It is similar to the housing I had in North Carolina.  It is lovely, set among the trees with a nice park down the road, called Three Meadows.  (Please note the change of address, etc.below.)
A lot has taken place since my last newsletter.  We have been busy at church with special meetings like Camp meeting, Vacation Bible School a Fall Revival and special missionary services.  I count it a privilege to be a part of the ministry, doing what I can to serve the Lord.  We are very fortunate to be in a church where the Word is preached and practiced.  It was a blessing to be able to house the different missionaries when they came to serve, and to correspond with them.  I became friends with one of the ladies in the trailer park and have been teaching her the Word and doing what I can to help her.  She is beginning to come to church.  Hopefully one day she will become a member.  The folks at church built a baptistery and did other remodeling.  It looks real nice.  Several folks have been baptized.  The Lord also provided us with a van to use for outreach.  Several children are riding it.. Please pray for us as we continue in Him and set goals for 2010.
Some of the highlights of my year include a drive down to TN to see Starla, (Rod and Melinda’s daughter) graduate as a dental technician.  It was good to spend time with the family.  This Fall, two of my grandsons, Mike, (Becky and Jim Bryant’s son) and Ryan, (Sara and Ron’s son) came with their wives and children, but not all at the same time!  It was very good.
The year seems to have passed so quickly!  It has been amazing to see how things have come about.  I was praying much about moving and making some changes. Things fell together like “hand in glove.”  The first people that looked at the mobile home, bought it.  Within a few short weeks I had moved out and was getting settled into my new apartment.
Then something very frightening happened.  Those of you that were on my e-mail address list received a hoax letter saying that I was in England and had lost my wallet and the writer was asking for money.  Please forgive me.  I am very sorry.  That is one experience I never want to go through again.  My pastor came over and helped get the computer safe again.  I pray this never happens to you.  God’s Word was and is my strength.  He was there all the time, seeing me through!  Thank you for your many prayers.  Everyone has been most gracious, merciful, and forgiving, especially The Lord!!!  Now He continues to tell me “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love”  (John 15: 7).

Roy & Fran Cupples, Fullerton, NE –
December 28, 2009
Last night was a Sunday night and I spaced off totally my Sunday night email. Maybe it was because a Sunday without morning and evening services just doesn’t seem like Sunday. Or maybe it is my age but I doubt that!  Anyway, here we go with news of last week.
In our last email we mentioned that we were preparing for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service.  But, as probably happened in a number of other churches in the state, we had to cancel our special service because of the snow storm.  Roy and I could have made it to church (we live a half a block away) but we might have been quite lonely.  The folks in the country could not get anywhere and the folks in town would have had their challenges, also.  I really missed the service for it is a lovely way to prepare for Christmas Day.  As Roy says, “Now we have our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service all planned for next year.”  Our “plan B” was to have the service last evening but that did not work out either. 
Well, the school students were on vacation all last week and will be until January 4.  Therefore, we did not have JOY Club or Word of Life and won’t until January 6th.  So, our week was quite different than usual. 
Last week I spent some time creating small gifts for our church ladies and made up presents for a few of our neighbors. I still have not given out the ladies’ gifts because I haven’t seen them but last Wednesday I put on my snow boots and warm coat and went to visit the neighbors.  The Lord always opens the doors for me and again this time the neighbors accepted my “soup in a jar”, jelly and bath salts and in each home I stayed for at least a half hour.  Please pray that the Lord will use the gifts and the visits to soften hearts for the gospel. 
Roy worked on a New Year’s message for yesterday but, again, did not have the opportunity to preach it. So, he will give that message this coming Sunday.  We had a little cabin fever after being in the house for two days but we were very thankful that we were safe, warm and had each other for company.  On Christmas Day we spent the day without any visits from family but were thankful that our children did not try to get here with such bad weather and roads.  We’ll try to get together with Andi some time this week.  On Christmas Day we called some of our older folks to check on them and talked with absent family members.  We were very thankful for phones.
Tonight a man came to our house to talk about some serious questions that are troubling him.  Please pray that our answers and the Word that we shared with him will enable him to make wise decisions.  He really wants to do what is right.
Other prayer requests:
* We hope to have a good number out for our New Year’s Eve gathering and trust that it will be a good encouragement as we look forward to serving the Lord in 2010.
* Vision for the New Year; reach spiritual goals and have a new commitment to live for the Lord.
* Wisdom for ministry and open doors in the community; folks saved and growing in the Lord.
* More older children (4th-6th graders) attend JOY Club consistently; children saved.
* A man called last week about returning to church but then we did not have church.  Pray that he will return and be faithful again.
* C told us that she would be coming back (she does not do well when absent) but has not come yet.
* B & T need to make wise decisions in their family; put the Lord first.
* G is adjusting to his freedom; loneliness to deal with; right companions and wise decisions.
* The men are planning on doing drywall next week in the foyer addition. 
The Lord has been faithful to the “Cupples” in 2009 and He will not change in the new year.  In 2010 there will be challenges, problems, joys, successes, learning opportunities, growing pains, etc., but in all these we can have the peace that passes all understanding.  Our sovereign God is and always has been in control and He loves and cares for His children.
December 20, 2009
Just two days ago Roy and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. We can hardly believe that we have been married for that many years because it seems like a much shorter time. On a beautiful day—December 17, 1994—Roy and I were married in Omaha, NE. Roy had been a widower and I a widowand the Lord wonderfully brought us together. He had a lovely plan for us and we are enjoying being a “cupple.”
Yesterday we drove to Griswold, IA, to be with my siblings and all our children and grandchildren for our usual Christmas get together.  Last year we could not make the trip because of bad weather but this year the roads were clear and we were thankful for that.  My four brothers and my sister were all there.  Matt, Laura, Carson and Kaylyn, and Bryan, Kristen, Emilee, Paige and Lauren and Stephen were able to be there, also.  It was as is sometimes said, “Short and sweet.”  Laura and I passed out our Christmas letters and trust our extended family will enjoy reading about our happenings since the last time we saw them.  These letters were also a wonderful opportunity to once again communicate the true meaning of Christmas. 
Friday evening we did something that has become a tradition each December. We attended and greatly enjoyed a “Festival of Carols.” The festival is filled with beautiful music (orchestra, singing, organ) and tremendous Scripture readings. We were reminded once again of the wonder of the Christmas message. Christmas celebrates the incarnation (God in the flesh), not just the nativity. The incarnation is an on-going process of salvation, while the nativity is the once-for-all-historical event in Bethlehem. We celebrate the stupendous fact of the incarnation, God entering our world so thoroughly that nothing has been the same since. God taking on the form of man (Jesus) so He might die for the sins of the world—your sins and mine. Jesus was born to die. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 34:16 I remember vividly the day I trusted Christ as my Savior. I am a work in progress, but He has greatly changed my life and I know I belong to Him. Have you believed on and relied on Jesus for your salvation? He loves you greatly! Respond to His love this Christmas. What a gift that would be!
This morning the Lord enabled Roy to give an excellent Christmas message entitled “Jesus, Everlasting Father” from the Isaiah 9:6 passage.  We don’t usually think of Jesus as our “Everlasting Father” but in Matthew 1:23 we read, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”  Of course, the angel is talking to Joseph about the baby that will be born to Mary.  In the next two verses we are told that Joseph took Mary as his wife and that later she bore a son, and Joseph called His name Jesus.  Jesus - God with us!  What an amazing truth.  It is hard to fathom but it is true.
Roy and I just returned home after caroling with our church folks at the nursing home, assisted living facilities and a couple homes.  After the caroling we all went to the Collins’ home for food, fun and an exchange of gifts that we call “white elephant” gifts.  It is always enjoyable and just a good time for our church family. 
We are preparing for the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service this Thursday at 7:00 PM.  Several of our families will be out of town and our older folks do not like to get out at night, but we usually have a few guests and it is always a blessed time. 
I will mention just three praises (two I forgot to mention last Sunday). 
* Last week even before I knew that I needed a special music replacement a mother called and asked me if her son could play for church the next day.  I told her that would be fine.  Well, I soon found out that my scheduled special music person would not be singing.  So, God had already provided special music for us before we knew of the need.
* Scott (accidentally shot in the back) was in church last Sunday for the first time after his accident.  It was great seeing him there.
* G is now out of the penitentiary.  Please pray for him as he adjusts and pray that he will make wise decisions.
* Oh, just one more.  Thelma was back in church today - the first time in quite some time.
By this time next Sunday Christmas Day will be all over.  Roy and I pray that you will have a very blessed Christmas and remember Christ is the reason for the season.  Don’t leave Christ out of the “birthday party” but rather take time away from all the busyness and celebrate Him!

Fred & Marie Henzler, Perry, GA – January 2, 2010
ROLLING THUNDER TASK FORCE.
If I were to write everything that took place on New Years Eve and the next morning, think it would become a book.
WE HAD SURPRISES, THRILLS, BOREDOM AND FUN.
SURPRISES. I thought we would just report and go on the road. When we reported, the sergeant said, “You go to the dinner at Centerville City Hall.
There were people from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, GA State Patrol, police from all three municipalities and our deputies. Then they asked me to say the blessing. After the meal, I won a door prize.
THRILLS. The Deputy I was riding with had just made two drug arrests and we were processing them at the jail when we got a “Shots Fired” call.
Going through town at a high speed in a dense fog was a thrill. Marie was in another unit and she enjoyed it too.
BOREDOM. After 2 AM, they set up two road blocks. Marie was at one and I was at the other. A lot of arrests were made; cars were searched and towed away but after a couple of hours it got boring. No one tried to crash the road block.
FUN. Just before midnight, we were told to report to one of the mobile “Command Centers” with our prisoners. One of our Lieutenants had his wife riding with him. She is a WR detective and was on call. She also teaches the Ladies Sunday School Class in her church. We talked since we had nothing else to do. She kept looking at her watch and saying, “If I don’t get a call in (So many minutes.) I will be able to be with my husband and kiss him on NY Eve for the first time in 20 years. The more she talked, the more I wanted Marie to be there. Her unit pulled in at 3 minutes before midnight. The Governor’s Office had a photographer there. He took a picture of the two couples kissing but said he would not put that on the Web site. This was serious business.
WITNESS. The deputy I rode with is a Christian and I got to know him when he worked in the jail, Marie got to share her testimony with her deputy.

Mary Ellen Hutchinson, Mammoth Spring, AR – December 21, 2009
Am sure you will agree that we have much for which to rejoice!  There is much rejoicing when a baby is born into a family.  The Babe born in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, is the One for whom we can rejoice He came to take the punishment that each of us deserve, when He died at Calvary on the cross.  We rejoice that He arose and is now preparing a mansion in Heaven for all who have accepted Him as their own personal Savior.  More rejoicing will take place when He appears in the clouds and will take everyone who is a member of His family to be with Him in Heaven forever and ever.   
In June, it was my privilege to attend the wedding of Granddaughter, April (Tim’s youngest) to Jeremy Bril in Decorah, IA.  It was a safe trip and I rejoiced to have the opportunity to visit other family members.  On the way home, I enjoyed a short visit with Merrell [Lee’s brother] and Wilma in Oskaloosa, IA.
In July, it was a joyful time to have the opportunity to fellowship with Baptist Church Planters Missionary families at our tri-annual Family Camp in Ankeny, IA. I rejoiced to meet some for whom I have prayed and now have faces to go with the names.  Also I rejoiced to be with some whom I have known for a longer time.  While in the area, I enjoyed visits with other brothers and sisters in the Lord.
The first week end in August; gave me a joyful occasion to attend the 40th anniversary of Victory Baptist Church in Marysville, KS.  On the way north and again on the way home, I enjoyed the fellowship and ministry at Heritage Baptist Church in Moberly, MO.
The pastor for Faith Baptist Church resigned in March.  At present we rejoice that Bud and Eunice Johnson are ministering to the spiritual needs of our church family.  We rejoice that in November 13-year old Amy was baptized as a testimony of accepting the Lord as her personal Savior. Her Sunday school teacher led her to the Lord about six years ago.
During the past year my status with Baptist Church Planters has changed from Apollos to retiree. I rejoice that I am still able to be active for the Lord, which includes various responsibilities for Faith Baptist Church and some secretarial duties for Foothills Baptist Church in Hardy, AR on a volunteer basis.  Every day I enjoy being in contact with family and friends by telephone, e-mail, and Face book.
Prayer requests: God’s choice for the next pastor of Faith Baptist Church
Strength for all opportunities of ministry the Lord has given me

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