West Texas Missioner

Monday, April 4, 2011

In the News ... "Fannin Terrace Baptist looks back, moves forward after 50 years"

Fannin Terrace Baptist looks back, moves forward after 50 years
By Sara Higgins
Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - The congregation of Fannin Terrace Baptist Church is hoping to bring together former and current members during a special worship service and celebration April 17 in honor of its 50th anniversary.

"It's important to look back on the faithfulness of God, to see how he established the church, how he's grown the church and has just really embedded it in the community over the years," said minister of education Kathy Howard, who planned the anniversary celebration.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer.

The stories for the 2011 Mission Yearbook were collected around General Assembly Mission theme “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide” based on Matt. 28:18-20 and Mark 9:35. Each yearbook page bears witness to the abundant possibilities of the church because of the leadership of Christ.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 4, 2011

MAUMEE VALLEY PRESBYTERY - In the early spring of 2008, the Justice Team of Maumee Valley Presbytery received an e-mail from Rev. Yongjin Kim in Malawi, with the following appeal: "Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ ... Hope you are all well. I miss you all. The demand here in the prison system is simply too overwhelming to be polite to you and be mindful of saving face. Please continue to remember the prisoners, as we once were the prisoners of sin. And do something for this difficult task."
CLICK HERE to read more.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 3, 2011

MINUTE FOR MISSION: LOUISVILLE PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY - Making clear connections between stewardship of the earth and living one's faith has been an ongoing focus for Rebecca Barnes-Davies, a master of divinity student at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Rebecca is an environmental activist who has advocated the eco-justice message for more than a decade. As a consultant for Environmental and Social Justice Ministries and director of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation, she has created public policy proposals and changes, educated others, and published articles.
CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 2, 2011

PRESBYTERY OF MACINAC - The Church in the Hills in Bellaire, Michigan, has determined to become the church in the town, on the lakes, and in all places that it has been called to present Christ's message of hope and love. Congregation members started asking themselves, ``Where would Christ go from this building in order to demonstrate grace in our community?'' This intentional shift in mission has enabled them to see opportunities for mission in their whole community.

As a result, Church in the Hills, one of 41 churches with a total of 6,647 members in the presbytery, has reached out into the town of Bellaire to open a free, after-school youth center.
CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, April 1, 2011

In the News ... "Andrews Church Repairing The Destruction"

Andrews Church Repairing The Destruction
Robert Guaderrama
KOSA-TV

ANDREWS, TEXAS - Congregation of Apostolic Worship Center in Andrews just completed a $35,000 dollar renovation on their church but last week's crash has put them back at square one.

"There's a big hole in the side of the building and a little Honda sitting on the side of it."

This is the sight Pastor Phil Marroquin drove up to early Sunday morning.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KOSA story.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: April 1, 2011

PRESBYTERY OF LAKE MICHIGAN - The Presbytery of Lake Michigan is a Christian community of congregations and clergy partnering as they seek God's leading, share God's love, and spread God's light. The presbytery has 16,639 members in 70 churches and an outdoor ministry at Camp Greenwood.

Partnerships between the congregations in the presbytery and congregations in the Ho-East Presbytery, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, began in 1980.
CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 31, 2011

PRESBYTERY OF LAKE HURON - Faith in Flint is the rallying cry of First Presbyterian Church (FPCF) in Flint. Flint has lost over 75,000 General Motors jobs and has an unemployment rate of 28 percent, but one vibrant downtown congregation understands the calling to be the presence of resurrection faith in the city and to proclaim a faith that God has a blessed future for Flint.

FPCF is Faith in Flint.
CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

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 3/30/11

Japan

• Continue to keep the children and people of Japan held close in prayer as they deal with the destruction from the 9.0 magnitude March 11 earthquake, the subsequent tsunami, and the damaged nuclear reactors. Pray that God will provide for each victim of these combined disasters. Pray for the 390,000 who have been forced out of their homes; for the 850,000 households that are without electricity in freezing weather; and for the 1.6 million without running water.

A report from alertnet.org

A report from ABC News

• Pray for those who mourn the death of more than 6500 people and for those who search for the more than 10,000 missing. Pray for children separated from parents or family members. Pray for parents searching for their children. Whole communities along Japan's northeastern coast were destroyed by tsunami waves that followed the earthquake.

A report from alertnet.org A report from the Washington Post

• Give thanks to God for the strength and resilience of the Japanese people and for the support they are receiving from around the world. Pray that the most vulnerable will receive aid quickly.

A report from alertnet.org

• Please continue to pray for those working to stabilize the nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi complex. Pray for those who have been evacuated from homes and communities around this nuclear facility. Pray for those who have been exposed to radiation. Pray that panic over radiation exposure won't detract from the efforts to help survivors of the earthquake and tsunami.

United States

• Please keep Kerri, a young mother with 3-year-old twins and a 1-year-old, and her family in prayer as she continues to recover from brain surgery. Give thanks to God that Kerri's surgeons were able to remove 85 percent of her brain tumor. Pray that the rest of the tumor can be treated successfully and that it will go away. Continue to pray for the physicians and staff Kerri encounters at the cancer center-that they will be thorough and compassionate in caring for this young mother.

• Pray for 19-year-old Jenny *, a young mother who is several days overdue to deliver her baby. Please pray for a safe delivery and for the health of Jenny and her baby. Pray that God will be with her as she cares for this new baby and her daughters, 3-year-old Serenity and 5-year-old Gabriella. Give thanks to God for the Family Promise Program in which Jenny is involved and through which she receives support as she works to become independent and secure more permanent housing for her family.

* Name changed for confidentiality and/or protection.

• Please continue to lift baby Lexi in prayer as she will need to have surgery soon to place a feeding tube in her stomach. Lexi was born two-and-a-half-months premature to young parents addicted to cocaine and has a multitude of physical challenges due to maternal drug use. Pray that the surgery may be performed soon so Lexi can go live with her paternal aunt and uncle with whom she will be placed. Give thanks to God for the healing that Lexi has experienced in many areas and pray that God will continue to wrap arms of healing tenderness around this beautiful baby girl. Pray that God will provide her aunt, uncle, and grandparents with the stamina to care for Lexi and the resources with which to do so.

Faces of Children

• Pray for 13-year-old Sarah, 14-year-old Shelby, their mother Jodi and father Nick. Jodi, the sister-in-law of a Faces of Children prayer partner, is in a fight for her life. Pray that Jodi can overcome the infection in her body. Jodi is a 12 year kidney transplant survivor, but her heart has weakened, she has pneumonia, and her kidneys are shutting down. Pray for Jodi's extended family and friends as they gather in support. Pray that her physicians and hospital staff are able to treat this infection.

• Please keep Reid, a Faces of Children prayer partner's grandson, held close in prayer following the sudden death of his father. Reid came home from school and found his father dead. Pray that God will bring comfort and peace to Reid, his older brother, and his mother as they grieve the loss of this beloved father and friend. Pray for Reid's grandmother and extended family as this was the seventh death in their family in the last one-and-a-half years.

• Give thanks to God for the fourth grade students in class 4A at Whitinsville Christian School in Massachusetts who pray for children using age appropriate Faces of Children prayer requests. Thanks be to God for 10-year-old Rachel who brings the requests to her class during their time to pray about news events.

• Please pray for Margaret, a Maryknoll Sister stationed in Japan and a Doctoral Ministry colleague of a Faces of Children intercessor, as she serves the children and people of Japan.

• 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 ... "Salvation Army Receives Grant for Appliances"

Salvation Army Receives Grant for Appliances
Shelley Childers
KOSA-TV

ODESSA, TEXAS -The Salvation Army says they are extremely grateful for financial assistance that allowed them to buy a washer and dryer.

The Salvation Army of Odessa has been using a residential washer and dryer for the past four months, saying it was taking four to six hours a day to clean their linens.

Their previous washer and dryer were no longer operational, and thanks to a $5,000 grant from the junior league of Odessa, they now have the proper facilities.
CLICK HERE to read/watch the rest of the KOSA story.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 30, 2011

EASTMINSTER PRESBYTERY - First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Niles was a thriving congregation of more than 1,000 before the local economy collapsed. Today it has fewer than 140 members. FPC members refused to withdraw into a survival mode. Instead, they dramatically increased their outreach.

Church volunteers began reaching out to a low-income housing complex. Litter-strewn grounds and broken glass greeted them everywhere. A month later, they returned to clean up the complex and refurbish its playgrounds. FPC's session voted to hold vacation Bible school (VBS) at the complex that summer. Members hauled tables and chairs to a parking lot and stretched a tarp overhead for shade. More than forty children turned out. For three years VBS met there until renovation construction took over the site.

Soon, another neighborhood needing an infusion of God's love emerged.
CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

In the News ... "Catholic priest to leave Odessa"

Catholic priest to leave Odessa Lyxan Toldanes Staff Writer Odessa American ODESSA, TEXAS - It’s out of the Lone Star State and into the Show Me State for the Rev. Mark Miller. The priest is leaving the St. Joseph and St. Anthony Catholic parishes June 27 to serve two parishes in Sedalia, Missouri. Miller, who has served the Catholic Churches of South Odessa for the last seven years, said it was about time for a possibility of a change. CLICK HERE to read the rest of the OA story.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 29, 2011

THE PRESBYTERY OF DETROIT - On the third Saturday of every month, Calvary Presbyterian Church in Detroit distributes food to families in need. The Food Distribution Ministry was started as a project of the church’s Evangelism Committee under the leadership of elder Tracey Reynolds.

The distribution process starts early in the month when elder Pam Johnson assesses the needs of the families. She orders enough food from the Gleaners Community Food Bank to feed more than sixty families. The average family receives meat, vegetables, starches, bread, milk, cereal, juice, fruit, and treats for the children.
CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Midland Group Share Chinese Government Document Concerning Recent Raid on Christians’ Legal Study Session

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 Share Chinese Government Document Concerning Recent Raid on Christians’ Legal Study Session

Released by ChinaAid, March, 2011 ...

"HUBEI, CHINA – ChinaAid has received a copy of the government document issued last week to the Christians in Yangdang Town, Zaoyang city of Hubei, who had gathered for a lecture on their church’s legal rights defense. On February 23, police raided the meeting, confiscated property, took all the attendees to the police station, and beat several of them."
Read the Rest of the Report from ChinaAid

Invitation to Prayer

“The spiritual life can only be real when it is lived in the midst of the pains and joys of the here and now. Therefore we need to begin with a careful look at the way we think, speak, feel, and act ... in order to become more fully aware of our hunger for the Spirit. As long as we have only a vague inner feeling of discontent with our present way of living, and only an indefinite desire for 'things spiritual,' our lives will continue to stagnate ..."

"Our first task is to dispel this vague, murky feeling of discontent and to look critically at how we are living our lives. This requires honesty, courage, and trust. We must honestly unmask and courageously confront our many self-deceptive games. We must trust that our honesty and courage will lead us not to despair, but to a new heaven and a new earth.”
"Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life" by Henri J.M. Nouwen

"Beloved God, chase away my melancholy and ennui with the gift of your grace. Let me actively pursue your spiritual gifts instead of putting off this pursuit out of a vague sense of boredom and doubt. Give me the honesty to unmask my many self-deceptive games so that I may strive wholeheartedly for the kingdom of God. Amen."
"Lent and Easter Wisdom from Henri J.M. Nouwen" compiled by Judy Bauer

A message from Chris Laufer, Coordinator, Faces of Children

Greetings, Faces of Children Prayer Partner,

Well now. Who wants to pull out a magnifying glass and look critically at how you're living your life? "Not me," says the spiritually sluggish voice in my head. "I'm doing well just putting one foot in front of the other most days. I really, really don't want to dig around in my cluttered brain and try to figure out the self-deceptive games I play. The status quo is just fine by me."

In fact, I'm not even sure I understand what Nouwen is referring to here. Did this critical self evaluation lead to Nouwen's decision to give up the life of an acclaimed professor at an Ivy League divinity school and go to work with developmentally disabled people at the L'Arche community of Daybreak in Canada? Holy cow, that's a major change!

So if I go poking about with a magnifying glass, challenging the status quo in my life, what on earth am I going to discover? Actively pursuing the spiritual gifts with which God has poured out on me is a bit daunting to say the least. And yes, I confess, I am afraid of change, of letting go of the status quo. Sometimes these Lenten practices can be so disturbingly challenging. Your thoughts?

Please join us on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:30 a.m. in the Bride’s Room at First Presbyterian Church, Midland, for a time of prayer for the children of the world. Please stay afterwards for lunch ($5) and a time of fellowship.

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

On the journey with you this Lenten season,

Chris

In the News ... "Religious leaders to engage in interfaith panel discussion"

Religious leaders to engage in interfaith panel discussion
By Sara Higgins
Reporter
Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Leaders of five different religious backgrounds will discuss how their traditions allow them to understand and confront contemporary issues April 7 at St. Stephen's Catholic Church.

The religious officials will comment on a handful of issues from a faith perspective, said Padmaja Patel, secretary of the Hindu Association of West Texas. Each speaker will be invited to ask a question that each person on the interfaith panel will answer individually.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the MRT story

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 28, 2011

THE PRESBYTERY OF CINCINNATI - "In an ongoing effort to become a more missional body, the Presbytery of Cincinnati has abolished its Mission Committee. Instead of focusing primarily on the creation of top-down mission programs, the presbytery encourages shared initiatives emerging from congregations and sessions. These initiatives typically take one of two forms, either networks or congregations in mission partnerships."
CLICK HERE to read more.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Video Vault: "Imagine a World Without Malaria"

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 27, 2011

MINUTE FOR MISSION: JOHNSON C. SMITH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY - "Paul T. Roberts is now dean at Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary.

'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future' (Jer. 29:11, NIV).

My career path has been full of surprises. After earning a degree in architecture and African American studies from Princeton University in 1985, I went to New York City and landed an entry-level job in advertising. Surprise."
CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

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 NightLight, 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!"

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2011

THE SYNOD OF THE COVENANT - "Life in the Synod of the Covenant is consistently developing both in depth and in width as staff and members seek to be faithful to God's call in this new century.

The synod has been the recipient of a grant from the Frank E. Clark Charitable Trust for the purpose of "Responding to God's Creation. The eleven presbyteries received equal shares of the grant and distributed their funds to upgrade the fuel efficiency of small churches. Because of the age of so many church buildings, this grant provided help in making needed improvements for 'greening' church buildings."
CLICK HERE to read more.