Wednesday, October 31, 2018

In the News ... “Friday Night Prayer"

Courtesy Photo
• All are welcome to come and join together

Staff Report
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - The Redeemed Christian Church of God Winners' Fellowship of UTPB has scheduled Friday Night Prayer from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays, through Dec. 28 in the Aruba Room at the MCM Eleganté Hotel, 5200 E. University Blvd.

All local college students, friends and family in the West Texas area and neighboring colleges are welcome to come and join together in fervent prayer and intercession for our families, nation, community.


In the News ... "Student athletes, student government holding annual Thanksgiving canned food drive"


• Going on NOW through November 21 at Midland College

Staff Report
West Texas Missioner


MIDLAND, TEXAS - Thursday, November 1, marks the start of the MC Student Government Association and the Chaparral Golf Team's annual canned food drive in support of local families who may experience difficulty during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

You will notice receptacles in academic buildings around campus, and in the Scharbauer Student Center, where you are encouraged to leave non-perishable food items. The canned food drive will run until Wednesday, November 21.

Thank you again for your continued support of these missions! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Taneekwa Hurdle
Student Activities Coordinator
Midland College
(432) 685-4543

In the News ... "Catholic Diocese welcomes Central American migrants to El Paso after harrowing journey"

EPT Photo by Mark Lambie
"Bienvenidos a nuestra casa. Estamos muy alegres de recibirlos."

By María Cortés González, Reporter
El Paso Times


EL PASO, TEXAS - When Guatemalan Elvidio Galindo and his 6-year-old son, Brathley, stepped off the bus Tuesday afternoon in El Paso, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"To tell you the truth, I felt a sense of tranquility," he said of the lush green grounds of the diocese. "I could tell that I had arrived to a place where there are people with good hearts. Thanks be to God."

Galindo was among about 100 immigrants seeking asylum in the United States who were taking temporary sanctuary with the Catholic Diocese of El Paso. They arrived in El Paso on buses, after being processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and released because the agency did not have enough space to hold them ...

Read/watch the rest of this EPT 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.


Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 31, 2018

#MeToo - When the #MeToo hashtag exploded on the social media scene in October 2017, no one could have predicted its continued impact on the treatment of women both in and out of the workplace. For a while, #MeToo seemed to be more about bringing down famous people in big corporations or enterprises, like Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer. Hollywood is one thing, but harassment isn’t supposed to happen in churches, right?

Unfortunately, churches are not immune to inappropriate speech and behavior toward women, as the popularity of another trending hashtag, #ChurchToo, has indicated. Church leaders who have experienced harassment are now searching for ways to address and prevent it ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

In the News ... “FirstCapital Bank hosts food drive benefiting WTFB"

Courtesy Photo
• Going on NOW through November 2

By Victor Blanco, Digital Content Producer
KWES-TV

MIDLAND/ODESSA, TEXAS - FirstCapital Bank of Texas will host a canned food drive from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 benefiting the West Texas Food Bank ...

 • read/watch the rest of this KWES report ...

In the News ... Student association to host 'All Saints Mass' in Midland"

Midland College Photo
• Thursday, November 1, at Midland College

Staff Report
West Texas Missioner


MIDLAND, TEXAS - Please join the Catholic Student Association of Midland (CSAM) for the Solemnity of All Saints Mass on Thursday, November 1 at 12:15 p.m. in the Dollye Neal Chapel on the Midland College Main Campus. This holy day of obligation will be celebrated by Fr. Freddy Perez. All are welcome!

For more information about CSAM, please contact Cindy Madewell at 432-288-7052 or cmadewell@midland.edu. Feel free to find us on the GroupMe app.

In the News ... "Odessa Church raises Christian flag over American Flag"

KOSA Photo
"God is always greater than any individual nation ..."

By Samantha Medney, Reporter
KOSA-TV


ODESSA, TEXAS - If you drive by the Caprock Baptist Church in Odessa, you'll notice there's something different about their flags.

The Christian flag is flown over the American flag ...

Read/watch the rest of this KOSA 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.

Courtesy Photo
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 30, 2018

PC(USA) OFFICE OF PUBLIC WITNESS, AND THE PRESBYTERIAN MINISTRY AT THE UNITED NATIONS - Faith is not just personal; it’s political. Our leaders pass laws about how we treat one another, laws about money and more. The Bible addresses these issues as well in Scriptures like the Ten Commandments, the parable of the sheep and the goats, Sabbath rules and Jesus’ advice to the rich young ruler to sell his possessions and give to the poor. To say the Bible and Jesus are not political is to deny their influence and relevance to our lives in the 21st century ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, October 29, 2018

From @chinaaid : "Xinjiang arrests more Kazakhs in bid to suppress Islam"

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.

ChinaAid Photo
Xinjiang arrests more Kazakhs in bid to suppress Islam
Distributed by ChinaAid, October, 2018 ...

ILI KAZAKH AUTONOMOUS REGION, XINJIANG – A father of two children in China’s northwestern Xinjiang was arrested after the rest of his family immigrated to Kazakhstan ...

Many of China's ethnic minorities, such as this man, have been affected by harsh, discriminatory policies that frame them as terrorists...

more on this story from China Aid


In the News ... "Mohr returns to ministry"

Courtesy Photo
• Tanglewood Church of Christ preacher emphasizes ‘Christian walk’

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Leonard Thomas “Len” Mohr completed a nursing career and enrolled in a preaching school for the second time, then agreed to commute from Lubbock and serve as minister of Tanglewood Church of Christ at 1329 Tanglewood Lane in Odessa ...

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.

Courtesy Photo
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 29, 2018

SMALL HUNGER ACTION CONGREGATION - “I’m just the pastor. This congregation rocks!”

That’s the outlook of Kirk Perucca, pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church. This small, ethnically diverse congregation south of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, has been a Presbyterian Hunger Program Certified Hunger Action Congregation since 2017, but has been advocating hunger, fairness and justice issues for most of its 110-year-plus existence ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Sunday, October 28, 2018

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.

Courtesy of Presbyterian Historical Society
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 28, 2018

MINUTE FOR MISSION: REFORMATION SUNDAY - Not long after Roman Catholic Mary Tudor rose to the English throne in 1553, the outspoken Scottish reformer John Knox felt compelled to leave the British Isles. After a spell in Frankfurt, Knox joined a fellowship of religious refugees from across Europe who had thronged to Geneva ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, October 27, 2018

In the News ... "San Angelo Faith Briefs"


• Today, and in the days ahead

Matthew McDaniel,, Reporter
San Angelo Standard Times


SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - From the Standard-Times, news of special events and programs from Concho Valley houses of faith ...

read the rest of this SAST report

In the News ... "Odessa Church News"


• Today and in the days ahead, in Odessa-area houses of worship

Staff Report
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Coming events include worship services, classes, Bible studies, community outreach, fundraisers, mission opportunities and more ...

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.

Courtesy Photo
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 27, 2018

SOCIAL CREED FOR THE 21st CENTURY - “People sometimes look at 20-to-40-page reports on energy, tax policy or end-of-life issues and ask, ‘Do you have something shorter?’ Well, the ‘Social Creed’ is that concise statement of what the churches stand for, deliberately avoiding ‘hot button’ language,” said Christian Iosso, coordinator for the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy for the PC(USA) ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, October 26, 2018

From ServLife International ... "Shout It Out"

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.



Shout It Out

My 95 year-old grandma passed away at the end of last month, and it has hit me harder than I expected. She was an amazing role model and the matriarch of our family. She had the elegance of a queen and treated everyone like royalty. Her retirement was anything but, as she daily served her church and family. As her church transitioned from hymns to rock choruses, and an old, traditional building to a new modern building, she was leading the charge ...

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this post from ServLife ...



Adam Nevins 
From Adam Nevins
Executive Director
ServLife International Inc.


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


From @FWMission ...Friday Story: "Meet Lilian and Maimy"

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.



FWM Photo
Friday Story: "Meet Lilian and Maimy"

Lilian and her sister, Maimy, boarded a bus in the highlands of Guatemala early one morning, filled with eager anticipation for what the day would bring.

They peered out the windows, watching the golden rays of dawn rise above the lush green countryside. They rarely got to enjoy such scenery, so they didn’t mind the bumpy, four-hour bus ride down a winding, rocky, mountain road.

Their destination: Hilario Galindo Hospital ...

read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... "It’s Kooky Karnival time again"

OA Photo by Mark Rogers
• All funds go back into the school

By Ruth Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Slime for young and old, a silent auction and a myriad of games will be featured at St. John’s Episcopal School’s Kooky Karnival set for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 27 in Barns D and E of the Ector County Coliseum.

The Friends of St. John’s hosts the yearly event, which serves as a fundraiser for the school, Head of School Emily McDoniel said. The event is not just for the school but the whole community ...

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.

Photo by Rev. Laura Brekke Wagoner
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 26, 2018

1001 NEW WORSHIPING COMMUNITIES - The Presbyterian Mission Agency recently approved Mission Program Grants to 10 new worshiping communities. The Mission Development Resources Committee announced the following recipients ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

In the News ... “Lubbock church’s Christmas-themed fundraiser benefits Meals on Wheels"

LAJ Photo by Ray Westbrook
• Project began with a garage sale 10 years ago; has attracted statewide attention, spot on “Texas Country Reporter"

By Ray Westbrook, Reporter
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - There will be Christmas in October when gift-basket designers at Community Christian Church offer their nearly year-long creations to Lubbock and the South Plains.

From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, women of the church will offer gift baskets that contain not only substance, but art in the arrangements, benefiting Lubbock Meals on Wheels.

Greta Cullers, a leader of the group, said there are gift baskets that cover the entire spectrum of a shopper’s list ...

 • read the rest of this LAJ report

In the News ... "Hardin-Simmons University president announces layoffs, program closures in Monday email"

ARN File Photo
• Will include extension campuses of Logsdon Seminary

By Timothy Chipp, Reporter
Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - Hardin-Simmons University is ending a number of undergraduate and graduate programs suffering from low enrollments.

In an email to faculty, staff, students and alumni Monday, President Eric Bruntmyer laid out the cuts that were officially adopted by the school's trustees Thursday and Friday. The university had announced cuts would be made in a similar e-mail last month ...

read the rest of this ARN 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.

Photo by Rick Jones
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 25, 2018

HURRICANE RECOVERY - t’s been more than a year since a trio of hurricanes wreaked havoc on Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, leaving a path of destruction, major power outages and many people without homes. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, in quick succession, pummeled their targets over several days late last summer ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

In the News ... “Mid-Cities Serves plans 28 projects in one day to improve community"


• Projects in Midland and Odessa, THIS SATURDAY

By Victor Blanco, Digital Content Producer
KWES-TV

MIDLAND/ODESSA, TEXAS - Mid-Cities Serves, a church-wide day of serving the Midland/Odessa area, will host 28 projects Saturday to improve the community starting at 9 a.m.

Mid-Cities Community Church is partnering with several organizations to help make a difference with 700 people volunteering ...

 • read the rest of this KWES report ...

In the News ... "Serving others was not like pulling teeth for Abilene's Gene Shelhamer"

ARN Photo by Ronald W. Erdrich
• Retiring from dental clinic sponsored by Presbyterian Medical Care Mission

By Loretta Fulton, Reporter
Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - You never know where inspiration might come from.

For Gene Shelhamer, it was Dr. Marcus Welby, a fictional television doctor in the series,“Marcus Welby, M.D.,” which aired on ABC from 1969 to 1976.

The thing Shelhamer loved about Dr. Welby was his ability to focus on the patient and not get caught up in whether the patient could afford to pay him or any other distractions.

“He could just concentrate on that one patient, whatever they needed,” Shelhamer said ...

read the rest of this ARN 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.

Courtesy Photo
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 24, 2018

SOUTH SUDAN - When soldiers are seeking to reclaim lost territory, they have little regard for the peace agreements signed by their national leaders. That’s why the grassroots work of the Rev. Peter Tibi and PC(USA) partner RECONCILE is a critical component of South Sudan’s fragile peace process ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

In the News ... "Drivers needed for Meals On Wheels-Odessa"

• Helping those that otherwise would go hungry

Staff Report
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Meals On Wheels is currently needing drivers.

Drivers are needed to deliver hot meals to home-bound seniors once a week for one or two hours.

For more information, call (432) 333-6451.

In the News ... "Jesus House pushes past hurdles"

OA Photo by Courtney Borchert
• Community forums taking place, THIS WEEK

By Courtney Borchert, Reporter
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Jesus House of Odessa is pushing for progress on their transitional housing project “Safe Haven,” but adjustment has been a must after an unforeseen parking lot requirement was presented.

Jesus House plans to offer eight housing units, four for men and four for women, on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible individuals experiencing homelessness. Rev. Donny Kyker said this is phase 1 of their vision to address a prevalent problem in Odessa ...

read the rest of this OA report ...

If You Go

What: Community Forums
When/Where:
6 p.m. Tuesday at Kellus Turner Community Center.
6 p.m. Wednesday at South Ector Community Center.
6 p.m. Thursday at Gardendale Community Center.

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.

Photo by Mike Price
Today in the Mission Yearbook: October 23, 2018

1001 NEW WORSHIPING COMMUNITIES - The Rev. Keith Gunter, pastor of the newest chartered PC(USA) congregation, New Creation Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee, had “a whirlwind of a summer.”

“It’s been quite a journey,” he said of the new worshiping community he helped start in 2012 ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, October 22, 2018

From @chinaaid : "Pastor investigated for supporting persecuted Christians"

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

Pastor investigated for supporting persecuted Christians
Distributed by ChinaAid, October, 2018 ...

WENZHOU, ZHEJIANG – National security agents in China’s coastal Zhejiang confronted a local pastor for supporting Christians in Henan province, who are undergoing intense persecution.

Faced with the continual deterioration of Henan churches’ freedoms, Pastor Yan Xiaojie of Shangjiang Church in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, decided to sign a statement decrying the persecution. So far, the statement has more than 345 signatures ...

...

more on this story from China Aid


In the News ... "Abilene Wide Open: The Great Gurney Race"

ARN Photo by Ronald W. Erdrich
• In the end, it was youth that won out

By Ronald W. Erdrich, Reporter/Photographer
Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - They were off to the races Thursday. ArtWalk for October featured The Great Gurney Race along with performances by Dance Ltd.

The race benefited Global Samaritan Resources, an Abilene-based Christian humanitarian aid organization ...

read the rest of this ARN report ...