From ServLife International:Building our Lives on the Rock

ServLife International is a movement defined by values of God’s kingdom, not programs built around human efforts and activities. The reign and rule of God should be made apparent to every person on the planet, despite their religion, race or socioeconomic status. We believe that issues of justice are inseparable from the good news that Jesus Christ came to proclaim. ServLife exists to take the gospel of Christ and the hope of a better, more just, world to the lives of people we touch. This happens through individual contributions of time, creativity, resources and dreams.

Building our Lives on the Rock from servlife on Vimeo.

In the News ... "Teens to go without food to raise money, awareness of world hunger"

By Kathleen Thurber
Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - “You can’t take your food for granted,” Lee High School sophomore Ross Whitten said. “Some people have to live without food.”

Whitten and 10 to 15 other local teenagers — all members of Christ Church Midland’s youth group — have made the decision to go without lunch today. Or dinner tonight. Or breakfast and lunch tomorrow. Teens in the youth group, along with members of a youth group from St. Clements Church in El Paso, will participate in the worldwide World Vision 30 Hour Famine today and Saturday."
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Midland Group Offers "Prayer Band That Started a Revolution"

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

Issued by ChinaAid ...

This prayer band has been declared illegal in China.

Chinese police have stopped people on the streets and taken the bands off their wrists. Some have been interrogated and arrested; at least three families were evicted from their homes—for the government, the prayer band is a symbol of revolution.

We thank everyone across the U.S. and around the world who answered the call to wear a "Pray for China" prayer band and pray during the Olympics. Your willingness to stand with Chinese house church Christians encouraged them as they also wore prayer bands and prayed for their country. Their commitment came with a cost. Read more.

Yet, house church Christians refuse to be intimidated. They say that prayer for China is even more critical now that the world is no longer watching. Persecution has increased. Will you join in this revolution of prayer for China?

"They can arrest me or put me in prison, but I'm not going to stop praying for China. Although the prayer band is banned in China, prayer can never be banned. I am asking every Christian to support believers in China by wearing a prayer band." - a prominent house church leader

At this crucial time, will you partner in prayer? And, will you please forward this information to others who will want to pray for the persecuted in China.

» Click here to order a China Prayer Band

Book Time for Marj Carpenter

Marj Carpenter of Big Spring - storyteller, author, journalist and former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA - will be signing copies of her latest book Thursday, March 11, from 4:30 - 6:00 pm at the Heritage Museum, 510 Scurry Street, in Big Spring.

Carpenter's life has been exciting, to say the least. Drawing upon her skills as a journalist, Carpenter traveled to more than 100 countries worldwide, documenting the global mission of the Presbyterian Church and reporting on what she found ... sometimes under conditions that were dangerous, and in societies that discouraged Christianity. Many missionaries called her their “voice.”

Her latest book, "Get Your Foot Out of the Durn Petunias," includes "stories from her childhood and through her days working for Texas newspapers, covering everything from macaroni to murder ... as a mission interpreter for the Presbyterian Church USA, she traveled into jungles where there were grass fires and snakes and angry people. She also traveled where there was love and concern and caring people. Some of her life stories are extremely humorous and some are tragic."

For more information, call (432) 267-8255.

FBR Report: 2,100 Displaced, Villages Burned, Schools Abandoned as Burma Army Attacks

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma. Ethnic pro-democracy groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need.

-----------------

FBR Report: 2,100 Displaced, Villages Burned, Schools Abandoned as Burma Army Attacks

Karen State, Burma/Myanmar: Over 2,100 people displaced, 4 villages burned, 14 schools abandoned and a clinic burned as seven Burma Army battalions attack villagers in Western Karen State, Burma. 12 February 2010. (Reports relayed from teams in the field with the IDPs).

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the FBR Report

The Free Burma Ranger’s (FBR) mission is to provide hope, help and love to internally displaced people inside Burma, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Using a network of indigenous field teams, FBR reports on human rights abuses, casualties and the humanitarian needs of people who are under the oppression of the Burma Army. FBR provides medical, spiritual and educational resources for IDP communities as they struggle to survive Burmese military attacks. For more information, please visit www.freeburmarangers.org

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Prayer Concerns for the week of 02/24/10

Burma/Myanmar
• Please continue to pray for the hill tribe children and people of Burma who are being systematically attacked by the Burma Army. Pray for those who come to their assistance, like Partners Relief and Development and Free Burma Rangers.
Visit the Partners Relief & Development website
Visit the Free Burma Rangers website
• Pray for children and families who lost their homes almost two years ago in Cyclone Nargis. An estimated 800,000 homes were destroyed. Pray for the 100,000 households that still have inadequate housing-homes that wouldn't be able to withstand another disaster. Please pray for families that are struggling to find work with so many shops, fishing boats, crops, and other means of making a living were destroyed by the cyclone.
A report from alertnet.org
• Pray for children who may be negatively impacted by this year's upcoming election in Burma, the first in two decades. Aid agencies expect an increase in the number of refugees entering Thailand as the border situation worsens between the Burma Army and ethnic hill tribe armies.
A report from alertnet.org

Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Please keep in prayer the children and people of the Congo Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pray for the estimated 100,000 people displaced by fighting in the DRC's Equateur Province and seeking refuge in Congo Republic.
A report from alertnet.org
• Pray for the girls and women who continue to be preyed upon in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern provinces. Pray for those who have been raped, re-raped, and re-raped again. Pray for healing, comfort, and safety for these women and girls. Pray for justice for them and for the climate of violence against women and girls to stop.
A report from the New York Times

India
• Pray for the children of Mumbai with whom Sahaara Charitable Society works. Pray that God will provide for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of each child.
• Pray that Raja will be cured from asthma, that Babu's accident wound will heal completely, and that Diksha will recover from kidney problems. Pray for God's healing touch upon all of the children who have tuberculosis and skin diseases. Please pray that God will make the resources available so that Priyanka will be able to have surgery to repair the hole in her heart. Pray for her complete healing.
• Pray for the safety of all the children and that those of Bal Kalyan Nagri will be protected from snakes.
• Pray that the children will be calm and prepared as they go into their exams and that Joshua will be confident as he takes his 10th standard final exams. Please pray that Babu, a child who recently joined the Mahima Home, will be admitted to a school. Pray that more children will receive coaching for academics at the observation homes.
A report from giveindia.org

United States
• Give thanks to God for the work of the thousands of volunteers with Project Linus as they provide love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to seriously ill or traumatized children through the gift of handmade blankets and quilts. Pray for the volunteers around the country who are working hard to make approximately 200,000 blankets to send to children in Haiti. Pray that the children who receive these blankets will feel the warmth and comfort of Jesus' love when they are wrapped in the handmade blankets.
Visit the Project Linus website
• Please keep a girls' high school basketball team involved in a distressing situation held close in prayer. The girls' coaches have resigned over allegations of sex and alcohol on a team trip. Pray for the truth to come to light during the investigation and that justice will triumph. Pray for those who may have been hurt or exploited. Pray that all children and youth may be protected from predators masquerading as coaches, teachers, pastors, or other authority figures.

Faces of Children
• Give God thanks for the safe return of the Faces of Children mission team from a trip to Thailand. Please continue to pray for the ministries and organizations with whom they met and served while in Thailand. Pray for the children they worked with in the refugee camps.
• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.

In the News ... "Catholic churches grow"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS -If the Catholic Churches of South Odessa succeed, the religious landscape of the southern part of town will be quite different a few years down the road.

The churches are banding together to try to raise $5 million to start one big church on the south side of town, relieving congestion at some of the existing churches.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Word from Uganda: "mmm ... cookies"

Missionary teacher Natalie Rolfe writes, "'When He calls me, I will answer ... I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.' My call was Mbale, Uganda and that is where I have returned to serve for another year. Specifically, I am teaching phonics at Lulwanda Children's Home, an orphanage and school for 90 kids." Natalie also keeps an online journal of her service at the weblog, When He calls me, I will answer ...

mmm ... cookies
"Through the eyes of the kids ...”

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Natalie's post

If you are interested in supporting LCH by sponsoring one of the 90 children, go to www.ugandaorphans.org If you are interested in financially supporting Natalie in her mission, you can send checks (with "Natalie Rolfe" in memo) to: Midland Bible Church, 2800 North A Street, Midland, TX 79705

In the News ... "Teens say it's OK to wait"

David A. Johnson
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS -When she goes to school or turns on the television, 16-year-old Permian student Sandra Chavez is often exposed to a culture that celebrates premarital sex.

“From all of the pressure, it’s really hard to save yourself for marriage,” she said.

But Thursday night at CrossRoads Fellowship, she and about 800 other students were able to hear that it’s OK to wait.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Midland Group Finds Bipartisan Support for Chinese Human Rights During Week of Presidential Prayer Breakfast

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

Midland Group Finds Bipartisan Support for Chinese Human Rights During Week of Presidential Prayer Breakfast

Released by ChinaAid, February, 2010 ...

"WASHINGTON, D.C. – "'For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.' (NIV) The context for this passage in Matthew 18 speaks to methods of dealing with conflict among members of the church. It shows how to build the body of Christ by working together and holding one another accountable, through gathering and relying on one another. Last week, in the heart of the U.S. capital, a city renowned for its political heat and confrontation, nearly 3000 political, military, spiritual leaders and pastors from over 80 countries and across the United States including President Obama and the first lady, vice-president Joe Biden, Secretary Hilary Clinton and congressional leaders, gathered together for the Presidential (National) Prayer Breakfast on February 4th." (In Photo: President of ChinaAid met with Rep. Sander Levin during February's trip in Washington)
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid

Invitation to Prayer

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children
"Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly." Isaiah 58:8

"In the light of God's love and forgiveness, you are encouraged to discover the part of you that you keep hidden to yourself. The more you discover God's light, the more you discover in yourself the need for that light. It's like the revelation of, 'I love you so much I want to touch you in all the places where you are lost so that you will discover not just your lostness but also in how many places I want to find you.'"

"This exercise is prayer: to sit in the presence of God and to say, 'I know you are a loving parent but I just don't believe it. I often think that you are out to get me, but today I'm going to stay here in your loving presence, and I'm going to present myself to you.' Heart speaks to heart."

"This is not to say, 'Well, you'd better start thinking about how awfully dissipated you are and how awfully resentful you are.' But it is to say, 'When you're in touch with your dissipation and your resentment, you don't have to run away because it is precisely in those places that God waits to touch you more deeply and to heal you.'"

"Forgiving God, help me to trust that you will lead me to healing where I most need it."
From Fear to Love: Lenten Reflections on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

We have entered the season of Lent once again. And what better time than now to reflect on our brokenness and God's healing touch?

I hope you'll be able to join us on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s Room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland, to pray for children at risk. Please join us for this time of prayer and afterwards for lunch ($5) and fellowship.

Thank you once again for your faithfulness in prayer for the children of our world who need it so desperately! If you have prayer requests about children or those who care for them, please send them to me at claufer@facesofchildren.net or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris

In the News ... "Conference to help apply Benedictine values to everyday life"

By Kathleen Thurber
Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - In preparation for Easter, St. Nicholas' Episcopal Church will offer a Lenten retreat where the Rev. Jane Tomaine will provide locals with some tools to apply ancient Benedictine values to their spiritual walk.

The event, set for February 26 and 27, will include three workshop sessions led by Tomaine that will be based on information shared in her book, "St. Benedict's Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living."
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

In the News ... "National Prayer Breakfast to feature author of 'Championship Fathering'"

By Megan Lee Buck
Assistant Lifestyle Editor
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Carey Casey, author of “Championship Fathering,” CEO of the National Center for Fathering, member of the National Fatherhood Leaders Group, and a member of the White House Task Force on Fatherhood and Healthy Families, will serve as the guest speaker at Midland’s annual National Prayer Breakfast at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday at Midland Center.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

From ServLife International:Update on Africa, Vision for 2010

ServLife International is a movement defined by values of God’s kingdom, not programs built around human efforts and activities. The reign and rule of God should be made apparent to every person on the planet, despite their religion, race or socioeconomic status. We believe that issues of justice are inseparable from the good news that Jesus Christ came to proclaim. ServLife exists to take the gospel of Christ and the hope of a better, more just, world to the lives of people we touch. This happens through individual contributions of time, creativity, resources and dreams.

Update on ServLife's Work in Africa and Vision for 2010 from servlife on Vimeo.

Got Prayer? ... Got Bear?

Available now at First Presbyterian Church-Midland

(there's no charge ... just look for one of the baskets inside any of the main doors of the church, which is located on the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, at the west edge of downtown Midland)

Dear Friend,
I'm Just a teddy bear, it's true,
but I have a message to bring to you;
I've been to church, and sat in a pew,
and I've been hugged by quite a few;
I've bowed my head when they said a prayer;
I've been charged with love by those who care.
And now I've come to live with you -
to bring you joy when you are blue,
to let you know that others care
and want all your days and nights to share.
So keep me close and squeeze me tight,
and know God's love makes all things right.
With our prayers for you,
In Touch Ministry, First Presbyterian Church

When you've had your time with me,
maybe you can set me free
to someone else who needs a prayer,
to show that God is always there.

From ServLife International ... "The Work Continues: Medical Team Brings Hope in Haiti"

ServLife International is a movement defined by values of God’s kingdom, not programs built around human efforts and activities. The reign and rule of God should be made apparent to every person on the planet, despite their religion, race or socioeconomic status. We believe that issues of justice are inseparable from the good news that Jesus Christ came to proclaim. ServLife exists to take the gospel of Christ and the hope of a better, more just, world to the lives of people we touch. This happens through individual contributions of time, creativity, resources and dreams.

The Work Continues: Medical Team Brings Hope in Haiti

"Looking at the big picture can be overwhelming. Hundreds of thousands of people dead. Approximately 300,000 injured. A million homeless. Mass graves. Looters. People desperate for a roof over their heads and some food. How do we even begin to make a difference in the wake of such a tragedy as the earthquake in Haiti? It seems nearly impossible to even scratch the surface of their needs when looking at them as a whole. But these are individual people. These are children who need parents, parents who need food, friends who need medical care. These are people who need us to reach out our hand and help them, one by one."

"ServLife set out to do just this ..."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this report from ServLife

Partners Blogcast: "Burma Army Attacks Medical Clinic"

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief & Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma. This blog is meant to be a more personal stream of conversation than newsletters allow for. The opinions expressed here may not be those of Partners Relief & Development.

Burma Army Attacks Medical Clinic

"On February 7th, the Burma Army attacked the Tee Mu Tha medical clinic. The clinic was burned along with two nearby villages: The Hee Toe Hta village, home to 46 families, and the Htee Boe Hta village, home to 28 families, were lost. The villagers fled the area and are at this moment hiding in the jungle."

"Partners sent six months worth of medical supplies into the jungle to resupply the clinic. These supplies were safely moved to another location. Clinic health workers are now using those supplies to help people form Hee Toe Hta and Hee Boe Tha villages. Many villagers are in need of food (rice) and medical attention."

"Help is getting through. Thank you for your gifts and support. Please continue to keep the affected families in your prayers and thoughts."

Jacqui

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Prayer Concerns for the week of 02/17/10

Haiti
• Please keep in prayer the three million people of Haiti who were affected by the January 12 earthquake and who are still in desperate need of food, shelter, and medicine. Pray for safety at all the food distribution points as reports of women being robbed are increasing. Women are given the food coupons in order to make sure the food gets back to their families.
• Pray for the girls and women of Haiti who have been made even more vulnerable because of the earthquake. Pray for their safety in the outdoor encampments—many women and girls have little more than a tarp or plastic sheeting to protect them from the elements or sexual predators. Pray for females who have little privacy when they bathe or go to the toilet because there are few showers or sanitary facilities—they are at great risk of attack during those times.

A report from news.yahoo.com
• Please pray for the staff and volunteers of humanitarian organizations and NGOs as they struggle to work within a badly damaged country. Many of the workers with these groups have lost their homes and family members. Warehouses that contained food and supplies have also been destroyed in the earthquake. Pray for coordinated efforts among these organizations and the Haitian government so that aid can be distributed in the best way possible to reach the children of this hurting country.
A report from the New York Times

Guinea
• Pray for the children and people of Guinea who have been affected by violent clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups. Pray for children and women who have fled and are hiding in the bush or in outlying villages. Pray for peace in this West African nation and a willingness on both sides to work together for peace.
A report from alertnet.org
Another report from alertnet.org

Mongolia
• Please keep in prayer the 72,000 children of Mongolia who have been severely affected by extreme weather patterns. A summer drought followed by an unusually severe winter has forced even more people into deeper poverty. Pray for those who are cut off from relief supplies and medical care by icy, impassable roads. Pray for children and pregnant women who cannot access health care.
• Pray for families who are running out of supplies for their children and livestock—the poor usually don’t have the resources to stockpile supplies. Please pray that God will provide ways to reach these children and families with food, medicine, heating supplies, warm clothing, and fodder for livestock. One third of Mongolia’s working population makes a living herding livestock.
A report from alertnet.org

North Korea
• Please pray for the children of North Korea who are suffering under this repressive regime. A currency revaluation late last year—aimed at eliminating the grass-roots capitalism throughout the country—has seemed to backfire causing runaway inflation and food shortages. Pray for children who have even less food than before the revaluation. North Korea suffers chronic food shortages every year, but this has made the situation much worse.
A report from alertnet.org
A report from the Washington Post

United Kingdom
• Pray for the 1.7 million children in the United Kingdom who live in severe poverty. Pray that God will provide for these children and their families. Pray for children who must go without the basic necessities like winter coats, proper shoes, beds, and other daily needs.
A report from the BBC

United States
• Give thanks to God for the safe birth of Jane and Joaquin’s baby boy Isaac! Pray that God will provide for this missionary family and bless them with discernment as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives.

Faces of Children
• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.

In the News ... "Serving the Whole Family"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS -A faith-based network of churches helping families that officially opened in January is going full-bore even as the final day center is being finished up.

Family Promise provides a number of services for homeless families, including a place to stay at churches overnight, plus help in finding work or new affordable housing.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Reports From Lulwanda: January, 2010

Every month, Lulwanda Administrator Edward Mukiibi provides an update on Lulwanda Children's Home in Uganda – how the children are growing and learning, how the staff is developing, and any ongoing needs that may arise.

---

January, 2010
"The school year has started, with emphasis to Primary seven class (the final class in the primary school). This class is supposed to sit for the national examinations in November whose results determine which child shall proceed to Secondary level. The Ministry of Education’s official opening time is February 2010, but to catch up with the syllabus demands we had to start a little early."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Mukibi's January, 2010 report.

Authority on missional work coming to West Texas, this week

Darrell Guder, noted author and authority on missional work, is coming to West Texas Friday and Saturday, February 19-20, at First Presbyterian Church-Midland.

Guder is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Dean of Academic Affairs and the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, he served as a student outreach pastor and as a faculty member of the Karlshohe College in the German Lutheran Church. His writing and teaching focus on the theology of the missional church.

Guder's publications include the seminal work, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, which one reviewer described as, "one of the better books currently available introducing church leaders, pastors and lay ministers to ecclesiology from a missional perspective." Another reviewer labeled it, "after the Bible, the best book I've read all year ... this book was a partial answer to a prayer that I've had for years, 'God, What are you calling us to become, because it seems clear that we can't continue with the Christendom models.'"

For more information, and to be a part of Guder's visit to West Texas, please contact First Presbyterian Church of Midland at (432) 684-7821. Registration forms are available at the church's reception desk, at the Texas street entrance. First Prez is located on the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, on the west edge of downtown Midland.

In the News ... "TBM Helps to Get Water Filtration Systems to Haiti"

Maite de la Rosa
Reporter
KMID-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - The Texas Baptist Men organization is making the possibility of clean water a reality for Haitians. Their members are bringing water units to the island, which have given thousands accessibility to a good glass of water.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KMID story.

Midland Group Reports Chinese House Church Leaders Detained, Facing Administrative Detention

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

Midland Group Reports Chinese House Church Leaders Detained, Facing Administrative Detention

Released by ChinaAid, January, 2010 ...

"HEBEI PROVINCE – In the afternoon of January 8, 2010, (Beijing Time) 30 leaders of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA) were detained in Handan city, Hebei province. According to one detained pastor, who was able to use his cellphone briefly to notify an outside contact, a group of officers from the Handan City Public Security and Religious Affairs Bureaus broke into their leaders' meeting place where the 30 men and women were having a bible study, and forcefully took them to an unknown interrogation center within the city."
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid

Invitation to Prayer

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children
"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture …"
Romans 8:26-28, 31-39 "The Message," by Eugene Peterson

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

I know, I know. I’ve used this passage before in the not-so-distant past, but it just keeps appearing on my radar screen. Usually, when that happens, I sense God is trying to get my attention. OK, so now that I’m paying attention, I’ll let you help me figure out what message God is sending us. Is it the comforting knowledge that the Holy Spirit is “right alongside” us helping us out? Or that the Holy Spirit “keeps us present before God?” Perhaps it’s the knowledge that Jesus is in God’s presence right this moment “sticking up for us.”

There’s so much meat in these passages from Romans 8 that I need several days just to digest it all. I would definitely be interested in your thoughts on these passages. How is God speaking to you through them? Is the Holy Spirit encouraging or challenging you through this scripture? If you have time or feel led to share, please feel free to email me with your impressions

Please join us on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, we’ll meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s Room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland, to pray for children at risk. Please join us for this time of prayer and afterwards for lunch ($5) and fellowship.

Your prayers for the children of the world are heard and appreciated so very much. Thank you for devoting time and energy to praying for children! If you have prayer requests about children or those who care for them, please send them to me at claufer@facesofchildren.net or give me a call.

Blessings,

Chris

In the News ... "Conference to look at church's role in world"

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

By Megan Lee Buck
Assistant Lifestyle Editor
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Inspired by the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, the Presbytery of Tres Rios is sponsoring “Living Letters for a New World: A Conference on Living the Gospel.” Hosted by First Presbyterian Church-Midland, the conference begins at 4 p.m. February 19, and concludes at 3:45 p.m. February 20.

Pastors from El Paso, San Angelo, Midland, Alpine and elsewhere throughout the presbytery will lead workshops during the event. The Reverend Darrell Guder, Dean of Academic Affairs and Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, will serve as the keynote speaker.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Saturday Morning Devotional:In Spite of What Others Say

Saturday mornings this time of year find me working the floor of the gymnasium at our church in Midland, offering halftime devotionals during Upward Basketball games. I was inspired to prepare this week's devotional by one of many stories coing out of Dallas this weekend as they host the NBA All-Star Game.
Upward

, by the way, is one of the the world’s largest Christian sports program for children, and was created with a vision to provide the best sports experience possible for every child. An estimated 1-million people around the world play, coach, referee or volunteer in some way to support Upward sports activities, hosted by more than 2,600 churches - there are four churches here, in Midland, including my own First Presbyterian.

The organization notes that, "anyone – children and volunteers of any faith or no faith – can participate in Upward sports. Specifically designed for children in K5- sixth grade, Upward aims to bring out 'the winner' in every child – regardless of the game’s score."

Really, not a bad venue for discussing a man who might never have become a professional basketball player if he listened to what everyone else said, instead of listening to his heart. Thirty years ago, I told today's crowd, a young boy named Anthony was playing high school basketball in Dallas, and doing pretty well. He had good skills, but – and this was pointed out to him more than once – he was also ‘five-foot-nothing,’ as the saying goes, and just didn’t have the size to succeeed in basketball. But Anthony didn’t see it that way. He had a dream and he was ready to work hard to realize that dream.

I cited two lines of Scripture, one from the Second Book of Chronicles ... “but as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded" and another from the Book of Matthew ... “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (NIV)

Anthony found himself having to knock on one door after another. They said he was too small to play basketball, period – but he showed them otherwise. Then they said he was too small to play high school basketball – but he proved them wrong. Then they said he was too small to play varsity high school basketball – but he finally got his chance to get off the bench and onto the court, becoming one of his school’s top scorers, and being named to the Texas High School Basketball All-State Team.

Yet with all those accomplishments and statistics, he still couldn’t raise any interest among college basketball programs – especially the major colleges. Finally, he was invited to join a program at a junior college in West Texas. So it was that Anthony ‘Spud’ Webb became a Midland College Chaparral. In the course of his two tears here, he became one of MC’s top scorers, was named an NJCAA All American, and led the Chaps to the National Championship where he was named tournament MVP.

This was followed by a write-up in Sports Illustrated and an invitation to join the Jim Valvano's basketball program at the University of North Carolina. Later, he was drafted by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. A couple years after that, Spud Webb was back in his hometown of Dallas for the NBA All-Star Game, where he won the Slam Dunk Contest – and he’s back there this weekend as a judge for this year’s slam dunk contest.
Out here, I reminded the crowd, is a court full of young people with dreams and aspirations of their own – and not necessarily basketball, but something in their life that draws them upward. I thanked the for being there for the kids that day, cheering them on, and supporting their dreams and aspirations.

By the way, whoever you are and wherever you are, we would love to have you on our team! If you're the parent of a youngster who wants to play basketball, soccer, flag football or cheer, chances are Upward has a league or camp near you. What? No kids? No problem ... Upward programs always need volunteers to coach teams, to referee games, to operate game clocks, to rustle-up snacks for the kids, or offer devotionals at halftime.

I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday morning.

The Great Emergence:Pt. 6, 20th Century Impact

“'The Great Emergence' refers to a monumental phenomenon in our world, and this book asks three questions about it. Or looked at the other way around, this book is about a monumental phenomenon considered from the perspective of three very basic questions: What is this thing? How did it come to be? Where is it going?”

So begins Phyllis Tickle’s extraordinary new book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. In this much-anticipated book, Tickle brings her encyclopedic knowledge of American religion to bear on the current shifts in the Christian landscape.

In the News ... "Local church uses former M-System building for outreach"

By Megan Lee Buck
Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Midlanders traveling on Midland Drive recently may have noticed changes in the long-abandoned former M-System building in the K-Mart shopping center located at Midland Drive and Illinois Avenue.

"In the last eight weeks that old building which was very run down now has a new roof and a brand new addition to it. It really is a pleasure to see," said Elias Rodriguez, pastor of Christian Fellowship International Church (Companerismo Christiano International).

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Sparkling Mission

Annie Dieselberg heads the staff at NightLight, a ministry in urban Bangkok, Thailand, that reaches out to women and children working in the bar areas of the Nana-Sukhumvit district. Located in a neighborhood with a growing sex trade, Nightlight’s vision is to share the Light of the world in both word and deed to those who live in darkness, and to combat the sexual exploitation of women and children, both Thai and foreign.

Right now, Annie tells us, the greatest need at NightLight is to sell more jewelry. NightLight Design Co., Ltd. is a registered jewellery business which employs women coming out of prostitution or having been at risk of prostitution and/or trafficking.

If you are interested in hosting a jewelry party please write to Charity at charity@nightlightusa.org, and she will assist you in setting that up.

Remember the beautiful jewelry is also available on-line at http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/

"God is going before us to the bars preparing the way. He is sending us to receive the women and give hope," Annie writes. "We ask you to join us in this adventure. Thank you to those of you who already do. You are saving lives!"

In the News ... "Addy's Hope"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS -D’Lynn Watts and her husband, Clay, have wanted to adopt since they were kids themselves. Their dream finally came true through Addy’s Hope Adoption and Child Relief Ministry, an organization based in Midland.

Primarily focused on Africa up to this point, the organization is working with the state to expand its program to domestic adoptions as well.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:February 5/The Last Day

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

February 5/The Last Day

"It’s 12:20pm, weird, that’s 12 hours from the last post. The Amsterdam group has left Uganda. I’ll let you know when they get there. The rest of the group is at the airport and will be leaving in less that 2 hours. A couple of things to share. This is going to be funny in the end but Diana was not laughing at first ..." (more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

Prayer Concerns for the week of 02/10/10

Burma/Myanmar
• Pray for the 2,000 people displaced in one week by Burma Army attacks last month. Pray for the children who must run for their lives when the Burma Army attacks their villages, often without any warning. Pray for those who are in hiding sites in the jungle with their families. Give thanks to God for organizations like Free Burma Rangers that come alongside these internally displaced people and help and serve them.
A report from the Free Burma Rangers

China
• Please keep the 100 children in Pishon Family Ministry’s orphanages held close in prayer. Pray for children in the orphanages who are “illegal” and unwanted. Many of these children have some kind of physical or mental impairment and have been discarded by their parents. Because of China’s strictly enforced one child policy, often the parents of a disabled child will dispose of her in favor of having a healthy child, preferably a boy.
• Pray that God will provide encouragement and support for the orphanages’ caregivers and volunteers. Pray also that God will bless this ministry with the resources necessary to care for these forgotten children. Give thanks to God for the love of Jesus Christ that is being made known to some of China’s most vulnerable children.

Haiti
• Please continue to pray for the children and people of Haiti as they struggle with the aftermath of the earthquake last month. Pray for children who are suffering serious health problems in Port-au-Prince’s crowded camps. Pray that food and clean water sources will multiply enough to handle the hundreds of thousands of people in need.
• Please keep in prayer the estimated 200,000 children younger than age 7 staying in temporary camps throughout the city. Crowded and inadequate living conditions are contributing to illnesses like diarrhea, measles, tetanus, and diphtheria. Give thanks to God for the new vaccination campaign that will help protect children from many of these diseases during this challenging time.
• Pray for children who have been traumatized psychologically—who have lost relatives, friends, schools, and homes. Pray that God will comfort those who are feeling the deep loss of security, protection, and love.
A report from the Washington Post

Kenya
• Give praise to God for Kevin’s rescue from his abusive grandmother. Abandoned by his mother, 5-year-old Kevin and his 2-year-old sister went to live with their alcoholic grandmother who would lock them out of the house and deny them food while she went off to drink all day.
• Pray that the burns and injuries inflicted on Kevin by his grandmother will continue to heal. Thank God for the Good Samaritan who rescued Kevin from this horrible situation and for the pastor and his family that have now adopted this little boy. Pray that Kevin will come through the surgeries to repair the hand and foot deformities with which he was born, and probably because of which he was tormented.
A report from Mendonsa Family Mission

United States
• Please continue to keep 18-month-old Amonnie in prayer as she struggles with liver disease that’s caused her body to become very swollen. Pray that God will sustain and comfort Amonnie and her family as they wait for a new liver for her. Pray for her mother who is struggling as she watches her child suffer.
• Pray for 4-year-old Anna, her parents, and grandparents during this difficult time in their lives. Anna’s grandfather is dying of pancreatic cancer and her grandmother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Anna’s mother is overwhelmed with the struggle to care for all of them. Pray that God will sustain Anna’s mother for the difficult work of caregiving and bring comfort to her grandparents.
• Please pray for God’s healing and comfort for Russell, a father of three boys, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Pray that God will bring comfort to 11-year-old Ethan, 13-year-old Cory, and 15-year-old Kyle, their mother, and the rest of their family and friends.

Faces of Children
• Please keep in prayer the Faces of Children mission team working in Thailand this week. Pray that they will be blessings to the children, IDPs, and organizations for which this ministry provides prayer support.
• Please continue to pray that more churches and individuals will join with the ministry of Faces of Children in spreading awareness about children in crisis and inviting more people to pray for children at risk.

In the News ... "San Angelo Diocese Raises More Money for Haiti"

Staff Report
KMID-TV

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - The Diocese of San Angelo announced today that $134,472.10 has been collected from the churches in the 29-county diocese in West Texas for the suffering victims of the Haitian earthquake. All funds have been sent, and are being sent, through Catholic Relief Services to assist the people of Haiti.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KMID story.

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:February 4/The Journey Home

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

February 4/The Journey Home

"The journey home has begun. The team left Mbale this morning and headed to Kampala. They stopped to see the baboons and enjoyed feeding them bananas. They traveled on to see the memorial for the early christians that were killed. After arriving in Kampala the team enjoyed a nice dinner and a performance by the children of Elohim Child Development. The kids from this group are kids that at one time lived on the streets. The director takes children that live on the streets and teaches them the cultural music of the area. Money they raise keeps them off the streets ..." (more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

Invitation to Prayer

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

We will pray for the children of our world and communities this coming Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 2010, we’ll meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s Room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland. Please join us for this time of prayer and afterwards for lunch ($5) and fellowship.

Thank you so much for praying for children in our global and local communities! If you have prayer requests about children or those who care for them, please send them to me at claufer@facesofchildren.net or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris

In the News ... "West Texans Return from Haiti"

Shelley Childers
Reporter
KOSA-TV

MIDLAND-ODESSA, TEXAS - Members of a local church have arrived in Port Au Prince, Haiti - ready to help victims of the earthquake. Several members of Mid-Cities Church along with their pastor Dan Stephens took suitcases filled with supplies to Haiti.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Midland Group Reports Chinese Police, Farm Leaders Burn Bibles, Persecute Elderly Christians

The China Aid Association is a non-profit Christian organization - based in Midland, Texas - with a mission to uncover and reveal the truth about religious persecution in China, focusing especially on the unofficial church. They do this, they explain in their website, by exposing the abuses, encouraging the abused and equipping the saints to advance the kingdom of God throughout China.

Midland Group Reports Chinese Police, Farm Leaders Burn Bibles, Persecute Elderly Christians

Released by ChinaAid, January, 2010 ...

"XINJIANG PROVINCE – On December 25, 2009, Puhui Farm leaders and policemen arrested several elderly and ailing Christians in Korla City, Xinjiang. Like many around the world, members of Corps house church were celebrating Christmas Day. In the middle of the celebration, a band of farmers and Security policemen disrupted a gathering of believers during their fellowship celebration."
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid