By Lyxan Toledanes, Reporter
Odessa American
ODESSA, TEXAS - Tiffany Udave was pregnant with her first child when she and her husband lost their jobs.
Without the security of a steady income and the assurance of another job soon on the way, Udave didn’t know how she would afford to take care of herself or her baby – until she found out about Hope Chest.
Hosted by Highland United Methodist Church, Hope Chest is a community-run incentive and education program that rewards “points” to pregnant women and mothers with kids up to 2 years old.
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The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. The stories in the 2013 Mission Yearbook were gathered around the question of Jesus to his disciples, “How many loaves have you?” from Mark 6:38. The book is filled with stories of God’s abundance in the face of overwhelming needs and a scarcity of resources.
Today in the Mission Yearbook: January 31, 2013
BOLIVIA - As the youth of UMAVIDA wandered the exhibit hall, observing the photo reports taken by their peers, one could feel the energy of the exchange of experiences and the curiosity and knowledge that it created. UMAVIDA (Uniendo Manos por la Vida, “Joining Hands for Life”) is the Bolivian Joining Hands network, one of 10 Joining Hands networks of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, which works with religious and secular community groups to address root and systemic causes of hunger, poverty, and injustice. As water is an ever-pressing issue in Bolivia, whether the concern is about contamination, access, or treatment, UMAVIDA’s mission is to advocate and build awareness about water issues.
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By Josh Navarro, Reporter
KWES-TV
ODESSA, TEXAS - Every other Sunday, a local church prepares non-perishable meals and blankets to give out to those who live on the streets. They say it's part of their church's mission to touch the lives of those who are in need.
Sleeping bags and boxes full of food are handed out to those who are in need.
"This is just like Christmas to me, this is just wonderful," Dee Dixon, who is homeless, said.
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The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. The stories in the 2013 Mission Yearbook were gathered around the question of Jesus to his disciples, “How many loaves have you?” from Mark 6:38. The book is filled with stories of God’s abundance in the face of overwhelming needs and a scarcity of resources.
Today in the Mission Yearbook: January 30, 2013
PERU - Our work is to strengthen PC(USA) partnerships with Reformed denominations in Peru. Recently our church signed a formal partnership agreement with a Peruvian denomination that has 2,000 churches. Where does one start to get to know such a large church? In their wisdom, Peruvian leaders said, “Start in the south with these three leaders.”
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By Lyxan Toledanes, Reporter
Odessa American
SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - The Roman Catholic Church remains the single largest Christian church worldwide.
But in spite of such dominance, the religion has endured a priest shortage unique to the United States.
While in past years the shortage has been more prevalent, the Rev. Rodney White, vocations director for the San Angelo Catholic Diocese, said the country and the diocese is slowly improving. White reported that the diocese currently has 15 seminarians currently studying to become priests, a record high for the diocese.
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The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. The stories in the 2013 Mission Yearbook were gathered around the question of Jesus to his disciples, “How many loaves have you?” from Mark 6:38. The book is filled with stories of God’s abundance in the face of overwhelming needs and a scarcity of resources.
Today in the Mission Yearbook: January 29, 2013
COLOMBIA - Give them something to eat.” That is Jesus’ categorical imperative to his disciples in the face of their lack of solidarity with the weary and hungry multitude. This text, read broadly, makes us rethink the way our churches are called to attend to the primary needs of communities in extreme poverty and need. As a church, we might think it would be enough to tell these communities to go to the government to resolve their needs and then forget about them, but then we hear once again the words of Jesus, “Give them something to eat.”
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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.
January 2013 Newsletter
Distributed by ChinaAid, January, 2013 ...
MIDLAND, TEXAS – From Bob Fu ... China Aid’s ministry is unique among China-focused organizations because, in addition to providing training and financial support to the persecuted faithful and advocating on their behalf, we also support their legal defense. I want to tell you about some of the exciting results of our legal defense efforts.
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Staff Report
KOSA-TV
MIDLAND, TEXAS - Mid-Cities Church opened its Children’s Fellowship building, and hundreds of West Texans came out for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Congregation officials say the church campus expanded 54,000 square feet of space to provide service for future generations. In it, there are rooms with different themes and activities.
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The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. The stories in the 2013 Mission Yearbook were gathered around the question of Jesus to his disciples, “How many loaves have you?” from Mark 6:38. The book is filled with stories of God’s abundance in the face of overwhelming needs and a scarcity of resources.
Today in the Mission Yearbook: January 28, 2013
VENEZUELA - More than 30 years ago, the first case of AIDS was identified. People infected with the virus have suffered anguish, abandonment, and death. Looking for answers to their painful and strange state of health, they approached the churches, but the majority of churches maintained silence and turned their back.
CLICK HERE to read more.
The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. The stories in the 2013 Mission Yearbook were gathered around the question of Jesus to his disciples, “How many loaves have you?” from Mark 6:38. The book is filled with stories of God’s abundance in the face of overwhelming needs and a scarcity of resources.
Today in the Mission Yearbook: January 27, 2013
MINUTE FOR MISSION: CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Criminal and justice: mutually exclusive words, unless justice is understood as “punishment.” In the Old West, “bringing someone to justice” meant that the bad guy was going to face the music.
Understood this way, justice is always bad news for someone.
CLICK HERE to read more.
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.
2012’s Top 10 Cases of Persecution of Churches and Christians in China
Distributed by ChinaAid, January, 2013 ...
MIDLAND, TEXAS – 2012 was a year of dramatic upheavals for the Chinese government and Chinese society. The eruption of one explosive and unexpected incident after another provided the Chinese people as well as the rest of the world with a stream of cliff-hanging, dramatic news stories. Current events changed, a leadership transition took place, but the church of Jesus Christ continued to be on the receiving end of various forms of persecution. Nevertheless, the church continued to quietly hold fast to the faith, awaiting the fullness of the days of suffering.
CLICK HERE for more on this story from China Aid
