Here Comes Mission Month!
Just when you thought it was safe to take a deep breath after surviving the Christmas Holidays, here comes Mission Month! What a great way to help chase away those lonely winter blues!! The purpose of the month is to set aside a specific period in the church calendar when we focus all of our spiritual eyes on God’s Great Commission to go and make disciple of all people. During this month, we have the opportunity to hear from some of the missionaries that we support as a church, to meet new missionaries, and to make commitments of both prayer and money to help get the message to everyone in the whole world. We believe that one of the reasons any church exists, is to help get the message of salvation out to the whole world. It was the last great command that Jesus gave to his disciples when he was here on earth – Matthew 28:19, 20. During this year’s Mission Month you will hear about a variety of different ways that our missionaries are doing exactly that.
Sunday February 5
On the first Sunday, our own 2011 Dublin Ireland Mission Team will be sharing about the work they did in helping the ministry of Scott and Rebekah Becker. They will be sharing a video presentation in the opening of Sunday School, and then in the lesson time for the children. It might even be a part of the VBS they did in Ireland! Then several team members will be sharing the impact of the Mission Trip on their lives during the 11:00am morning worship. At 4:00pm we will have our KICK-OFF Party (it is Super Bowl Sunday!) followed by the 5:00pm evening program which will include a video presentation as well as sharing by more team members. We'll get you out by 6:15pm in case you want to watch some other teams in the Super Bowl.
Sunday February 12
February 12 in the morning service you will get to hear from two new missionaries (that is new missionaries, but not new to us!) – Kyle and Leah (Hill) Robinson. Kyle and Leah have been accepted by HVMI as new missionaries and now they are seeking to raise their support and complete the training required by the mission so that they can begin full time work with HVMI. Don’t miss this awesome and inspiring young couple! In the evening, we will meet at 5:30pm for our traditional Homemade Soup & Meatball Sandwich Supper, followed by the 7:00pm service where Dave and Andrea Brunner will be updating us on the work they have been involved in for more than 25 years among the Mormon people in Idaho. With so much talk about the Mormon faith of some political candidates this year, you may find Dave and Andrea’s work especially significant.
Sunday February 19
We are excited to welcome Jeanne and Kevin King for the morning of February 19th. They are our missionaries who work in New York City among nationals who have come to New York for education, for employment with their country’s delegation to the United Nations, or just because it is – NYC! These young people are frequently interested in improving their English skills and Bible Study makes a great way to do that! When they come to know the Lord and return to their own country – they become a “missionary” who can cross boundaries with no need of passports or supporting churches, etc. Come and hear about the “10-40 window” from this dynamic couple. In the evening at 7:00pm, we will get a chance for a visit with Jacques Iosti who works among the people of France planting churches and discipling Christians in this land where even Roman Catholicism has a waning influence on everyday life.
Sunday February 26
The last Sunday, we will return our love loaves in the 11AM service and hear a word from our beloved Rev. Tim Sheetz. Then we will gather for a traditional covered dish supper at 5:30pm followed by the evening worship at 7PM. In this evening service, we will have special music by several groups as well as the very great privilege of commissioning Kyle and Leah Robinson to go forth as missionaries from our church. This will be a very special time for them and for us as a congregation, following in the tradition of the New Testament church as they laid hands on and prayed for those who were sent out to share the good news. Please plan to come and lend your encouragement to this young couple as they dedicate their life and we dedicate ourselves to supporting and helping them in the coming years of their ministry. Following that, Paul Lehto and Tim Sheetz will share about their January 2012 trip to Ghana, West Africa to visit the work of HVMI in that country. Then we will receive our final offering for our 2012 mission budget….the service will conclude by 8:30PM. It will be an extraordinary day that you will not want to miss!
Fellowship & Food!
Scattered in between our various worship services this month will be many times for fellowship and good food – our Kick-Off For Mission – Sunday, Feb. 5 at 4PM --- our
Men’s Breakfast, cooked by the Ladies on Saturday February 11 at 8:30 PM with Mr. Doug Wagner, the new Executive Director at Fellowship House -- -- our “World Famous
Homemade Soup and Meatball Sandwich Dinner” on Sunday night, February 12 -- our
Women’s Dinner on Monday February 13 at 6:30 PM (deadline for reservations is Sunday, Feb.5) -- our
Youth Sleepover on Fri – Sat February 17-18---- our
Children’s Rally from 6:00-7:30pm on Friday night February 24 ---- and of course our traditional
Old Fashioned Covered Dish Dinner on the last Sunday night at 5:30 PM. Watch the bulletin each Sunday for more detailed information about all of these activities. Take advantage of the times of challenge as well as good food and fellowship to learn what is happening in our missions outreach as well as in mission work around the world.
Report on Our Mission Team
by Gail Eisenlohr, Mission Committee Chairperson
It was an exciting time as it always is when we send a mission team on a trip. It seemed like a dream trip – an opportunity for Christian mission work …to Ireland!! But this trip would be a different experience for our team. Traveling to Europe was a different experience than going to South America.
The first big hurdle was the increased expense that traveling to Europe required. The amount of money that needed to be raised was double what we had anticipated. Legal requirements for ministering in Ireland were much more stringent than what we had experienced on previous trips. This would also be a ministry in a city setting not in the jungle. There was no mission station that could provide housing and a place for the team to get meals the way we had experienced in other trips. The team needed to find housing close enough to the work that they would be doing and yet at an affordable rate. The team also needed to plan lessons and gather the supplies needed to more or less run a Vacation Bible School and take that all with them!! Travel restrictions and cost for excessive suitcase weight were also factors to be considered. The team worked very hard and had two major fund raisers – The Friendly’s Night and the Chick-Fil-A night, in addition to a car wash, spaghetti dinner and letters to family and friends seeking their prayer and financial support. You as a congregation responded spectacularly – ultimately helping the team to raise nearly $11,000 through the Brooklawn Team funds in our regular mission budget as well as the special gifts you gave to the team directly. But the reward of serving and seeing the children was certainly worth it all. We look forward to hearing much more about the trip in the coming month as the Mission Team will be one of the main programs for our 2012 Mission Month.
The Mission Committee on behalf of the entire congregation would like to express our great thanks and deep appreciation to each member of the Mission Team – Pastor Dan Amey, Jenai Dobbins, LuAnn Peck, Paul Lehto, Nancy Motson, Joe Motson, Linda Keith, Tracy Keith, Rich Ryan, and Rachel Hill. They sacrificed not only financially but also gave up vacation time, were separated from their families, had to find others to fulfill their jobs and cares at home, and spent a LOT of time in planning meetings, shopping, and organizing themselves for the trip. We thank them and the Lord for their safe travel, the way He blended them into a working TEAM that
served the city of Dublin – especially the children. Many of us selected the names of the children that appeared on the Shamrocks around the sanctuary and now we see faces (pictures) of those children and are hearing stories of the experiences that the team had as they shared Jesus and His love with them and their families. We are also grateful to Scott and Rebekah Becker and their children who planned and coached and shepherded our team through this mission experience. We know from Scott and Rebekah what a great blessing the team was to them and the Crossroads Church there in Dublin. They represented you and our church well as they learned much more about Mission work in the inner city. Thank you also to everyone who prayed, encouraged, gave financially and in any way made it possible for the team to have a blessed ministry this summer. You as a congregation can share in the rejoicing and the celebrating because of all you have done to make the trip possible. The Mission Committee is thankful for the experiences that you as a team had and we look forward to having you share them with us – SOON!
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ENCOURAGING PREDICTIONS FOR 2012-- we shared these this past year. Will they be just as true in 2012? You better believe it!!!
Top 10 Predictions for 2012
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still honor the praises of His people..
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. Jesus will still save the lost when they earnestly seek Him.
8. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. There will still be room at the cross for you.
Isn't it reassuring to remember Who is really in control, and that
the Word of the Lord endures forever. (1 Peter 1:25)
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