Thursday, July 31, 2014

Committed to the Calling: "Yoga ball covers by Global Groove"

I met Brett and Shelly Faucett when they were mission co-workers living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, during my own church's mission to that country in 2008. At the time, they were HIV/AIDS regional consultants. Brett is a nurse and amateur photographer. Shelly, a former literacy specialist and ESL teacher. They had their two daughters, Acacia and Annapurna, with them. You can follow the Faucett family though their "Committed to the Calling" blog.


"Yoga ball covers by Global Groove" 


Here's a video from Brett that introduces Global Groove, a small business in Thailand that is putting Fair Trade practices to work ... "a balanced, conscious choice."

CLICK HERE for the rest of this post at their "Committed to the Calling" blog


Faces of Children: Prayer Concerns for This Week

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 07/31/14


Burma

In Burma’s western Rakhine (formerly Arakan) state, more than 140,000 Muslim Rohingya people have been displaced by inter-religious violence between Burma’s majority Buddhist Rakhine population and its ethnic Muslim minority. Most of those displaced live in squalid IDP (internally displaced people) camps in Rakhine state where they have very limited access to basic health, education, water, and sanitation services. Their freedom of movement inside and out of the camps is also severely restricted. The level of human suffering in the camps is the worst one senior UN aid official said she’d ever witnessed. Many aid groups have left the region because of attacks on their personnel and offices. This departure has resulted in a major health crisis in the camps; one which the Burma government has dismissed. Muslim Rohingya people aren’t recognized as citizens of Burma by the government. They’re considered Bengalis—illegal immigrants from Bangladesh—even though some families have lived in camps in Rakhine state for generations.
more on this issue
more on this issue
Please pray for Rohingya children and families struggling to survive the appalling conditions in these IDP camps. Pray God will provide for their deepest and most immediate needs. Pray God’s comfort and peace will heal children traumatized by the violence and suffering in Rakhine state.
Pray for the staff and volunteers of aid organizations still struggling to work under very difficult circumstances in the IDP camps. Give thanks to God for their commitment to stay and serve this marginalized population.
Give thanks to God for the work of the staff and volunteers with Partners Relief and Development and other humanitarian aid organizations as they bring hope, help, and love to those in need in Burma.
Please pray for peace between Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya ethnic groups in this region. Animosity between the groups goes back many years when the Rohingya first came to Burma from Bangladesh. Pray for reconciliation and understanding between these two ethnic people groups.

Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone

West Africa is experiencing its largest outbreak of the Ebola virus since its appearance in Africa in 1976. More than 500 people have died and almost 900 confirmed cases have been recorded since last February. The Ebola virus causes vomiting and diarrhea, impairs kidney and liver function, and can cause internal and external bleeding. It is spread by close contact with the body fluid, blood, or tissue of those infected by it. There is no treatment or vaccine for the virus which can kill up to 90 percent of those infected. Cultural burial practices—like cleaning the corpse, attending funerals for Ebola victims, and stroking their bodies as part of the mourning ritual—can contribute to the spread of the virus. The disease has continued to spread in Sierra Leone and Liberia (but slowed somewhat in Guinea) and is straining the resources of aid groups. The scale of the Ebola epidemic hasn’t been acknowledged by civil society groups, governments, and religious authorities in these three countries, making it much harder to stop the outbreak.
more on this issue
more on this issue
more on this issue
Please pray for children, young people, and adults who have contracted the Ebola virus. Pray for God’s healing touch upon each one. Pray for the loved ones of those with the virus as they help care for them.
Pray God will comfort the loved ones of those who have died from the virus.
Pray for staff and volunteers with medical aid organizations as they try to treat victims of this deadly virus.
Please pray God will provide the resources to bring this Ebola epidemic under control and prevent it from spreading further. Pray for education on how to handle the virus and not spread it.
Pray for good coordination and communication between the governments of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.

Ukraine, Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Vietnam, Philippines, United States, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong

On July 17, Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17, a Boeing 777 passenger jet, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired from Ukrainian separatist territory. All 298 people on board, including 77 children and three infants, were killed in the crash near the eastern border of Ukraine. The majority of victims were from the Netherlands and Malaysia, but also included people from Australia, Indonesia, the U.K., Germany, Belgium, Vietnam, the Philippines, the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and Hong Kong.
more on this issue
more on this issue
Please keep close in prayer the loved ones of those killed in the crash of this flight. Pray God will bring healing and peace to each of them in this season of sorrow and tremendous loss.
Pray for authorities working to secure information from the crash site in Ukraine’s separatist-held territory.
Pray for those who shot this jet down, possibly mistaking it for a Ukrainian military airplane. Pray for justice for the victims of this horrific incident.

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.



If you have prayer requests 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 Chris Laufer, FOC Coordinator, at claufer@facesofchildren.net

Midland College employee releases debut music CD

Pervis Evans releases debut music CD,
to be featured performer at FREE concert
Saturday, August 2, 2014
5:00 p.m.
True-Lite Christian Fellowship
3001 N. A Street, Midland

Staff Report
Midland College

Midland College (MC) Upward Bound Director Pervis Evans has always enjoyed music and has been singing in church since he was a teenager.  At the encouragement of family, friends and students, he has recorded and produced his first CD of gospel and worship music, entitled “Forever Worship.”  The CD contains 10 songs, all with Evans as lead vocal.  Most of the songs were written by Evans and arranged and produced by renowned, award-winning musicians such as Joseph Toliver and Tom Braxton. Braxton also plays saxophone on many of the arrangements.

Evans stated, “My wife Michelle and I served as executive producers, and I couldn’t believe all the artists who agreed to lend their talents to this project.  I hope that the CD inspires and entertains.”

Through Evans’ responsibilities as MC Upward Bound director, he works with at-risk high school youth.  The program, under Evans’ leadership, offers special tutoring, study skills sessions, cultural opportunities and leadership training to young people, most of whom are potential first-generation-to-college students.  Evans was the first person in his own family to graduate from college and relies on his own experiences when counseling with the students.

“I always tell my students to dream big and not to be afraid to venture into the unknown in order to achieve goals,” explained Evans.  “I decided it was time for me to heed my own advice.  So about a year ago, I took a leap of faith and started the CD project.”

An autographed copy of the CD is available at www.pervisevans.com for $15, plus shipping/handling.  It can also be purchased through various e-stores and streaming websites such as iTunes, Amazon, cdbaby and Google Play.

Evans and music from the CD will be featured in a FREE performance at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, at True-Lite Christian Fellowship in Midland. 

For more information, contact Mr. Evans, (432) 686-4221, pevans@midland.edu 


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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 31, 2014


PAKISTAN (continued) - As director of assessment and institutional research at Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan, a former mission coworker felt a deep sense of God’s calling to work for justice for the repressed Christian community in Pakistan. He and other administrators redesigned the admissions standards at Forman Christian College to make them fairer to minority students (Christians; many from poor families). He statistically combined results from annual exams students take at the end of 11th and 12th grade with those from a new online standardized admissions test in math and English. Because the annual exams in Pakistan are systematically biased against Christian students, Forman Christian College decided to give more weight to the new admissions test for minority students. Doug was delighted by the accuracy of his prediction that eight additional Christian students would gain admission to Forman by implementing this policy ...

CLICK HERE
to read more.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

In the News ... "Genesis Center now housing 40 clients"

MRT Photo by Tim Fischer
"Into the Woods" Fundraiser through August 2

Steve Kuhlmann, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - The Genesis Center will host the first fundraiser since opening its doors last month. The MRRRP production of the play “Into the Woods” will be staged at 8 p.m. July 25, July 26, July 31, August 1 and August 2 in the center’s auditorium. Tickets are $20, available at mrrrp.org

“There are a lot of nonprofits that do fundraisers in Midland and it’s our goal to try to do a fundraiser that’s different,” said Alan Austin, pastor and executive director of the Genesis Center. “Everybody is asked to go to a coat-and-tie dinner, or a golf tournament, or a clay shoot or something like that. We’re trying to organize something different.”

Currently, the 4,600-square-foot facility is housing 40 women and children who have entered into the program seeking assistance. The center opened its doors just over a month ago to clients who may be victims of domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse or homelessness ...

 • read the rest of this MRT report ... 


 

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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 30, 2014


PAKISTAN - For Majid Abel, the tensions between Muslims and Christians in Pakistan were real long before 9/11. His personal encounter with discrimination began when he entered college. Once the other students learned that he was a Christian, he was ignored and avoided. Most young Christian men in Pakistan become disheartened by similar experiences and lose the motivation to succeed, seeing fewer opportunities ahead of them.

Fortunately, Majid’s journey did not end there ...

CLICK HERE
to read more.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Invitation to Prayer: TOMORROW

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).

Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves


“The mystery of the spiritual life is that Jesus desires to meet us in the seclusion of our own heart, to make his love known to us there, to free us from our fears, and to make our own deepest self known to us. In the privacy of our heart, therefore, we can learn not only to know Jesus, but through Jesus to know ourselves as well. If you reflect on this a bit more, you will see an interaction between God’s love revealing itself to you and a constant growth in self-knowledge. Each time you let the love of God penetrate deeper into your heart, you lose a bit of your anxiety; and every time you shed a bit of your anxiety, you learn to know yourself better and long all the more to be known by your loving God."

"Thus the more you learn to love God, the more you learn to know and to cherish yourself. Self-knowledge and self-love are the fruit of knowing and loving God. You can see better now what is intended by the great commandment to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.’ Laying our hearts totally open to God leads to a love of ourselves that enables us to give whole-hearted love to our fellow human beings. In the seclusion of our hearts, we learn to know the hidden presence of God; and with that spiritual knowledge we can lead a loving life.”

Letters to Marc About Jesus by Henri J. M. Nouwen


A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Intercessor,

The Midland Faces of Children prayer group will meet in the new Family Life Center conference room at First Presbyterian Church-Midland, on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. We will have lunch ($5) and fellowship after our prayer time. I hope you will be able to join us then.


Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer for the littlest citizens of God’s Kingdom! 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

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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 29, 2014


ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (continued) - We have also opened a YAV site in the Philippines on Negros Oriental, where YAVs are involved in peace talks between Muslims and Christians, a nongovernmental agency addressing human trafficking, and advocacy for and accompaniment of women who are victims of violence. The YAV site in Thailand will open in the fall of 2014. It will provide opportunities for young adults to work in the system of schools, churches, and medical facilities of PC(USA) partner the Church of Christ in Thailand. In future years, we hope to open YAV sites in Indonesia and Taiwa ...

CLICK HERE
to read more.

Monday, July 28, 2014

ChinaAid: "Christian gathering place in Anhui raided, items confiscated"

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.

Christian gathering place in Anhui raided, items confiscated
Distributed by ChinaAid, July, 2014 ...

SUZHOU, ANHUI, CHINAA – In late May, Domestic Security Protection Squad agents and representatives from the Religious Affairs Bureau in China’s coastal Anhui province entered and searched a home that is used as a gathering place for a small group of Christians, leaving one person severely beaten.

Wang Xuexia, who owns the home, said that she regularly has friends and family over to sing hymns and study the Bible. The group was doing just that on May 28 when more than 20 local officers came to the home. While there, officers beat Wang’s nephew and threatened the rest of the attendees. In a statement, below, Wang described the events that occurred ...


more on this story from China Aid  


Invitation to Prayer: Wednesday

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).

Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves


“The mystery of the spiritual life is that Jesus desires to meet us in the seclusion of our own heart, to make his love known to us there, to free us from our fears, and to make our own deepest self known to us. In the privacy of our heart, therefore, we can learn not only to know Jesus, but through Jesus to know ourselves as well. If you reflect on this a bit more, you will see an interaction between God’s love revealing itself to you and a constant growth in self-knowledge. Each time you let the love of God penetrate deeper into your heart, you lose a bit of your anxiety; and every time you shed a bit of your anxiety, you learn to know yourself better and long all the more to be known by your loving God."

"Thus the more you learn to love God, the more you learn to know and to cherish yourself. Self-knowledge and self-love are the fruit of knowing and loving God. You can see better now what is intended by the great commandment to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.’ Laying our hearts totally open to God leads to a love of ourselves that enables us to give whole-hearted love to our fellow human beings. In the seclusion of our hearts, we learn to know the hidden presence of God; and with that spiritual knowledge we can lead a loving life.”

Letters to Marc About Jesus by Henri J. M. Nouwen


A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Intercessor,

The Midland Faces of Children prayer group will meet in the new Family Life Center conference room at First Presbyterian Church-Midland, on Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. We will have lunch ($5) and fellowship after our prayer time. I hope you will be able to join us then.


Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer for the littlest citizens of God’s Kingdom! 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

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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 28, 2014


ASIA AND THE PACIFIC (continued) - In the pages to come, you will read stories of individuals whose lives have been touched by the Spirit of God through the work and witness of mission coworkers in a variety of contexts. Standing alongside partners in churches and institutions, we lift up the historical legacy of mission and ministry in Asia and the Pacific while looking to the future with great hope and vision for all we’re being called to do for the sake of God’s realm ...

CLICK HERE
to read more.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 27, 2014


MINUTE FOR MISSION: METROPOLITAN/URBAN MINISTRY - It’s Saturday morning at Laurelton United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York. A handful of people are spread out around plastic dinner tables in the fellowship hall. A few are chatting; one is looking through today’s paper; another is intent on his pancakes. The kitchen nearby is buzzing with activity. A woman is flipping pancakes on an electric griddle while a young man runs full plates to guests at the table ...

CLICK HERE
to read more.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

ServLife July Newsletter: Pt. 3, The Untouchable Pastor

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 Untouchable Pastor"
In a remote village in the Himalayan foothills of far western Nepal, donkeys are the only means to transport goods into the area. The residents lack sources of income and many struggle to make ends meet. Often, families’ primary earners go to India for work. Women collect and sell stone from the mountainside to meet their families’ daily needs. The area’s predominant religion is Hinduism, and the region has a long history of enslaving Dalit caste members, also called “untouchables.” Even today Dalit people are forced to eat outside of restaurants and wash their own plates and cups before leaving.

This is the background against which Pastor Madan has chosen to start his church ...

read the rest of this report from ServLife ...




ServLife International is a non-profit organization planting communities of the Kingdom and restoring hope to children-at-risk and the global poor.

Join Our Mission

ServLife International propels reconciliation and justice by building global community to plant churches, care for children and fight poverty. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, we seek to care for the spiritual, physical, social, and economic areas of life in northern India and Nepal.  Learn more about our latest news, featured stories, and how to get involved at servlife.org

Support a Pastor
Our church planters spread the love of Christ in some of the most difficult environments in the world. Support Them ...
.


Sponsor a Child

For only $30 per month you can help give a child food, education, care and, most importantly, hope. Sponsor Now ...
 

Fight Poverty

The HOPE Fund, our micro-finance program, provides start-up funds for a small business, paving a way out of poverty for families in need. Learn More ...
ServLife International, Inc.
P.O. Box 20596
Indianapolis, IN 46220
USA


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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 26, 2014


ASIA AND THE PACIFIC - "The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting."
(Ps. 50:1)

We live in a rapidly changing world, more than half of whose population lives in Asia and the Pacific. Presbyterians have a long history of establishing schools, medical facilities, and churches in the far reaches and inner cities of East Asia and into South Asia and stretches of Southeast Asia ...

CLICK HERE
to read more.

Friday, July 25, 2014

From @FWMission ... Friday Story: "Great Joy in China"

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.


Friday Story: "Great Joy in China"

Greetings and happy Friday!

Last week I was in China training one of our distribution partners on the proper way to fit a wheelchair recipient in our GEN_2 wheelchairs. My co-leader was FWM’s own Noelle Simpson. This week Noelle tells a story of one of the young ladies she met:

I was blessed to meet Cui and her family while we were in China. Cui is 22 years old and suffered with Polio as a child. As a result, she is unable to walk and her parents must carry her and help her to do almost all daily activities ...


read the rest of this story ...




Want to take one of these wheelchairs  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 there are times when your contribution will be matched, reaching not one - but TWO, and sometimes FOUR recipients. Please note on your check "Wheelchair 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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 25, 2014


WESTERN KENTUCKY PRESBYTERY - First Presbyterian Church (FPC) in Owensboro noticed a growing need among the people of the city and decided to do something about it. In the spring of 2012, the congregation created a new staff position, the mission action enabler (MAE). The MAE wears many hats: liaison to all Owensboro/Daviess County mission agencies of relief; first responder to emergency assistance requests; educator to the congregation and community on what aid is available, identifying services not being offered and creating and cultivating ways to fill those needs; and field placement officer for members of the congregation and community ...

CLICK HERE
to read more.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Faces of Children: Prayer Concerns for This Week

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 07/24/14


China

New Day Foster Home in China provides a loving home and life-saving surgeries for special needs babies and toddlers. A loyal support base, dedicated staff, and caring volunteers provide for children who’ve been orphaned or abandoned (often because their families cannot afford the extensive medical care that’s needed). New Day’s dedicated nannies provide day-to-day care for these little ones, even when they are hospitalized. Nannies stay with hospitalized children 24 hours a day, seven days a week, unless they are in an intensive care unit. The conditions for these remarkable women aren’t always comfortable, yet they sacrifice that comfort to care for a critically ill child or one who’s recently come through surgery. These dedicated nannies also provide emotional support and love for hospitalized children going through traumatic medical experiences.
more on this issue
more on this issue
Give God thanks for the dedicated staff and volunteers with New Day Foster Home. Please pray God will continue to encourage and sustain them for this challenging work.
Thanks be to God for the remarkable nannies who come alongside hospitalized children in their suffering and pain…who lovingly care for New Day children in and out of the hospital.
Please continue to pray God will provide the resources this organization needs to care for babies and toddlers with special needs. Pray God will provide for children at New Day who need complicated, expensive surgeries in order to survive. Pray for each child at New Day and give thanks to God they are in a safe and loving environment

Israel, Palestine

On June 12, 16-year-old Naftali Fraenkel (a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen), 16-year-old Gilad Shaar, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach were headed home from schools in the Israeli-occupied West Bank when they were kidnapped then murdered. Israel’s government blamed the militant Islamist group Hamas who denied any part in the killings. In what may have been a retaliatory act, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammad Abu Khadeir, was kidnapped and murdered two days after the Israeli teens’ bodies were discovered. Residents of Khadeir’s neighborhood accused Jewish settlers of his murder.
more on this issue
more on this issue
The murder of these four young people has aggravated relationships between Israel and Palestine and escalated the violence. Hamas continues to fire rockets and mortars on Israel. And Israeli troops continue to execute air strikes and ground attacks on Hamas targets. To date, 271 Palestinians have been killed, including children, in the Israeli offensive. Forty thousand people have been displaced from their homes in Gaza because of the escalated violence. Israel’s defense system has intercepted hundreds of rockets fired by Hamas, preventing major casualties and deaths in Israel. To date, one Israeli civilian and one soldier have been killed.
more on this issue
more on this issue
more on this issue
more on this issue
more on this issue
Give thanks to God for the lives of these four young men. Pray God will bring healing and joy out of this tragedy. Pray God will comfort the families of these teens and grant them peace.
Pray for justice for the four young men. Pray their killers will be held accountable. Pray for those who took the lives of these four teens…several of the alleged killers are teens themselves.
Pray for children in Israel and Palestine who are fearful and afraid because of the violence around them. Please pray God will protect their bodies from harm and their hearts from hatred during this season of brutality.
Pray for children who have lost loved ones in the conflict. Pray for those whose homes have been destroyed by rockets or bombs. Pray for children and families injured in attacks on their communities.
Please pray for a ceasefire between Israeli and Palestinian forces. Pray for peace to prevail between these warring nations. Pray for peace and healing throughout this troubled region. Give God thanks for the peace initiative led by Muslims and Jews who seek an end to the violence in their land.

Faces of Children

Please keep Hannah, the daughter of Faces of Children prayer partner Steve Schorr, close in prayer as she prepares to leave for Israel. Pray God will guide her as she begins teaching Muslim and Christian middle school students in a Christian school in Jerusalem next month. Pray God will fill Hannah’s parents with the peace that surpasses all understanding as she serves in this tense, unpredictable region. Give thanks to God for Hannah’s deep desire to share Christ’s message of love and peacemaking with a troubled world.
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.



If you have prayer requests 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 Chris Laufer, FOC Coordinator, at claufer@facesofchildren.net

In the News ... "Church Under The Bridge seeks permanent home"

Courtesy Photo
Steve Kuhlmann, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - As the young ministry of Church Under The Bridge continues to grow, founder and board president Evan Rogers hopes the church can soon expand its presence in Midland to better serve the needs of the homeless community.

“My biggest desire is just to do whatever I possibly can to show them that Jesus loves them more than anything in this world, and just because they’re poor or they’re homeless I don’t want them to think that he doesn’t love them and their prayers just as much as he loves me,” said Rogers ...

 • read the rest of this MRT report ... 

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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 24, 2014


PRESBYTERY OF TRANSYLVANIA, KENTUCKY - The city of Ravenna, Kentucky, approached the two mission directors of the Burnamwood Appalachian Ministry (BAM) and asked, “Can you all build a playground?” These two young adults turned to each other, and after several moments of silent consideration, replied, “Why not?”

When the Canfield Presbyterian youth group arrived for a week of volunteer work, the BAM directors sat them down and explained that they were about to begin a big project—building Ravenna’s only public playground. No one had built a playground before. No one expected to finish it in a week. No one knew they would provide so much joy ...

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

In the News ... "Interns seek faith, service in summer work "

OA Photo by Courtney Sacco
• Students making a difference, gaining experience at local church

By Jared Wilson, Reporter
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Internships are the next step for graduates and students looking to breaking into the business world. But for some students, these internships come in an unlikely place.

Interns who have chosen a path rooted in the faith and service to the community are here in Odessa and are looking to embark on beginning a career.

Kenny Comstock, administrative pastor at CrossRoads, said the church hires year-round, but the summer program is by far the largest and draws men and women from across the country ...

read the rest of this OA report ...

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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 23, 2014


PRESBYTERY OF SOUTH ALABAMA - Building upon its very successful Academy for Equipping the Saints model of training adults to be leaders in Christian education and discipleship, the Presbytery of South Alabama has started a new effort to equip youth for leadership within the church. The youth participating in Teens 4 Christ attend four weekend equipping events in a two-year period: two weekends in understanding Scripture, one in Reformed theology, and one in leading and teaching in the church. What a great group of young adult leaders they are, and what hope they offer for the church now and in the future ...

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to read more.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Invitation to Prayer: TOMORROW

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).

Held Safe in Jesus' Love


“As you see more clearly that your vocation is to be a witness to God’s love in this world, and as you become more determined to live out that vocation, the attacks of the enemy will increase. You will hear voices saying, ‘You are worthless, you have nothing to offer, you are unattractive, undesirable, unlovable.’ The more you sense God’s call, the more you will discover in your own soul the cosmic battle between God and Satan. Do not be afraid. Keep deepening your conviction that God’s love for you is enough, that you are in safe hands, and that you are being guided every step of the way. Don’t be surprised by the demonic attacks. They will increase, but as you face them without fear, you will discover that they are powerless ...

The love of Jesus will give you an ever-clearer vision of your call as well as of the many attempts to pull you away from that call. The more you are called to speak for God’s love, the more you will need to deepen the knowledge of that love in your own heart. The farther the outward journey takes you, the deeper the inward journey must be. Only when your roots are deep can your fruits be abundant. The enemy is there, waiting to destroy you, but you can face the enemy without fear when you know that you are held safe in the love of Jesus.”

The Inner Voice of Love by Henri J. M. Nouwen


A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Intercessor,

The Midland Faces of Children prayer group will meet in the new Family Life Center conference room at First Presbyterian Church-Midland, on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. We will have lunch ($5) and fellowship after our prayer time. I hope you will be able to join us then.


Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer for the littlest citizens of God’s Kingdom! 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.

Praying you are held safe in the love of Jesus,

Chris

In the News ... "Midland church sends mission group to Philippines"

Courtesy Photo
Steve Kuhlmann, Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - In response to the devastating earthquake that struck the Philippines last October, the Midland-based San Miguel Archangel Catholic Church dispatched a small mission group to assist the victims in trying to rebuild their lives.

The Rev. Bernardito Getigan, a native of the Philippines, and with youth minister Roselva Ruiz led four young adults — between the ages of 19 to 21 — from the church on the mission trip in May.

“Because of the typhoon, when it hit the media, they felt like they were forgotten,” Getigan said of the earthquake victims ...

 • read the rest of this MRT report ... 

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. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: July 22, 2014


PRESBYTERY OF SHEPPARDS AND LAPLEY, ALABAMA - Campus ministry is vital and growing in the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. There is so much joy to be found, so much to learn, and so many ways to walk with 18- to 24-year-olds as they figure out who God is calling them to be. Psalm 105 reminds the faithful to give thanks to God, and that is what college folks do. They could be doing anything else in the world, but they choose to come to churches and campus ministry centers. They sing to God in so many ways—by working with youth groups, playing music in worship, singing in the choir, laughing together, and praying for each other. They come to seek the Lord’s presence continually, because they have so many questions and concerns as they grow and experience new things. ...

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to read more.

Monday, July 21, 2014

ChinaAid: "Zhejiang church receives demolition notice"

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.

Zhejiang church receives demolition notice
Distributed by ChinaAid, July, 2014 ...

FUYANG, ZHEJIANG, CHINAA – Authorities in China’s coastal Zhejiang issued a demolition notice to a local church on June 30 and later verbally told the church’s leaders that they must demolish the house used for meetings by July 7.

The Dongzhou Neighborhood Office of the Fuyang Municipal People’s Government, the Fuyang Bureau of Law Enforcement for Comprehensive Administration and Urban Management, and the Fuyang Municipal Homeland Resources Bureau issued the notice as part of the province-wide Three Rectifications and One Demolition campaign, which has resulted in the persecution of more than 160 churches ...


more on this story from China Aid