Monday, March 29, 2021

From @chinaaid : "CCP to demolish Yining Xinjiang’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Church—for failure to align with "sinicization""

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

ChinaAid Photo
CCP to demolish Yining Xinjiang’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Church—for failure to align with "sinicization"
Distributed by ChinaAid, February 2021 ...

YININ (aka GHULJA), XINJIANG PRIOVINCE, CHINA – Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities ordered Yining Catholics to stop attending Yining Xinjiang’s Sacred Heart of Jesus Church on February 19 for failure to align with the party's "sinicization" policy. Under the leadership of Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, sinicization involves reconciling the doctrines of all officially recognized religions with the CCP’s core values of socialism and assimilating religions into Chinese traditional culture ...

More on this story from ChinaAid ...


In the News ... "Revival at Open Door Church - TONIGHT"

• All are encouraged to register even if they believe there is no damage, as damage may be discovered later

Staff Report
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Due to a great response from the community in reporting winter storm damage, FEMA has approved Ector County eligible to receive disaster assistance.

Ector County renters/Homeowners/small businesses/immigrant families with US born children in the home surrounding counties are strongly encouraged to register through April 20.

All are encouraged to register even if they believe there is no damage as damage may be discovered later. This is not a substitute for losses covered by home insurance. Eligibility status will be determined after the case review.

To register or for more information, call 800-621-FEMA, visit www.disasterassistance.gov or the FEMA App.

In the News ... "Rev. Forest teaches life lessons"

OA Photo by Eli Hartman
• Midland native says success follows heeding the Word of God

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American


MIDLAND, TEXAS - The Rev. William Carl “Bill” Forest says faith is always either strengthening or weakening, determined by the direction one takes in life ...

Read the rest of this OA report ...

Sunday, March 28, 2021

In the News ... "Holy Week sermon series, an Abilene tradition, again an online experience"

ARN photo by Greg Jaklewicz
"Many consider this series as some of the best evidence of the shared faith and trust of Abilenians."

By Greg Jaklewicz, Reporter/Photographer
Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - Easter approaches with good news, and some bad news. The faithful, of course, quickly will pick up on the good news because of the significance of Easter Sunday. But this year, it also will mean in-person celebrations ... ...

... What is not happening, again, is the four-day tour of "downtown" churches known as the Holy Week Luncheon Series. But instead of also canceling the weeklong effort last year, the ministers pre-recorded their sermons. One was presented each day of Holy week, leading up to Good Friday.

That will happen again this year

...

Read the rest of this ARN report ...

In the News ... "Opinion: 7 reasons you should go to church the week after Easter"

• Here are 7 reasons you should go to church on Easter, the week after Easter, and the week after that

Landon Coleman is pastor
of Immanuel Baptist
Church in Odessa
By Landon Coleman, Contributor
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - [Today] is Palm Sunday, and I hope you are planning to go to church. The following Sunday is Easter Sunday, and I hope you are planning to go to church on Easter, too. If I’m being honest, I also hope you are planning to go to church the week after Easter Sunday, and the week after that, too. My hope probably does not surprise you, after all, I’m a pastor. Nevertheless, here are 7 reasons you should go to church tomorrow, on Easter, the week after Easter, and the week after that ...

Read the rest of this OA report ...

In the News ... "Abilene Sermons: 03/27-28/2021"

• What's happening at churches in the Big Country?

Staff Report
Abilene Reporter-News

ABILENE, TEXAS - Local and area church sermons this weekend.

Encourage your pastor to tell us the upcoming week's sermon topic. It's FREE, and it's open to churches throughout the Big Country. Email it to publishme@reporternews.com by 2 p.m. each Tuesday. Please put "sermon" in the subject line. Include the topic, who will deliver it, a synopsis limited to 60 words, when services begin and the name and street address of your place of worship ...

Read the rest of this ARN report ...

In the News ... "San Angelo area churches offer worship, volunteer options: Weekend of March 27"


• Here is a look at the communications received by the Standard-Times to date

By Matthew McDaniel, Reporter
San Angelo Standard Times


SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - Faith briefs may be submitted by emailing News@GoSanAngelo.com. Briefs are published in print on Saturdays and the deadline to submit an entry is noon Wednesdays ...

Read the rest of this SAST report

In the News ... "Lubbock Area Faith Calendar"

Courtesy Photo
• What’s going on in area churches

By Erica Pauda, Reporter
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

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

 • Read the rest of this LAJ report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook


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

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 28, 2021
Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish

EXPECTATONS - Phyllis Tickle, the late author and founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly, once wrote that every 500 years the church experiences a “massive upheaval,” where old ideas are rejected and new ones emerge. Tickle used the analogy of a “500-year rummage sale” to illustrate how the church enters into a period of cleaning house, deciding what to keep and what to toss in order to make way for the new thing God is doing ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, March 27, 2021

In the News ... "Odessa Church News"


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

Staff Report
Odessa American


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

Read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook


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

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 27, 2021

Photo by David Beale/Unsplash
WORSHIP CHALLENGES DURING PANDEMIC - Since the beginning of time, people have turned to song to express joy’s heights and grief’s lows. In Exodus 15, Moses’ sister, Miriam, sang after crossing the Red Sea. Her song of praise is considered to be one of the oldest pieces of biblical literature. Later, David composed songs of praise and lament that would fill the Psalms — a treasured hymnbook for thousands of years used by Jews and Christians alike. Centuries later, singing both in the home and in public worship became one of the defining marks of Reformation worship. According to the Rev. Dr. David Gambrell, associate for worship in the Office of Theology and Worship in Louisville, Reformers especially emphasized singing the Psalms because it was a way to sing God’s Word together. “If you think about a time before we had projection screens or copy machines, singing was a way for the whole people of God to participate,” he said ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, March 26, 2021

From @FWMission ... Friday Story: “Move for Mobility”

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.



Friday Story: “Move for Mobility”

When the pandemic struck last year and cancelled in-person events, we had to quickly adapt our plans for our annual Run for Mobility, which had been held at the Orange County Marathon for years.

The event went virtual, thus opening it up to all of our supporters across the country, and it was no longer limited to running. We also had people walk, hike, and bike to raise awareness and funds for the cause of mobility.

That’s why, starting this year, this event is now known as the Move for Mobility ...

Read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... "Revival at Open Door Church - TONIGHT"

• A time of deep and intimate worship

Staff Report
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Open Door Church, 3102 E. University Blvd., has scheduled Odessa Epicenter Revival with Keith Luker from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. TONIGHT.

For more information, visit them on Facebook.

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook


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

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 26, 2021

Photo courtesy of Hagar’s Community Church
PEACE & GLOBAL WITNESS OFFERING - War, disease and imprisonment: These words have the power to fill the heart with pain, fear and hopelessness. They often make the lips of those witnessing such strife ask, “Surely, this is not where God lives?”

Presbyterians working for peace and justice would beg to differ, though ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, March 25, 2021

FBR Report: "Karen People of Burma Protest Against Burma Army Coup and Military Occupation"

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) is a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement. They bring help, hope and love to people in the war zones of Burma (Myanmar) and the Middle East. Groups send teams to be trained, supplied and sent into the areas under attack to provide emergency assistance and human rights documentation. Together with other groups, the teams work to serve people in need.



FBR Photo
Karen People of Burma Protest Against Burma Army Coup and Military Occupation

11 February 2021
Day Pu No Area, Papun District, Karen State, Burma

Dear friends,

Over 1,800 Karen villagers gathered together to protest against the coup and military attacks and occupation. The attacks have displaced over 5,000 people in this area of Karen State. The people also stand in solidarity with and send their love to the people of Burma, Burman, and all ethnic groups, standing together against the dictatorship for freedom, justice, and reconciliation for everyone ...

CLICK HERE to read/watchest of this FBR report

Thank you and God bless you,

Dave, family, and team

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

“LOVE EACH OTHER.
UNITE AND WORK FOR FREEDOM, JUSTICE, AND PEACE.
FORGIVE AND DON’T HATE EACH OTHER.
PRAY WITH FAITH, ACT WITH COURAGE, NEVER SURRENDER.”

In the News ... "El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank, partners urge state to modernize ‘vehicle asset test’ for SNAP benefits"

Photo courtesy El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank
“The visual of so many cars lining up for food has been a wake-up call for policy-makers”

Staff Report
El Paso Herald-Post


EL PASO, TEXAS - Wednesday afternoon, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank and the organization’s Anti-Hunger Advocates urged state legislators to address what they term as an ‘outdated policy’ barring Texans from accessing food assistance if they own more than one reliable vehicle ...

Read the rest of this EPHP report ...

From ServLife International ... "Don't Miss TONIGHT's Online Benefit Concert!"

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.



Don't Miss TONIGHT's Online Benefit Concert!

Come listen to stories from our Executive Director Adam's recent trip to Nepal, hear incredible performances by Robbie Seay, Denison Witmer and Indiana's own Jon McLaughlin, and raise money for children in India and Nepal.

March 25, 2021 - TONIGHT - at 8 pm EST

RSVP today and invite your friends!

Once you RSVP, you will receive the concert link in an email prior to the event.


We ask that you make a donation of $25, $50, $100 or more to attend the event. Join us to help raise money for children in India and Nepal.

Thank you,




From Adam Nevins
Executive Director
ServLife International Inc.






Join Our Mission

ServLife International propels reconciliation and justice by building global community to plant churches, care for children and fight poverty. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, we seek to care for the spiritual, physical, social, and economic areas of life in northern India and Nepal.  Learn more about our latest news, featured stories, and how to get involved at servlife.org

Support a Pastor

Our church planters spread
the love of Christ in some of the most difficult
environments in the world.
Support Them ... 

Sponsor a Child

For only $30 per month you can help give a child food, education, care and, most importantly, hope.
Sponsor Now ... 

Fight Poverty

The HOPE Fund, our micro-finance program, provides start-up funds for a small business, paving a way out of poverty for families in need.
Learn More ...



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


In the News ... "'Casting Crowns' Concert"

• Drive-In Concert at Wagner Noël PAC's Parking Lot

Staff Report
Odessa American


MIDLAND/ODESSA, TEXAS - Casting Crowns will be part of the Drive-In Theater Tour Series at 7 p.m. Friday at Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center, 1310 N. FM 1788, Midland.

For tickets or more information, visit wagnernoel.comk

In the News ... "Luke’s writings tell key stories"

Painting by El Greco
• Doctor was heavily involved in the founding of the Christian church

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Often referred to as Luke the Evangelist, the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts was a physician whose Greek is some of the best in the New Testament.

Clergymen Tim O’Neal, Dan Johnson and Taylor Robles say Luke shows himself in his writings to have been a very intelligent man who was an ardent follower of Jesus Christ ...

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.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 25, 2021

Photo by Katie Rodriguez/Unsplas
COMPASSION - Sometimes it is challenging to read the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, given the fact that they are full of what one can only call “good news” and “bad news.” Of course, this text from Amos is taken from the version known as the Good News Translation, which is intended to keep us moving toward God’s final act, even as the path often seems circuitous. In the end, of course, it leads us to the fulfillment of God’s promises in the person of Jesus Christ, born among us, crucified and raised in glory for the salvation of the world. That’s the good news.

The bad news ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

In the News ... "CBS7 partners with West Texas Food Bank to help raise needed funds"

The Food Bank can’t serve the needs of 19 West Texas counties alone

By Joshua Skinner, Reporter
KOSA-TV

ODESSA/MIDLAND, TEXAS - Over the past year, we know West Texas has been hit hard by both the oil downturn and the pandemic.

It’s forced many to turn to the West Texas Food Bank for help ...

Read/watch the rest of this KOSA report ...


From @austinseminary ... A letter from President Ted Wardlaw

Photo by APTS student Aiden Diaz
A letter from President Ted Wardlaw

Dear Friends,

Following a week of winter weather disruptions in and beyond Texas, I want to update you on how things fare here in Austin and on campus.

The weather event across more than a week was the worst snow and ice event in Austin in fifty years, and the third most destructive winter snow event here in the history of weather record-keeping. During this extended emergency, many of us recoiled at the television coverage of massive
automobile pile-ups, some with fatalities, in such places as Fort Worth and Dallas. We know as well of the misery which the homeless and other vulnerable persons among us have been suffering in these days, and we know that a number of them have died. We shook our heads in disbelief at the specter of firefighters in Abilene having no water with which to douse a house fire, and thus rendered helpless to do anything other than watch the house burn to the ground. It will be a while before Texas officials sort out the larger energy breakdowns that resulted in tepid responses to this weather crisis; but, meanwhile, and mercifully, Texans and others impacted by this storm are slowly but surely digging out of this.

Against this larger backdrop, I am grateful to share with you that Austin Seminary—its campus, students, staff and faculty—weathered the storm relatively well. In a number of homes of faculty, staff, and students, power went off at the beginning of the week and some of them moved in with other staff families. Others came to the Maclay suite in McCoy House, or to guest rooms in the McCord Building. A number of the duplexes were beset with frozen pipes. The covered garage and portions of the first floor of Anderson House flooded because of burst pipes, and a flood extractor company came in to mitigate the damage. Flooding occurred in much of the first floor of the Trull Building, and some four hundred gallons of water were also extracted quickly. Trees and large limbs fell across the twelve acres of the campus, and much of the campus went without running water for several days.

Yet I was reminded throughout this week of how living in a residential community is such a blessing, as instinctively so many stepped up and demonstrated the beauty of residential life and formation. Students reached out and helped classmates cope with food and water shortages, shoveling needs, childcare (one student taught a child in the campus community to snowboard!), and various other expressions of a fundamentally pastoral presence. I have profound gratitude for so many of the Seminary’s staff who left whatever warmth was in their own homes to venture out in the weather to come to the campus to address its needs. I want to express particular gratitude to John Everett and all of our amazing maintenance staff who are accustomed to doing the impossible on a regular basis. They are our heroes! And at the end of the week, two staff members whipped up a beef stew for students—a kind of Seder, celebrating a kind of liberation.

I also want to thank so many of you who checked in over this week and who kept Austin Seminary in your prayers. Make room in your prayers for those who are still struggling and are emotionally exhausted. Give thanks for the thousands of helpers—public servants, plumbers, tree\ removal specialists, grocery store staff—and pray for their safety and strength as they continue to be agents of recovery. Remember that we’re all in this together as children of God, and that at our core we are thus knit, inevitably, within a web of kindness and connection.

 Faithfully yours,

 Ted Wardlaw
 President of Austin Seminary




Get the latest news from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in their digital monthly eNewsletter. Features on events, students, faculty, and alumni can be sent directly to your inbox.





In the News ... "'Joyful Sound Choir' invitation"

• All singers from the community age 55 plus are invited to join

Staff Report
Odessa American


MIDLAND, TEXAS - First Baptist Church, 2104 W. Louisiana Ave., Midland, has scheduled a Joyful Sound Choir from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursdays through May 27 at the church choir room.

All singers from the community age 55 plus are invited to join.

For more information, call James Ervin at (432) 683-0600. Or visit them on Facebook.

In the News ... "Hope Border Institute joins faith groups' call for presidents to treat Honduran Exodus as Refugee Crisis"

“I am thankful to all who continue to support this effort"

Staff Report
El Paso Herald-Post


EL PASO, TEXAS - On Wednesday, officials with the HOPE Border Institute announced grants made to support the humanitarian needs of migrants arriving to Ciudad Juárez through the Border Refugee Assistance Fund, a partnership between Most Rev. Mark J. Seitz, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso and the Hope Border Institute...

Read the rest of this EPHP report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook


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

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 24, 2021

Contributed Photo
BORDER MINISTRY EVENT - Two college students who participated in a border ministry event in 2019 found that the biggest impact came within themselves, and they responded by dedicating their lives to serving others ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

From PC(USA) Store ... New Bible Study Books!

The Presbyterian Church (USA) offers a central online store where you can find all PC(USA)-produced books, curriculum, and resources in one place. PCUSAStore.com is a comprehensive selection of PC(USA) resources that provides the information and materials necessary to support new and existing congregations, leaders, study groups, and individuals forge a deeper understanding of Presbyterian beliefs and doctrines. PCUSAStore.com is maintained by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, the publishing house of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Geneva Press curriculum publishing, and other agency partners.



New Books for Group and Individual Bible Study

We have four new books for you to use in your adult Bible study! You can browse these new books and save 35% when you purchase from PC(USA) Store. You can also learn more about these new books and many other best-selling group study books in our Group Study Resource Guide, which provides links to excerpts, direct access to each book on the site, and the perfect place to compare products.

CLICK HERE to Access Our New Group Study Resource Guide to Find More Group Study Books ...




Please Note: We can currently only ship to customers in the United States. For our international distributors, please contact us at support@pcusastore.com.

PC(USA) Store
100 Witherspoon Street
Louisville, KY 40202
(800) 533-4371
support@pcusastore.com

From @VitalantOrg ... Church hosting blood drive on Thursday”

• Thursday, March 25, 11 am to 4 pm

BIG SPRING, TEXAS - First Baptist Church Blood Drive, 705 W. FM 700 in Big Spring, Texas 3/25/2021 from 11 am to 4 pm. Location is in the church's Front foyer. All donors will receive a free covid antibody test. Go to b>www.vitalant.org to sign up or just walk in. This blood drive is to replenish the blood supply that we lost from the winter storms. We need your help.

You have the power to save up to 3 lives with one donation!

There is always a need for blood and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Every 2 seconds, someone needs blood. Most of us will need blood in our lifetime.

Thank you!

In the News ... "Food bank helped by United and Hormel"

OA Photo by Michael Bauer
“They always continue to come through when we need them the most”

By Michael Bauer, Reporter
Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - United Supermarkets, along with Market Street, joined Hormel Foods in donating 756 hams to the West Texas Food Bank [last] week.

A presentation ceremony was held Wednesday morning at the West Texas Food Bank with members of the United Family present ...

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.

Today in the Mission Yearbook: March 23, 2021

MATTHEW 25 BIBLE STUDY - The vision for the Matthew 25 invitation asks us to engage together in the three works of vitalizing congregations, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty. Though individual, these three works are inseparable. Can a congregation be vital without confronting racism? What is at stake when racism directs our congregational and community life?

The Rev. Samuel Son, manager of diversity and reconciliation in the Presbyterian Mission Agency, is the voice behind a new Matthew 25 Bible study, “The Gospel and Inclusivity” ...

CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, March 22, 2021

From @chinaaid : "ChinaAid signs joint letter to Biden administration: Recommends a human rights approach to US-China policy"

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

ChinaAid Photo
ChinaAid signs joint letter to Biden administration: Recommends a human rights approach to US-China policy
Distributed by ChinaAid, February 2021 ...

MIDLAND, TEXAS – On February 17, along with 23 other NGOs, ChinaAid signed the following letter to President Biden and senior officials on US-China (CCP) relations. In the text, the 24 NGO leaders submitted eight major recommendations ...

More on this story from ChinaAid ...