Sunday, September 11, 2022

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: September 11, 2022

REMEMBERING SEPTEMBER 11TH- The tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, are 21 years in our past. The consequences of that infamous day continue to bring suffering and pain. Today we remember those who perished and seek to live in such a way that the lives lost bring good amid ongoing division and mistrust ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, September 10, 2022

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. The Odessa American welcomes church special events. Submission deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays for consideration for the following Saturday’s edition. Email oalife@oaoa.com.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 7601 N. Grandview Ave., has scheduled Men’s Bible Study by Bishop Robert Barron from 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Monday through Oct. 17 in the church parlor.
Signup sheets are located in the Narthex.
Visit setonparishodessa.org.

Crescent Park Baptist Church, 3002 E. University Blvd., will be offering ESL classes from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday, starting Sept. 13, in the fellowship hall.
For more information, call 432-366-4476.

Odessa Christian Faith Center Women’s Ministry has scheduled a Aloha Flourish Lau with guest speaker Aubrey Matthesius at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at OCFC, 9000 Andrews Highway.
There will be music and food will be available for purchase.
Admission is free.
To sign up, visit ocfc.org/flourish.

Crossroads Church of Odessa, 6901 E. Highway191, has scheduled a financial literacy workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 20. Free childcare is available.
Pre-registration for childcare is required. To pre-register, visit tinyurl.com/mrxf5ccu.

Reflection Ministries of Texas has scheduled Human Trafficking Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 305 E. Fifth St.
Hear from survivor leaders and experts about the prevalence of human trafficking and how you can be involved in stopping it.
For tickets or information, visit tinyurl.com/3e2nsbvz.

The Life Center has scheduled a fall fundraiser with speaker Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State in the Trump administration, at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Midland Horseshoe Arena, 2514 Arena Trail, Midland.
To sponsor a table or for more information, visit tlcdonor.org/fall-fundraiser.

Crescent Park Baptist Church, 3002 E. University Blvd., is offering a Spanish Language Bible Study by the Rev. Mike McGuire at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday.
For more information, call 432-366-4476.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 7601 N. Grandview Ave., has scheduled Men’s Bible Study by Bishop Robert Barron from 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Sept. 12-Oct. 17 in the church parlor.
Signup sheets are located in the Narthex.
Visit setonparishodessa.org.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 7601 N. Grandview Ave., has scheduled Women’s Bible Study, The Turning Point, a study of the gospel of John by Dr. Allen Hunt, at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 14-Nov. 9 in the church parlor.
Cost of material is $20.
Signup sheets are located in the Narthex.
For more information, email Sondra Eoff at oppartnerinc.com.

Belmont Baptist Church, 806 N. Belmont Ave., offers family meals during its Family Supper time from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. each Wednesday when Awana is in session.
Admission is free.
For more information, call 432-332-0248, email belmont@belmontbaptist.org or visit tinyurl.com/23vkhr47.

Catholic Charities Community Services Odessa, 2500 Andrews Highway, need of volunteers for pantry distribution.
Distribution times are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.
For more information on dates and times, call 332-1387.
Visit facebook.com/ccodessatx or ccodessa.com.

The West Texas Street Rod Association has scheduled Cars at Crossroads from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every fourth Saturday of each month at Crossroads Church, 6901 E. Highway 191.
There will be coffee and donuts inside the church.
Visit tinyurl.com/cdjd6pvt.

Door of Hope Mission are in need of financial support to help provide hot meals, a safe place to sleep and shower to those who struggle with addictions through Bible study and counseling.
There a few ways to give:
• PayPal Giving Fund: 100% goes to the mission, visit www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2432315. PayPal does not keep a processing fee when you use this service.
• Door of Hope Mission website, www.doorofhopemission.com/donate.html, or mail a check to Door of Hope Mission, PO Box 1789, Odessa, TX 79760.
• On Amazon or eBay, add Door of Hope Mission as preferred charity, and a portion of purchases will go to the mission.
• On Amazon Smile (www.smile.amazon.com): Login to your account then select Door of Hope Mission Odessa TX so the mission receives donations from eligible purchases when you shop.
• On eBay (charity.ebay.com/charity/charity-name/2432315): Add the Door Of Hope Mission to favorites.
All donations are tax deductible.
For more information, call 337-8294 or visit doorofhopemission.com.

Sherwood Church of Christ, 4900 North Dixie Blvd., offers free clothing on the first Saturday of every month.
With so many families in the community are losing their jobs due to COVID and the downturn in oil, the Sherwood Clothes Closet is an opportunity for people to find needed clothing items for the entire family.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Masks are required to comply with city orders and to protect each other from spreading the virus.

Victory Christian Fellowship Church, 325 N. County Road West, offers individuals assistance who are hurting from addictions to become drug and alcohol free, physically well and most important spiritually alive.
All services are provided for free.
Several homes are located throughout Texas, New Mexico and Chicago.
For more information, call the Rev. Albert Flores at 432-978-9959 or 432-335-8925.
For home locations, call for Odessa, 325-300-0832; El Paso, 915-838-8887; Fort Worth, 817-626-1819; Houston, 713-880-4732; Mathis, 361-547-3755; McAllen, 956-702-2781; San Angelo, 325-658-1061; Albuquerque, N.M., 505-550-5661; Artesia, N.M., 575-745-4294; and Chicago, 773-696-9094.

• Read the rest of this OA report ...

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

Courtesy Photo
• What’s going on in area churches

Staff Report
• 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.

The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney
Today in the Mission Yearbook: September 10, 2022

THE REV. DR, WIL GAFNEY, HEBREW BIBLE SCHOLAR - T“The language of feasting is often the language of the church,” the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney said to open a recent lecture in Watts Chapel at Union Presbyterian Seminary. “The expectation in Black church culture is you go to church to be fed to do the work you’re called to do.”

Gafney, the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas, had been speaking on “Translation Matters: Who Translates God Words and How?”...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Friday, September 9, 2022

From @FWMission ... Friday Story: “I Don’t Need to Be Helped Anymore”

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.



FWM Photos
Friday Story: “I Don’t Need to Be Helped Anymore”

Kaley Tamang is a 55-year-old man who lives with his wife, Kali, and his father in the mountains of Nepal. Together, they earn a living by operating a small grocery stand.

When he was 29 years old, Kaley suffered a stroke that left him unable to feel anything on the right side of his body. His father would take care of his daily needs, carrying him to the bathroom and other places because Kaley did not have any mobility aids.

Sometimes, his wife would carry him, and sometimes, he would crawl to get from place to place.

This went on for more than 26 years. ...

• Read the rest of this story ...

In the News ... "Parking for a purpose"

Photo provided by St. John's United Methodist Church
• Lubbock churches turn lots to fundraisers during Texas Tech games

By Adam Young, Reporter
• Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - Among the big, game-day decisions made on and off the field when Texas Tech plays, one of the first football fans have to make is pretty important: Where to park?

And there will plenty of options around Jones AT&T Stadium when the Red Raiders kick-off their season against Murray State at 7 p.m. Saturday, including a variety of free and paid lots around the Tech campus with shuttle buses available to make travel logistics a bit easier.

But there are also a few options within walking distance of the stadium, just off campus, that let football fans support local churches and their faith-based outreach programs and other missions ...

 • 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: September 9, 2022

SOCIAL MEDIA - The key to social media is “social.” The goal is establishing a connection to people online with the hope that repeated connections develop into relationships. The least effective use of social media is to treat it as an electronic bulletin board full of announcements. Social media is not a bullhorn. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

FBR Report: "“Fighting for a future that seems lost” – Despite Many Losses, the Karenni Don’t Give Up"

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
“Fighting for a future that seems lost” – Despite Many Losses, the Karenni Don’t Give Up

12 July 2022
Karenni State, Burma

Dear friends,

“We need encouragement. We have lost family. We have lost friends. We have lost our homes. We are fleeing. The young people fighting for freedom have lost their friends, and their families and are fighting for a future that seems lost. We have lost our hearts. We have lost many things. We want to rebuild all that we lost to be better. We want to build a better education system for our children and a healthcare system for all. We have to fight for and establish a better government, a federal democracy.” – FBR Medic, Karenni State, Burma ...

• CLICK HERE to read the rest 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 ... "Senior Life Midland assisting with a rise in senior hunger, inflations"

KOSA Photo
• Senior Life Midland will soon start a hygiene drive for the community to help

By Shelby Crisp, Reporter
• KOSA-TV


MIDLAND TEXAS - Many people have felt the impact of recent inflation, including elderly West Texans.

Executive Director of Senior Life Midland, Kathleen Kirwan-Haynie, said senior hunger is on the rise.

“We have seen an outpouring of seniors needing help,” Haynie said ...

• Read/watch the rest of this KOSA 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: September 8, 2022

PRESBYTERIAN HIGHER EDUCATION - William Tennent probably never dreamed we would get to this point. The same could be said for John Witherspoon.

Tennent, some may recall, is considered by many to be the father of Presbyterian higher education in the United States. It’s been almost 300 years since this forward-thinking Presbyterian pastor established his ministerial Log College in Pennsylvania to educate and prepare commoners for ministry. The college was his response to the first “Great Awakening,” a revivalist movement in the early 18th century that aligned with the Presbyterian goal of “always being reformed.”

The success of Tennent’s Log College led directly to a broader effort by Presbyterians to formally train ministers in support of the Great Awakening ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Wednesday, September 7, 2022

In the News ... "Schools across the West Texas support Uvalde ISD as students return to the classroom"

KOSA Photo
• Wearing maroon and white to represent Uvalde schools

By Tyler Poglitsch, Reporter
• KOSA-TV


WEST TEXAS - Both students and teachers across the state are showing their support for Uvalde today by wearing maroon to class today.

The Robb Elementary School shooting was the deadliest in the U-S over the last decade.

Today former Robb Elementary School students head back to school for the first time since the shooting. Each grade goes to different campuses across their district.

Teachers and students at schools throughout the Permian Basin and across the state are showing their support ...

• Read/watch the rest of this KOSA report 


In the News ... "WAA makes national call to stand out, wave flags to remember 9/11 anniversary"

• The flag waving will start at 8:46 am ET on September 11

Staff Report
• Odessa American


COLUMBIA FALLS, MAINE - On Sunday, Sept. 11, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America is calling on all Americans to join them in waving the American flag in their own communities to commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11.

• At 8:46 a.m., On Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, five hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 11 and flew it into the heart of New York City and the northern facade of the World Trade Center’s North Tower.

• At 9:03 a.m., five other hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the southern facade of the South Tower.

• At 9:37 a.m., another five hijackers flew American Airlines flight 77 into the western facade of the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia.

• At 10:03 a.m., four hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 93 into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Members of the WAA family, including staff, volunteers, Gold Star and Blue Star Families, and veterans, will join to share in the patriotic act of waving the flag, and sharing the stories of those who raised their hand to serve following the events of that fateful day.

The flag waving will start at 8:46 a.m. ET, when on Sept. 11, 2001, five hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 11 and flew it into the heart of New York City and the northern facade of the World Trade Center’s North Tower and end at 10:03 a.m. ET when four hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 93 into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Penn., on the same day.

WAA is asking people to join by tuning in to the organization’s Official Facebook page, to share pictures and videos from your own community flag waving. Participants are encouraged to take video and pictures of their participation in the national flag waving and share them with WAA, their family, and their friends to help REMEMBER, HONOR and TEACH the generation born after 9/11, how hard times can strengthen us as a nation. Please use the hashtag #FlagsAcrosstheCountry and #AmericaStrong when posting on social media and tag the Wreaths Across America Official Facebook page.

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: September 7, 2022

GRIEF - other’s Day was always fine for me, until it wasn’t. My husband and I had been trying to have a child, and month after month stretched into year after year. Eventually, we grew to dread the annual double punch of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Our well-intentioned church tried to soften the blow on those special Sundays by giving every woman a rose on Mother’s Day and having a blowout barbecue for the all the men on Father’s Day. I still, though, found myself choking back tears and doing a lot of fake smiling. It already felt like God had grown deaf to our prayers, but not finding our experience acknowledged in our church community made it worse.

The reality is that very few people have the actual “greeting card” version of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Partners Blog: “Special: Annual Journal Edition”

Steve and Oddny Gumaer started Partners Relief and Development in response to the needs of refugees and displaced people from Burma, and now in the Middle East, as well. Their mission is to demonstrate, through holistic action, God’s love to children and communities made vulnerable by war in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other conflict zones.

PRD Photo
“Special: Annual Journal Edition”

In early spring, our HQ team decided that those of you who donate to us might like to see exactly how we spent your money and how we spent each day of 2021 ...

• Read the rest of this post ...




Partners Relief and Development is a registered charity in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. "We’re a small, grassroots nonprofit passionate about making a big impact in communities affected by conflict and oppression, demonstrating God’s love to children and giving them the opportunity to live free, full lives." For more information aboput Partners, visit their website at partners.ngo/

In the News ... "West Texas Food Bank speaks on gardening during Hunger Action Month"

KOSA Photo
• Community welcomed to Midland garden on third Saturday of every month to learn tips from nutritionist, gardener

By Shelby Crisp, Reporter
• KOSA-TV


ODESSA/MIDLAND TEXAS - Hunger Action Month for the West Texas Food Bank has officially started and will go all the way through September.

CEO of the West Texas Food Bank, Libby Campbell, said growing a garden in West Texas is possible.

“That’s one thing that I think has been so amazing about the innovative gardens we’ve actually been able to show and teach that you can grow food right here in West Texas,” Campbell said.

Growing a garden is a simple and inexpensive way to help fight hunger ...

• Read/watch the rest of this KOSA report 


In the News ... "Rev. Chavez leads Word of God Ministries"

OA Photo by Eli Hartman
• Odessa native emphasizes adherence to Bible

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
• Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - The Rev. Gabriel Chavez is a humble man who believes that preaching only from the Bible and scrupulously adhering to it are the keys to leading people down the right spiritual path.

As founder of the Word of God Ministries Church at 905 S. County Road West, the Rev. Chavez was preaching before the pandemic to an average of 100 people each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and he called on his faith to weather the hard times as those numbers fell by almost half.

Worst of all, his wife of 43 years, Lucy, died in 2020.

“I preach about everything from Genesis to Revelation,” he said. “If it’s not in there, I don’t preach it. I stay with the facts of life and what’s going on around the world and I try to help people out and be there to assist and comfort them when they have family members pass.

“I tell them that no matter what happens, God is in control. We need to help and support one another.”

Chavez’ second wife’s name is Norma. He has two children and five grandchildren.

The Odessa native was a battery and tire specialist for Montgomery Ward and a construction operator for Pioneer Natural Gas till joining Atmos Energy, where he is an associate service technician.

Inspired and taught by the Rev. Micky Munoz, Chavez graduated from the Spanish Global Bible Institute and was ordained in 1979.

“My goal is to be a follower and disciple of Christ and to become like him,” he said. “I don’t listen to the top people in governments. If we stay with the Word and don’t change it, we can get hope. We can learn how to love and treat others.

“In my opinion, many people don’t read the Word like they are supposed to. Everybody is busy, so they should make their own time to read the Scripture.” Chavez’ brother-in-law Hector Cuevas was an atheist and it took the minister 20 years to persuade him to become a Christian. “The guy never judged me or preached to me,” Cuevas said ...

• Read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook


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

Photo by Chuttersnap via Unsplash
Today in the Mission Yearbook: September 6, 2022

MID-KENTUCKY PRESBYTERY - The 49 churches in Mid-Kentucky Presbytery are being offered grants on a sliding scale, depending on their membership, to help them install electric car charging stations. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Monday, September 5, 2022

From @chinaaid : "Chinese Christians call upon international community to pay attention"

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
Chinese Christians call upon international community to pay attention
Distributed by ChinaAid, July 2022 ...

SHANXI, CHINA – Yang Kai of Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen City, Shanxi province, invites the world to join together in prayer regarding the suppression by the authorities. A total of seven people consisting of Yang Kai’s sister Yang Rongli and her husband, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, and other church leaders, are currently being detained by the authorities for “fraud.” Yang Kai disclosed that his sister was starved in prison, lacked treatment and medicine, and family members were prevented from meeting her ...

• More on this story from ChinaAid ...

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: September 5, 2022

A SOCIAL CREED FOR THE 21ST CENTURY - “That all may have life … and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10

Of all the economic indicators this year, it seems that the “labor numbers” are pretty good. Even though prices have been rising, unemployment is at an almost record low. People are working again, but interestingly a labor shortage persists. Jobs are still available everywhere. “Help wanted” signs are hanging in merchant windows. Employers continue to offer better wages and benefits and flexible work hours, all with the hope of attracting workers to fill needed jobs. The labor numbers may be good, but labor is still a problem. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Sunday, September 4, 2022

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. The Odessa American welcomes church special events. Submission deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesdays for consideration for the following Saturday’s edition. Email oalife@oaoa.com.

Crescent Park Baptist Church, 3002 E. University Blvd., will be offering ESL classes from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday, starting Sept. 13, in the fellowship hall.
For more information, call 432-366-4476.

Odessa Christian Faith Center Women’s Ministry has scheduled a Aloha Flourish Lau with guest speaker Aubrey Matthesius at 7 p.m. Sept. 16 at OCFC, 9000 Andrews Highway.
There will be music and food will be available for purchase.
Admission is free.
To sign up, visit ocfc.org/flourish.

Crossroads Church of Odessa, 6901 E. Highway191, has scheduled a financial literacy workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 20. Free childcare is available.
Pre-registration for childcare is required. To pre-register, visit tinyurl.com/mrxf5ccu.

Reflection Ministries of Texas has scheduled Human Trafficking Summit from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Odessa Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 305 E. Fifth St.
Hear from survivor leaders and experts about the prevalence of human trafficking and how you can be involved in stopping it.
For tickets or information, visit tinyurl.com/3e2nsbvz.

The Life Center has scheduled a fall fundraiser with speaker Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State in the Trump administration, at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Midland Horseshoe Arena, 2514 Arena Trail, Midland.
To sponsor a table or for more information, visit tlcdonor.org/fall-fundraiser.

Crescent Park Baptist Church, 3002 E. University Blvd., is offering a Spanish Language Bible Study by the Rev. Mike McGuire at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday.
For more information, call 432-366-4476.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 7601 N. Grandview Ave., has scheduled Men’s Bible Study by Bishop Robert Barron from 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Sept. 12-Oct. 17 in the church parlor.
Signup sheets are located in the Narthex.
Visit setonparishodessa.org.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 7601 N. Grandview Ave., has scheduled Women’s Bible Study, The Turning Point, a study of the gospel of John by Dr. Allen Hunt, at 6:15 p.m. Sept. 14-Nov. 9 in the church parlor.
Cost of material is $20.
Signup sheets are located in the Narthex.
For more information, email Sondra Eoff at oppartnerinc.com.

Belmont Baptist Church, 806 N. Belmont Ave., offers family meals during its Family Supper time from 5:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. each Wednesday when Awana is in session.
Admission is free.
For more information, call 432-332-0248, email belmont@belmontbaptist.org or visit tinyurl.com/23vkhr47.

Catholic Charities Community Services Odessa, 2500 Andrews Highway, need of volunteers for pantry distribution.
Distribution times are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays.
For more information on dates and times, call 332-1387.
Visit facebook.com/ccodessatx or ccodessa.com.

The West Texas Street Rod Association has scheduled Cars at Crossroads from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every fourth Saturday of each month at Crossroads Church, 6901 E. Highway 191.
There will be coffee and donuts inside the church.
Visit tinyurl.com/cdjd6pvt.

Door of Hope Mission are in need of financial support to help provide hot meals, a safe place to sleep and shower to those who struggle with addictions through Bible study and counseling.
There a few ways to give:
• PayPal Giving Fund: 100% goes to the mission, visit www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2432315. PayPal does not keep a processing fee when you use this service.
• Door of Hope Mission website, www.doorofhopemission.com/donate.html, or mail a check to Door of Hope Mission, PO Box 1789, Odessa, TX 79760.
• On Amazon or eBay, add Door of Hope Mission as preferred charity, and a portion of purchases will go to the mission.
• On Amazon Smile (www.smile.amazon.com): Login to your account then select Door of Hope Mission Odessa TX so the mission receives donations from eligible purchases when you shop.
• On eBay (charity.ebay.com/charity/charity-name/2432315): Add the Door Of Hope Mission to favorites.
All donations are tax deductible.
For more information, call 337-8294 or visit doorofhopemission.com.

Sherwood Church of Christ, 4900 North Dixie Blvd., offers free clothing on the first Saturday of every month.
With so many families in the community are losing their jobs due to COVID and the downturn in oil, the Sherwood Clothes Closet is an opportunity for people to find needed clothing items for the entire family.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Masks are required to comply with city orders and to protect each other from spreading the virus.

Victory Christian Fellowship Church, 325 N. County Road West, offers individuals assistance who are hurting from addictions to become drug and alcohol free, physically well and most important spiritually alive.
All services are provided for free.
Several homes are located throughout Texas, New Mexico and Chicago.
For more information, call the Rev. Albert Flores at 432-978-9959 or 432-335-8925.
For home locations, call for Odessa, 325-300-0832; El Paso, 915-838-8887; Fort Worth, 817-626-1819; Houston, 713-880-4732; Mathis, 361-547-3755; McAllen, 956-702-2781; San Angelo, 325-658-1061; Albuquerque, N.M., 505-550-5661; Artesia, N.M., 575-745-4294; and Chicago, 773-696-9094.

• 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: September 4, 2022

A SEASON OF JOY - The words of Isaiah 55 convey a profound message to us during A Season of Peace: For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace.

Go out in joy. When we look around our world these days, it is sometimes hard to feel joyful. Yet joy inherently embraces optimism. Joy is the companion of faith and hope. In our polarized world torn by war, famine, and marginalization of the poor and disenfranchised, we are in desperate need of joyful and brave people who are willing to ask the hard questions and live the difficult solutions that make peace possible ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Saturday, September 3, 2022

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

Courtesy Photo
• What’s going on in area churches

Staff Report
• 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: September 3, 2022

PRESBYTERIANS VALUE SHARED GOVERNANCE - Even though it doesn’t appear in the Book of Order — I looked — perhaps there’s no phrase, for better or worse, that sums up Presbyterianism than “decently and in order.” If something exists in our life together, we Presbyterians have a committee and — if we’re really on our game — an acronym for it. However, there’s an important reason for our fascination with process and structure: We value shared governance ...

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Friday, September 2, 2022

From @FWMission ... Friday Story: “You Helped Make This Happen in July”

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: “You Helped Make This Happen in July”

Wheelchair Arrivals; A Life Transformed in Costa Rica; SVBS Kids Transforming Lives; Houston’s Miracle of Mobility Live; New Board Member Visit; New Distribution Partner, and more ...

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In the News ... "El Paso muralists paint murals in Uvalde in honor of victims of school massacre"

Photo by Tino Ortega
• Will continue to serve the diocese as needed, even in retirement

By Maria Cortes Gonzalez, Reporter
• El Paso Times


UVALDE, TEXAS - El Paso muralist Tino Ortega recently was in Uvalde, Texas, painting a special mural in honor of one of the children killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting ...

• Read the rest of this EPT report and photo album ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook


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

Photo by Nick Morrison via Unsplash
Today in the Mission Yearbook: September 3, 2022

"THOU SHALT NOT STEAL" ... A MATTER OF FAITH PODCAST - Thanks to the pandemic, tens of thousands of worship services are now posted online each week. For at least some stressed preachers who may be pressed for time, the temptation can be overwhelming to hear a well-crafted online sermon somewhere and pass all or part of it off as one’s own ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

FBR Report: "The Price of Freedom"

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
The Price of Freedom

7 June 2022
Burma

Dear friends,

Jue Aung sat off by himself when I came into the room. There were five other men who all gave polite smiles when I greeted them, but not Jue Aung. He tried his best to avoid making eye contact with me and he wouldn’t smile. He looked sad. He allowed sadness to cover his face in the particular way that an eighteen-year-old seems to know how to do better than anyone else. Jue Aung is missing half of his left leg; it was blown off by a landmine on 10 February 2022. He, and the five other Karenni men here who suffered similar injuries, now sit and wait for their stumps to heal well enough to have prosthetics fitted. We visited them where they are waiting and healing ...

• CLICK HERE to read the rest 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 ... "Arch-villain Haman caught in own trap"

Painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn
• Queen Esther still celebrated for saving her people

By Bob Campbell, Reporter
• Odessa American


ODESSA, TEXAS - Acknowledged or not, the hand of God often moves in the affairs of mankind to see that his purposes are accomplished.

It’s a big part of the story of Mordecai, Haman and Queen Esther in which Mordecai refuses to bow down to Haman, a high official in the vast Persian kingdom of Xerxes, and Haman persuades the king to kill every Jew in the land.

The Rev. Mark Roosinck and Rabbi Jordan Parr say Esther risked her life to save Mordecai, her uncle, and her people by coming before Xerxes unbidden, revealing herself as a Jew and begging the king not to carry out Haman’s plot

“Haman was clearly anti-Semitic because only one Jew had offended him, but he went against the whole nation,” said the Rev. Roosinck, pastor of Westover Baptist Church. “Isn’t that where prejudice and racism come from? Somebody has a bad experience with one person in a group and they hate everybody in that group.”

God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther, which dates to the Fifth Century B.C., Roosinck said, but his intervention is obvious. “Esther is in the right place at the right time,” he said.

“She became queen after Vashti displeased Xerxes and was sent away, Haman and Mordecai have an altercation and there is a divine intervention to protect the Jewish people. That is the basis of the Jewish Feast of Purim.

“Not even the queen could come before the king without being summoned and he could have had her exiled or killed at the drop of a hat. It was risky.”

Later, when Xerxes returned from walking in his garden and found Haman with his head in Esther’s lap, pleading for mercy, he was so outraged that he ordered Haman hanged on the 75-foot-tall gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai.

“As the Bible says in Numbers 32:23, surely your sin will find you out,” Roosinck said. “Even though the name of God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther, you see the evidence of his work.”

Rabbi Parr, of Temple Beth El, said Haman’s malevolence stemmed from his heritage as a descendant of King Agag of the Amalekites, who had been the Jews’ most implacable enemies for seven centuries.

“The Amalekites are the anti-God boogiemen of the entire Bible,” Parr said. “We celebrate Purim in late February or March and it has become a very fun day. The adults and children come in costumes and we eat, drink and read the Book of Esther.

“Haman came within a day or two of having tens of thousands of Jews killed throughout the Persian empire, which was the largest kingdom in the world at that time.” Asked if Haman should be considered a ancestor of Hitler, Parr said that comparison is sometimes made, but there “is no way to draw a direct line and determine the genealogy" ...

• Read the rest of this OA report ...

Today in the PC-USA Mission Yearbook


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

Photo credit: Nancy Corson Carter
Today in the Mission Yearbook: September 1, 2022

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION - In 2015, Pope Francis proclaimed Sept. 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This day kicks off the Season of Creation, which runs from then until Oct. 4 each year. This ecumenical season is dedicated to prayer and action for the protection of Creation. ...

• CLICK HERE to read more.