West Texas Missioner

Friday, February 20, 2015

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

BOLIVIA - We arrived in the city of Tarija in January 2012 and found ourselves in a context devoid of the gospel message. Many young adults, adolescents, children, and families did not know the gospel of Christ. Living in this city, we came to know its social context and daily life.

Tarija is well known as the city of wine and flowers. It is a college town, where many young people arrive each year to study. It does not offer much else of interest to them aside from parties. We believe that Tarija needs the gospel of Jesus Christ ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

From @austinseminary ... Devotional for Ash Wednesday, Start of Lent

Written by professors, graduates, and others in the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary community, these reflections, prayers, and spiritual practices will take you along the journey with Jesus through the cross toward resurrection.

Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, February 18, 2015

• Psalm 130
• Matthew 9:9–15

The call of Matthew happens suddenly. Jesus speaks two words to a tax collector who follows without question or conversation. This jarring story captures a dramatic change in Matthew’s life, appropriate for a story that, at least in part, is about conversion. I imagine that Matthew could recall the details of that day, even years afterward: what his life looked like from one side of the tax booth before he met Jesus and what he saw from the other side after Jesus called him.

Some of us can point to a similar story, perhaps even naming a day and an hour when our lives were forever changed. Others of us, like me, don’t have a story like Matthew’s. I remember a time in high school when I was disappointed that I couldn’t point back to a time when the definitive change in my life happened. It was during a Presbytery-wide youth rally at my home church, complete with a Christian rock band. One of the speakers at the rally asked us to testify to a moment of conversion in our own lives. I couldn’t, and I felt inadequate. I didn’t speak up because it didn’t seem like I had anything to say. Or did I actually have something to say?

There is no one template for Christian discipleship. Our stories are as varied as our number. But among our stories is a common thread: Jesus’ call to follow is meant for our whole lives. Not to follow him one day of the week, not to follow him only in spiritual life, not to follow him to one place only. But to follow him. Lent offers one time in the Christian calendar when we can focus our discipline to follow Jesus’ call: not in order to deprive ourselves, but in order that we might live more abundantly.

Whether we can point to a definitive moment in our lives when we became aware of Christ’s call, or whether we awakened to it more gradually over time is not the point. The point is for our stories to be shaped by the story of the One who invites us every day anew, to taste life in its abundance each moment of the day, to hear the Good News that he proclaims as if for the first time. As if we had just heard it and had to leave the tax booth behind.

Gracious God, your Son calls each of us by name, but we often do not hear because of the noises that surround us. Yet your Son calls us still. Help us to hear our name, and to follow as if we were meeting your Son for the first time. Amen.

– Dr. David H. Jensen
Academic Dean and Professor in The Clarence N. and Betty B. Frierson Distinguished Chair of Reformed Theology

For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.

Monday, February 16, 2015

ChinaAid: "Liangren Church elder sends letter to church from prison"

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.

Liangren Church elder sends letter to church from prison
Distributed by ChinaAid, January, 2015 ...

Huang Quirui

LIZHOU, GUANGXI, CHINA – A detained church elder in China’s southern Guangxi allowed China Aid to publish a letter, below, that he wrote to his fellow church members regarding his seven-month imprisonment on January 15 ...

• more on this story from China Aid

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 15, 2015

MINUTE FOR MISSION: HEALTH AWARENESS AND PRAYER FOR HEALING - Back in 2001, people from National Capital Presbytery, its Lewinsville and Immanuel congregations in McLean, and Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church had a dream—to build an affordable assisted-living facility in northern Virginia. This determined group overcame many roadblocks, including county requirements, complaints from neighbors (“There might be too much noise!”), and more. God faithfully answered prayers, and in fall 2007 the doors of Chesterbrook Residences, the area’s only multi-income assisted-living facility, were opened. What a joy for so many who had worked so hard to make this a reality ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

ARGENTINA, PARAGUAY AND URUGUAY - lena Ramírez and Alicia Franco live in Colonia San Gustavo, a rural community in Entre Ríos, Argentina, where many small farmers struggle to make ends meet. Elena and Alicia are proud that the grinder given to their community 15 years ago by ecumenical partners is still going strong. They use it to make everything from corn, sorghum, and soy flours to chicken feed.

Elena and Alicia are part of a diaconal project of the Waldensian Evangelical Church of Río de la Plata (IEVRP) called Accompaniment of Farm Families. The project enables women from small farms to share, reflect, and train together. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, February 13, 2015

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

Thursday, February 12, 2015

In the News ... "Living out faith in public"

OA Photo by Courtney Sacco

• Congregations support CrossRoads Fellowship lead pastor Griffin Jones, his wife through prayer

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - Being a pastor is challenging enough with an untroubled private life. Add a serious health problem, and it is a role that needs a lot of support.

The Rev. Dr. Griffin Jones, lead pastor at CrossRoads Fellowship, and his wife Donna were rocked by the news 18 months ago that her breast cancer had spread to her lungs.

But they’ve been greatly encouraged by their congregation, where 1,500 “Praying for Donna” bracelets have been distributed, and prayers from the First Baptist Church in Odessa, Mid-Cities Community Church and Stonegate Fellowship in Midland, among other groups ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 12, 2015

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN - n the fourth chapter of Luke, Jesus initiates his public ministry by reaching back to the prophet Isaiah to frame his mission: “to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (vv. 18–19). All are signs of the reign of God that Jesus will proclaim in word and deed. And the mention of “the year of the Lord’s favor” connects his announcement to Hebrew notions of sabbatical and jubilee—years in which the community gives rest and tangible relief to the poor, the oppressed, the stranger, those enslaved by debt, and even the land itself. Together, these practices helped to restore the relationships among the people of God to their proper balance. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

In the News ... "Faith — no matter what"

OA Photo by Edyta Blaszczyk

• " ... keeps his perspective on what is right, effective and honorable”

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - When the Rev. Russell Nebhut preaches about keeping one’s faith, no matter what, he knows what he is talking about.

The 51-year-old Garland native survived an abusive childhood, a divorce and a change of denominations to become pastor last year of Asbury United Methodist Church, where he began more outreach ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

The Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is a daily devotional with 365 inspiring mission stories that come from next door and all across the globe. It inspires thousands of Presbyterians daily as they uphold the mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in intercessory prayer. How often have you wondered, where are the young adults in the PC(USA)? Wonder no longer. The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study is devoted to the theme of young adults in the church. Its stories, many told by young adults, lift up how Presbyterians of all ages are engaging and joining with Presbyterian young adults in reforming the church for Christ’s mission.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: February 11, 2015

PRESBYTERY OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA - “So where do you go to church?” This question posed to our waitress by new church development pastor Graham Baird revealed to us his heart and passion for sharing Christ with the unchurched. Our task force was in Camarillo to explore starting a new worshiping community in this rapidly growing area. Families, young professionals, and college students all flock to the restaurants, movie theaters, and stores after work and on weekends. We are praying they flock to one of the 1,001 new worshiping communities we believe God is leading us to starT ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Welcoming PCUSA leader to Midland: TOMORROW

Heath Rada, Moderator of Presbyterian Church USA, will be here at First Presbyterian Church-Midland on Wednesday, February 11. Dinner will be at 5:15 p.m. in Lynn Hall. Worship and a Q-and-A session will be in the Sanctuary at 6:00 p.m.

In the News ... "Candid, comedic approach to marriage counseling"

• Sought after speaker is leading the laughter-filled program

Staff Report
Odessa American

MIDLAND/ODESSA, TEXAS - Rather than taking a deadly serious approach to marital problems, a generous application of humor may be more effective, according to a Green Bay, Wisconsin, minister who will conduct a Pour Into Your Marriage" seminar February 20-21 at Mid-Cities Community Church .

This year guest speaker Mark Gungor is leading the laughter-filled program from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. February 20, and 9:00 a.m. to noon February 21 ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

PRESBYTERY OF SAN GABRIEL, CALIFORNIA - Tapestry: A Presbyterian Youth Collective, which grew out of the collaboration of two San Gabriel youth pastors, provides hands-on experiences of compassionate and prophetic discipleship. Four years ago, Rev. Rocky Supinger and Rev. Becca Bateman planned a mission week for junior high students. Each day the students learned about mission opportunities by serving at a different site in the greater Los Angeles area. After the first year’s mission week, they added a retreat at the Big Bear Presbyterian Conference Center for youth from congregations in the presbyteries of San Gabriel and Riverside. And last summer, 42 senior high students participated in Ghost Ranch’s Youth Service Corps program, in which they learned about the cultures of northern New Mexico while serving at Ghost Ranch and in the community ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, February 9, 2015

ChinaAid: "China Aid president participates in human rights discussion hosted by The Heritage Foundation"

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.

China Aid president participates in human rights discussion hosted by The Heritage Foundation
Distributed by ChinaAid, January, 2015 ...

China Aid File Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – China Aid founder and President Bob Fu participated in a forum on human rights hosted by The Heritage Foundation on Thursday, during which he summarized religious persecution endured by several religious groups from the time the Chinese Communist government came to power in 1949 to current persecution ...

• more on this story from China Aid

Welcoming PCUSA leader to Midland: WEDNESDAY

In the News ... "A career leading worship"

OA Photo by Edyta Blaszczyk

• Longtime FBC Odessa music minister Curtis Brewer looks to finish strong, eyes retirement

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American

ODESSA, TEXAS - For a man who has been in Odessa since 1982 and made his career as a music minister here, Curtis Brewer was awfully uncertain about it.

“When I first saw Odessa, I said it was the ugliest place on earth,” said Brewer, whose title at the First Baptist Church in Odessa is associate worship pastor. “I turned it down three times. Then I said to my wife Marilyn, ‘I can’t get Odessa off my mind. God is beating me to death over it. I can’t get any peace.’

“And she said, ‘I can’t, either.’ ”

So they moved from Montgomery, Alabama, and are happy they did ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

PRESBYTERY OF SAN FERNANDO, CALIFORNIA - In the fall of 2010, Rev. Dayro Aranzalez, executive secretary of Central Presbytery in the Presbyterian Church of Colombia, visited the Presbytery of San Fernando to propose a partnership that would encourage mutual understanding and assistance. After several return visits, Elder Lisa Patriquin is now working directly with Central Presbytery as coordinator of community outreach projects. Lisa helps Central connect to international organizations, churches, and individuals that support its mission. Current community projects focus on children and youth in Bogotá and Medellín neighborhoods that have high rates of substance abuse, unemployment or underemployment, and prostitution. Many come from families who have suffered multiple forced displacements because of the ongoing armed conflict in Colombia ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook

MINUTE FOR MISSION: CAMP AND CONFERENCE MINISTRIES - What is it about camps and conferences that prepares us to forge life-changing connections? Why does God choose to use camps and conference centers to bring about profound changes in us? Perhaps it is because we allow ourselves to be more exposed and vulnerable when away from the comforts of home. We find ourselves surrounded by new people and are liberated from some of the worries that surround us in our everyday lives ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

In the News ... "Sharing the love"

OA File Photo

• Respite, support care for special needs children, their families

Staff Report
Odessa American

MIDLAND, TEXAS - Join for the annual SHARE (Sharing Hands, A Respite Experience) Valentine’s Day Party on February 11 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at First Christian Church in Midland ...

• read the rest of this OA report ...

Human rights advocate to visit Midland TOMORROW

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief and Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma. Their mission is to demonstrate, through holistic action, God’s love to children and communities made vulnerable by war in Burma.

This Sunday in the Bridge, we welcome Oddny Gumaer as our guest preacher. Oddny, along with her husband Steve, founded Partners and Development in 1995 to provide help for people affected by the conflict in Burma. Oddny is a writer, graphic designer, and runner. Her books and speeches have moved many people to engage with the people of Burma and refocus on the big issues of our day rather than the trivialities that often consume us. Her primary role is working in advocacy, getting the information out about the victims of war through writing, meeting politicians and policy makers, and speaking at uuman rights meetings.

1st Presbyterian Church of Midland, is located at 800 W. Texas Avenue, on the northwest corner of N. A Street and Texas Avenue, on the west side of downtown Midland. You can also enter the church from Illinois Street, across from the main entrance of Midland High School. The Bridge Service - comfortable and encouraging for all ages - will be held at 11:00 a.m. in the church's Lynn Community Hall.