New Meals Ministry Co-ordinator

Due to the commitment required to keep the Cancer Care Ministry running smoothly, Shelby Foster will be stepping down as the co-ordinator of MCC's Wellness Meals program. I want to personally thank Shelby for sacrificing so much of her time and energy over the past two years. I initially turned to her simply for advice on how best to manage this program, and at that time she said, "Don't sweat it; I'll manage it for you." I can't remember when I felt a greater relief!

For the next six months, Jill Billman will be co-ordinating our meals ministry on a trial basis. This ministry provides hot meals to members and guests who are temporarily incapacitated due to illness or a recent surgery, coping after giving birth, etc. If you would like to benefit from our Wellness Meals ministry, let our pastors or lay pastors know of your need and we'll refer you to Jill.

-Pastor Bruce

Melissa (Kroll) Weissenberger Update

Twenty four hours after me, my husband Chris has shown the same symptoms. We both had blood work done today--his blood cell count and platelet count are still normal. My platelet count has dropped below the normal threshold. We both have Dengue fever and God has given us wonderful doctors to monitor us. Keep praying friends! The medicine is abating the fever and pain, but our bodies are fighting.

And it’s with great joy that we announce the birth of Kylie Grace Sherack; she is the daughter of John and Lyndsey and the sister of Natalie Marie. Kylie was born at 9:47 this morning and weighed 8 lbs. and 1 oz.

New Ministry Leader Sought

For the past few years, Shelby Foster has been filling in as the coordinator of our emergency meals program, which provides hot food to members and guests who have been incapacitated by recent surgeries, etc, and who find it difficult or impossible to cook for themselves. Shelby took on this responsibility in addition to the similar work she manages as leader of the Cancer Care Ministry, but has found that her growing workload no longer makes in feasible to handle both duties.

In order to keep serving our members and guests the way we'd like, we therefore need a new volunteer coordinator whose duties would include recruiting volunteers to prepare and deliver meals, and to be the point of contact for people requesting this service.

If you feel willing and able to serve, please contact Bruce Heydt.

Emergency Prayer Request for Melissa Weissenberger

Melissa just came down with some strong symptoms that suggest a mosquito-borne virus, possibly dengue. She has been experiencing unusual levels of fatigue these past few weeks, but today she woke up with paralyzing back and foot pain. She has now developed a high fever and a full-body rash, and overall feels pretty terrible whenever she moves. Melissa contracted dengue last time she was in Bolivia.

Please pray that God would miraculously heal her, and that she can continue to do God's work here in Bolivia.

Expanding Our Reach Into India

Last month I share the exciting news that our partnership with Glad Tidings India had yielded two new church plants, and I asked you to keep our first new pastor,  Phupendra Dubey, in your prayers as he begins his ministry in Uttar Pradesh.

Since then, our outreach to India continues to grow. As a result of a special Advent offering, as well as the commitment by one of our members to match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $3,600, not just one but two new missionaries have been deployed into the rich mission field of India, bringing our total to three new churches since late in 2015!

The second of these will be shepherded by Simon S. K., who will serve Christ in the State of Karnataka, where the population of 61 million is currently only 1.9 percent Christian. This is a region desperately in need of the Good News. More than 50,000 women from the “Untouchable” caste are forced into temple prostitution in Karnataka, and attacks against Christians number more than 1,000 per year. Pray most especially for Pastor Simon’s safety as he strives to bring hope to these poverty stricken people.

The third congregation will be led by Pastor Pawan, who will serve Christ in Delhi, India’s capital city. Delhi is crowded with more than 11,000 people per square mile, and its population is expected to increase by more than 50 percent over the next five years. Less than 2 percent is Christian.

We can continue to support the work of our missionary pastors not only through prayer,  but by collecting Bibles that they can share with their congregations. If you have used English-language Bibles that you no longer need, please consider donating them to our brothers and sisters in India. We’ve already sent more than 1,200 Bibles to India, but as our ministry to the sub-continent expands, so does our need for Bibles. Please find me at my office at First Campus if you have Bibles you’d be willing to offer.

Bill Teate, our contact at Glad Tidings India, advises that this is an especially critical time for mission in India. The government has been to tighten its enforcement of restrictions on Christian outreach, so it is increasingly difficult for pastors to do their work. Please pray for God to open doors and to protect our pastors’ ministries.

Peace,

Pastor Bruce

Good Soil: Glad Tidings India Update

Ministry in Christ’s name often entails moments of rousing success, coupled with some bitter disappointments. That’s the way it is when you offer the Good News to people with free will. Sometimes they will receive the gospel gladly; at other times it falls on deaf ears.

Throughout my years of ministry, but particularly in those times when our best efforts yield meager results, I’ve lifted my spirits by asking myself a simple question, and remembering the answer. The question is: “How much is a soul worth?” The answer is, “If it takes all our money and all our effort to persuade just a single soul to follow Christ, then the investment was well worth it.” A soul, you see, is priceless.

Still, when I received a report from Glad Tidings India this past September, indicating that our most recent church plant (funded by last year’s Luke 19 Project) has yielded only five new decisions for Christ and six regular worshipers during the preceding four months, I admit to feeling somewhat deflated. I’d hoped for more.

So what a joy it was last month when I received our third and final report on the progress of our 2015 church plant. Between September and December, our church has really turned a corner, realizing 33 more decisions for Christ, while worship attendance has grown from six to 83. Praise God. This seed certainly has fallen on good soil.

But that’s not even the best news. Since late in 2015, several members of Millersville Community Church have felt called to do more. Some felt moved to quietly give out of personal conviction. Others responded to the special offering request that went out during the Advent Season. One member even offered to match everyone else’s donation dollar for dollar.

As a result in 2016 Millersville Community Church has already be able to fund the launch of two new churches among the unreached population of India. A pastor has already been assigned to the first of these. Please Pray for Bhupendra Dubey and for the success of his ministry. A second pastor should be deployed within just a few weeks.

Pastor Bhupendra is serving Christ in Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India where only 0.3 percent of the population is Christian. In fact, if Uttar Pradesh was its own country, it would have the world’s third largest unevangelized population. It is also a region of rampant disease and political corruption, so Pastor Bhupendra has some hard work ahead, and faces very real dangers.

The latest Glad Tidings newsletter indicates that they have receive requests for 450,000 English-language Bibles to give to local worshipers. Many years ago I challenged Grace Church to contribute 1,000 Bible to Glad Tidings over the course of one year. The members came through and exceeded that amount in just four months! In light of the ongoing need, this might be a good time to see how many more we can collect. If you have new or gently used Bibles that you no longer read, please consider passing them along to someone in desperate need  of God’s word. You may leave them in a clearly labeled plastic bag in the lobby of First Campus,  the Servant Center at Grace Campus, or the workroom at Hope.

Peace,

Pastor Bruce

Al & Mickey Williams’ Prayer & Praise Bulletin, March 19, 2016

PRAISE ITEMS:

1.    GOD’S PROVISIONS – It’s been a while since we updated you on our financial situation. We are excited to share that God has brought several individuals and one new church to join our partnership team. Praise God with us, but please continue to pray for God’s provision of additional partners to join our team.

2.    AL’S TRIP TO THAILAND – Your prayers were answered in smooth flights that took me to Bangkok and back to Pennsylvania. The security team had few problems to deal with. The most serious problem was of a person traveling to Bangkok on his own who became confused and stranded for a bit at the airport. We were able to see that resolved (to his great relief and that of his daughter at home).

In addition to the main meetings which focused on the work of Wycliffe and SIL in Asia, the group that I serve with, the Asia Shared Services Team had a day of meetings to focus on our service to the work in Asia. One of the realities we are facing is a significant reduction in funding for our team. Please continue to pray for wisdom as we face this continuing challenge.

3.    IVATAN JESUS FILM – Thanks for your prayers for our colleagues in the Philippines who have been dubbing the Jesus Film in the Ivatan language.  They are completing the final edits before sending the audio to JAARS in the US to do a quality check and mastering of the film. Once this is done, the team in the Philippines will duplicate and package the DVDs and take them to Batanes Island for distribution.  Due to interest generated by this project, the Ivatan New Testament will also be reprinted! Pray the Jesus Film will help bring the Scriptures to life for the Ivatan and draw many to faith in Christ.

4.    MICKEY’S BIOPSY – Praise the Lord: the biopsy done on the tissue removed from my leg during the Feb. 9 surgery came back clear (i.e. free of any potentially harmful skin cancer cells) and I am off of ‘couch arrest’ and back to normal activities.

5.    JUSTIN BACK TO WORK – Thanks for your prayers for our son Justin. He has been back to regular-duty work now. His foot still hurts, but he says it’s improving.

PRAYER ITEMS:  

1.    MICHIGAN IN APRIL AND MAY – We are looking forward to being in Michigan during late April and much of May visiting with our many prayer and financial supporters and friends. This is our schedule so far, but if you’d like to have us come and share with your church or group, let us know.

April 27 – May 1       Five Points Community Church, Auburn Hills, MI
May 22                       Caro First Baptist Church, Caro, MI

We are looking forward to seeing you soon!