In the News ... ""Houses of Faith: Southgate Church of Christ continues mission of forebearers"

Editor's Note: The Standard-Times will spotlight a different San Angelo house of faith each week during 2019.

SAST Photo by Matthew McDaniel

• A group felt the need for a church in Santa Rita

By Matthew McDaniel, Reporter
• San Angelo Standard Times

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - Southgate Church of Christ, 526 Country Club Road, held services for the first time on Oct. 8, 1989, but the congregation’s history in San Angelo dates back several decades through churches in downtown, Lake View, and Santa Rita according to clippings from the Standard-Times archives ...

• Read the rest of this SAST 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 Mike Ferguson

Today in the Mission Yearbook: June 30, 2019

CAFE JUSTO - With Presbyterians among its earliest and most passionate customers, the Café Justo coffee cooperative just across the border from Douglas, Arizona, grows, roasts, packages, markets, sells and ships nearly 60,000 pounds of coffee annually ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

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

• Here's what's going on at church near you

By 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 ... "Abilene ushers in church conference"

ARN Photo by Ronald W. Erdrich

• It will be a busy three days

By Loretta Fulton, Reporter
• Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - For the second time, Abilene will be host of the Texas Church Ushers Association annual convention, with events getting under way with a musical at 7 p.m. Sunday.

All activities, including the musical, will be at MCM Elegante Suites ...

• Read the rest of this ARN report ...

In the News ... "Odessa Church News"

• Today and in the days ahead, in Odessa-area houses of worship ... including Vacation Bible School ...

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 ...

In the News ... "Lubbock Faith Briefs"

Courtesy Photo

• What’s going on in South Plains churches

By Erica Pauda, Reporter
• Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - From the Avalanche-Journal, news of regular services, and special events and programs at houses of faith in Lubbock and across the South Plains ...

 • Read the rest of this LAJ report ...

 • More from the LAJ's "South Plains Faith Calendar" ...

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 Leisa Wagstaff

Today in the Mission Yearbook: June 29, 2019

SOUTH SUDAN - He looked no more than 14 as he came forward to welcome me with a hearty handshake. Assuming he was a primary school pupil, I asked about his teacher. He responded, “Hello, ma’am. I am the teacher.” Still skeptical, I began a full-scale inquisition: How old are you? How long have you been a teacher? Which class do you teach? And finally: Are you really the teacher?

Ultimately, I heard his life’s journey, one that is all too familiar ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

From ServLife International ... "Celebrating our Graduates"

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.

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ServLife Photo

Celebrating our Graduates

Nepal’s education system has experienced significant improvements in the last several decades. During the 1950s less than 1% of the country saw the inside of a classroom. Two major education development plans in 1971 and 2016 have brought primary school enrollment up to 97% in 2016. Each generation has had more opportunities than the previous one, but the work of improving education in Nepal isn’t done. Secondary education enrollment is a little more than 50% and of those students who do enroll, a quarter of them do not finish secondary education.

The ServLife Children’s Home in Kathmandu has now seen five groups of kids graduate from 12th grade ...

Read the rest of this ServLife post ...

Thank you,

 
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 ...

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ServLife International, Inc.
P.O. Box 20596
Indianapolis, IN 46220
USA

In the News ... South Plains area churches schedule jamaicas"

LAJ File Photo

• Beginning in June, and continuing throughout the summer

Staff Report
• Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

LUBBOCK, TEXAS -  ...

 • Click here for a list from LAJ ...

[WTM EDITOR'S NOTE: Jamaica (pronounced "ha-MY-ka") is an annual charity/fundraising festival held by Catholic Church parishes, especially those in states that border Mexico.]

From @FWMission ... Friday Story: “Empowered and Inspired”

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.

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FWM Photo

Friday Story: “Empowered and Inspired”

Yan, 66, and her husband raised two children in a village in China that has based its economy on agriculture for decades.

Over time comes change: Urban sprawl has been creeping into fields, consuming them beneath new buildings and roads. Yan’s children have grown up and moved away. And Yan’s life took a severe turn several years ago, when she suffered a stroke and was left with hemiplegic paralysis.

With their children away, Yan’s husband has served as her primary caregiver, helping her get from place to place—no easy feat for either of them as they both advance in age...

• Read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... “West Texas Food Bank breaks ground on gardening expansion"

Courtesy Photo

• XTO Energy Educational Gardens will have two bio-domes, numerous fruit trees, raised planting beds

By Jacy Lewis/191 News, Reporter
• Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Two years after the West Texas Food Bank opened its doors in Midland, the nonprofit is starting an expansion project for gardening and parking. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday on its educational campus ...

 • Read the rest of this MRT report, and enjoy a photo album ...

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 Ferguson

Today in the Mission Yearbook: June 28, 2019

SANCTUARY CHURCH - Tucson’s Southside Presbyterian Church is known for being a sanctuary church and for its joyous Sunday worship.

But its pastor, Alison Harrington, recently told a Presbyterian Mission Agency delegation that the other six days of the week are important for members and friends, too — as well as their pastor. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

FBR Report: "Eubank Family Summer Schedule"

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) and the Middle East. 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.

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FBR Photo

"Eubank Family Summer Schedule"

Dear friends,

Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and help. We will be in the US from June 21st to at least late August and here is our schedule ...

• CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of this FBR Report ...

• CLICK HERE to learn how YOU can get involved in FBR and its mission ...

From West Texas to South Africa: "Homeward Bound”

On this trip, we will be part of an thirteen-member team of volunteers. We will be working with the Teichert Family who have been working in South Africa for many years with One Challenge and have been supported by First Presbyterian Church of Midland through the Missions Ministry. We will be seeing their work first hand through participation with the projects and missions work they do with children and people affected by HIV. We will also travel to Cradock, South Africa to work with the Amy Bell Foundation which has been and continues to be instrumental in establishing schools and children’s homes for orphaned and disadvantaged children in the rural area of South Africa. We are excited about this opportunity to witness first hand the work being done by these two worthwhile ministries. In addition, we are trusting that God will use this trip to expand our vision for the world and use us to help those we encounter.

Homeward Bound

We have started our journey home. We have been blessed with an overflowing cup of hospitality and joy from our discovery of God’s activities in South Africa. Our heartfelt thanks to all who graciously hosted us. From the Teicherts to the Tams and many, many others in their communities we are so thankful for their support and time. To all of the prayer warriors, supporters, blog readers, and commenters, your encouragement was a gift to us. To the teams members, you are the reason missions work. Thanks you for the time, engagement, laughter, and insight ...

Read the rest of this post ...

In the News ... "Church's food pantry open this Saturday"

• Monthly outreach/service at Westminster Presbyterian

Staff Report
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4901 Maple Ave., has scheduled the monthly food pantry from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month.

For more information, call (432) 366-1321, Tuesday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. You may also contact the church online.

Volunteers are always welcome!

In the News ... “TODAY -Grab a burger at Grub and help a child with grief"

• Midland's Rays of Hope to benefit from promotion of Grub Burger restaurant

By Jeremy K. Jones , Reporter
• KWES-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Grub Burger Bar is hosting a benefit to support Rays Of Hope. The Midland restaurant is inviting people to support Rays Of Hope’s Children's Grief Centre ...

 • Read the rest of this KWES report ...

In the News ... "Daniel's faith commended"

"Daniel in the Lions Den" by Peter Paul Rubens

• Sixth Century B.C. prophet described as having an unshakable commitment to God

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - The Old Testament story of the prophet Daniel proves that one’s commitment to God can be kept in the face of hostile circumstances, ministers say.

The Revs. Windsor Archie and Mark Bristow and Minister Doug Doyle say Daniel, who is believed to have lived from 620 to 538 B.C., was a very gifted man who gained respect and power in pagan Babylon, in present day Iraq, and in the subsequent kingdom of the Medes without compromising his faith ...

• 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 Courtesy of St. John’s Chapel by the Sea

Today in the Mission Yearbook: June 27, 2019

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING - Three small Presbyterian congregations have combined the spirited competition of a fishing derby and the iconic One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) fish banks to promote giving to the churchwide offering ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Teichert Family Update ... A Unique Experience

The family of Karl and Jenny Teichert are serving the Lord as missionaries with OC Africa, in South Africa. They moved to Johannesburg in November, 1997 with their four children; Ann, Scott, Stephen and John. Karl serves as the Southern Africa Director of the Southern Africa Regional Team. Their vision is to see a healthy, Bible-based church established in every unreached village and community in South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia and beyond. Their strategy is to partner with key African church leaders to research, train, and mobilize the body of Christ to complete the Great Commission. They are striving to equip local leaders in Southern Africa to reach their nations for Christ and send missionaries into other countries as well.

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A Unique Experience

Dear Family and Friends,

Today was a unique experience for me. Normally when I go to Finetown, I go to care for home-based caregivers. Today I went with our South African OC partners, Sharon and Roscoe Stephens, to see the ministry that they offer in Finetown. Sharon is a professional body builder and also leads a ministry at our local church called “Fellowship through Fitness.” She and Roscoe have a heart to help people to become spiritually heathy as well as physically fit ...

• Read the rest of this update ...

Thank you for your support and partnership in God’s work in Finetown. It is making an impact!

In His love,

Jenny Teichert

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OC Africa is an interdenominational ministry committed to developing, equipping, and mobilizing church leaders to multiply healthy, Bible-based churches in every community in Southern Africa and the world. OC is a faith-based mission who depends on the Lord to provide committed, financial supporters and partners. The contributions from these individuals help generate ministry opportunities around the world, impact missionaries and their global work, and provide a means for the International Mobilization Center to function. CLICK HERE to learn how YOU can be a part of mobilizing church leaders around the world by donating to OC.

From West Texas to South Africa: "All God’s Children”

On this trip, we will be part of an thirteen-member team of volunteers. We will be working with the Teichert Family who have been working in South Africa for many years with One Challenge and have been supported by First Presbyterian Church of Midland through the Missions Ministry. We will be seeing their work first hand through participation with the projects and missions work they do with children and people affected by HIV. We will also travel to Cradock, South Africa to work with the Amy Bell Foundation which has been and continues to be instrumental in establishing schools and children’s homes for orphaned and disadvantaged children in the rural area of South Africa. We are excited about this opportunity to witness first hand the work being done by these two worthwhile ministries. In addition, we are trusting that God will use this trip to expand our vision for the world and use us to help those we encounter.

All God's Children

Another glorious morning in South Africa!

Today’s devotional was based on Psalm 97. The Psalmist proclaims many characteristics that describe God. And after thoughtful answers and discussion, we came up with, “God is Always”. Walter reminded of what Caroline Price tells the children (and us). Each day go through the alphabet and describe God with a word for each letter. What a wonderful way to keep ones focus on God. The team was challenged to keep this in mind as we began our last day of service in Cradock.

What an unexpected delight awaited us at the Lidie Moolman’s School for children with special needs. ...

Read the rest of this post ...

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, or go online.

In the News ... "Annual golf tournament"

• Begins TOMORROW in Odessa; multiple attendance options

Staff Report
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - The biennial Hispanic Pastoral Musicians’ Conference has been scheduled Thursday through Saturday at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church , 7601 N. Grandview Ave.

Registration begins at 5 p.m. Thursday and 8 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Sessions in English and Spanish will include basics in music, building a choir, the Chant of the Misal Romano, the Mass of Renewal and music for weddings, quinceaneras and funerals.

Registration fees are $50 for Thursday only, $100 for Friday only, $50 for Saturday only and $150 for all three days.

Go online to register or for more information.

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 José Luis Casal

Today in the Mission Yearbook: June 26, 2019

OCIO CALDERO, A BOLIVIAN IMMIGRANT - Rocio Calderon kept a Presbyterian Mission Agency delegation spellbound recently just by telling her story ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

From West Texas to South Africa: "Weaving Relationships”

On this trip, we will be part of an thirteen-member team of volunteers. We will be working with the Teichert Family who have been working in South Africa for many years with One Challenge and have been supported by First Presbyterian Church of Midland through the Missions Ministry. We will be seeing their work first hand through participation with the projects and missions work they do with children and people affected by HIV. We will also travel to Cradock, South Africa to work with the Amy Bell Foundation which has been and continues to be instrumental in establishing schools and children’s homes for orphaned and disadvantaged children in the rural area of South Africa. We are excited about this opportunity to witness first hand the work being done by these two worthwhile ministries. In addition, we are trusting that God will use this trip to expand our vision for the world and use us to help those we encounter.

Weaving Relationships

The team woke up to a beautiful crisp winter morning complete with frost on the ground.

Hard to believe it is in the 100’s back home with our loved ones. But it is the same glorious sun we each see as dawn breaks here and soon rises there ...

Read the rest of this post ...

Burgers & Blessings ... TOMORROW at Grace Presbyterian-Midland

Image by Laura Up In the Clouds

June is almost here, and thus our annual Burgers and Blessings get-togethers are about to commence!

Please join us this Wednesday, June 26th - TOMORROW - at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2801 N. Garfield Street in Midland, Texas. The dinners begin at 6:00 p.m. and are very casual.

Burgers, hot dogs and "the fixings" will be provided by the church; you just come, bring a side dish or dessert, and the gift of your company.

We hope to see YOU there!

From @austinseminary ... "Help us finish strong!"

• Help us finish strong!

Our Fiscal Year ends on June 30.

Help us reach our goal of $1million for the Annual Fund.

Please make on online donation before June 30!

Every gift matters.

Make a secure online gift today ...

Thank you!

In the News ... "Music minister a busy composer

OA Photo by Mark Rogers

• Classically schooled violinist clocks 31 years at OCFC

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
• Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Immersed in music from his earliest memories, Lowell Lynn Hohstadt has followed that love to the highest levels while his pursuit led him to an comprehensive approach embracing most genres.

Having been music minister at Odessa Christian Faith Center since its formative period 31 years ago, the 55-year-old Amarillo native says, “The goal has been to have a variety of styles, classical, country, jazz and rock, and include as many people as possible so we can go on a journey together and come into what we describe as the presence of God." ...

• Read the rest of this OA report ...