From ServLife International ... "The Work Continues: Medical Team Brings Hope in Haiti"

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 Work Continues: Medical Team Brings Hope in Haiti

"Looking at the big picture can be overwhelming. Hundreds of thousands of people dead. Approximately 300,000 injured. A million homeless. Mass graves. Looters. People desperate for a roof over their heads and some food. How do we even begin to make a difference in the wake of such a tragedy as the earthquake in Haiti? It seems nearly impossible to even scratch the surface of their needs when looking at them as a whole. But these are individual people. These are children who need parents, parents who need food, friends who need medical care. These are people who need us to reach out our hand and help them, one by one."

"ServLife set out to do just this ..."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this report from ServLife

Partners Blogcast: "Burma Army Attacks Medical Clinic"

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief & Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma. This blog is meant to be a more personal stream of conversation than newsletters allow for. The opinions expressed here may not be those of Partners Relief & Development.

Burma Army Attacks Medical Clinic

"On February 7th, the Burma Army attacked the Tee Mu Tha medical clinic. The clinic was burned along with two nearby villages: The Hee Toe Hta village, home to 46 families, and the Htee Boe Hta village, home to 28 families, were lost. The villagers fled the area and are at this moment hiding in the jungle."

"Partners sent six months worth of medical supplies into the jungle to resupply the clinic. These supplies were safely moved to another location. Clinic health workers are now using those supplies to help people form Hee Toe Hta and Hee Boe Tha villages. Many villagers are in need of food (rice) and medical attention."

"Help is getting through. Thank you for your gifts and support. Please continue to keep the affected families in your prayers and thoughts."

Jacqui

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

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 02/17/10

Haiti
• Please keep in prayer the three million people of Haiti who were affected by the January 12 earthquake and who are still in desperate need of food, shelter, and medicine. Pray for safety at all the food distribution points as reports of women being robbed are increasing. Women are given the food coupons in order to make sure the food gets back to their families.
• Pray for the girls and women of Haiti who have been made even more vulnerable because of the earthquake. Pray for their safety in the outdoor encampments—many women and girls have little more than a tarp or plastic sheeting to protect them from the elements or sexual predators. Pray for females who have little privacy when they bathe or go to the toilet because there are few showers or sanitary facilities—they are at great risk of attack during those times.

A report from news.yahoo.com
• Please pray for the staff and volunteers of humanitarian organizations and NGOs as they struggle to work within a badly damaged country. Many of the workers with these groups have lost their homes and family members. Warehouses that contained food and supplies have also been destroyed in the earthquake. Pray for coordinated efforts among these organizations and the Haitian government so that aid can be distributed in the best way possible to reach the children of this hurting country.
A report from the New York Times

Guinea
• Pray for the children and people of Guinea who have been affected by violent clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups. Pray for children and women who have fled and are hiding in the bush or in outlying villages. Pray for peace in this West African nation and a willingness on both sides to work together for peace.
A report from alertnet.org
Another report from alertnet.org

Mongolia
• Please keep in prayer the 72,000 children of Mongolia who have been severely affected by extreme weather patterns. A summer drought followed by an unusually severe winter has forced even more people into deeper poverty. Pray for those who are cut off from relief supplies and medical care by icy, impassable roads. Pray for children and pregnant women who cannot access health care.
• Pray for families who are running out of supplies for their children and livestock—the poor usually don’t have the resources to stockpile supplies. Please pray that God will provide ways to reach these children and families with food, medicine, heating supplies, warm clothing, and fodder for livestock. One third of Mongolia’s working population makes a living herding livestock.
A report from alertnet.org

North Korea
• Please pray for the children of North Korea who are suffering under this repressive regime. A currency revaluation late last year—aimed at eliminating the grass-roots capitalism throughout the country—has seemed to backfire causing runaway inflation and food shortages. Pray for children who have even less food than before the revaluation. North Korea suffers chronic food shortages every year, but this has made the situation much worse.
A report from alertnet.org
A report from the Washington Post

United Kingdom
• Pray for the 1.7 million children in the United Kingdom who live in severe poverty. Pray that God will provide for these children and their families. Pray for children who must go without the basic necessities like winter coats, proper shoes, beds, and other daily needs.
A report from the BBC

United States
• Give thanks to God for the safe birth of Jane and Joaquin’s baby boy Isaac! Pray that God will provide for this missionary family and bless them with discernment as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives.

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.

In the News ... "Serving the Whole Family"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS -A faith-based network of churches helping families that officially opened in January is going full-bore even as the final day center is being finished up.

Family Promise provides a number of services for homeless families, including a place to stay at churches overnight, plus help in finding work or new affordable housing.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Reports From Lulwanda: January, 2010

Every month, Lulwanda Administrator Edward Mukiibi provides an update on Lulwanda Children's Home in Uganda – how the children are growing and learning, how the staff is developing, and any ongoing needs that may arise.

---

January, 2010
"The school year has started, with emphasis to Primary seven class (the final class in the primary school). This class is supposed to sit for the national examinations in November whose results determine which child shall proceed to Secondary level. The Ministry of Education’s official opening time is February 2010, but to catch up with the syllabus demands we had to start a little early."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Mukibi's January, 2010 report.

Authority on missional work coming to West Texas, this week

Darrell Guder, noted author and authority on missional work, is coming to West Texas Friday and Saturday, February 19-20, at First Presbyterian Church-Midland.

Guder is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Dean of Academic Affairs and the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, he served as a student outreach pastor and as a faculty member of the Karlshohe College in the German Lutheran Church. His writing and teaching focus on the theology of the missional church.

Guder's publications include the seminal work, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, which one reviewer described as, "one of the better books currently available introducing church leaders, pastors and lay ministers to ecclesiology from a missional perspective." Another reviewer labeled it, "after the Bible, the best book I've read all year ... this book was a partial answer to a prayer that I've had for years, 'God, What are you calling us to become, because it seems clear that we can't continue with the Christendom models.'"

For more information, and to be a part of Guder's visit to West Texas, please contact First Presbyterian Church of Midland at (432) 684-7821. Registration forms are available at the church's reception desk, at the Texas street entrance. First Prez is located on the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, on the west edge of downtown Midland.

In the News ... "TBM Helps to Get Water Filtration Systems to Haiti"

Maite de la Rosa
Reporter
KMID-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - The Texas Baptist Men organization is making the possibility of clean water a reality for Haitians. Their members are bringing water units to the island, which have given thousands accessibility to a good glass of water.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KMID story.

Midland Group Reports Chinese House Church Leaders Detained, Facing Administrative Detention

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.

Midland Group Reports Chinese House Church Leaders Detained, Facing Administrative Detention

Released by ChinaAid, January, 2010 ...

"HEBEI PROVINCE – In the afternoon of January 8, 2010, (Beijing Time) 30 leaders of the Chinese House Church Alliance (CHCA) were detained in Handan city, Hebei province. According to one detained pastor, who was able to use his cellphone briefly to notify an outside contact, a group of officers from the Handan City Public Security and Religious Affairs Bureaus broke into their leaders' meeting place where the 30 men and women were having a bible study, and forcefully took them to an unknown interrogation center within the city."
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid

Invitation to Prayer

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children
"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture …"
Romans 8:26-28, 31-39 "The Message," by Eugene Peterson

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

I know, I know. I’ve used this passage before in the not-so-distant past, but it just keeps appearing on my radar screen. Usually, when that happens, I sense God is trying to get my attention. OK, so now that I’m paying attention, I’ll let you help me figure out what message God is sending us. Is it the comforting knowledge that the Holy Spirit is “right alongside” us helping us out? Or that the Holy Spirit “keeps us present before God?” Perhaps it’s the knowledge that Jesus is in God’s presence right this moment “sticking up for us.”

There’s so much meat in these passages from Romans 8 that I need several days just to digest it all. I would definitely be interested in your thoughts on these passages. How is God speaking to you through them? Is the Holy Spirit encouraging or challenging you through this scripture? If you have time or feel led to share, please feel free to email me with your impressions

Please join us on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, we’ll meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s Room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland, to pray for children at risk. Please join us for this time of prayer and afterwards for lunch ($5) and fellowship.

Your prayers for the children of the world are heard and appreciated so very much. Thank you for devoting time and energy to praying for children! If you have prayer requests about children or those who care for them, please send them to me at claufer@facesofchildren.net or give me a call.

Blessings,

Chris

In the News ... "Conference to look at church's role in world"

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

By Megan Lee Buck
Assistant Lifestyle Editor
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Inspired by the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, the Presbytery of Tres Rios is sponsoring “Living Letters for a New World: A Conference on Living the Gospel.” Hosted by First Presbyterian Church-Midland, the conference begins at 4 p.m. February 19, and concludes at 3:45 p.m. February 20.

Pastors from El Paso, San Angelo, Midland, Alpine and elsewhere throughout the presbytery will lead workshops during the event. The Reverend Darrell Guder, Dean of Academic Affairs and Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, will serve as the keynote speaker.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Saturday Morning Devotional:In Spite of What Others Say

Saturday mornings this time of year find me working the floor of the gymnasium at our church in Midland, offering halftime devotionals during Upward Basketball games. I was inspired to prepare this week's devotional by one of many stories coing out of Dallas this weekend as they host the NBA All-Star Game.
Upward

, by the way, is one of the the world’s largest Christian sports program for children, and was created with a vision to provide the best sports experience possible for every child. An estimated 1-million people around the world play, coach, referee or volunteer in some way to support Upward sports activities, hosted by more than 2,600 churches - there are four churches here, in Midland, including my own First Presbyterian.

The organization notes that, "anyone – children and volunteers of any faith or no faith – can participate in Upward sports. Specifically designed for children in K5- sixth grade, Upward aims to bring out 'the winner' in every child – regardless of the game’s score."

Really, not a bad venue for discussing a man who might never have become a professional basketball player if he listened to what everyone else said, instead of listening to his heart. Thirty years ago, I told today's crowd, a young boy named Anthony was playing high school basketball in Dallas, and doing pretty well. He had good skills, but – and this was pointed out to him more than once – he was also ‘five-foot-nothing,’ as the saying goes, and just didn’t have the size to succeeed in basketball. But Anthony didn’t see it that way. He had a dream and he was ready to work hard to realize that dream.

I cited two lines of Scripture, one from the Second Book of Chronicles ... “but as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded" and another from the Book of Matthew ... “seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (NIV)

Anthony found himself having to knock on one door after another. They said he was too small to play basketball, period – but he showed them otherwise. Then they said he was too small to play high school basketball – but he proved them wrong. Then they said he was too small to play varsity high school basketball – but he finally got his chance to get off the bench and onto the court, becoming one of his school’s top scorers, and being named to the Texas High School Basketball All-State Team.

Yet with all those accomplishments and statistics, he still couldn’t raise any interest among college basketball programs – especially the major colleges. Finally, he was invited to join a program at a junior college in West Texas. So it was that Anthony ‘Spud’ Webb became a Midland College Chaparral. In the course of his two tears here, he became one of MC’s top scorers, was named an NJCAA All American, and led the Chaps to the National Championship where he was named tournament MVP.

This was followed by a write-up in Sports Illustrated and an invitation to join the Jim Valvano's basketball program at the University of North Carolina. Later, he was drafted by the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. A couple years after that, Spud Webb was back in his hometown of Dallas for the NBA All-Star Game, where he won the Slam Dunk Contest – and he’s back there this weekend as a judge for this year’s slam dunk contest.
Out here, I reminded the crowd, is a court full of young people with dreams and aspirations of their own – and not necessarily basketball, but something in their life that draws them upward. I thanked the for being there for the kids that day, cheering them on, and supporting their dreams and aspirations.

By the way, whoever you are and wherever you are, we would love to have you on our team! If you're the parent of a youngster who wants to play basketball, soccer, flag football or cheer, chances are Upward has a league or camp near you. What? No kids? No problem ... Upward programs always need volunteers to coach teams, to referee games, to operate game clocks, to rustle-up snacks for the kids, or offer devotionals at halftime.

I can think of worse ways to spend a Saturday morning.

The Great Emergence:Pt. 6, 20th Century Impact

“'The Great Emergence' refers to a monumental phenomenon in our world, and this book asks three questions about it. Or looked at the other way around, this book is about a monumental phenomenon considered from the perspective of three very basic questions: What is this thing? How did it come to be? Where is it going?”

So begins Phyllis Tickle’s extraordinary new book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. In this much-anticipated book, Tickle brings her encyclopedic knowledge of American religion to bear on the current shifts in the Christian landscape.

In the News ... "Local church uses former M-System building for outreach"

By Megan Lee Buck
Assistant Lifestyle Editor

Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Midlanders traveling on Midland Drive recently may have noticed changes in the long-abandoned former M-System building in the K-Mart shopping center located at Midland Drive and Illinois Avenue.

"In the last eight weeks that old building which was very run down now has a new roof and a brand new addition to it. It really is a pleasure to see," said Elias Rodriguez, pastor of Christian Fellowship International Church (Companerismo Christiano International).

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Sparkling Mission

Annie Dieselberg heads the staff at NightLight, a ministry in urban Bangkok, Thailand, that reaches out to women and children working in the bar areas of the Nana-Sukhumvit district. Located in a neighborhood with a growing sex trade, Nightlight’s vision is to share the Light of the world in both word and deed to those who live in darkness, and to combat the sexual exploitation of women and children, both Thai and foreign.

Right now, Annie tells us, the greatest need at NightLight is to sell more jewelry. NightLight Design Co., Ltd. is a registered jewellery business which employs women coming out of prostitution or having been at risk of prostitution and/or trafficking.

If you are interested in hosting a jewelry party please write to Charity at charity@nightlightusa.org, and she will assist you in setting that up.

Remember the beautiful jewelry is also available on-line at http://www.nightlightbangkok.com/

"God is going before us to the bars preparing the way. He is sending us to receive the women and give hope," Annie writes. "We ask you to join us in this adventure. Thank you to those of you who already do. You are saving lives!"

In the News ... "Addy's Hope"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS -D’Lynn Watts and her husband, Clay, have wanted to adopt since they were kids themselves. Their dream finally came true through Addy’s Hope Adoption and Child Relief Ministry, an organization based in Midland.

Primarily focused on Africa up to this point, the organization is working with the state to expand its program to domestic adoptions as well.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:February 5/The Last Day

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

February 5/The Last Day

"It’s 12:20pm, weird, that’s 12 hours from the last post. The Amsterdam group has left Uganda. I’ll let you know when they get there. The rest of the group is at the airport and will be leaving in less that 2 hours. A couple of things to share. This is going to be funny in the end but Diana was not laughing at first ..." (more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

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 02/10/10

Burma/Myanmar
• Pray for the 2,000 people displaced in one week by Burma Army attacks last month. Pray for the children who must run for their lives when the Burma Army attacks their villages, often without any warning. Pray for those who are in hiding sites in the jungle with their families. Give thanks to God for organizations like Free Burma Rangers that come alongside these internally displaced people and help and serve them.
A report from the Free Burma Rangers

China
• Please keep the 100 children in Pishon Family Ministry’s orphanages held close in prayer. Pray for children in the orphanages who are “illegal” and unwanted. Many of these children have some kind of physical or mental impairment and have been discarded by their parents. Because of China’s strictly enforced one child policy, often the parents of a disabled child will dispose of her in favor of having a healthy child, preferably a boy.
• Pray that God will provide encouragement and support for the orphanages’ caregivers and volunteers. Pray also that God will bless this ministry with the resources necessary to care for these forgotten children. Give thanks to God for the love of Jesus Christ that is being made known to some of China’s most vulnerable children.

Haiti
• Please continue to pray for the children and people of Haiti as they struggle with the aftermath of the earthquake last month. Pray for children who are suffering serious health problems in Port-au-Prince’s crowded camps. Pray that food and clean water sources will multiply enough to handle the hundreds of thousands of people in need.
• Please keep in prayer the estimated 200,000 children younger than age 7 staying in temporary camps throughout the city. Crowded and inadequate living conditions are contributing to illnesses like diarrhea, measles, tetanus, and diphtheria. Give thanks to God for the new vaccination campaign that will help protect children from many of these diseases during this challenging time.
• Pray for children who have been traumatized psychologically—who have lost relatives, friends, schools, and homes. Pray that God will comfort those who are feeling the deep loss of security, protection, and love.
A report from the Washington Post

Kenya
• Give praise to God for Kevin’s rescue from his abusive grandmother. Abandoned by his mother, 5-year-old Kevin and his 2-year-old sister went to live with their alcoholic grandmother who would lock them out of the house and deny them food while she went off to drink all day.
• Pray that the burns and injuries inflicted on Kevin by his grandmother will continue to heal. Thank God for the Good Samaritan who rescued Kevin from this horrible situation and for the pastor and his family that have now adopted this little boy. Pray that Kevin will come through the surgeries to repair the hand and foot deformities with which he was born, and probably because of which he was tormented.
A report from Mendonsa Family Mission

United States
• Please continue to keep 18-month-old Amonnie in prayer as she struggles with liver disease that’s caused her body to become very swollen. Pray that God will sustain and comfort Amonnie and her family as they wait for a new liver for her. Pray for her mother who is struggling as she watches her child suffer.
• Pray for 4-year-old Anna, her parents, and grandparents during this difficult time in their lives. Anna’s grandfather is dying of pancreatic cancer and her grandmother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Anna’s mother is overwhelmed with the struggle to care for all of them. Pray that God will sustain Anna’s mother for the difficult work of caregiving and bring comfort to her grandparents.
• Please pray for God’s healing and comfort for Russell, a father of three boys, who has recently been diagnosed with cancer. Pray that God will bring comfort to 11-year-old Ethan, 13-year-old Cory, and 15-year-old Kyle, their mother, and the rest of their family and friends.

Faces of Children
• Please keep in prayer the Faces of Children mission team working in Thailand this week. Pray that they will be blessings to the children, IDPs, and organizations for which this ministry provides prayer support.
• 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.

In the News ... "San Angelo Diocese Raises More Money for Haiti"

Staff Report
KMID-TV

SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - The Diocese of San Angelo announced today that $134,472.10 has been collected from the churches in the 29-county diocese in West Texas for the suffering victims of the Haitian earthquake. All funds have been sent, and are being sent, through Catholic Relief Services to assist the people of Haiti.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KMID story.

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:February 4/The Journey Home

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

February 4/The Journey Home

"The journey home has begun. The team left Mbale this morning and headed to Kampala. They stopped to see the baboons and enjoyed feeding them bananas. They traveled on to see the memorial for the early christians that were killed. After arriving in Kampala the team enjoyed a nice dinner and a performance by the children of Elohim Child Development. The kids from this group are kids that at one time lived on the streets. The director takes children that live on the streets and teaches them the cultural music of the area. Money they raise keeps them off the streets ..." (more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

Invitation to Prayer

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

We will pray for the children of our world and communities this coming Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 2010, we’ll meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s Room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland. Please join us for this time of prayer and afterwards for lunch ($5) and fellowship.

Thank you so much for praying for children in our global and local communities! If you have prayer requests about children or those who care for them, please send them to me at claufer@facesofchildren.net or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris

In the News ... "West Texans Return from Haiti"

Shelley Childers
Reporter
KOSA-TV

MIDLAND-ODESSA, TEXAS - Members of a local church have arrived in Port Au Prince, Haiti - ready to help victims of the earthquake. Several members of Mid-Cities Church along with their pastor Dan Stephens took suitcases filled with supplies to Haiti.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Midland Group Reports Chinese Police, Farm Leaders Burn Bibles, Persecute Elderly 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.

Midland Group Reports Chinese Police, Farm Leaders Burn Bibles, Persecute Elderly Christians

Released by ChinaAid, January, 2010 ...

"XINJIANG PROVINCE – On December 25, 2009, Puhui Farm leaders and policemen arrested several elderly and ailing Christians in Korla City, Xinjiang. Like many around the world, members of Corps house church were celebrating Christmas Day. In the middle of the celebration, a band of farmers and Security policemen disrupted a gathering of believers during their fellowship celebration."
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:February 3/Two Parts

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

February 3/Two Parts

"A little bit of frustation at the hospital today. They got to the hospital and the power went out. They only got to do 1 surgery in the morning. The power came back on after lunch and they were able to do two more surgeries. One patient that was scheduled to have surgery today did not come until it was to late in the day for them to start the surgery ..." (more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

Authority on missional work coming to West Texas, next week

Darrell Guder, noted author and authority on missional work, is coming to West Texas Friday and Saturday, February 19-20, at First Presbyterian Church-Midland.

Guder is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Dean of Academic Affairs and the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, he served as a student outreach pastor and as a faculty member of the Karlshohe College in the German Lutheran Church. His writing and teaching focus on the theology of the missional church.

Guder's publications include the seminal work, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, which one reviewer described as, "one of the better books currently available introducing church leaders, pastors and lay ministers to ecclesiology from a missional perspective." Another reviewer labeled it, "after the Bible, the best book I've read all year ... this book was a partial answer to a prayer that I've had for years, 'God, What are you calling us to become, because it seems clear that we can't continue with the Christendom models.'"

For more information, and to be a part of Guder's visit to West Texas, please contact First Presbyterian Church of Midland at (432) 684-7821. Registration forms are available at the church's reception desk, at the Texas street entrance. First Prez is located on the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, on the west edge of downtown Midland.

In the News ... "Some Odessa Churches Begin To Offer Shelter for the Homeless"

Diane Tuazon
Reporter
KWES-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - Thirteen churches through out Odessa are partnering with an organization called Family Promise to help provide shelter for those in need.

"We can take up to 14 individuals. It's for people that maybe living in their cars or doubling up with family," Family Promise Director, Imelda Garcia, said.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KWES story.

The Great Emergence:Pt. 5, The Gathering Center

“'The Great Emergence' refers to a monumental phenomenon in our world, and this book asks three questions about it. Or looked at the other way around, this book is about a monumental phenomenon considered from the perspective of three very basic questions: What is this thing? How did it come to be? Where is it going?”

So begins Phyllis Tickle’s extraordinary new book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why. In this much-anticipated book, Tickle brings her encyclopedic knowledge of American religion to bear on the current shifts in the Christian landscape.

Word from Uganda: "Reflection of 2009"

Missionary teacher Natalie Rolfe writes, "'When He calls me, I will answer ... I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.' My call was Mbale, Uganda and that is where I have returned to serve for another year. Specifically, I am teaching phonics at Lulwanda Children's Home, an orphanage and school for 90 kids." Natalie also keeps an online journal of her service at the weblog, When He calls me, I will answer ...

Reflection of 2009
"The Lord is so gracious. He never fails to amaze me. His patience towards me is unending, and for that I am so grateful. It seems that no matter how often I have learned or heard lessons or truths of the Lord growing up, He still can open my mind to those truths in a new way. I guess that is truth in action, that the Word is living and active. Praise Him for that!! Praise Father that He is not a dead or inactive God, but truly He was, and is, and forever will be.”

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Natalie's post

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If you are interested in supporting LCH by sponsoring one of the 90 children, go to www.ugandaorphans.org If you are interested in financially supporting Natalie in her mission, you can send checks (with "Natalie Rolfe" in memo) to: Midland Bible Church, 2800 North A Street, Midland, TX 79705

Rolling Mission

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

the physically disabled poor in developing countries

as motivated by Jesus Christ.
Our vision is to provide 20 million wheelchairs."

Want to take one for a test drive? During normal business hours, visit the lobby at the Texas Street entrance of First Presbyterian Church-Midland, at the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, on the west side of downtown Midland. For $51.29, you can give the gift of mobility. You can donate by mailing FWC, calling them, or visiting their website.

Free Wheelchair Mission
9341 Irvine Boulevard
Irvine, CA 92618

(800) 733-0858

www.freewheelchairmission.org/

In the News ... "Midland Church Members Arrive in Haiti"

Tatum Hubbard
Reporter
KOSA-TV

MIDLAND-ODESSA, TEXAS - Members of a local church have arrived in Port Au Prince, Haiti - ready to help victims of the earthquake. Several members of Mid-Cities Church along with their pastor Dan Stephens took suitcases filled with supplies to Haiti.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:February 2/One More Day

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

February 2/One More Day

"Can you believe it’s almost over. Tomorrow is the last day for surgery and clinic. Part of the medical team left early this morning to go on a gorilla trek. I haven’t spoken to them yet but I do know they had a really long drive. The remainder of medical team members had a lot of very sick patients in clinic today. Some with malaria, aids, some had to be sent to the hospital. I know the patients are thankful to have medical care ..."(more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

Marking the Birth of a Martyr

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor and theologian martyred through his resistance to Adolf Hitler and Nazism, was born on this day in 1906. It was the begining of one of the more significant - if tragically short - lives of the 20th-century.

There was nothing cloistered about this cleric. He attended college in his native Germany, earning a PhD in theology at the age of 21, and took to traveling. He studied at a seminary in New York City, and attended Baptist church in Harlem, where he was introduced to the African-American spirituals that he collected and took back to Germany. He also traveled in India where he met Gandhi and studied the principle of non-violent resistance.

Non-violent, perhaps ... but serious nonetheless, as he returned to his native Germany, co-founded the Confessing Church, and ended up joining a resistance movement that opposed Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. "Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church," Bonhoeffer once wrote. "Our struggle today is for costly grace."

And it did, indeed, prove to be costly. Bonhoeffer was arrested in 1943, and again - for the final time - in 1944, after a failed assassination attempt on Hitler's life. He was imprisoned in a series of concentration camps. Bonhoeffer was tortured, then executed under brutal circumstances in the camp at Flossenbürg on April 9, 1945 ... ending a life, but not a legacy that endures and inspires to this day.

Online resources include this page devoted to Bonhoeffer created by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the website of the International Bonhoeffer Society, the Bonhoeffer Reading Room at Tyndale College & Seminary and Bonhoeffer's Wikipedia entry.

Faces of Children: Prayer Requests

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 02/03/10

Haiti
• Please continue to keep the children and people of Haiti held close in prayer.

India (Kings Kids South Asia – www.kkisouthasia.org)
• Give thanks and praise to God for the successful children’s conference in Nagaland, a hill state in northeast India comprised of 14 major tribes that are predominately Christian. Pray for the 1200 children who attended this Christian conference and participated in the workshops and worship services that were held in a huge stadium. Give thanks to God for an event that brought together so many children from diverse hill tribes and provided an opportunity for different churches and ministries to collaborate. Thanks be to God for the challenge given the children to become missionaries for Jesus Christ. Pray they will be the catalyst for change in their communities.
• Please pray for the 180 children and youth who attended the Amri Karbi Children’s Camp the following week. Pray that God will provide the leaders of this tribal people with wisdom as big changes may be ahead of them. Most of these people are very poor and farm for a living; however, their children are now able to go to school and, with an education, may have a much different future. Pray for the Amri Karbi church—this tribe of former animists became Christians about 25 years ago and suffer persecution at the hands of Hindu extremists.
• Pray that God will provide the resources needed to build a water well for the Mission to the Amri Karbi hostel and boarding school. The children must haul water up the hill to the school as their water pump breaks down often.

Mexico
• Pray for the children and widows of men killed in Mexico’s drug wars. An estimated 17,000 people, mainly healthy young men, have been murdered in the last three years. Pray that Mexico’s “narco widows” will be able to find ways to support their families and escape the climate of fear and violence. Pray for teenage girls who are lured into the narco world to “adorn drug ranch parties.” Pray for poor teenage boys who enter drug cartel work (as runners, lookouts, and informants) out of desperation or because of the temptation of easy money.
A report from alertnet.org

Pakistan
• Please pray for Charagh, a widow who was abandoned by her children and attacked by her neighbors. Charagh’s neighbors took advantage of her vulnerable situation and claimed ownership of her property. When she refused to hand it over, they tortured Charagh and threw acid on her face. Pray that God will bring her justice and healing. Give thanks that Charagh came to the attention of the SHE project (managed by Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan) and was taken to a shelter for protection and treatment. Please pray for Charagh’s complete physical and emotional healing. Pray that God will work in the hearts of her children so they will recognize how important she is in their lives.
A report from the Presbyterian Education Board
• Please continue to keep the leaders, staff, and volunteers with PEB in prayer as they serve the children of Pakistan.
Another report from the Presbyterian Education Board

Somalia
• Please continue to pray for the children and people of southern and central Somalia who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Pray that aid groups will be able to continue to distribute food and supplies despite the violence that threatens to stop this assistance. Pray for an end to the poverty and lawlessness that allows Islamist militant groups to thrive and children to suffer. Please pray for the 1.5 million children and people who have been displaced from their homes by this violence.
A report from alertnet.org

United States
• Pray for Jane and Joaquin as they prepare to welcome their new baby into the world. Please pray that God will provide Jane with good health throughout the rest of her pregnancy and that she won’t suffer any more complications. Pray for the health of their unborn son and for a safe delivery. And pray that God will provide this missionary family with discernment and wisdom as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives.

Faces of Children
• lease keep the Faces of Children mission team headed to Thailand this week in prayer as they travel and connect with organizations with which this ministry provides prayer support.
• 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.

In the News ... "West Texas Church Catches Private Plane to Haiti"

Shelley Childers
Reporter
KOSA-TV

MIDLAND-ODESSA, TEXAS - One West Texas church is stepping up to bring victims of the earthquake in Haiti what they need - everything from medical supplies to clean water. Only military planes and disaster relief aide are allowed to land in Port-Au-Prince, so this team of four began with one-way tickets to Florida after that, they left their trip in God's hands.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:February 1/Week 2

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

>February 1/Week 2

"Well, week two has begun. Today 3 surgeries were done. There was supposed to be 4 but one person didn’t show up. Medical teams had a good day. Team #1 saw 450 patients and team #2 saw 465. They will be tired when the week is over but it will be a tired that has been worth it. Another reason for keeping track of the number of patients at clinic is to give them an idea of how much medication they may need for the next trip ..."(more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

In the News ... "Local Church Working to Open New Outreach Center in Midland"

Cierra Putman
Reporter
KWES-TV

MIDLAND, TEXAS - A new addition is coming to the Midland K-Mart shopping center but it's not a store. A local church is paying as they go to build a new outreach center, and they're trying to raise almost $700,000 to get it done.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KWES story.

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:January 31/A Day of Rest

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

January 31/A Day of Rest

"Today at church the team was introduced then Craig gave the sermon. The sermon is translated at the same time Craig is speaking. It is very interesting to watch. I’ve only seen it on video. Who ever is giving the sermon says a few sentences then it’s translated then a few more sentences are given then translated and so on. It takes a little while but they get through it ..."(more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

Authority on missional work coming to West Texas

Darrell Guder, noted author and authority on missional work, is coming to West Texas Friday and Saturday, February 19-20, at First Presbyterian Church-Midland.

Guder is Princeton Theological Seminary’s Dean of Academic Affairs and the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Hamburg. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, he served as a student outreach pastor and as a faculty member of the Karlshohe College in the German Lutheran Church. His writing and teaching focus on the theology of the missional church.

Guder's publications include the seminal work, Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America, which one reviewer described as, "one of the better books currently available introducing church leaders, pastors and lay ministers to ecclesiology from a missional perspective." Another reviewer labeled it, "after the Bible, the best book I've read all year ... this book was a partial answer to a prayer that I've had for years, 'God, What are you calling us to become, because it seems clear that we can't continue with the Christendom models.'"

For more information, and to be a part of Guder's visit to West Texas, please contact First Presbyterian Church of Midland at (432) 684-7821. Registration forms are available at the church's reception desk, at the Texas street entrance. First Prez is located on the northwest corner of Texas and A streets, on the west edge of downtown Midland.

Invitation to Prayer

Faces of Children is an ecumenical prayer ministry under the auspices of First Presbyterian Church of Midland, Texas. Our mission is to initiate ministries of prayer for children in churches, communities, and neighborhoods. In doing so, we seek to provide an opportunity for people of God to join together, learn about children and their needs throughout the world, and celebrate Christ's love (especially as it relates to children).

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

"The purpose of prayer is to bring Heaven and earth together. It gives inner peace in ways that neither intellectual understanding, credentials, money, sex, drugs, houses, clothes, nor any other gifts of the world can do. We can learn to speak to God as we would speak to a combination therapist/lover/teacher/best friend/One-we-trust-more-than-anything/One-who-loves-us-no-matter-what/One-with-all-the-power-to-heal/One-with-the-power-and-desire-to-help, for that’s what God is. Prayer work is a constant and consistent conversation with him. God listens, and he answers. His answer is the experience of peace."

"Prayer gives us access to a sweeter, more abundant life. The intellect gives many things, but ultimately it cannot give comfort. No conventional therapy can release us from a deep and abiding psychic pain. Through prayer we find what we cannot find elsewhere: a peace that is not of this world."

Illuminata: A Return to Prayer
by Marianne Williamson

Greetings, Faces of Children Intercessor,

I stumbled across this book at our Friends of the Library used book store a few weeks ago and have enjoyed thumbing through it, reading Marianne Williamson’s prayers and articles on prayer. I’m not familiar with this author, but her words stirred me to contemplate “the peace that surpasses all understanding” and its connection to prayer. May you also find words of blessing through this brief offering from Williamson’s book.

This coming Wednesday, February 3, 2010, we’ll meet at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s Room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland to pray for the children of the world. Please join us for this time of prayer and afterwards for lunch ($5) and fellowship.

Thank you so much for praying for children in our global and local communities! If you have prayer requests about children or those who care for them, please send them to me at claufer@facesofchildren.net or give me a call.

Grace and peace,

Chris

In the News ... "Nite Strikes Braves the Cold to Help Those in Need"

Beau Berman
Reporter
KOSA-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS - When the temperatures drop, members of an Odessa church load a truck with soup and blankets and hit the streets to help the homeless.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the KOSA story.

Midland Group Releases "2009 Annual Report: Top Ten Cases of Christian Persecution in China"

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.

Midland Group Releaases "2009 Annual Report: Top Ten Cases of Christian Persecution in China"

Released by ChinaAid, January, 2010 ...

"ChinaAid – The year 2009 showed Chinese Christian churches thriving in the midst of persecution. In a society where economic booming and innovation are in great demand, the Chinese government and the house churches continue wrestling with each other and drawing attention from all over the world. Nevertheless, the faithful persecuted in China believe God’s love and grace will always strengthen their churches."
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid

Mercy Trips Uganda Mission:January 30/Another Surprise

Partnering with local healthcare workers and churches in medically underserved countries, Odessa, Texas-based Mercy Trips Healthcare Outreach provides free medical clinics and surgical care as an outreach of Christian love for our fellow man.

January 30/Another Surprise

"Well, we have another surprise but I’m going to write about it at the end. No peeking. Just kidding. The surgery team had a good day. They would have liked to accomplish a little more but things went well ..."(more)

CLICK HERE to visit Mercy Trips' blog.

In the News ... "New Soup Kitchen"

Roy Waggoner
Staff Writer
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS -James Forshee has been homeless for about a year since losing his job, but now the 56-year-old Odessan at least has a full lunch each day at the Bearly Unique Blessings Soup Kitchen at Faith Temple Fellowship.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.