In the News ... "Midland pastor celebrates four decades of priesthood"

Meagan Lee Buck, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Monsignor Larry J. Droll, pastor at St. Ann's Catholic Church, has been serving parishes in West Texas for four decades since he was ordained into the priesthood in 1973. Parishioners and Catholics from around the area will celebrate Droll's anniversary during a special Mass at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at St. Ann's.

Droll began his work as a priest in San Angelo and also has served at parishes in Ozona and Wall. He has been pastor at St. Ann's since 2004. Droll recently took some time with the Reporter-Telegram to reflect on the past 40 years and share his hopes for the future of the diocese.

 • read the rest of this story

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 31, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF NORTHERN WATERS: MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN, MINNESOTA - Imagine the laughter and fun inside the only factory in the U.S. where clown costumes are created! The fabric scraps from those colorful clown outfits are bagged and taken to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Duluth, Minnesota, where project leader Jean Abrahamson distributes the scraps to women willing to sew the pieces together to make comfort quilts.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Contribute to Africa mission's 'net effect'

Mosquito net treated with long-lasting insecticide? $10.00 ... Helping West Texans control one of Africa's biggest killers? Priceless ...

A mission team from First Presbyterian Church-Midland will be headed for Uganda June 13-27. A full schedule of diverse activities will include the distribution of specially-treated mosquito nets to residents of that part of Africa - where mosquitos are FAR MORE than just a nuisance.

The efforts in Uganda by First Prez-Midland are part of an ongoing campaign - fought by a wide variety of individuals and organizations - against debilitating, even deadly diseases that plague the Third World. The fight against malaria, in particular, was documented in this article by Robert M. Poole, in the June, 2007 issue of Smithsonian Magazine. The article focuses particularly on former-President of the United States Jimmy Carter's efforts in Ethiopia, but it provides good insight into the mission and methods of this "crusade to eliminate malaria, an elusive and ever-changing killer" from the African continent.

"Now rare in developed countries," the article notes, "the disease kills more than a million victims each year in the world's poorest regions. At least 300-million people worldwide are incapacitated by malaria infections. The disease's aches, fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms not only inhibit economic productivity but also suppress immune systems in its victims, making them more susceptible to tuberculosis and AIDS — both of which kill even more people than malaria does — and other life-threatening ailments."

The new nets being distributed in Africa add a high-tech twist to the old protective strategy: they not only block the insects, but also kill any that come in contact with the nets, since they have an insecticide (one with no apparent risk to humans) woven into the mesh.

And they cost just $10 apiece. Won't you help? Please leave a contribution at First Prez-Midland, on the northwest corner of A and Texas streets, on the west edge of downtown Midland. For more information, please call Pastor Walter Thompson at 684-7821 (Ext. 115), or email him at wthompson@fpcmid.org

Word from Uganda: "My Litle Starfish"

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 ...

My Little Starfish

I recently attended a seminar in Kampala about what Uganda calls OVC children (orphaned and vulnerable children). Statistically, there are over 2.5 million orphans in Uganda (yep- I said Uganda, not Africa). Half of Uganda’s population is under 15 years old.

Sometimes this work can be overwhelming when you just look at the numbers. You want to do more. Make a bigger impact. 108 is lost in the sea of 2.5 million. Am I really making a difference at all?

 • CLICK HERE to read the rest of Natalie's post

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).

Prayer for the World

"There is so much insanity, so much darkness and fear.
Our human resources are not enough to counter the evil on our streets and in our minds.
Dear God,
Please send a miracle.
Into every country and every home, into every mind and every heart, may the power of your spirit now trigger
the light, activate our holiness, remind us of the truth within.
May a great love now encompass us, a deep peace give us solace.
For God, we live in fearful times, and we long for a new world.
We surrender what is, to the bonfire of your genius.
Refine this metal.
Refashion our creations.
Remind us of the eternal truths.
Return to us our native grace.
Take back what we have kept and thus condemned.
For you are mighty, God, and can do what we cannot.
May the world be reborn.
Help us forgive and leave the past behind us, the future to be directed by you.
Hallelujah, for you have the power.
Praise and thanksgiving, as you use it to save us, to heal us, to lift us from the past.
And we accept.
Thank you very much. Amen."

Illuminata, a Return to Prayer
by Marianne Williamson

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

Thank you for praying for children! Your prayers matter in the lives of at-risk children in our local and global communities.

The Faces of Children prayer group will meet to pray for children on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s room at First Presbyterian Church-Midland, with lunch ($5) and fellowship to follow.

If you have prayer concerns or celebrations about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris

ChinaAid: Local Government in Shandong Province Launches City-Wide Investigation of "Privately Established Religious Meeting Sites"

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.

Local Government in Shandong Province Launches City-Wide Investigation of "Privately Established Religious Meeting Sites"
Distributed by ChinaAid, April, 2013 ...

JIAOZHOU, SHANDONG, CHINA – ChinaAid recently obtained an internal government document issued just before the annual national legislative session that called for a city-wide multi-agency initiative to "thoroughly investigate … privately established religious meeting sites" in Jiaozhou, coastal Shandong province.

The March 1 document was jointly issued by the Jiaozhou Communist Party United Front Work Department and the Jiaozhou Municipal Bureau for Ethnic and Religious Affairs.

• more on this story from China Aid

Rolling Mission

Founded in 2001, Free Wheelchair Mission is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for the impoverished disabled in developing nations. Headquartered in Irvine, California, FWM works around the world in partnership with a vast network of humanitarian, faith-based and government organizations, sending wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of disabled people, providing not only the gift of mobility, but of dignity, independence, and hope.



The new and improved model!

Want to take one for a test drive? During normal business hours, visit the lobby at the Texas Street entrance of First Presbyterian Church-Midland, at the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, on the west side of downtown Midland. You can give the gift of mobility. The cost of $72.00 is a bargain to us ... but it is a life-changing gift to impoverished and disabled recipients ... and for a limited time, your contribution will be matched, reaching not one - but TWO recipients. Please note on your check "Wheelchair Matching Gift."

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 26, 2013

MINUTE FOR MISSION: PRESBYTERIAN HERITAGE - During the first half of the twentieth century, agricultural workers throughout the United States and Mexico often viewed California as a promised land. The state’s mild climate allowed for a long growing season with staggered planting and harvesting cycles. Migrant workers from Mexico played an important role in California agriculture, and they were joined in the 1930s by Midwestern farmers driven west by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Worker surpluses frequently drove down the average pay for migrants, and many found they could not support their families with such wages. Presbyterian and ecumenical missionaries sought to alleviate suffering resulting from these socioeconomic conditions. They established camps for migrant workers and provided medical and educational services to families.

CLICK HERE to read more.

FBR Report: "Situation Update in Karen State"

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 (Myanmar). 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: "Situation Update in Karen State"

Distributed by Free Burma Rangers, April, 2013

In This Report ...
• Forced Labor in Doo Tha Htoo and Doo Pla Ya districts
• Burma Army makes improvements and additions to roads and camps in Karen State
• Villages in Toungoo district flooded after the construction of the Toe Bo Dam
• Flooding in Kler Lwee Htoo and Doo Pla Ya districts
• Improved relationship with Burma Army in Doo Pla Ya district

• CLICK HERE to read the full FBR Report

... May God bless you, Karen Free Burma Rangers

 

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 25, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - esus challenged his disciples to feed more than 5,000! “How many loaves have you?” Overwhelmed by the number of uninsured patients in Milwaukee, one doctor and one nurse heard Jesus’ challenge to care for those patients. There is no one else: “You give them something to eat.” They took inventory of the gifts already in their possession and discovered the miracle of abundance.

The Bread of Healing Clinic, located in three churches in the heart of Milwaukee’s north side, is a free medical clinic for people with chronic illness but no health insurance. Like the disciples, who thought they had nothing and could care for no one before Jesus’ miracle, the founders of the clinic have been surprised by how many gifts they really have and how much they can do. With one doctor and one nurse and one exam room, in 2000, their first year, they saw 126 patients. In 2011 their 20 volunteer doctors and 45 volunteer nurses saw 1,500 patients in three different church clinics.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Add THIS to your summer reading list

Sundays, May 26 - August 18, 9:30 am

Lynn Hall, 1st Presbyterian Church-Midland

 

Are you up for the challenge?

 

Read the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation, in just 12 pages a day!  Join us for breakfast May 26 at 9:30 in Lynn Hall to get materials and be introduced to the reading plan.  Then join us each Sunday at 9:30 as we discuss each week’s reading with the aid of some scholars that will join us via video.

Going to be gone a lot this summer?   Instead of a novel, pack your Bible with a reading plan bookmark, or download a Bible app to your favorite tech gadget and listen or read along wherever you are. Helpful hints, additional resources and audio of all the lessons are available at www.biblein90days.org

Questions?  Contact Shannon Weisenfels (e-mail link) at 432-684-7821.

And it's not just for adults ...

Contact Chrisse Mee (e-mail link) to find out how your child can read the Bible in 90 days this summer.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 24, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF JOHN KNOX / WISCONSION, IOWA AND MINNESOTA - In recent years, First Presbyterian Churchof Lancaster (Wisconsin) felt God’s calling to install a minister. Thus far they had only part-time ministers and were unsure if anyone would feel called to serve part-time as an installed pastor. It seems that the Spirit moved in a powerful way in 2007 when FPC Lancaster called and installed Mark Hoehne to be their part-time pastor.

Mark, his wife, Cindy, and their three teenage daughters moved to Lancaster in May 2007. Mark had been a sales executive before answering the call to ministry at the age of 35. During seminary he needed summer work. A farmer, Andy Buttles, offered a position milking cows. Mark knew nothing about milking cows, but Andy was willing to teach him. This relationship was God’s provision for starting the tentmaking relationship between Mark and FPC Lancaster

CLICK HERE to read more.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 23, 2013

HOMESTEAD PRESBYTERY OF NEBRASKA - Pastor John Duling and the members of First Presbyterian Church of Nebraska City faced a mission challenge in the floods of 2011 along the Missouri River. The closure of the bridge that connected Highway 2 with I-29, on the border between Iowa and Missouri, stranded many who had to commute home from work in Nebraska City. Others had to flee their homes and farms from flooding waters that caused a breach of the levee near Percival, Iowa. Families had to find a home or an apartment to rent in Nebraska City or camp out in the local RV campground.

One member had the idea that First should provide a free hot meal every Thursday to those displaced by the flood, so that neighbors could get together and reconnect. The session embraced the opportunity, and the congregation served their first meal to their “best flood friends” (their BFFs!). Would there be enough food for all? It was a test of the five-loaves-and-two-fish miracle of Jesus!

CLICK HERE to read more.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 22, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF EAST IOWA - On a late March day at the home of Wilma McAllister, four sewing machines and a serger are whirring together as a band of women from the United Church of Crawfordsville works on backpacks they will never wear.

“We have good fellowship,” McAllister says of her fellow sewers, who perform their work assembly line–style to maximize their efforts. One of the highlights is lunch, provided by a pair of volunteers. “On today’s menu is taco soup and homemade pie.”

CLICK HERE to read more.

Reports From Lulwanda: Program Coordinator's Report for April 2013

Natalie Rolfe serves Lulwanda Children's Home in Uganda as program coordinator: organizing and coordinating the programs of the Home, school, and clinic; overseeing sponsor connection and relationships (on the side of the children); and hosting American visitors that come to the Home.

April, 2013

"In Uganda, the saying has proven true, 'April showers bring May flowers.' Rainy season is in full swing, with downpours every evening. But we are praising God because the rain has brought back the beautiful green all around us. We are only expectant now of more 'May flowers.'"

 • CLICK HERE to read the rest of Rolfe's April, 2013 report.

Contribute to Africa mission's 'net effect'

Mosquito net treated with long-lasting insecticide? $10.00 ... Helping West Texans control one of Africa's biggest killers? Priceless ...

A mission team from First Presbyterian Church-Midland will be headed for Uganda June 13-27. A full schedule of diverse activities will include the distribution of specially-treated mosquito nets to residents of that part of Africa - where mosquitos are FAR MORE than just a nuisance.

The efforts in Uganda by First Prez-Midland are part of an ongoing campaign - fought by a wide variety of individuals and organizations - against debilitating, even deadly diseases that plague the Third World. The fight against malaria, in particular, was documented in this article by Robert M. Poole, in the June, 2007 issue of Smithsonian Magazine. The article focuses particularly on former-President of the United States Jimmy Carter's efforts in Ethiopia, but it provides good insight into the mission and methods of this "crusade to eliminate malaria, an elusive and ever-changing killer" from the African continent.

"Now rare in developed countries," the article notes, "the disease kills more than a million victims each year in the world's poorest regions. At least 300-million people worldwide are incapacitated by malaria infections. The disease's aches, fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms not only inhibit economic productivity but also suppress immune systems in its victims, making them more susceptible to tuberculosis and AIDS — both of which kill even more people than malaria does — and other life-threatening ailments."

The new nets being distributed in Africa add a high-tech twist to the old protective strategy: they not only block the insects, but also kill any that come in contact with the nets, since they have an insecticide (one with no apparent risk to humans) woven into the mesh.

And they cost just $10 apiece. Won't you help? Please leave a contribution at First Prez-Midland, on the northwest corner of A and Texas streets, on the west edge of downtown Midland. For more information, please call Pastor Walter Thompson at 684-7821 (Ext. 115), or email him at wthompson@fpcmid.org

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 21, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF DES MOINES, IOWA - For years Jacque has been making scarves for family and friends. That circle is expanding now. And as the knitting needles click, Jacque thinks of the warmth the scarf will provide to someone battling a cold Iowa winter.

The mission committee at Heartland Presbyterian Church in Clive, where Jacque is a member, typically serves meals at Central Iowa Shelter and Services (CISS). But in spring 2011 the committee took a bigger step, making plans to knit or purchase 140 scarves—one for each person at the shelter—before Christmas!

CLICK HERE to read more.

ChinaAid: "Bob Fu Speaks in Midland Women Organization"

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.

Bob Fu Speaks in Midland Women Organization
Distributed by ChinaAid, May, 2013 ...

MIDLAND, TEXAS – ChinaAid's founder Bob Fu has a speech during the luncheon of Midland Executive Women Organization on May 1, 2013 at Petroleum Club of Midland, TX to share his viewpoint of religious freedom and rule of law in China.


• more on this story from China Aid

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).

We See a Gardener"Risen Lord,
so often encountered,
so seldom recognized,
you meet us in the gardens of our hearts,
on the lonely roads of our lives,
our empty beaches, and greet us.

But in our blindness,
we mistake you for someone else.

Through our tears, we see a gardener;
in our weariness and wariness, a stranger.

But you call us back to ourselves.

Forgive us our hard-heartedness,
our lack of understanding.

Open our eyes and our ears to you,
wherever you are found,
and give us grace to love you with abandon,
to throw ourselves into your service,
as Mary threw herself at your feet,
as Peter threw himself into the sea.
Amen."

- by Ms. Jennifer Heckart

Women's Uncommon Prayers
Edited by Elizabeth R. Getz, Marjorie A. Burke and Ann Smith

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

I used this same prayer several years ago and felt drawn to it again today. The devotional that accompanied it in May 2011 is below if you would like to read it again.

The Faces of Children prayer group will meet to pray for children on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s room at First Presbyterian Church-Midland, with lunch ($5) and fellowship to follow.

If you have prayer concerns or celebrations about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris

---

Letter from the Gardener


My "Gardener" moment came during a season of illness and loss in April 2010 as we struggled with my mother's terminal cancer diagnosis. I kept asking God if there really was a time or place where there wouldn't be any more weeping or mourning or death or pain. I begged God to prove to me that the promises God made through Jesus Christ were true. That my precious mother would be in God's presence. That there was a heaven and that my mom was going there. And God answered in the form of a letter from the Gardener.

On the morning of the day I'll never forget, I felt drawn to a flower bed full of purple irises as I walked back to the house from the mailbox. Mom had given me the rhizomes and I thought she might like one of the flowers in her hospice room. The perfect iris was waiting for me...one blossom had dried up, another was in bloom, and a third was budding out. As I twisted off the stem, I noticed a folded piece of paper on the ground at the base of the iris. In large script, the words "HE IS RISEN" blazed off the page.

There in the chaos of the flower bed in my front yard, was evidence of God's reassuring promise. A letter from the One Mary Magdalene mistook for the gardener when she found the tomb empty. My mom was going to be ok no matter what might come that day. Jesus is risen. The tomb is empty. The Gardener's message and timing were perfect. Mom died later that night with my sister and me by her side, in a room overlooking the Hospice House garden, an iris and a note from the Gardener on the table.

God has given me another reminder of God's promise of enduring love and eternal life. On the day we celebrated the resurrection of the Risen Lord, on Easter Sunday, I observed the first anniversary of my mother's death. This isn't the final chapter for my mother or for any of us. God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain because the tomb is empty. He is risen! Rejoice!

Chris Cain Laufer
May 2011

In the News ... "Midland Christian service project aids orphans across the world"

Meredith Moriak, Reporter

Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - As the school year comes to a close, students at Midland Christian Elementary School are celebrating the $13,463 raised this year for Heart of the Bride Ministries, a nonprofit organization that provides for orphans in five countries.

Because of high participation by kindergarten through sixth grade students at MCS, a school in Haiti will receive new furniture; babies in India will have new, clean beds to sleep in; children in Kenya will have soccer fields to play on; and attending camp will become a reality for children in Kenya.

 • read the rest of this story

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 20, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF DAKOTA - Often, God’s abundance flows from where it is least expected. For the Presbytery of Dakota, it often comes from remembering its history. The year 2012 marked the 150th anniversary of the mass execution of 38 Dakota men—the largest mass hanging in U.S. history—for their part in the Dakota War of 1862.

Recently, Rev. Simon and Elder LaVonne Looking Elk, longtime leaders in the presbytery, recounted that history at the Presbyterian Women leaders’ installation service during PW’s U.S.A. Mission Experience among the presbytery’s congregations.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Add THIS to your summer reading list

Sundays, May 26 - August 18, 9:30 am

Lynn Hall, 1st Presbyterian Church-Midland

 

Are you up for the challenge?

 

Read the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation, in just 12 pages a day!  Join us for breakfast May 26 at 9:30 in Lynn Hall to get materials and be introduced to the reading plan.  Then join us each Sunday at 9:30 as we discuss each week’s reading with the aid of some scholars that will join us via video.

Going to be gone a lot this summer?   Instead of a novel, pack your Bible with a reading plan bookmark, or download a Bible app to your favorite tech gadget and listen or read along wherever you are. Helpful hints, additional resources and audio of all the lessons are available at www.biblein90days.org

Questions?  Contact Shannon Weisenfels (e-mail link) at 432-684-7821.

And it's not just for adults ...

Contact Chrisse Mee (e-mail link) to find out how your child can read the Bible in 90 days this summer.

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

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 19, 2013

MINUTE FOR MISSION: DAY OF PENTECOST / PENTECOST OFFERING - Beginning in August 2008, I served for 11 months in Nashville, Tennessee, as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV). That year was a challenging and transformational year for me. One of the most important lessons I learned during my YAV year was the importance of hospitality. I witnessed incredible expressions of hospitality in the church that hosted the YAV program, through my agency, and in the many communities I was involved with.

In particular, my experiences as a YAV helped me to understand better the many different facets of the hospitality we are called to as Christians.

CLICK HERE to read more.

FBR Report: "Rangers Complete Pack Animal and Solar Training"

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 (Myanmar). 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: "Rangers Complete Pack Animal and Solar Training"

Distributed by Free Burma Rangers, April, 2013

With the expert and generous help of a veterinarian and a solar power team, the Free Burma Ranger team members recently completed pack animal and solar training in Karen State, Burma. For the second year in a row, Dr. John, a veterinarian from America came to share his skills and God’s love with our horse and pack mule team and medics. The Rangers learned how to assess and select horses and mules for pack animals as well as how to help maintain good health in the mountainous environment they work in. The curriculum included diagnosing common diseases, general first aid, hoof care, teeth floating, parasite control, and assessing nutritional needs ...

• CLICK HERE to read the full FBR Report

... Thank you and may God bless you all, the Free Burma Rangers.

 

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 18, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA - Living and doing ministry in the open plains of the Midwest can lead one to feel much like the disciples when all they could find was five loaves and two fish. It is easy to see that, without relying on God’s mighty power and resources, what one has isn’t enough. For the past several years, the Presbytery of Central Nebraska’s participation in the Quad Presbytery Consortium has helped it to see abundance more than scarcity. It joined with the three other presbyteries to form this consortium because together they can do better and more than they could alone.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 17, 2013


SYNOD OF THE LAKES AND PRAIRIES - The Synod of Lakes and Prairies, through its Self-Development of People Committee, supports the Permit and License Project of the Kurdish Community of America (KCA), in the neighboring cities of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, which helps individuals in immigrant communities obtain driver’s licenses.

This project creates a wider range of employment options for its clients by helping them weave their way through a process that most Americans take for granted. It’s one way that a little bit—a driver’s license—can go a long way to providing a better life for an immigrant family.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 16, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE, OHIO - After fleeing civil war in 1990, Isaac Monah worked as a tracker of monkeys in Ivory Coast. During a torrential rain, Isaac and an American colleague, primate researcher Scott McGraw, got lost and took shelter in a forest. They talked about Scott helping Isaac immigrate to the U.S. and the fact that Scott was a kind of Christian called “Presbyterian.” Isaac was Christian, but he’d never heard of this denomination. Eventually Isaac came to the U.S. and joined Noble Road Presbyterian Church in Cleveland Heights.

In 2007, after the 14-year war ended, Isaac visited the rural region where he grew up. He saw children who couldn’t go to school unless they went to a city to live with unfamiliar family members. He remembered his difficult childhood journey and felt a call to build a school there. When he returned, Isaac told his pastor of his vision. It was a vision that spoke of feeding a multitude, yet it was being pitched to a congregation that had only a few loaves, with 88 active members and an uncertain financial future.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

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: May 15, 2013

PRESBYTERY OF SCIOTO VALLEY, OHIO - The Presbytery of Scioto Valley has experienced a season of revitalization and resurgence in youth ministry over the last year. The midwinter presbytery-wide youth retreat, guided by a planning team of youth and adults, was so successful that the retreat was bursting at the seams and had to contract for additional retreat housing!

Also, the presbytery has launched a youth council to help nurture young leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and to give youth a voice in presbytery youth and mission programming. In the midst of a time of decreasing resources, Scioto Valley experienced increased interest and energetic response to youth ministries.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Reports From Lulwanda: Administrator's Report for April 2013

Lulwanda Children's Home Administrator Patrick Busima holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Makerere University located in Kampala, Uganda. He has also taken formal training in management of personnel and management of projects. For 5 years he was Project Director of the Nawanjuki Child Development Center, after which he spent 5 years as Principal of the Yesu Afaayo Christian School.

April, 2013

"We are still committed to the theme “Leading a meaningful and purposeful life while at Lulwanda.” Special gratitude goes to you our supporters and to GICF leadership for the abiding support financially, morally and spiritually. We join you in the vision to see a fruitful future for the orphaned child. Below is an account of how we served throughout the month of April."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Busima's April, 2013 report.

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).

Seek Conversion

"We spend a lot of energy wondering who can be blamed for our own or other people's tragedies ...

But Jesus doesn't allow us to solve our own or other people's problems through blame. The challenge he poses is to discern in the midst of our darkness, the light of God. In Jesus' vision everything, even the greatest tragedy, can become an occasion in which God's works can be revealed.

How radically new my life would be if I were willing to move beyond blaming to proclaiming the works of God ... All human beings have their tragedies ... We seldom have much control over them. But do we choose to live them as occasions to blame, or as occasions to see God at work?"

The Sabbatical Journey
by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?"

Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world's Light."

John 9:1-5
(The Message)

"My God and my refuge, strip away my habit of blaming-either others or myself-for any big or little tragedies in my life. Challenge me to move beyond the 'blame game' and to understand that these misfortunes and setbacks are not under my control. Teach me instead to live through these events and see them as fruitful opportunities for faith and love. Amen."

Lent and Easter Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen
by Judy Bauer

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

Thank you for praying for children! Your prayers matter in the lives of at-risk children in our local and global communities.

The Faces of Children prayer group will meet to pray for children on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s room at First Presbyterian Church-Midland, with lunch ($5) and fellowship to follow.

If you have prayer concerns or celebrations about children, those who care for them, those who have authority over them, or those who harm them (the really hard prayers to say sometimes), please send them to me at at claufer@facesofchildren.net, or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris