Sharing Stories of God`s Grace
Transcription
Sharing Stories of God`s Grace
Sharing Stories of God’s Grace Everyone has a Story! TABLE OF CONTENTS Editor: Amy Tartick Graphic Designer: Becky Patterson Published: October 2012 © 2012 The Chapel 500 CrossPoint Parkway Getzville, New York 14068 716.631.2636 | thechapel.com 5 Letter from the Editor 6 Kingdom Come 7 The Chapel at Lockport 8 Renovation Church 13 Chapel Ministries Engaging in God’s Grace 14 Completing the Task 16 Sierra Leone Alliance Updates 22 INTERVIEW: Brad Johnson/Mission of Hope Haiti 30 Tactical Prayer Map 32 INTERVIEW: Ryan Kozey/Renovation Network 36 ARTICLE: Jon Cook/Isaiah 61 Project 42 Local Partnerships Making a Difference in Our Community 53 Why Should I Give? 54 Short Term Missions, Why? 56 Ministry Partner Directory and more from our Stategic Church Planters and more from our International Partners and more from our National Partners and more from our Regional Partners Letter from the Editor By: Amy Tartick D o you remember the first time you understood what it meant to have God’s grace poured out and in your life? Grace that no one can earn, nor do we deserve, yet God in his mercy offers to every man, woman, and child through the shed blood of Jesus. Through God’s plan of redemption he offers forgiveness, salvation, and his very presence in us, the mystery of “…Christ in you, the hope of glory!” (Colossians 1:27) This has become one of my favorite times of the year, not because of the changing seasons, rather, it is the time we hear from all our Kingdom Come partners and the wonderful things God is accomplishing through them and their ministries. We recently asked our Kingdom Come partners to send in a “Grace Story”—a testimony of how God’s grace was shared, received, and transformed a life or lives for God’s glory. We hope you enjoy reading more about what God is doing in the hearts and lives of so many who have embraced the gospel, surrendered their lives to Christ, and experienced God’s grace in their lives. Your faithfulness in supporting Kingdom Come is crucial to making these stories and others possible—Thank you! We are also very excited about a new feature to On Mission—a Tactical Prayer Map—designed to pull out and post to help you pray strategically for our partners (see page 30). In Romans 15:30, Paul pleads, “I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” We are able to join our Kingdom Come partners in the field by praying for them. Nothing is accomplished without prayer, and it is an essential way everyone can participate in Kingdom Come. Moving forward, The Chapel’s ministry partnerships continue to be defined and refined in light of our mission. Kingdom Come is growing. Through our partnerships, we join God on his mission locally in Buffalo, Amherst, Williamsville, Lockport; regionally in places like Niagara Falls, Syracuse, New York City, Scranton, PA; nationally in Chicago, Houston, the West Coast; and globally in Argentina, Sierra Leone, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ukraine, Brazil, India, Mongolia and literally, to the uttermost parts of the earth. It is incredible when you consider the number of men, women and children who have seen and heard the gospel this year through our Kingdom Come partners. Strategic church planting opportunities are targeting neighborhoods, cities, even entire countries to be saturated with God’s message of hope and salvation by meeting physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Thank you for joining The Chapel on mission this past year, and we invite you to continue on this journey with us. We hope you are encouraged by what you read between the covers of this magazine and that in some way, the stories remind you of your first encounter with God’s grace. Defining The Chapel’s DNA: Kingdom Come By Daryl Largis In our recent faith sermon series we were reminded that without faith it is impossible to please God. It therefore goes to follow that faith is the key to an ongoing, dynamic, and abundant life. A life where faith is continually nurtured, challenged, strengthened and exposed for the world to wonder and marvel upon, as God gets the glory by the actions of his people. While we can lean on at times and learn from the faith of others, we must at the end of the day own our individual priesthood which means our faith. This is at the core of Kingdom Come. How? Kingdom Come represents a fresh expression of faith in the lives of those who call The Chapel home each year—individually and corporately. Simply stated Kingdom Come is the primary way in which The Chapel engages locally, regionally, nationally, and globally in the mission to reach every man, woman and child. Accordingly, we then have the privilege to enter into this mission by faith! Those who have participated in the past have assuredly a testimony to tell on how God worked in their midst. I have heard many incredible stories, and my family has their own given our participation. How wonderful it is to be able to do this again, and for others who have not, been able to participate in the upcoming year. Given that this endeavor is based upon faith, we ask all of The Chapel to participate by faith. Participation, while seemingly easy, will require you to grow in your faith and trust in God, which as we already know pleases him. By faith make a commitment to give financially to Kingdom Come above and beyond what you are already giving. How? We do so by faith in that we prayerfully go before God in his word, and contemplate what he would have us do in the upcoming year related to Kingdom Come. Basically it comes down to if he provides it we will give it to Kingdom Come. It is that simple. How this happens is as unique as your situation, but we must be attentive and proactive for God works in ways which we sometimes do not expect or anticipate. Our obedience driven by faith to that which we sense begins an incredible journey that next year you will be able to rejoice and declare his faithfulness. So, as you read the stories of the lives contained within this brochure, understand that the resources given to these ministries came by faith, your faith and the faith of others in our midst. God used those resources to plant churches— some local, some regional, some national and hundreds globally. God also used those resources to dramatically increase the influence and capacity of existing ministries all over the world who share our heartbeat and missional DNA. New ministries were birthed that God is using to facilitate his redemptive mission for entire nations. These are just a sampling of all that God has done through Kingdom Come. Faith offered by and expressed in his people is a powerful force in this world. We are witnesses to this very thing! And now we are again in a position to experience more of it as we enter deeper into the mission of God to ensure that every man, woman and child has repeated opportunities to hear, see, experience and then respond to the redemptive message of Jesus Christ. May our response to God’s invitation to join him through Kingdom Come increase our faith and bring him the most glory! The Chapel at lockporT by Jonathan drake The Chapel at Lockport has gone through some changes this calendar year. Pastor Matt Eisenhower, who helped to launch the campus in Easter of 2010, answered God’s call on his life for the Army Chaplaincy. The leadership team (both staff and non-staff ) was integral in the transition as we began a new chapter for the Lockport Campus. Our congregation gathers for corporate worship in The Historic Palace Theatre (The Palace), right in the heart of downtown Lockport. Of course, meeting in rented space has its own set of challenges (setup/tear down, extra-early mornings, scrambling at the last minute, and more) but it also has its own set of benefits. With less than 50,000 people between the City and Town of Lockport, there is hardly a soul who has not been in (or at least heard of ) The Palace. We are in a great location to touch many lives with the gospel. The familiarity of a “secular” building goes a long way for those who are either estranged from or foreign to the idea of Church. The team at The Palace, specifically the executive director, Christopher Parada, has been incredibly gracious and accommodating to the Lockport Campus these last two and a half years. Directly across the street from The Palace is The Historic Post Office–home for our King’s World (ages two through fourth grade) and SHINE! (Middle School) ministries. Dozens of kids gather every week to hear the gospel in a way that they can understand and apply. We are so glad to be a place where sometimes the kids are the ones dragging Mom and Dad to church on Sunday–not the other way around. Not only that but also our kids are often leading out in the mission. Just this past May, King’s World and SHINE! collected more than 200 boxes of cereal to bless a local homeless shelter–our Kingdom Come ministry partner, Lockport CARES. Beyond the flurry of activity on Sunday, there’s also so much happening throughout the week. Together with our CrossPoint Campus, we have Circle Groups that meet in homes to provoke our people to live out the gospel wherever they are, whether at home, at the office, at the ball field, or at the grocery store. Every Wednesday, our Set Free ministry gathers in The Historic Post Office. It’s here that so many are discovering and experiencing freedom in Christ from their addiction, whatever it may be. Often I will meet someone on a Sunday morning who found out about The Chapel at Lockport through Set Free. This has become one of our biggest connection points to a community that so desperately needs the chain-breaking power of the gospel of Jesus. Prayerfully, we are starting to see Lockport saturated with that Good News. In August, we had an outdoor concert that we branded, “Bagels, Barista, and Blues.” We gave away more than 75 cups of coffee one Saturday morning while a live blues band played near the corner of Elm Street and East Avenue. The gospel message was woven into the music itself and a band member shared his “grace story” right in downtown Lockport. One passerby asked someone from our congregation, “Why are you doing this?” and her answer was simple: “Because we try to love our community as Jesus would.” We want God’s will to be done and his Kingdom to come in Lockport as it is in heaven. And so, we believe that means giving every man, woman and child in Lockport repeated opportunities to see and hear the gospel of Jesus. That’s why The Chapel at Lockport exists. Together on the Mission, Jonathan Drake Strategic c h u r c h p l a nt i n g s It is exciting to see how God is using The Chapel’s strategic church planting partners throughout our region. Stories of how God is changing, indeed, healing hearts and lives is unprecedented! From “Buffalo Gary,” to Arabic-speaking Bible studies, to barroom bouncer turned Kids Ministry “bouncer,” people are finding that God’s grace is more than sufficient to make them whole. Brek Cockrell Lead Pastor story by michelle stockton G od didn’t speak through a sermon that chilly Sunday morning in November, 2008. When Gary settled into a comfy high back chair in theater three at The Chapel at Elmwood, God invaded his heart through the music. The worship overwhelmed him and compelled him to tears. In the dim-lit crowded theater, he heard Jesus say to him, “All is forgiven.” He knew in that moment, he was willing to do whatever it would take. This was the first Thanksgiving that Gary had been sober. And it felt good. Before landing in our rental theater, only a week before moving into our new home down the road as Renovation Church, Gary had just completed three days of detox. He had hit rock bottom as probation followed him around every corner. The skeletons in his closet were creeping out and he couldn’t keep the doors shut. God had tried to get Gary’s attention, but suppressing the pain through alcohol and drugs was far easier than facing his broken marriage, his kids rejecting him, recurring job losses, no home to call his own and a secret life. The Holy Spirit’s conviction warranted a choice. December 15, 2008 Gary chose to put one foot in front of the other, leading him downtown. He turned himself in. He spent his “first Christmas sober” (since he was 13 years old) behind bars in an isolated cell with nothing but the Bible. Jesus had him right where He wanted him. Gary’s relationship with God began to flourish in those silent moments. A friend of his father’s began to write him, sharing his own grace story. He called Gary a hero and a champion, words that were so foreign to him. Gary wrote Pastor Brek to stay connected, to reach out and to say he’ll see us soon at Renovation. He continued to journal and work through his steps. We waited. If you come to the 9:00am gathering at Renovation, you’ll meet “Buffalo Gary.” At our round tables, he sits with his coffee and connects with others who are struggling. He worships with all of his being, crying out to the God who rescued him from a miry pit of depression, pain and addiction. He continues to make restitution with his children and pursue a relationship with them, even though it may never be what it could or should have been. Gary attends AA meetings multiple times a week and if you ask him, he’ll tell you, “Now I know it’s okay to ask for help. There’s a miracle that happens when you humble yourself. Now I help sponsor others and share my grace story whenever I have the opportunity. God doesn’t promise that I have a job, a house or anything else, but he does promise to deliver me.” Gary believes, “Change comes not when we say we deserve it, but when we are ready to accept it.” Even after 1,363 days sober, sharing your grace story still has the power to set others free. John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” strategic church plantings | 9 NorthGate Community Church Missio Church Jon Hasselbeck, Lead Pastor Jordan Stinziano, Elder/Pastor At Missio Church in Syracuse, NY, we are taking our mission seriously. We exist for God’s glory and to make much of him. We exist to see his glory spread throughout our neighborhood, our city, our state, our region, our nation, and the world. In June 2012, we were blessed to move into a permanent facility on the Near Westside of Syracuse’s Downtown. This neighborhood is one of the poorest in our region. The facility, a beautiful, old Presbyterian church building, provides us with two critical elements. First, it gives us a permanent presence in the community. We understand that the Church is not a building, but rather a people. We hope to leverage that presence to both share the good news of the gospel and serve our community. The second critical element is proximity. Our congregation is now in the midst of this neighborhood. Our people are taking a vested interest in meeting needs as they are identified, and the neighborhood, we hope, will in time see the people of Missio Church as a benefit to their community. Syracuse, like Buffalo, has a large refugee population. The Near Westside is home to many Arabic speaking families, mostly refugees from Iraq. A couple of years ago Missio and Grace Chapel, one of our partners, helped to launch an Arabic speaking Bible study with the hope of discipling believers who could then take responsibility to proclaim the gospel to every Arabic speaking man, woman and child in our community. Over the years this study has grown and we are now seeing the beginnings of an Arabic congregation that will be hosted in our facility. At the same time, we are also strengthening our partnership with the Nepali believers in our city, seeking to help them develop leaders in their midst who embody the gospel and take seriously their part in God’s redemptive mission here. This fall we hope to launch a new Renovation community among the Nepali in their own language. Missio continues to see planting new congregations as a critical element to its mission in Syracuse. Last year we took responsibility for a congregation on the campus of Syracuse University, University Church. Our hope is to “re-plant” that congregation with a new DNA: taking the gospel to every student, faculty and staff member at the university. Our dream is to see University Church look to plant another congregation in the near future that focuses on the neighborhoods around SU. 10 | strategic church plantings It is with great joy and amazement of God’s grace, that I bring you this update regarding NorthGate. As a church plant, NorthGate is three and a half years old and we had been renting space at the AMC movie theater. The rental expense was becoming unreasonable and we were limited in our building use to only four hours on a Sunday morning and no place to meet during the rest of the week. As we prayed, God opened an amazing door for us to continue to share the gospel. The New York State Mennonite conference offered us the use of the building where I used to pastor in the Mennonite Church. This is a beautiful building, 5,000 square feet with 11.5 acres of land. We began to rent the building about one and a half years ago. We hoped that students from UB and Buffalo State would continue to attend. Not only did they come and give their lives to Christ but also the number of students involved in the ministry increased! We also began to have people join us from the community which has given our congregation a new level of stability—of all ages! We have increased to two services to accommodate the increased attendance. The students began to tell us, they now felt they had a home away from home and a sense of family and community. When the Mennonite Church contacted us because they had decided to sell the building, NorthGate had no savings and some outstanding bills due to the theater rental. God provided a miracle from many sources (including $1 a week commitments from students to larger monthly giving) that made a 20% deposit possible within six months. As I write this to you, I am about to walk out the door to the closing of this new building. This year we have seen many people give their lives to Christ. People have come from all over the region and the world; Japan, Zimbabwe, India, China, Taiwan, Germany, Sweden, Lockport, and Clarence, to name a few. Thank for you helping to make this possible through your generous and faithful giving in seeking to reach every man, woman and child! “As we prayed, God opened an amazing door for us to continue to share the gospel.” Restoration Church Dan TrippieLead Pastor Steamtown Church Dennis D’Augostine, Lead Pastor The last twelve months have certainly been a time of great change and anticipation. It has been more than three years since we formally began gathering as a church body and the ways in which we have grown as a congregation are numerous. One of the many evidences of grace we have experienced is the deepening of our greater body partnerships within the Christ Together Network. This past year, the elders of Restoration Church and the elders of Missio Church in Syracuse formed a high level partnership whereby we are actively living in an interdependent relationship. During this time we have been sharing materials, commodities, and human resources. Restoration Church and Missio Church have begun the process of joint venture partnering to reach every man, woman and child across the I-90 corridor and telescoping together in places like Milan, Italy. As we attempt to live out our shared principles, we are drawing circles of accountability from Buffalo to Syracuse with hopes of giving repeated opportunities to millions of people. As we seek to grow in geographic intentionality, the Lord has blessed us with the completion of a nine-month building project. Our new facility at 504 Frankhauser aids us immensely as we take responsibility not only to the lostness of the Maplemere neighborhood, but also the University of Buffalo North campus. Words will never express our gratitude to the people of The Chapel for the many hours of labor donated to this project. With permanent space secure, we now feel we are able to set our sights on forming a second congregation across town. As we embark on the fourth year of a vision that will be decades in the making, we give great thanks for The Chapel. The people of Restoration stand on the shoulders of all your faithfulness. We ask for continued prayers and we look forward to growing closer to the fellowship of The Chapel at CrossPoint in the years to come. On behalf of the elders, deacons and believers of Restoration Church, we love you. Hi, my name is Jen Marshall, I’m 31, and was born and raised in Fleetville, PA, which is about 20 minutes from Scranton. When I was five, I trusted Christ through an evangelistic campaign at a church near me. When I was eight, I was home one night with my father while my mother was at a prayer meeting at our church. I picked up the phone and heard my father talking to a woman who wasn’t my mom. He told her he got home safe and that he loved her. Of course I told my mother later that night. The whole situation shook my mother to her core. She depended on my father for pretty much everything, and although they stayed together, things were never the same. In my teenage years, violence started to creep into my family. My father never hit my mother, but there was a lot more yelling and shoving. It was very hard for me to see. I began to turn to things like hardcore shows, drugs, alcohol, and men as a way to escape the pain. But I never did. The whole time I knew Christ was with me… He never left my side, but I continued to push him away. I met my husband in my early twenties. A short time after we were married, a co-worker of his told him about Steamtown Church. We decided to go because of his enthusiasm and passion. As soon as we entered the facility, we were greeted by many people and felt at home. And shortly after attending for a while, I began to open my heart back up to Christ and let him take over. I was baptized a little while later at Steamtown to publicly proclaim that I’m a fully dedicated follower of Jesus, the One who never left me, even when I tried to leave him. “Restoration Church and Missio Church have begun the process of joint venture partnering to reach every man, woman and child across the I-90 corridor...” strategic church plantings | 11 people where they are at in their hurts, habits, and hangups! It remains the only twelve-step program that we offer on Monday nights, so that all will filter through, being able to connect Jesus with their true healing and hope! theWELL Darrick Castronova, Lead Pastor TheWELL has experienced God’s great power in ways beyond what we could have ever asked or imagined! It has been our incredible privilege to journey alongside those who are processing Jesus’ personal love for them, many, for the first time! Most have struggled through some sort of fear, addiction, shame, bitterness, depression, divorce, anxiety, or “religion,” all to discover that God is bigger than all of their pain! On Sundays, we now have two gatherings allowing ample space needed for children and adults. People are discovering who God really is. They are realizing his love and grace as they “stumble toward redemption,” and understand that he is the only one who can truly fulfill them. People are experiencing their value and worth for the first time, and we are honored that God would allow us the privilege to be involved in his story in such a way! Two of the things we believe work the best in connecting people to do the work in which God has called us to do, is through small groups ( Journey Groups) and serving others in and out of our community. “Everything is about relationships, the rest is just details!” When God gave us a building rent-free, never would we have dreamed the building would come with opportunities to reach so many people! We now have more than 20 twelve-step groups connecting weekly at what we call “theHOPE center.” People often ask how it is going at theWELL. In one word: EXHILARATING! To be a part of people’s everyday lives, as they experience the God of the universe to find hope in the midst of their pain, and express joy as they learn to walk a new path—we have never experienced anything quite like it before! We have launched Celebrate Recovery (CRwithHOPE) which is growing weekly. It is an incredible tool to reach Over and over we will praise him for the salvation and redemption he continues to offer by his unending grace! Village Church Jeremy Hazelton, Lead Pastor In October 2011, Village Church began weekly gatherings, intentionally reaching into the Elmwood Village community. Sean Cronin, who oversees the Village Kids Ministry has this story to share. Shortly after moving into the city, I met a young man whose reputation preceded him. Before I met him his friends warned me about how wild, rambunctious and quarrelsome he used to be before he immersed himself in AA to overcome his addictions. When we first met I’ll admit he intimidated me because of his large stature and abrasive demeanor. He looked like a bouncer that you’d see at a nightclub, which I later found out was his former occupation. Suffice to say when I first met him I didn’t think he’d ever be interested in Village Church. To make a long story short we continued to hang out, and one night we attended a Halloween party together. There he met the girl of his dreams. They hit it off and soon started to date. As they dated, I got to know her and found out that she was a Christian and was looking for a church in our neighborhood. I invited her to our preview gatherings and she came with my friend in tow. That was the first time my friend had ever attended a church gathering in his life. He found it to be interesting and inviting to non-Christians like himself. Not long after that Sunday my friend asked me to meet with him once a week and talk about life and explain some of his questions about the Bible. Rarely do we miss a week. While my friend has not surrendered his life to Christ, he’s making a conscious effort to draw closer to him. Over the past two years I’ve seen God work through my friend’s life in amazing ways. One of the coolest details of the story is how he now serves on the registration and security team for our children’s ministry. As my friend’s story illustrates, God is in the redemption business. At Village he’s taken a former nightclub bouncer and has turned him into the Village Kids bouncer. He’s taken a selfish, violent alcoholic and turned him into a compassionate servant, who is learning how to follow the ways of Jesus. Chapel Ministries Engaging in God’s Grace I Can “Change” A Child’s Life THRIVE By Cassandra Dietz By Linda Penn This summer the first through fourth graders of the King’s World Children’s Ministry were learning about the virtues of LOVE and CONTENTMENT. We wanted to show LOVE by collecting change for the kids of Hope’s Rising Children’s Home in Sierra Leone for an eightweek period. Each week the KW children would bring in their change. During our last song, they would worship by giving to those in need and placing their change they collected in their grade specific containers. Many men and women have been used over the past six years in the country of Costa Rica to not only share the gospel but also to train, equip, disciple and lead men and women in ministry. The only requirement to go was a willingness to be used by Jesus for the week. We had the honor of impacting the kids at Hope’s Rising Children’s Home (HRCH) as our kids collected change for bunk beds, crayons and pencils. From lemonade stands to snack stands, they almost doubled our goal so we had to ask what else we could ‘buy’ with the money collected. Our first through fourth graders collected $2,566.71 in change to purchase six triple-decker bunk beds, three double-decker bunk beds, 408 pencils, 100 packs of crayons, tables for the children to eat at, cupboards to hold their supplies, 23 LOL t-shirts for the kids and 23 LOL book bags for the new school year! The money left over will be used to impact the surrounding community through HRCH! Our kids showed how they are CONTENT with what they have and showed LOVE by being willing to give to kids who are in need! “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live.” 1Timothy 4:12a (NIRV) King’s World Cereal Collection By Donaday Chapman The King’s World kids of The Chapel at Lockport are learning about RESPONSIBILITY. They are learning that they can be trusted when they are responsible with what they’ve been given. In a three-week period, they collected more than 200 boxes of cereal for the residents of Lockport CARES. Lockport CARES is a local emergency shelter designed to assist men, women, and children who have no place to go. The mission trips took on various shapes, sizes, and design depending on the Lord’s leading for the year with the common goal of sharing Jesus Christ and his love for us to others. Over the years the various trips included medical treatment, working with churches individually and collectively (60 pastor’s wives and missionaries included), feeding the homeless, visiting refugee camps, weekend women’s retreats, leadership conferences, outdoor outreaches, street evangelism, sharing personal testimonies, children’s programs, mentoring emphasis, visiting area hospitals, visiting orphanages, teaching job skills, building and constructing apartments for missionaries, and getting a building converted into a church. The Costa Rica area churches also adopted the WNY Prayer 40-day emphasis as CR Prayer. It was awesome to see churches partnering together for ministry. The lessons revealed to us through God were priceless to those who went and to the Costa Rican people as well. It has been a great privilege to be a part of the Kingdom Come ministry here at The Chapel. These trips were hosted by THRIVE ministries. Women from other area churches partnered with us on these trips. It is now our privilege to begin shaping by God’s design the next trip to the Dominican Republic in April 2013 for both men and women in the WNY area. It is clear to see that our mission to reach every man, woman and child is being woven into the very fabric of our ministries here at The Chapel. Even our children seek to explore and engage ways to join God in his Mission. You will be amazed when you read how very effective these kids can be! Also, The Chapel’s women’s ministry, THRIVE, offers an update on their mission activities impacting Costa Rica and what is on the horizon in 2013. Enjoy! completing the task “…people have to feel that intensity because there is only one church. Not just in Buffalo, there is only one church. It is a new day of global reality of interdependency that makes finishing the task possible! …a new global interdependency that accentuates the finishing of the task. Unapologetically church centric.” Dwight Smith I Dwight Smith and his wife, Patti, just returned from a two-month mission that included India and Ethiopia and shared this exciting GF update: Global Fellowship Founder, Dwight Smith shared in a recent interview, “For generations, world mission leaders have asked the question how do we complete the task left us by our Savior, to take the gospel to every man, woman and child on the planet? …For much of my adult life that dream was more potential than reality. But, with the size of the Church worldwide and the receptivity that the Holy Spirit is working out ahead of us, the day is now!” I continue to be blessed and humanly amazed at the Church in India. After nearly 30 years of involvement there, we are one small piece of a miracle of the Spirit of God. Patti and I will not see anything more profound in our lifetime. In the last twenty years, hundreds of thousands of churches have been planted, tens of millions of people have become followers of Jesus, and tens of thousands of poor and unprotected have been loved and helped. I am humbled to think of the hundreds of other servants, both Indian and expatriate who worked tirelessly to see this day but went to be with the Lord before it occurred, leaving us to experience the fruit of their faithfulness. n Matthew 28, God invites, well actually commands, believers to join him on his mission, Missio Dei, with Jesus’ words, “…go and make disciples of all nations…” Indeed, Christ followers have been working diligently to fulfill the Great Commission for more than 2,000 years, even to the point of giving their very lives. Until recently, this task seemed fairly unattainable, reaching every man, woman and child with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Global Fellowship (GF) was designed beyond the scope and labor-intensive dynamics of traditional mission organizations in recruiting, training and sending missionaries from one country to another. GF seeks to catalyze and facilitate national movements of the gospel with indigenous leaders and churches. Through this, they are strategically building valuable relationships with leaders in specific parts of the world who will not only be instrumental in evangelizing their own nation but also effectually reach into contiguous nations to do the same. By offering training and other resources, GF is empowering the Global Church to finish the Great Commission within their distinctive national contexts. Through interdependent cooperation of the Global Church, completing the task becomes possible, dare we say probable…in our lifetime. The key to completing this task isn’t necessarily church planting, although this is a significant component of the plan. Saturation is the primary emphasis— mobilizing believers to become witnesses to every man, woman and child to offer the gospel in ways that can be seen, heard and experienced. In essence, being what God designed the Church to do. The miracle is not over. It is as if all this were merely the preparatory interlude for a grander harvest to come. I don’t know if Patti and I will see the full extent of the history that is about to be written through the Church of India, by the Holy Spirit. We are extremely thankful that our history in the nation has enabled the Spirit of God to quickly give the needed credibility and access to raise up national leaders. Those leaders are already working diligently in 12 states to release the training to as many local contexts as possible. Ethiopia was also a joyous surprise. There are about 18 million evangelical Christians in the midst of a nation of 80 million. Patti and I meet with an evangelical alliance that represents the vast majority of Christians and their denominations. We are praying about the invitation issued to us by their executive counsel. Please pray with us that they and we will clearly hear from the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your friendship. Currently, GF has established working relationships with the church in Ukraine, India, and the Caribbean, and is developing them in Argentina, Ethiopia, China, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. To learn more about Global Fellowship, visit online at gfmission.com. SIERRA LEONE ALLIANCE UPDATE S ierra Leone, located in West Africa, is perhaps best known for “Blood Diamonds” and a decade-long brutal civil war that took the lives of an estimated 50,000 people. Although the conflict was officially over in 2002, Sierra Leoneans still struggle today. Their war now is with abject poverty as men, women and children strive to obtain the essentials for life including clean water, sanitation, education, medical care, and the ability to provide for their families. In the spring of 2009, representatives from EduNations, Global Outreach Mission, Houghton College, Jericho Road Ministries and The Chapel gathered around the table to share how their organizations were serving in Sierra Leone. Finding common ground, they also began to strategize how they could effectively support one another with the purpose of enabling a national redemptive movement of God. Let them LOL joined the Alliance and its ongoing efforts, bringing a distinct passion to provide people with clean water and more recently, building and supporting a home for children in need. Through their collaborative efforts, another year with the Sierra Leone Alliance has brought about new clean water wells, sanitation facilities, schools, Christian education, church planting, micro-finance opportunities and so much more. All of which are instrumental in offering the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that every man, woman and child in Sierra Leone will be able to see and hear. As a member of the Sierra Leone Alliance, The Chapel supports the efforts of each organization through financial and other resources. This support affords assistance to Alliance members to help take its purpose from the strategy phase to reality, by providing for the many needs of Sierra Leoneans. We hope you enjoy their updates and stories realizing how not just “organizations” benefit from Kingdom Come partnerships, but individuals who now have hearts changed by responding to the gospel and following Jesus. Through your support of Kingdom Come, you are a crucial part of this extraordinary work. Thank you. “EduNations is intended to be a practical, concrete demonstration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” “Wound care has taken on a whole new dimension in this ‘rustic’ setting. Cleaning and keeping wounds clean is an enormous task where ‘keep it clean and dry’ is nearly impossible...” EduNations Global Outreach Mission EduNations was founded in 2004 by three families which had adopted children orphaned in the “Blood Diamonds War” fought in Sierra Leone, West Africa. It was founded in response to the persistent prayers of those children for their friends who were left behind; prayers of gratitude and intercession from children who had experienced God’s grace in a real and tangible form. The Lost Gift (a story from the field): Last year, many individuals, gave resources and medical supplies so that we could deliver them to the Mokanji Hospital, in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The people that gave those supplies did not know how they would be used, nor did they seek any reward for these gifts. However, I think it is important to understand just how powerful this type of giving is, and how it is received in places where we are working and bringing the love of Christ. Rick Kennedy EduNations is intended to be a practical, concrete demonstration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That demonstration takes the form of schools. EduNations has established and operates eight schools serving more than two thousand children who would otherwise have absolutely no access to education. EduNations employs a faculty of 100 teachers. All of the EduNations schools are free and open to all children. At each school, the students have access to clean drinking water, clean sanitary facilities, food, medicine, and to the good news of the world’s one true Hope. Please pray that Pappa God will continue to bless the efforts of EduNations as it seeks to glorify him by serving lost and forgotten children living in the remotest parts of the poorest country on the planet. Dennis Campbell My wife decided to inventory medical supplies given from Western New York… we were eager to figure out just what we had. And that is where I discovered the nearly 500 single-use packs of… Surgilube, that very nectar of the operating room, that essence of sterility, that bacteriostatic potion that has saved many lives. Wound care has taken on a whole new dimension in this ‘rustic’ setting. Cleaning and keeping wounds clean is an enormous task where ‘keep it clean and dry’ is nearly impossible and it is often lost in translation. It is impossible to do daily dressing changes, and semisterile conditions to do dressing changes, well it only exists in my dreams. So… Surgilube to the rescue! Soak and thoroughly clean the wound as best you can and lather on the Surgilube. Apply dressing and tell the patient to come back in 3 days. It is a beautiful sight to see a clean wound on the first dressing change and renewed tissue with the second dressing change. As the fame of the treatments spreads, there has been a down side...we are running low on Surgilube. 18 | sierra leone alliance This is an example how a gift that is given from far away can be such a powerful gift of love and is saving lives. Best of all, the building of relationships so that the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ can be seen is wonderful. Surgilube, is just one of the practical resources, needed in the daily operations of the clinic, and is a reminder of how this donation became just the perfect treatment needed at this location. This is truly a great blessing! “In its second season, the [Mango Outgrowers] project was a huge success, a testament to God’s grace and provision.” “This year we had the privilege to open a children’s home for orphaned children.” Houghton College Let Them LOL From early March to early May, 2012, assisted by the Sierra Leone Alliance, two Houghton College interns— Andrew Bonanno and Anya Jones—worked with World Hope International in Makeni to help with preparations for the upcoming mango season as part of the Mango Outgrowers Project. In its second season, the project was a huge success, a testament to God’s grace and provision. Farmers sold 45,700 crates of mangoes, a 350% increase from last year’s pilot season. The project now links 2,300 farmers in 157 village cooperatives to the international juice market. Let Them LOL from day one has been a story of miracles. From a simple idea to help give people clean water, to three years later 55 wells funded, with thousands of people getting access to clean drinking water. Houghton College also completed its fourth consecutive Sierra Leone research course in May 2012, led by Dr. Ron Oakerson. Seven students participated. The research team undertook two tasks: (1) an evaluation of the second mango season, completing interviews in 30 villages, and (2) designing and field-testing a baseline study to be used to measure the longer term impact of the Mango Outgrowers Project. The baseline study is being carried out by World Hope staff at present, after which Houghton faculty and students will participate in analysis of the data collected. These steps will allow the Mango Project to continue to grow and bless Sierra Leoneans as a measure of God’s grace and provision, done in his name. There is a very special lady living in Let Them LOL’s Hope’s Rising Children’s Home. Her name is Violet. On our first trip we watched her young son ( Jonathan) die from a water related disease. His story ignited a spark that helped make Let Them LOL what it is today. We maintained a relationship with Violet over the years and invited her to be a house mom in our new children’s home. Violet and her daughters are thriving in their new home. Mark Hijleh Joe & Kate Vacanti This year we had the privilege to open a children’s home for orphaned children. When we arrived this March to dedicate the home, we faced some challenges. God helped us through and we were able to move in 23 orphaned and impoverished children. They are all healthy and happy and all passed this semester of school! Here is an excerpt from a letter Violet wrote to us: “In a very special way, on behalf of my entire family I want to thank you very much. Since you entered my life, I have realized the presence of God. Because I have started seeing the reality of all you told me.” sierra leone alliance | 19 Jericho Road Ministries Myron Glick More than ten years ago, Jericho Road Family Practice began to provide medical care to approximately 100 refugees from Sierra Leone, Africa on the West Side of Buffalo, NY. These displaced people fled a civil war and after spending years in various refugee camps, were resettled in Buffalo by the United States government. One of the first refugees we met was a woman named Phebian Fengai-Abdulai. She is a mother of five children and a pastor’s wife. As a nurse she delivered babies, performed minor surgical procedures and administered medications. When the war came to her home town of Koidu, she fled with her family barely escaping with her life. After many dangerous encounters and unpredictable circumstances she arrived in Buffalo broken and discouraged. Ultimately, through the support of Journey’s End Refugee Services, a local church that adopted her family, and Jericho Road she experienced healing. Eight years ago Phebian joined the nursing team at Jericho Road and has been a faithful employee ever since. More recently she continued her Nursing education and earned her professional license as a Registered Nurse. We at Jericho Road are very proud of our sister, Phebian and many other former refugees in our community! For years, Phebian has spoken of the need in Sierra Leone and of her desire to return to her country so she could be a part of the rebuilding process there. It is because of her passion and faith that we are following her home. In February 2013, Jericho Road Family Practice is planning to send another medical team to the Kono District of Sierra Leone. The purpose of this trip will be threefold; to begin construction of a health center and mobile medical clinic in Koidu; to provide a one-day medical clinic in each of the four targeted outreach communities (Njaima, Tombudu, Woama and Tefeya); and to help Phebian establish the start of our mobile medical clinic health education outreach program. Phebian has sacrificially agreed to stay in Sierra Leone for the next six months to help nurture and implement this vision of providing good quality health care in the name of Jesus to the people of Sierra Leone! Drilling rig in a Sierra Leone Village Children of Sierra Leone 20 | sierra leone alliance This is Violet. She is the house mom for Hope’s Rising Children’s Home. “The Church is the Church only when it exists for others... not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer international partners Two years have passed since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and you may be wondering what The Chapel is doing in the long term to help the survivors recover from this natural disaster. Through intensive evaluations of various ministry partnership opportunities, The Chapel found Mission of Hope Haiti (MOH) to resonate deeply with our mission to reach every man, woman and child with the gospel of Jesus Christ in Haiti. Earlier this year, a Chapel leadership team met with MOH to strategize and develop necessary resource needs and mission teams. Partnering with other churches in WNY and nationally, The Chapel plans to assist with these necessary resources to help engage an indigenous redemptive movement of God in specific locations with the hope of further understanding our role in Haiti. Recently, On Mission was able to catch up with Brad Johnson, President of MOH for an interview. On Mission: What is Mission of Hope’s mission in Haiti? Brad Johnson: As an organization following Jesus Christ, we seek to bring life transformation to every man, woman and child in Haiti. OM: How is MOH helping in the recovery of Haiti? to Leveque! The community moved over in shifts, as new homes came to completion. And again with God’s grace, JoJo was one of the first to receive a brand new home! The day arrived for the homes to be passed out and JoJo was wheeled up to receive the key. In that moment you could see the pride in his face and witness the vindication of many years, not being able to do for himself what others do for themselves every day. Brad: Recovery from the devastating earthquake of 2010 is a part of what we are doing in Haiti, but our It was an amazing and humbling moment for everyone at main objective is to use the entirety of the gospel to reach Mission of Hope to see life transformation happen right the lost in Haiti. Many of the programs we had in place before our very eyes. In total, MOH gave out 100 homes: before the earthquake have simply increased in size since fifty homes to people who were deaf or handicapped 2010. We are feeding nearly 60,000 people a day through and fifty homes to those who had their homes destroyed our Haiti1 program, by the earthquake. will have over 3,000 students in the School On most days you can An Interview With: of Hope this school find JoJo sitting on his year, and we’re excited front porch willing for to see what God is anyone to come by for doing through the a visit. He is quick to intentionality of our tell you all about what Church Advancement God did in his life! President of Mission of Hope Haiti Program in our surrounding villages. OM: What is on the horizon OM: How has having The Chapel as a ministry for MOH—biggest hurdles, opportunities, and other partner made a difference in the recovery challenges you anticipate MOH will face in 2013? of Haiti through MOH’s ministry? Brad: The horizon holds some amazing opportunities Brad: Because of your sacrificial giving and your to see what God is going to do in Haiti. We have Every Child initiative, we have been able to continue Vision 2015 where we want to see over 10,000 students to provide for and take in orphans into the Village reached by our school systems, over 100,000 with our of Hope orphanage. We are also excited about the Christian Education and Nutrition programs, Church upcoming Church Advancement partnership in the Advancement begin to spread the gospel in depth and community of Bercy, where you have partnered with width in our surrounding communities, and continue us to own the lostness in that geography. We want to raise young leaders that will transform a nation. The to ensure that every man, woman, and child knows major hurdle continues to be keeping pace with the vision Jesus, is educated, and feels the impact of the gospel. that God has put in place. As we continue to grow and expand, we want to make sure that we remain focused on OM: Is there a story you can share about an individual that vision and on the Vision that God has set before us. receiving God’s grace through your ministry? OM: How can The Chapel family best Brad: This is the story of JoJo. His eyes jump with support MOH in prayer? joy and his smile is infectious. As JoJo came forward Brad: Pray that relationships continue to form, both to receive the certificate and keys for his new home, he in country and across borders that advance the gospel. could hardly contain himself. JoJo was born with no arms and no legs. Everywhere he goes he has to have someone Pray that in all of our many activities and projects, we will make sure they are being done for the purpose of putting push him around. And in Haiti, it is survival of the fittest, the gospel in front of as many people as possible. Pray especially in Cite Soleil where he lived. (Cite Soleil is for young men and women in Haiti to continue to grow recognized as one of the worst slums in the Western up with a gospel-centered worldview, and take positions Hemisphere!) He found himself living in the deaf of influence that will begin transforming a nation. community and will tell you God placed them together. JoJo could be their ears and voices, as they became his hands and feet. Through the Grace of God and a beautiful partnership, the deaf community was relocated Brad Johnson international partners | 23 Strategic International Partner: HBI Global Partners, Bobby Gupta Thank you so very much for standing with us in this great task of proclaiming the gospel, discipling people to Christ and bringing them into communities of believers. We also want to thank you for helping us to train and develop indigenous leaders who have taken the life-changing gospel to millions of unevangelized people and thousands of unreached villages, so that Christ is incarnated in the midst of unreached people. Touched by a simple prayer, Kalai became a person whose story is now wrapped into God’s grace! Kalai is a young delivery boy for Domino Pizza who grew up in a slum that was greatly impacted by the ministry of a local church that turned the community from darkness into light. Kalai resisted the gospel but God brought him one day into our context. A rather impatient short term team dragged him into their blessing for pizza but did not realize what was happening as they prayed for the food and for Kalai. He got a hold of Malini immediately after the prayer and said, “Ma’am, something happened to me when you prayed and I need to talk to you.” He was still a Hindu but he remembered the church visiting his father who was dying from cancer and how they compassionately visited his home, regularly and faithfully praying for his father. He should have died but he is still alive. It was at that moment as the team prayed with him, God broke into his life and helped him understand how resistant he was to God’s grace. Kalai said, “Ma’am I must have a Bible to read,” Malini quickly called the office, and requested for a Bible to be brought. One of our staff was introduced to Kalai and took him to her office where she shared God’s grace and the message of the cross. That evening was when he experienced God’s saving grace and forgiveness as Kalai received Christ into his life. Today, Kalai is being discipled by Malini’s associate Rani. We just want to praise God after years of hearing the gospel, Malini had the privilege of helping him cross that line to receive the Lord as his personal Savior. Strategic International Partner: Patch Our Planet, Steve Gillis As we sat in our first meeting with our Costa Rican church partner, one of my board members and I took time to explain that we did not come with an agenda. We came to serve. Surprisingly, the room fell silent. After a long pause, the pastor spoke up. He was trying to understand why we were really there. We could tell they were excited but seemed hesitant because of challenging past partnerships. We were there to serve the church’s vision in order to reach their community’s orphans. So, each day we visited orphanages with leaders from our partner church. It was amazing to watch how God opened their eyes to the enormous needs in their community. They listened to the challenging stories from some of the orphanage directors and met the children who were at the center of those stories. 24 | international partners At the end of our week, we sat down for our final meeting. As the pastor and church leadership shared their moving personal experiences from the orphanages, there was one passionate response that I will never forget. One leader said, “We must do something!” With that, the ministry to orphans began at El Camino Church. We helped them see the need and God moved on their hearts to meet that need. I believe when the Church cares for orphans, God’s smile is on full display. I know it was his grace that opened the door for us that week in Costa Rica. He continues to open doors for Patch Our Planet. By God’s grace, the echo continues to resound as The Chapel and other churches step up to help end the orphan crisis at home and abroad. We want to see a world where every church in every community is caring for every orphan. “...the teenagers again mocked and laughed. I approached them and preached within three feet of them. They were shocked but listened.” Eduardo Paez, a pastor in Cinco Saltos, Neuquen, pictured with his wife. Strategic International Partner: Strategic International Partner: Jeff Hackett Alex Belmar SCORE International I first visited the Village of Los Montones in 2003 with the high school ministry of The Chapel. As we approached the village a sense of oppression, darkness came over us. The houses were in disrepair and garbage strewn all over. A baseball diamond sat, no longer cared for. We invited the people to hear and see our ministry. They came dressed in torn clothes and curious of us. The young men in the back mocked us as we sang and performed our drama. As I preached they laughed and mocked what I was saying. No one responded to receive Christ. We left somewhat discouraged. In 2006, another Score missionary and I preached, the teenagers again mocked and laughed. I approached them and preached within three feet of them. They were shocked but listened. The missionary returned every week to build a relationship and ultimately invited them to a camp for a week. Many gave their lives to Christ! Light was beginning to pierce the darkness. Each time I continued to visit with groups from the States another would surrender to Christ. In 2008, Score’s new Bible Institute’s students were these teenagers from Los Montones! Along with their hearts the physical appearance of the village also changed, including repair, paint, a new school building, and a church. And the field is now manicured like a major league baseball diamond. The darkness of voodoo and satanic worship of Los Montones involved many of the young men and is now gone! Some of these men have been ordained and are pastoring churches. They now talk of how God might use them to plant more churches in the Dominican Republic and other parts of the world. The people of Los Montones have experienced God’s grace first hand. I pray that you would come with me soon to visit these men of God personally. Presidir.net God’s grace has allowed us to envision and begin the ministry of Presidir, to assist leadership in the mobilization of the Church, so that every believer would be motivated and equipped to share their story of grace. This became a reality in the life and church of Eduardo Paez, one of the pastors of a church in Cinco Saltos, Neuquen (Southern Argentina). Eduardo is a pastor’s son and was raised attending church every weekend. Six months ago, Presidir began the process of working with the leadership team of the “Iglesia de Cinco Saltos” around the table and defining God’s vision for him and the church. As a result of the process, he understood God’s vision for him in his role as pastor. Eduardo shared, “Before we worked with a shovel and hoe—working programs without a clear vision. Now we feel like a surgeon with a scalpel. As a pastor, I now understand the crucial importance of seeking God and my responsibility before the congregation.” The church has taken on their circle of responsibility for reaching 40,000 people around their church area to give repeated opportunities to every man, woman and child to see and hear God’s redemptive message of grace. The congregation is being equipped and motivated to live a missional life, sharing their grace story from Monday to Saturday in their circle of influence. As Paul said, “By God’s grace, we are in the ministry,” and from grace to grace we want to see the lives of many leaders in the Church in Argentina and Latin America, be transformed so they can challenge the people to fight for the redemption of every man, woman, and child in Argentina. Thank you for being a part of making this possible. We love and appreciate you, and thank God for your lives. international partners | 25 ABWE (Church Planting Brazil) Nathan & Cherith Logan We would like to share a story about God’s grace of provision for our entire church, Igreja Batista Esperança (Hope Baptist Church). For almost two years our church had been renting a conference room in a commercial office building. As growth took place, the need for more space was apparent, so research on another location began. The week after our search began, the building management changed and the new manager told us we could no longer have our services in the building. We only had five days to find a new location for the following Sunday but were confident of the Lord’s provision and guidance. Through providential conversations and relationships over the next few weeks, our church was offered a rentfree, weekly location at a movie theater in a well-known shopping mall. On Sunday mornings we have complete access to two theaters that each seat 180 people as well as the kid’s area in the food court. The location is strategic, the people are excited, and we have seen continued visitors coming and hearing the gospel! In addition to being blessed with a great location, we have been blessed to work with gifted and godly Brazilian partners. Maicon, our pastoral intern, (pictured above) is reviewing his message before preaching. Our soccer outreach ministry is growing and needs to find an additional field. After playing basketball most of his life, Nate is enjoying this learning opportunity of just using his feet! 26 | international partners ABWE (Church Planting Czech Republic) Steven and Cari Wendel This year’s 5th of July outreach event promised to be a good one, with quality beef ready for the grill, bigger and better fireworks than the year before, and a host of new friends and acquaintances to invite…nearly all of them unbelievers. No sooner had we got the meat on the grill, than an enormous storm blew in, and a torrential downpour ensued. The rain was blowing in squalls and lightning struck the power poles outside of our house knocking the power out for the remainder of the evening. As all 40 of our guests retreated into our home, we lit candles and scrambled to find something to do. A Christian friend grabbed a guitar out of our garage and began playing worship music. Her father then took the opportunity to give his personal testimony of salvation, as he himself trusted Christ through the ministry of missionaries serving behind the Iron Curtain 40 years ago, and encouraged our visitors to likewise believe and pursue knowing more about God through our family. What appeared to be a disastrous evening, turned out to be one of the most significant outreaches we held this year! ABWE-GAP John & Bev We first met Suumpi in 2007 in Yangon, Myanmar. He invited us to visit his work at the Yuzana Gardens on the outskirts of Yangon. Suumpi and his family were reaching their Burmese Buddhist community through programs for children, prayer and visitation for the sick, and teaching English. But Suumpi’s vision was much bigger; he saw a need in the community for clean water, and a business opportunity to make the church plant self-supporting. We provided a micro-economic loan and “The Living Water” church plant enterprise was born. Subsequently, Suumpi has purchased a computer business and opened an outreach center for neighborhood children. When the church had sufficient funds to build, he told me, “We need bricks, but I don’t want bricks, I want a brick maker so after we finish the church we can launch another small business to provide more jobs for people in the community.” Along with The Living Water enterprise, the “Winning Star” Computer training center for youth, and the recently purchased brick maker, Suumpi is also supervising tract translation and distribution to evangelists and Christians in other unreached areas. Please join us in praying for Suumpi, and his wife, Man Maan, who are expecting their second child. Campus Crusade for Christ Michael and Amy Ramos Many ministry situations that Amy and I have been involved in this year have been extremely personal and confidential. Our missionary roles have placed us in decision-making processes for both individuals and families who have been impacted by significant life-changing events. We see God’s grace in that we are “welcomed” when serving our staff during these difficult times. We have realized that God goes before us, and through his Spirit gives those that he wants us to serve, the immediate confidence and trust that we are there “for” them. The devil’s hand is to divide and conquer by turning his people against each other, but we have put our assurance in God leading rather than in our “skills and gifts” leading which has led to victories for our ministry! We are thankful and appreciate The Chapel’s support for what we do at Campus Crusade for Christ. Please keep our two roles in your prayers in that they continue to support our missionaries and their families to have effective undistracted ministry. international partners | 27 Transformation Mongolia Word of Life Bolivia Juan & Noemi Lella Axel Fischer The story of grace we would like to share is about a planned suicide that turned into a powerful salvation! Budee was successful and lived with his family. But everything changed when his wife left him. He was crushed, and he tried to escape his pain by drinking alcohol. Soon he was grabbed by the addiction, and even his last friends left him. He ended up on the street, known for being permanently drunk and crazy. One day he got a gun, put it to the head, and was about ready to pull the trigger. He couldn’t do it. He wanted to get more alcohol first. So he went to a shop, and as he was talking to the seller, she told him that there is hope for him; he should come to church tomorrow. I happened to be there that morning, since I was traveling to our countryside daughter churches. The service had started, and as I was preaching Budee bumped in. He first squeezed in the back between the people. As I was sharing about the overflowing life which overcomes death, he jumped up and cried out of his devastating situation, “I want to kill myself ! There is no hope!” I encouraged him to listen to this good news, which is for him. The church people were comforting him and loving him. He became calm, finally peaceful, and at the end even joyful and full of hope. He gave his life to Jesus. Since that day he hasn’t had a single drop of alcohol and is in daily fellowship with our local pastor. Just a few days ago, I came back to that town in the countryside. After visiting Budee in his home, I can personally testify to how Jesus has saved and transformed the man! Axel and Budee, pictured above, taken August 9th 2012, he was saved April 29th 2012. 28 | international partners In the city of Guayaramerin (near the Brazilian border), we went to a school to present an evangelism program: “Born Again to a Living Hope.” We knew that in this school they sell drugs, that there are gangs, and serious social conflicts. At the end of the presentation, while we were talking with the students, we had the opportunity to chat with a boy who was alone, and who had an “effeminate appearance.” His name was “Joselito” and he was 15 years old. We shared the gospel with him and he began to cry inconsolably for many minutes. When we shared that “we are all sinners,” the boy said that he was “very sinful and God would not be able to pardon him,”… and he continued to cry. When asked what was wrong, he said, “I feel dirty, dirty, dirty, and nothing can clean me.” We showed him in the Bible about the great forgiveness of God and finally, Joselito received Christ. After this we asked him, “What is it that was keeping you from receiving God’s forgiveness?” Joselito said his mother was separated from his father, and that her current partner would come into Joselito’s room drunk every night and sexually abuse him. For this reason, he felt very bad. Now Joselito is being discipled by a missionary in that city. Additionally, we made a legal complaint in order to bring order to the situation. The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ… If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. C. S. Lewis An Interview With: Ryan Kozey of Christ Together Recently, On Mission was able to catch up with Dr. Ryan Kozey, Director of Strategic Initiatives for The Chapel and a National Delivery Team member for Christ Together on the merger of Christ Together and the Renovation Network. Ryan is able to share insights and expectations for moving forward in unity as Renovation principles continue to gather significant influence on a national level. On Mission: Please introduce us to what Christ Together is and share how it is connected to the Renovation Network. Ryan Kozey: Christ Together and Renovation Network took part in a merger over the past 12-15 months. The new expression of that group is now going to be known as Christ Together. The addition of Christ Together from Chicago, Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, and The Chapel in Buffalo has been a great source of encouragement and momentum as we seek to take an intentional look at giving every man, woman and child, the repeated opportunity to see, hear, and respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The leadership from Jerry Gillis (Buffalo), Daryl Largis (Buffalo), Tim Hawks (Austin), Bob King (Austin), Jamie Wamsley (Chicago), and Scott Chapman (Chicago), has been incredible, and we are so excited to see what this journey of partnership will develop into. OM: With Christ Together and Renovation Network unifying their efforts, what is the scope and depth of the influence we now have in the US and abroad? Ryan: We now have a documented “reach” to over 1,000 churches domestically in the United States. While not all churches exhibit the same level of partnership that some key stakeholders in the movement do, having such a platform to begin to penetrate other churches in the US with these ideas is incredibly exciting. OM: What is Christ Together on course to accomplish in 2013? Ryan: First and foremost, we are galvanizing our core group of participants before the end of 2012. In November, we will be meeting in Austin, TX with about 150-200 of our closer partners within the merged network, taking the time to walk them through what the new Christ Together looks like and what we are endeavoring to do in the years to come. Additionally, we are in the process of establishing a cohesive, digital presence where we can direct people toward if they demonstrate an interest in taking ownership of the geography that God has placed them in. That digital presence will help to assimilate what we believe are three essential core groups in the understanding of our ethos (the justification for why we should endeavor to do this) and methodology (the framework through which we should constantly assess ourselves and our impact on the lostness of our geography), which are 1) Network and Denominational leaders; 2) Church/Pastoral Staff leaders; 3) Christians who want to see God do amazing things in their workplace, their family, and in their neighborhood. 32 | national partners In 2013, we will gather for the first time, under the banner of Christ Together, nationally! It is our sincere hope and belief that many will be excited about what they have an opportunity to join us in. I’m grateful for a variety of networks throughout the country, but I’m very excited about the ethos and methodology that we will put forth, because it is correlated with what rises up out of Scripture. OM: How do you see God at work in Christ Together through the network as a whole? Ryan: Unfortunately, one of the struggles that I’ve seen within church leadership in my years in ministry is a desire to control things. In many ways, I think that hampers us in our ability to release people into ministry domains that God has created for them (home, workplace, neighborhood, etc.). I have not experienced that in our partnership with the godly men that have been contributing to this merger. Watching a lead pastor default to someone else, based on their skill set or ability is an amazing thing to see. I’m grateful for the opportunities I have personally had to provide some level of leadership in this, but the reality is I could not do that without the willingness of other leaders to distribute the responsibility before us. I’m grateful for that. And I believe we are better positioned because of that. OM: Is there an individual’s story of grace that stands out that you could share? Ryan: Yes, my wife and I have been on a journey in our lives where we have been compelled by the gospel to open up our home as foster parents. This may or may not lead to adoption, but we have seen how God’s Word is clear in providing for the orphan and the widow. As that has happened to us, God has surrounded us with other families who have been faithful in that journey: - The King family who has been heavily involved in foster care in Austin, TX. - The Chapman family who has adopted two beautiful girls from overseas. - The Brunelles who have been heavily involved in foster care in Cleveland, OH and have even taken on adopting a handful of high needs children in the process. These men are key leaders in Christ Together nationally or regionally. As Erin and I had prayed about this, God surrounded us with incredible examples and their grace stories motivated us beyond belief. We have taken one girl in, and we are excited with whatever God would have for us. OM: What is the greatest challenge Christ Together anticipates in the coming year? Ryan: A decentralized network requires very intentional communication and intentional presence in between the times where we are not physically together in the same room. I believe that our ability to navigate this endeavor while not being in the same place at the same time, all of the time, will be a challenge for us. The times that we are together physically generate incredible momentum (as evidenced by what took place in our official merger in Atlanta, GA in June). We need to continue that momentum and communication in the times that are between our getting together face-to-face. OM: How can The Chapel family best pray for Christ Together? Ryan: Sometimes I feel as if people look at prayer as a given, but that someone will be committed to doing that for us. Frankly, that’s a frustrating thing for me, because I have struggled with that in my own life. The best thing that I can think of is to envision our Chapel family with the following idea: Every Sunday, if you attend The Chapel, you come into an atrium that is bustling with people, and above those people is a very clear mission—to give every man, woman, and child the repeated opportunity to hear, see, and respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. I think that many have seen it. But have we actually thought about the weight of that? Have we thought about what that is going to take in order to make that happen in Niagara and Erie county? Have we truly wrestled with how to do that for more than 310 million Americans? That message, if we are not careful to feel the weight of it, can become what many mission statements become—rhetoric. My prayer is to ask for The Chapel family to help us not let that mission statement be simply words. Rather, pray that it would come alive in a way that we would have no earthly understanding of what happened in our geography and in the geography of the United States, except to say that GOD did something AMAZING in this country! There are men and women in the United States right now that The Chapel is in lock step with, and they are passionately serious about that. Pray that God would help the members of Christ Together to continue to yield to the Holy Spirit’s direction in all of this. Pray that we would make much of God. Pray that the words above us every Sunday in The Chapel would come to life here in Niagara and Erie County and throughout the US. national partners | 33 Strategic National Partner: Renovation University O ne does not have to look very far to see the challenges faced by leaders in ministry today from failing marriages, personal moral lapses, loneliness, exhaustion, frustration in leading others, unrealistic expectations, lack of resources, inability to execute and an incomplete understanding of themselves. These challenges, if not addressed, have the potential to corrupt character, ruin careers and adversely impact entire ministries. Even so, there is opportunity. God is moving and desires to continue his redemptive work in and through his people. This will require competent, capable and Renovation-minded leaders in the time to come. In response to this need, Renovation University became an outgrowth of the Renovation Institute, Renovation Network and Global Fellowship as an effort to strategically equip ministry leaders today so that they will stay strong for tomorrow. In March 2011, a select group of pastors began a two-year journey together through the intense leadership training at Renovation University (Reno U). Our pilot program participants will complete the course and graduate in December 2012. Participants persevered through stacks of reading and writing, coupled with all-day conferences four times a year and activities that ranged from Lectio Divina to sky high adventures on zip lines to street ministry with Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission. Reno U is intentional, challenging, and cultivates an environment designed to equip and to empower the next generation of ministry leadership so that they can live, lead and serve well, consistent with the purposes of God. “Much of Bible College teaches us who God is through theology and biblical studies classes. Churches are designed to bring us closer to God. Reno U is designed to help leaders discover who they really are and how God has made them. RU trains leaders to run “the Race” with excellence for a lifetime.” Dennis D’Augostine “Our goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the hockey community in each state, impacting coaches, players and family members to grow in their relationship with our Heavenly Father.” Fellowship of Christian Athletes Ice Hockey Ministry Rick Randazzo, National Director Following the Lord’s plan for our lives requires us to have a tremendous amount of faith and trust in him. This past year, our family embarked on a five-year journey that will see us live in all 50 states, spending one month in every state across the United States. Our goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to the hockey community in each state, impacting coaches, players and family members to grow in their relationship with our Heavenly Father. As we set out to Portland, Maine last August, our plan was to reach coaches and players who did not know Jesus on a personal level. As we started to accomplish this mission, something else happened in our lives that was unexpected. The people we were ministering to started ministering to us. How amazing it was to receive encouragement, support, love and prayer from families, coaches, and people we had just met… pretty awesome. Looking back, I am amazed how God shared his love and grace with us through his people. As we served them, they turned around and served us—a true Acts 2:42 community. Ministry highlights for us included: - The Randazzo family completed the first 10 states on our 50 State 50 City tour. - During seven summer hockey camps across the United States we saw 45 players accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and 44 others recommited their lives to Jesus. - Traveled to Erzurum, Turkey and conducted four on-ice hockey clinics for Muslim youth hockey players and coaches. Singing Waters Christian Center Enrique Dominguez, Pastor Word Of Life Locak Church Ministries - SUPERBOWL Word of Life Local Church Ministries Rod & Jamie Whitney Support from The Chapel has helped us significantly in our ministry here in Buffalo, Rochester and the entire Northeast. Annually we run an all-night event called SUPERBOWL. Last November we presented the gospel to 1,300 students and leaders in the northeast and 19,700 nationally. In Rochester, 138 students came forward to receive Christ and were counseled, given a Gospel of John and a follow-up booklet called First Steps. I would love to share just one story from a 13 year old girl, Emma, who wrote saying, “This was my second year of going to the SUPERBOWL. My fav part was the speech we got before all the games began…when he asked people to come…I just stood and walked up. The woman (counselor) I was with was so nice and she understood everything and when we were done praying I was thinking about everything that I knew was a horrible sin and I felt like it was lifted off of my shoulders…I know that now I have a place in heaven when I die.” What a JOY to partner with The Chapel in reaching hundreds of students for Christ! Your prayers and support really touch many lives. Thank you! “Potluck Christianity”—a gathering place where everyone brings something to the table. Thursday afternoons folks come bringing a favorite dish to share. Music begins playing and it is on…laughter, catching up and, of course, a feast. At “sevenish” the café room is filled as people sit around tables with their refreshments and desserts while they talk about their week. Music starts as we offer our gratitude through song to our Savior, hearts stirred, prayers given, Scriptures shared, and people touched. A time of quiet reflection, listening to Jesus…he is not just the “guest of honor,” he is the “emcee.” Opening question is asked, interactive teaching follows. Closing question is presented and the application of truth is forged. Each table has its own story that is being fashioned. Peter and Jackson lead the AA table helping their friends find Jesus. Andrew leads the high school group during table talk, Teresa speaking into the lives of the Jr. High girls group, the prayer team going deep as usual, and Spanish is overheard as Luis leads the conversation in their native language. Every table has a story that has been written with new chapters added. Stories of grace received, mercy given, healing experienced, truth discovered. Potluck Christianity… SEND Kent & Joan Wilson Mobilizing can be frustrating at times, and it makes me wonder if I am effective in presenting the need for workers to serve in missions. Then the Lord brings into my life a young man like Pavel M.— a man full of excitement and enthusiasm to work in Ukraine to plant churches and evangelize. He already speaks the language and has a wife and four children. He has a true burden to reach these people. He knows he needs to raise support for this endeavor, and he trusts God to help him reach this goal so he can go and minister in Ukraine. I have enjoyed talking with him and helping him learn the process of getting to the field. His willingness and patience as he prepares to go through the necessary procedures is a true joy and encouragement to me. The Lord already knows who will come into his kingdom as a result of faithful service and obedience to preach God’s truth. Faithfully doing my part is what God asks of me, and I praise him for his guidance in my life. national partners | 35 the ISAIAH 61 PROJECT article by jon cook “The Isaiah 61 Project has positioned itself to bring numerous churches, service providers, businesses, foundations, government entities and educational institutions together to reclaim this city and its people for Him…one home, one family, one person at a time.” Jim Haid T oday I had an eye-opening, yet encouraging experience as I met with Jim Haid, an awesome guy who’s in the trenches of ministry here in Western New York. He’s heading up a new ministry endeavor called the “Isaiah 61 Project.” The Isaiah 61 Project has set up shop right in the heart of poverty, in the city of Niagara Falls. Their office is in the poorest neighborhood in the entire city. While some might see that as depressing, there is hope everywhere you look when you see through the lens of this new ministry! Isaiah 61’s mission is to “provide repeated exposure to the gospel through the vehicle of serving the immediate material and vocational needs of the city’s residents.” From what I saw and heard, they are poised to do exactly that! They are partnering with several churches and other ministries to see that the gospel is made known and the tangible love of Christ displayed. Honestly, as I walked the streets with Jim, I was saddened to remember how some people in my own backyard are living. As he reminded me, this is as much of a mission field as anywhere else in the world. Gang influence, corrupt officials, drug use running rampant, abandoned buildings, and so much more make the situation volatile. How can the people living here have a fighting chance for success and change with all of these variables against them? Well, that’s where Isaiah 61 wants to change the game! They have met with city officials and are preparing to receive abandoned buildings off the city’s ownership roles. Training classes will be offered to area residents providing them with basic skills to find a job, and these abandoned buildings will be their training ground. Renovating these buildings into usable space will provide work for the people and experience to find a place in the workforce. The fruit of the work will transform abandoned buildings that no one wants into desperately needed quality housing, not owned by slum lords, but by those who care for the community and love the people who need them. Looking at this neighborhood while hearing Jim’s heart and vision for what God could do made me excited! How cool is that he and those serving with him are willing to step out in faith, believing that God loves these people and has a plan for them, and knowing that the love of Christ can be shared through these actions. I’m so thankful for him, and for those like him, who don’t just talk about what could be but are getting it done! “Approximately 60% of the city’s residents receive some sort of public assistance, while 21% of the residential property remains vacant.” Jim Haid regional partners | 37 ABWE Pastor Al Cockrell Strategic Regional Partner: Vision New York Jim Hines O ver the past year, God has moved in some amazing ways and has opened doors with leaders throughout the NYC Metro area. As we interact with leaders around our region, we are looking to build partnerships with those who share our vision of seeing the gospel presented to every man, woman and child in our city, region, nation and the world. God has been gracious to allow connections to be made and strategic partnerships to be formed. One specific example would be that we recently completed the “Renovation” training with a group of pastors on Long Island. This was a great opportunity to cast vision and help these leaders shape and define their ministry’s mission, vision and values, bringing them in alignment with God’s “Missio Dei.” During this ten-month process, we met together every thirty days to discuss the materials we were interacting with and seek the Lord for his direction. In February of this year, we had the privilege of having Dwight Smith come to New York and walk our team through the final session of the Renovation training. We finished that session by asking the question, “What’s next?” for this group of men. The conclusion was that in early 2013, we are planning to start another session of Renovation training and walk a new group of leaders through the principals that lead to Saturation Church Planting. In addition, we are asking God to help us open two other Renovation Centers somewhere in the NYC Metro Area. Thank you so much for partnering with Vision New York as we pursue the vision of presenting the gospel to every man, woman and child together! 38 | regional partners Sacrifices are being made by those who have dedicated themselves to do whatever it takes and go wherever God leads in order to “complete the task the Lord Jesus has given… testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Sacrifices like the one Nadine Hennesey made after her husband of less than a year died suddenly of heart failure while still in his twenties. Nadine was expecting her first child. For a time, all her dreams of serving the Lord with her husband somewhere in the world were over. After a long struggle in dealing with her loss, she again began to dream of how she fit into God’s big picture. As a single mother with an understanding of what it is like to suddenly lose one’s mate, she looked toward Kosovo where war between the Serbs and Albanians in 1998 and 1999 had killed huge numbers of young to middle-aged men leaving thousands of single moms and orphans. Nadine applied and was accepted as ABWE’s first-ever single mom-to-be granted opportunity to go to the mission field. Her tragic experience uniquely equipped Nadine for her initial ministry which was to establish friendships with the widows of the war dead who grieved deeply, suffering from confusion and heartbreak. These contacts led her to start what has become a school called the “House of Laughter.” The school gained such positive reviews from the national leadership that the government has granted ABWE a large piece of land in the center of Kosovo where Nadine will head up a fully-equipped school. Recently, leaders from Kosovo visited the home offices of ABWE. God has granted favor to our mission agency, mainly because of how effectively God has used Nadine to impact that war torn country. It is strongly Muslim, but because of Nadine’s sacrifice, hundreds of women and countless children have been won to Christ. A personal note from Pastor Al: Thank you for the faithfulness that you have demonstrated over these past 24 months. I never dreamed that when Kingdom Come was initiated that I would be one of the recipients of the generosity of the people who we challenged to “Get Out of the Box.” Get out of the box they did! Little did we know what God really wanted to do. So now we rejoice in it, and praise his great name! “Our activities include Lasertron,... our big ‘slope and slide,’ and our recreation room with ping pong, fooz-ball, four square, and more.” “Forty-five families took advantage of the Christmas Shop, and no family needed to spend more than $20 total.” Circle “C” Ranch Destination Life Fellowship This summer at Circle ‘C’ Ranch was terrific. Every Monday night in chapel we had scores of campers step out publicly to accept Christ. Staff members were called, and they came forward to counsel one of the campers, girl with girl and boy with boy. They sat all over the Chapel and with their Bible in hand they led the camper to Christ as they had been taught in training. On December 17, 2011, Destination Life Fellowship in Niagara Falls was able to set up our first “Affordable Christmas Shop” at American Legion Post 1644. This was possible because members of The Chapel generously donated gifts for all ages. Families that we minister to through our clothes closet/food pantry were able to buy gifts for their family members at greatly reduced prices, mostly between 50¢ and $5.00. Forty-five families took advantage of the Christmas Shop, and no family needed to spend more than $20 total. This was a great opportunity not only for families to buy affordable gifts, but for us to present the gospel and minister to them. Wes Aarum, Sr. Improvements are happening at Circle “C” Ranch! We transformed our platform with a new lighting system and a new sound system. We also lifted our stage three feet higher so now everyone can see. We did something ‘new’ this year. We had some of our male staff preach to the seniors on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and they did well. We will not be surprised if a few of them change their college major and enter the ministry. We have had it happen before. Mark & Anne Perkins We are sending a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who generously donated to this ministry effort in providing gifts for families who couldn’t otherwise afford them. Our activities include Lasertron, rock wall climbing, horseback riding, swimming in two beautiful pools, sand volleyball, basketball, our big ‘slope and slide,’ and our recreation room with ping pong, foozball, four square, and more. Food is very important, and we have the best served family style (all you can eat). We do have fun at Circle ‘C’ Ranch! regional partners | 39 “An annual Labor Day party has been catalytic for us, and the believers are catching the vision of how we can reach our entire community together.” “We are a place where the “least of these” can be welcomed without judgment... such is the grace of our God through our Lord Jesus Christ!” Life Transforming Ministries Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission God has shown incredible grace to the ministry this year. As we unite the body of Christ in the Philadelphia area to reach every man, woman, and child, God has allowed many hearts and minds to be more open to what he is doing. Pastors are coming together and prayer-watered, Spirit-led plans are being made to reach our region with the gospel. Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission is a grace-based ministry where the love of Christ is shared daily to struggling men, women and even children…many suffering through uncontrollable circumstances such as job loss or perhaps bad choices leading them to helpless situations or even terrible addictions. Dolph Laraio Also, locally, the believers in our neighborhood are beginning to meet to talk about how we can reach our direct neighbors and build relationships with them. An annual Labor Day party has been catalytic for us, and the believers are catching the vision of how we can reach our entire community together. We are encouraged by staff growth this year as well. People are stepping out in faith, trust, and hope because they know God is with them in this effort. And the support of folks from The Chapel and elsewhere is a clear manifestation of that confidence. Thank you for your faithfulness! 40 | regional partners Shaun Smith We are a place where the “least of these” can be welcomed without judgment… such is the grace of our God through our Lord Jesus Christ! We are a place of second, third and virtually unlimited chances, as one strives to find purpose within a hopeless life. As the ground is level at the cross of Jesus, so it is at the front door of the Mission… for every story here, is a “grace” story. Growing from a vision to a new, thriving, rescue ministry, we are serving food and shelter daily, and we thank our Lord Jesus Christ for churches like The Chapel. You are truly the life-giving “heart” that nourishes and are often the “hands” of the Body of Christ in the mission fields of cities like Niagara Falls. Thank you for helping us with our portion of the gospel’s work of grace! “Our Sunday Children/Youth attendance is up 75%; due largely to God leading kids to this space through outreach efforts that occur during the week.” “When my son was at risk of walking away from God... they invested in him and are encouraging him to live out a faith in Jesus that’s his own.” The Springville Crossing Church The Rock Community Church Keith Clark Mike Hopkins & Dave Brunelle Last year we shared how God allowed us to be a part of an amazing story for his glory. It involved a drug addicted barber whose shop was attached to the theater where we worship. A relationship was built, much prayer occurred, an intervention happened, and he went to rehab. The church then converted the barber shop into a youth center. As Paul Harvey would say, “and now, for the rest of the story…” well, thus far anyway. This young man has completed rehab through Teen Challenge and has even been serving there. The church was blessed to hear his, and other testimonies, one amazing Sunday. We have since been building a relationship with Teen Challenge as we see God bringing to us many struggling addicts. And now, as this young man assimilates back into society, he is connecting with The Crossing, attending on Sundays, being ministered to throughout the week, and seeking ways to serve. Truly, amazing! But, that is only part of it. Sandra and her two teenage children came to The Rock in the midst of a very difficult season for their family. She says, “My faith was faltering and so was my kids’. I just needed a place for my kids and me to come and hear simple faith in Jesus taught.” When Sandra came, she found the multi-ethnic congregation so warm and loving that she felt at home right away. Through worship services that had a simple focus on Jesus Christ and his Gospel, and her involvement in a women’s Bible study, her faith was strengthening. Leaders at The Rock began praying with and for Sandra regularly, and she began to sense God working in the situations her family was dealing with. “Not only was my faith strengthened but several leaders engaged my kids. When my son was at risk of just walking away from God and the Church, they invested in him and are encouraging him to live out a faith in Jesus that’s his own.” Remember the space converted to a Youth Center? Our Sunday Children/Youth attendance is up 75%; due largely to God leading kids to this space through outreach efforts that occur during the week. A relationship is built, an invite is extended, and the people come! God is the Great Recycler! He is doing it with this young man before our eyes, and he has done it with the space. God has allowed us to experience other amazing stories in 2012 but we felt a “to be continued” was appropriate. Thanks Chapel! Now Sandra and her children have a renewed hope and are deeply connected to The Rock through several different ministries and also serve together as a family on the worship team. We are sending a heartfelt “thank you” to everyone who generously donated to this ministry effort in providing gifts for families who couldn’t otherwise afford them. regional partners | 41 local partnerships Strategic Local Partner: Buffalo City Mission Stuart Harper Lois, 25+ year volunteer The Buffalo City Mission exists to meet the spiritual and practical needs of the poor through the demonstration of the love and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. “The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow that has nothing but money is poorer still.” Billy Sunday, Founder of the Buffalo City Mission Many poor come to the mission homeless, feeling hopeless and helpless to make the needed changes to provide for their daily needs. By meeting the practical needs we are able to share the grace of God, to give value and meaning to the lives of others and to share the gospel with individuals that are hurting and spiritually dying. One of the disciples said this so very well, “When I was on the street I had all the money in the world, but was eating out of a dumpster. When I came to the mission I had no money and had everything.” He had found the Lord and had all he really needed. Together the community and the Buffalo City Mission serve the poor of our community. This service takes place as individuals and groups volunteer. Our church ambassadors, businesses, civic organizations and others who have a heart to make a difference in the lives of others, help show that the grace of God is alive and active at the Buffalo City Mission. XCEL leadership Center Toni Benjamin This year, two adults in particular have moved from having ‘jobs’ working with children, to building ‘careers’ in the service of youth. Ashley Gorny had “years of experience” before her Buffalo State College Service Learning Class brought her to XCELr8 for a semester. That semester of tutoring and mentoring students turned into a full year as a strategic partner of XCEL Leadership Center. Even Ashley’s family noticed the difference that service and leadership development made in her life. Ashley was a changed woman. Her experience at XCELr8 secured a coveted internship in one of Erie County’s student and family advocacy organizations. The leadership skills and training that Ashley cultivated were essential to charting out a new path of youth counseling and education. After her college graduation and a relaxed work schedule, Ashley could follow her father’s urging and “go back to serving at XCELr8.” Ayla Ruiz-Torres is another excellent example of cultivation of the leadership skills she was born with. Ayla ‘thought’ she did not absolutely love working with students. Then a year of directing XCELr8 transformed her thinking. Now, Ayla is even more engrossed in serving youth and young adults in various ways throughout the city of Buffalo. We also wanted to share this recent note: “I am the parent of two XCELr8 students. I also completed the Making End$ Meet (Your Goals): Financial Literacy Training workshop. It has given me a better understanding or a better outlook on my finances and how important it is to stick to a budget on a monthly basis. I have learned how to keep accurate records effectively, and the importance of being consistent. I even came up with a few ideas on how to generate a second income. The workshop has helped me find the resources to take steps to obtaining my first home. Thank you XCEL!” Broadway Hope Scott Steger I was saved by God’s grace in February of 1993. Transformed, made clean and my feet set upon a brand new hope-filled path. I stepped off the broad way of destruction onto a narrow way of life and peace. The first verse that God gave me was Matthew 7:13-14; here Jesus speaks about “the broad road to destruction and the narrow road to life.” A few years later while my brother was researching our family history, he discovered that the German name Steger refers to “one who lives near a narrow path.” Today, outside our door at Broadway Hope, a narrow path winds back to the beautiful land which we have been blessed with for the opportunity to share the gospel. Because of sin we are born on this broad way. Thanks to God’s love and grace, he offers every man, woman and child an opportunity to walk the narrow way. God continues to bless Broadway Hope by bringing many to experience a natural and God blessed environment. Here, they are given the opportunity to make that most important decision, to follow Jesus. making a difference in our community Buffalo Christian Center Campus Ambassadors From our “Merge” youth ministry: Jack, who was 16 years old, entered Merge for the first time. He had previously been hanging with other young guys attending the program and they encouraged him to come to Merge. The consensus was that he would probably never come, and that his life style included drug dealing and wild living. Well, someone had been wrong. It just so happened that on his first night, the topic was hurt and pain, which encompassed past grievances afflicted on us by those closest to us. After the large group discussion, we broke down into smaller groups and stories began gushing out about abandonment, harassment, molestation, shootings and many unimaginable situations that these young people had experienced. Jack was in a small group. The conversation was so intense that even when everyone was dismissed, many stayed behind. The small group had diminished to five teens, four of them knew both Christ and Jack. The youths left in the discussion had each shared their stories with Jack, and Jack had accepted Christ into his heart. A few weeks later, Jack was at Merge greeting his friends with hugs and they assured me that he was pursuing his walk with Christ! Alyssa was on a journey, trying to figure out what makes Christians tick. Having grown up in an atheistic Buddhist home, religion did not make sense to her. But her new-found friends of Campus Ambassadors (CA) at UB intrigued her. Jim Swearingen Paul Decker We invited Alyssa to Infusion (CA’s end of the year regional retreat) and her answer was a clear “no.” But the CA community communicated how much they wanted her to be there. The day before Infusion began, Alyssa registered online and bought train tickets. At the retreat, Alyssa was having a great time, but she was also very serious. She attended my class, “Is Jesus Really God?” During the class, she was extremely attentive. She asked intelligent questions as we covered the classic argument of C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity: Jesus is either a liar, lunatic, or Lord. Clearly, she was wrestling with the choices. After our evening worship, Alyssa grabbed one of our other students, Andre, and peppered him with questions for three hours. Every objection she could come up with, Andre handled deftly and graciously. The next day, Alyssa came to me to talk. I told her about the time I first encountered Lewis’ argument and how I kept looking for the loophole. Not to my surprise, she said, “Me too!” and then told me about her conversation with Andre (of which, until that moment, I was unaware). “In the end,” she said, “I got it.” “Got it?” I questioned. “What do you mean?” “I am a Christian,” Alyssa stated and then explained how she had decided to become a Christian, and how Andre had led her in prayer. I don’t think I will ever be able to describe the joy of that moment. Two years of conversations, texts, hugs, meetings over lunch, emails, and genuine compassion for her needs—communicated by CA staff and friends—had borne eternal fruit. It was a day to dance. 44 | local partners Christian Central Academy Nurline Lawrence Story by Debby White For the sixth consecutive year, as a culmination of their experience at Christian Central Academy, CCA’s seniors embarked on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with the intent to serve, share the love of Jesus Christ, minister to the physical needs of the people, and assist with small building projects in churches. While year-long training prepared the students for most of the trip, the actual experience of being far out of their “comfort zone” proved transformational for many in the class. Close living quarters on the SCORE International compound, coupled with each one daily extending him or herself in ministry brought about a unique bonding in the class. Several students expressed how, by reaching out to orphans, the poor and the uncared-for, their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ was deepened and nurtured. They saw God answer prayer and work in their own lives and the lives of their classmates. The senior mission trip is one expression of CCA’s constant commitment as a school to provide every opportunity for each student to be transformed in heart and mind through a Christ-centered worldview, taught and trained to serve the world through their character and leadership. Christian Counseling Ministries of WNY Timothy & Cheryl Chambers How does one explain how a young child could face such horrific sexual abuse by her dad and by God’s grace not remember it until she was 21 years of age, when he picked her up from college and raped her? Up to that point she had completely blocked out the events which were at that very moment flooding her brain. At times she would completely dissociate from reality and one time found herself in a ditch after driving in on-coming traffic. God spared her the memory of the abuse when it happened and he then kept her safe when he believed she was ready to face it. Through five long years we have sorted through each of those flashbacks and discovered a seed of hope as she has finally put words to her unexplained “bleeding heart.” She said to me the other day, “You know I am finally beginning to believe that there is a time when the flashbacks will end.” That was a monumental discovery for her. God has by his grace taken back her mind and reclaimed it as his own and she is experiencing the freedom that comes with his daily all sufficient doses of grace. local partners | 45 Cross Training Football Mike Masters This past year, Cross Training Football (CTF) was on more than 40 campuses across WNY and the southern tier sharing biblical principles of how to become Luke 2:52 people. City Vision Jim & KJ Swearingen A grace story at City Vision this year is the opportunity God is giving us to impact the lives of “young leaders” who live and serve in the city. We placed three summer interns with our City Vision Community Partners working with kids in poverty. Their lives were impacted as they took steps in their faith journey to learn about justice and God’s concern for the poor. We are also thankful for the seven young leaders that God led to us for mentoring and personal discipleship. We believe there is no short cut for long-term leadership development! God gave us opportunity to teach them the Bible, walk alongside them in life, help to establish ministry houses for intentional living, and mentor them as they assumed ministry roles with teens. What a joy to see young leaders teaching and serving the next generation! It is only by the grace of God that we have opportunities to “. . . entrust [these truths] to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2 NIV). 46 | local partners The tremendous evidence of God moving through CTF was seen in discipling interns—with one of them receiving Jesus as his Lord and Savior. We also thank Christ for the one-on-one discipleship opportunities with coaches and our group discipleship with coaches which grew to over 13. One of our coaches has taken an active role in the ministry as co-host on the new CTF radio show “Heart of a Champion.” Last week he asked, “Mike I wonder if God walked among us—would he be a football fan? We are trying to win souls for him!” Another coach stated at his sports banquet that CTF has made him a better husband, dad, and coach. God’s presence was so powerful throughout the summer. One night in particular, a still came over a football camp in Elba, NY as we shared the gospel. The Spirit of the living God came down on 300 plus football players, more than 200 prayed to receive Jesus. The next night the camp ran out of Bibles after giving away more than 160. Praise God for his everlasting love and pursuit of us; it is a privilege to influence our community in his Name! Generation Church Chad Rieselman I never thought that a flower shop would be the kind of place that God would use to begin building Generation Church. After all, I am a manly man. What on earth would I be doing in a flower shop? My family moved here from Binghamton, NY in August of 2011. My wife, Christina, was four months pregnant with our third child at the time. Her water broke on October 17. We rushed her to Women’s and Children’s Hospital where she would need to stay put until our baby was born. Now I had a reason to stop for flowers. I walked into Hock’s Flower Shop and was immediately greeted with a great big smile by Marie. Through the process of picking out flowers, our conversation turned to the nature of our move to North Tonawanda. Marie was overjoyed to “meet a pastor” and even more so to hear a new church was opening half a block away. Our son, Samuel, was born October 26, at only two pounds and six ounces. On January 8, when he was ready to come home, I walked back into Hock’s to pick up celebration balloons and flowers. There was Marie, beaming with joy! “Pastor! I’m so glad you’re back” she exclaimed. Marie had lost my card and had been praying daily for God to send me back. I invited Marie to a pre-launch meeting the next day. After the meeting, she was “ready to give it all to Jesus!” Shortly afterward we baptized Marie and our numbers quickly doubled as she invited family and friends to our gatherings! Good News Jail & Prison Ministry Alex True I recently received an e-mail from a young woman who informed me that her co-worker’s boyfriend had been booked into the Niagara County Jail. She asked if I would go and see him. When I met with A.D. (not his real name) he indicated that he had been raised in a traditional church, but “didn’t have much use for religion personally.” I shared the message of Christ with A.D., and he was open and attentive to the gospel. A few days later A.D. was released from jail. I received another e-mail from the woman stating, “[He] was released last night at 7:00 p.m. He had no idea and was completely surprised. He told his family and his girlfriend about your visit. He really enjoyed meeting with you and said that it gave him so much comfort to have someone to talk with like you. He said you told him about Jesus and said that it means more to him than we will ever know. He was reading the Bible passage you directed him to when they came to release him. Thanks so much for planting a seed with A.D. Hopefully, he will come to know Christ genuinely.” local partners | 47 Heritage Christian Services International Students, Inc. Each year, Heritage Christian Services sends volunteers to Guatemala so individuals with disabilities who live in institutions can attend a week filled with fellowship and faith at a retreat-camp, while modeling and teaching quality care and compassion to Guatemalan caregivers. “Now, I believe in God!” Katrina told me today. “I was praying to God about a problem that I’ve had for a long time, and he put the solution into my mind. Now I believe in God, and I believe that whatever situation I am in, he will help me.” Mauricio was a popular camper at the camp in Guatemala. Camp was so important to him that he made the decision to miss a week of dialysis so he could attend. He arrived at the camp in pain and with serious bedsores. Thanks to the compassionate care and advocacy by Heritage Christian Services nurse volunteer Lynn, Mauricio was able to get the medicines he needed. She woke each day at 4:00 a.m. to treat his bedsores and show him the love of Jesus. By midweek he was joking, laughing and telling stories. Mauricio was grateful for anything that someone did for him, even if it was just sharing conversation. When not at camp, he lived alone and spent most of his days just trying to survive. At camp Mauricio enjoyed a visit to the ocean, worshiped the Lord, had friends to pray and laugh with, and was loved. Mauricio passed away two months later. He was a gift to all who knew him. God is so powerful! He has snatched this precious soul out of the clutches of the enemy and has made her his own child! Robert Pieters Thank you so much for your continued support of our ministry. Don Manta Katrina went on to tell me that she has been talking with all her friends about God and was in touch with a friend in China. “You need to be reading your Bible!” she told her friend. Katrina’s face lit up when I told her that I could help her do a Skype Bible study with her friend back home. We praise God for this new Bible study approach he has brought to ISI. Through it, 100% of the seekers in these Bible studies have become true, life-transformed followers of Christ! They are also talking with their friends and family in their homelands, helping them learn about God. Thank you for your financial and prayer partnership in reaching the nations for Christ! From Shant Tamazian (Student - University at Buffalo): I had been raised with some religious background, but it never meant very much to me. This past fall, I was living the way society said the world worked and got into things that I shouldn’t have. However, the truth of God became real to me when I read the Gospels. A friend and member of InterVarsity kept giving me Bibles to read, three in total. Over winter break, I finally read about Jesus and immediately knew that Jesus held the truth not society. InterVarsity Brian Tofflemire 48 | local partners This spring, I started to attend InterVarsity events, gaining opportunities to better serve the community and learn about God. During my short time with InterVarsity, I have developed friendships that I expect will survive into adulthood rather than disintegrate on graduation day. I have grown so much wiser in my perspective of life because of the radical transformation that took place this year—my rebirth in Christ. InterVarsity facilitated the perfect environment for my faith to grow, and I assert that InterVarsity provides the perfect environment on campus for anyone to grow in faith and love for Christ. Kingdom Bound Lockport CareNet As many know, the annual Kingdom Bound festival takes place the first week of August and features many Christian musicians and speakers. One of the ministries under the umbrella of Kingdom Bound Ministries is WNYShares. WNYShares was created in 2003 for a single purpose: To please God by doing our best to help underprivileged and special needs children throughout western New York We have seen amazing changes at the Lockport CareNet center. Our numbers of clients served has been steadily increasing, mainly due to the increased awareness of the good things that are happening at this center. We have been able to reach out to more and more people in our community who are afraid and suffering. This year, we already have five people who have rededicated their lives to Christ and one first-time profession of faith. Lives are literally saved inside our doors, families are brought together and hope abounds every day. Just think how many generations have been changed since our doors opened in 1985! Donna Russo In the fall of 2011, Kingdom Bound had the privilege of opening The Teachers Desk, as a part of the continuing work of WNYShares. Under the direction of John Mika, The Teacher’s Desk is designed to be a place of encouragement for teachers, as well as a resource center for school supplies for students in need. Located on 22 Northampton in Buffalo, the Teachers desk serves teachers with free school supplies. The store, generously supplied by a donor, is staffed several days each week with volunteers. During the first school year, our goal was to serve approximately 250 teachers – at the close of the school year this past June, a total of 1,247 teachers were served from 70 schools. Each received an average of $300 in free supplies for their students and classrooms. We give God all the glory for every donation received and distributed back into the community, as well as for every volunteer hour served at the Teachers Desk. Cindra Enzinna We live in a society where abortion is the norm. We see clients whose mothers and grandmothers have aborted and they are continuing the cycle. Our purpose is to offer alternatives to abortion in the hope of breaking the cycle. Lockport Care Net is a venue where we have the opportunity, now, to turn our culture toward life. We witness first hand lives saved and hearts touched. We know that as our ministry expands God will have us under his protective hand, guiding us to follow his plan. local partners | 49 Lockport Cares Saving Grace Ministries They say you can find love anywhere. Well that certainly is true at Lockport CARES Homeless Shelter. Lockport CARES has been in operation since November of 2009 and hosting a wedding for two guests that were in need of a place to call home, was defiantly a first. The bride, Crystal Gayle Scott from Lockport was married to Nicholas Brandon Dellario also from Lockport by Pastor Alan Bauch of Trinity Lutheran Church. The couple’s two-year-old daughter, Skye Lynn Dellario was the flower girl. The couple had wanted to get married for a while, so volunteers from the shelter provided candles, decorations, refreshments, photographs and even a night’s stay at the Lockport Motel for the couple’s honeymoon. “We are showing them God’s love through our actions,” said Shelter Director Marty Nagy. “We are making a difference in people’s lives and helping to make Lockport a better community. We wish Crystal and Nick all the best!” From a single residence housing five clients in residential programming in 2001 to an eight-facility, 71-bed program in 2012, the “Grace House” Transitional Residence Program, operated by Saving Grace Ministries, has seen the work of God’s grace every day we serve. During the past year, SGM has struggled with statewide budget cuts impacting agency service contracts, delayed payments for contract services, and a shift in focus by statewide criminal justice agencies on providing short-term services rather than long-term support and aftercare. Through it all, God has been faithful in meeting the needs of our agency and our clients, with area churches as well as individual donors stepping up to fill the gap. With several new contract awards and other funding streams, SGM will enter 2013 fiscally stable, prepared to meet the needs of the homeless ex-offender population in Western New York. Peace of the City “And God saw that this was good.” A long line of teens stand to receive rare praise for their growth, resilience and faithfulness. “And God saw that this was good.” Volunteers hold flowering plant gifts and earnest handmade cards of gratitude for many hours of service. “And God saw that this was good.” Children and teens offer prayers of hope, sadness and gratitude. “And God saw that this was good.” A brief word is shared to all there to keep “keeping on” in the love of Christ. “And God saw that this was good.” Sticky, yummy ice cream sandwiches grace our hands in the parking lot afterwards. “And God saw that this was good.” Toby Mansfield Diann Takens-Cerbone Moving Up Day at Peace of the City Ministries. June: hot, humble inner city gym where scores of neighborhood folks gather. “And God saw that this was good.” Peace of the City prepares kids and teens to share their often-overlooked talents. “And God saw that this was good.” Kids play piano, violin, drums and trombone—a recital of joy and hard work. “And God saw that this was good.” Children once dangerously behind in literacy read aloud their progress for the year. 50 | local partners Alyssa Gross Set Free SonRays Ministries How might God transform the City of Buffalo from decades of mourning to a new season of great joy? Nehemiah was called to rebuild a city, and in 52 days supervised the rebuilding of walls that had been down 141 years. We met Karen* when her second son was born. She was in the hospital after his birth and needed a car seat for the ride home. We were able to provide the car seat and a ride home. We continued a friendship with Karen through our single moms’ fellowships. She attended the fellowships faithfully, and brought her sons, and her mother and sisters (all single moms), with her. Al & Deb Warner The call of Set Free is to cast vision for the churches of WNY to come together across racial and denominational lines to transform our region with the gospel. To accomplish this, we reach beyond the local church into the workplace in which God has placed his leaders. This year (2012), Buffalo Common Council Member/ Pastor Darius Pridgen invited us to be the Chaplains of the Buffalo Common Council, our city’s highest legislative body. Could this opportunity be an answer to our corporate prayers? Yes! Could praying from the top of City Hall be a step toward transformation? Yes! “If my people…pray…I will hear…” (II Chron. 7:14). We are stewarding this opportunity on behalf of the regional church. We have invited other pastors to open Council sessions in prayer. We have prayed with Council members for personal as well as professional concerns. Alice Murchie Karen looked happy, but she was really struggling. She had this great desire to be loved, and a handsome, smoothtalking man came into her life. Karen quickly found herself swept up into an unhealthy relationship with him. The first pregnancy from that relationship ended in abortion. The second pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Finally, Karen was broken enough to end this relationship. Through her pain, God revealed her desperate need for a Savior to deliver her from sin. She is now meeting with SonRays regularly to learn how to follow Christ in her daily life, and her older son is meeting with a mentor to learn to grown into a godly young man. God is doing a beautiful work in their lives. *name changed to protect privacy Thank you, Chapel family, for looking beyond your church to bless what God is doing in our region and beyond. Rejoice and please keep praying! local partners | 51 Teen Challenge Youth With A Purpose God’s grace restores families through Teen Challenge. Eric A. came into TCWNY in 2008 and completed the program in 2009. While in the program, Eric would ask others to pray for his dad who was still drinking. At every request men would gather and pray for his dad. When Eric returned home. He stayed close to his church and asked them to keep praying for his dad. Time went on and Eric wondered if God was hearing the prayers, but kept on praying. Their relationship grew distant, but Eric kept on praying. Eric was married in 2010 and invited his dad to the wedding, and there at the wedding was the first glimmer of hope. Ralph asked his son how he was able to not drink or do drugs anymore, and Eric said, “because of God’s grace.” In 2011, Ralph A. entered TCWNY with all skepticism in tact, but gave every effort to the program. Ralph is in the second phase today and will complete Teen Challenge in October 2012. This year while they were at Teen Challenge’s annual July Celebration, father and son embraced and the grace of God was all over them. He prayed at his own funeral. He was only 15 years old and was murdered by a bullet to his head as he sat on his bicycle. Urban Christian Ministries residents. The participation has been remarkable at these events! UCM is offering a unique proactive approach to the problems faced by folks in a way that has already reduced violence. UCM has developed and expanded our Friends For Life program as well. This involves working with gang members and troubled young adults with the intent of showing an alternative lifestyle through our Lord Jesus Christ. UCM continues to expand its historical programs such as Kids Club, Teenage Achievers, Block Club Basketball/Kick-it-To-The-Curb, Summer Camp, and mission trips. Kurt Tarkington Alexander Wright Blessed to be in our 42nd year, God continues to lead and challenge us in our ministry on the city’s streets. Urban Christian Ministries (UCM) has adopted a program wide policy of “Faith Based Enrichment,” which is composed of the four core elements of “Faith, Family, Education, and Employment.” With city streets plagued by shootings and violence, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty and hunger, UCM is reaching out to the community with our “A Grill & A Prayer” initiative. This involves visits to neighborhoods where food, prayer and fellowship are offered to the 52 | local partners Bob Kuebler He used to go into schools with us during our mentoring program. He would do rap songs from a CD called “Murder, Tears and Bloody Cement.” It was a Christian CD about young people killed in drive-by shootings. We handed out 300 Bibles at his funeral. On the CD is a track where he prays. At his own funeral we played his prayer: What’s up God? It’s me Kris. I know you’re listening, but I don’t understand what’s going on. First my family argues, and then my boy dies. I don’t understand.” We used his death to speak life into hundreds of young people. I was at his grave site yesterday trying to videotape a thank you message. There are other teens buried there. Thanks for helping us spread a message of life and hope. At least in one small area of Buffalo, there are less young people dying. Now it’s time to reach all of the children in Buffalo with a message of love. Jesus loves you, and so do I. Urban Christian Ministries is out there on the streets making a difference for God and our community! Why Should I GivE? By Daryl Largis T his question, perhaps more than most, is one that those who follow Christ ask of themselves from time to time. This, once answered, soon is followed by how much should I give? While seemingly the proper and right questions, asking them prior to understanding some deeper truths related to giving can lead a person to view it as merely a task to complete, a target to hit or a check to write as the case may be. Giving, just like anything requiring an intention, a decision and resulting action is at some level transactional. However, it can and should represent something much deeper, and it is to this point that this article endeavors to highlight. The God we proclaim has proven himself to be a giving God. It is in his nature to give for he is generous, merciful and loving (Ephesians 2:4-5). The demonstration of this is no greater stated and no greater exemplified than by what transpired on the cross whereby God the Son willingly gave himself for the sins of the world—past, present and future. He did this so those who by faith can receive a righteousness which is otherwise unobtainable and, therefore can be reconciled to himself, a holy God. Simply stated, God is generous born out of his love. He is so generous that when we by faith receive the grace from him, we also are given his Spirit to dwell in us. This Spirit is of God and from God and enables us as we cooperate with him to be step by step and bit by bit transformed into the image of Christ himself which means we too, as he is, are generous. In fact, God’s love is proven by his generosity. He gave everything in that he gave of himself and continues to give us that which we need. As such, generosity is the ways and means the sincerity of love is proven (2 Corinthians 8:8). So, as people of God, redeemed by grace, the manner in which we give is the proof of our love. The answer to the question is not merely a yes or no as it relates to should I give or not. Giving is thereby a direct reflection of what has been done to and for us. Those who are redeemed in Christ are called to live a life of love which is reflective of the nature and purpose of God in this world (Ephesians 5:1-2). A life of love is only as sincere as it is generous. We are to be generous which means we are to give of our time, abilities and resources. As to amount, God was not nor is he constrained in his generosity. Because of his nature he is generous and accordingly lavishes his love upon us (1 John 3:1). Our response then should be the same in that we should be lavish in our giving, not because we must or because we are commanded, but because it is in his nature and, therefore, it is in our nature as his children. Our giving should be in proportion to what we have been given. Simply stated, the more you and I have been given the more you and I should be giving. In closing, what we do with what we have declares our understanding of the gospel. A great way for you, me and our families to demonstrate the reality of the gospel in our lives is to be lavishly generous given it is reflective of the heart of God motivated by love. why should i give? | 53 Short-Term Missions, WHY? By Jeff Hackett SCORE INTERNATIONAL I have been on more short-term mission trips to Costa Rica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic than I can count. My current position with SCORE International involves up to 18 trips a year. I am grateful for these extraordinary opportunities that God has given me to serve him. Yet, I sometimes ask myself if our mission service reflects our commitment to Christ or our desire for adventure? Have we gone in response to God’s call or because we live in an affluent society? Maybe it is a combination of both. The deeper question is, how can our engagement in shortterm missions bear fruit for God’s Kingdom that the investment of resources, made by the body of Christ, in our travels, deserves? This is a question I must ask myself every time I travel. I have seen the transforming power of short-term mission trips. God uses them to change lives–both of the people who go and of those they serve. The constant refrain of participants is how much they grew in their relationship with Christ, how much they learned about community, and how challenged they were by the commitment and joy of the people they visited. Lives are formed, and vocations are clarified through these experiences. However, I’ve also seen trauma generated by these trips. Some people come back depressed and confused. Some hosts sigh with relief when their short-term visitors depart. Surely this is not what God intends. Currently the Western church spends as much on short-term mission trips as it does on long-term missionaries. Clearly this has become a dominant dimension in churches’ mission involvement. There must be a way that God desires us to fulfill the Great Commission and the Church’s role of giving every man, woman and child multiple opportunities to hear and see the gospel of Christ, and to respond without leaving a trail of disappointment, discouragement and disillusionment. There is! In his book Mission Trip Prep Kit, Kevin Johnson offers three main benefits to being involved in short-term mission trips. The first benefit is for our own growth. The example of how Jesus used outreach to not only minister to people but also to train his followers, who he then sent out to do likewise. Johnson states, “Jesus didn’t send them out because of their thorough maturity but to move them toward maturity.” (See Luke 8-10.) The second benefit is for the maximum good of others. The story of the paralyzed man being lowered through the roof by his friends to get him to Jesus is used to illustrate this. Jesus’ response to the man was to forgive, heal and then call him friend (Luke 5:17-26). This demonstrates the spiritual, physical and emotional good God desires to do in the world. When we follow this pattern, we show God’s love by bringing others to Jesus for healing and forgiveness. The third benefit, God’s maximum glory, focuses on our motivation for missions which comes from the Great Commission, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Matt. 28:19-20). God’s desire is to be revealed to people, for his glory to be made known all over the world. His biggest goal is to build a people who belong to him and bring glory to him in all they do. Johnson explains, “1 Peter 2:9-10 puts in plain words the good that God wants to use us to do in the world: ‘But you are chosen people. You are the King’s priests. You are a Holy nation. You are a nation that belongs to God alone. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. At one time you were not God’s people. But now you are his people. In the past you had never received mercy. But now you have received God’s mercy’” (NCV). When we identify these benefits, a short-term mission trip becomes an obvious choice to engage in God’s mission. MINISTRY PARTNER DIRECTORY ABWE Partners Pastor Al Cockrell Nate and Cherith Logan ABWE International ABWE.org John and Bev ABWE Brazil Igerja Batista Esperanca (Hope Baptist Church) loganministry.org ABWE: GAP Contact the Kingdom Come office at The Chapel Steven & Cari Wendel ABWE Czech Republic wendel.abwe.org Broadway Hope Compassion International Good News Jail & Prison Ministry 6101 Broadway, Lancaster, NY 14086 Scott Steger: 716-684-5129 broadwayhope.org Colorado Springs, CO 80997 800-336-7676 compassion.com Buffalo Christian Center Cross Training Football Jurisdiction #46 Niagara County Jail 5526 Niagara Street Ext., PO Box 496 Lockport, NY 14095 Chaplain Alex True: 716-438-3316 goodnewsjail.org 512 Pearl Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 Jim Swearingen: 716-856-7495 thebcc.org P.O. Box 156 Bowmansville NY 14026 Mike Masters: 716-432-5152 crosstrainingfootball.com PO Box 8585 Harrisburg, PA 17105 717-774-7000 Buffalo City Mission 100 E. Tupper Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 Stuart L. Harper: 716-854-8181 buffalocitymission.org Campus Ambassadors University at Buffalo 191 N. Linden Street, Williamsville, NY 14221 Paul Decker 716-626-7082 campusambassadors.com Campus Crusade for Christ Destination Life Fellowship 22nd Street & Linwood Ave. Niagara Falls, NY 14305 Mark Perkins: 716-297-7799 Eagles Wings PO Box 450 Clarence, NY 14031 Robert Stearns: 716-759-1058 eagleswings.to 100 Lake Hart Drive, Dept. 2100 Orlando, FL 32832 Michael and Amy Ramos: 407-826-2000 cru.org EduNations Christ Together Fellowship of Christian Athletes Ice Hockey 1200 American Way, Libertyville, IL 60048 Ryan Kozey: 716-631-2636 christtogether.com Christian Central Academy 39 Academy Street, Williamsville, NY 14221 Nurline A. Lawrence: 716-634-4821 christianca.com Christian Counseling Ministries of WNY, Inc. 9070 Main Street, Clarence, NY 14031 Dr. Timothy P. Chambers: 716-632-3200 ccmwny.org Circle “C” Ranch 10451 Ashcraft Road, Delevan, NY 14042 Wes Aarum, Sr.: 716-492-3687 circlecranch.org City Vision 512 Pearl St., Buffalo, NY 14202 Jim & KJ Swearingen: 614-580-1769 city-vision.org PO Box 119 Kenmore, NY 14217 Rick Kennedy: 716-380-6076 edunations.org HBI Global Partners PO Box 584, Forest, VA 24551 Bobby Gupta: 877-424-4634 globalpartners.org Heritage Christian Services 3790 Commerce Ct., Suite 800 North Tonawanda, NY 14120 Samantha DeMart: 716-743-2020 heritagechristianservices.org Houghton College One Willard Avenue Houghton, NY 14744 Mark Hijleh: 800-777-2556 houghton.edu International Students Inc. 520 Lee Entrance Suite 108-B The Commons Amherst, NY 14228 Don Manta: 716-639-0605 buffaloisi.com 2513 Brook Crossing Circle Raleigh, NC 27603 Rick Randazzo: 443-404-1747 fcahockey.org 50states50cities.com InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Generation Church Isaiah 61 Project 1001 East Robinson Street North Tonawanda, NY 14120 Chad Rieselman: 716-243-9504 ntgeneration.org Global Fellowship 500 CrossPoint Parkway Getzville, NY 14068 Dwight Smith: 716-631-2636 x270 gfmission.com Global Outreach Mission Box 2010, Buffalo, NY 14231 Brian Albrecht: 716-688-5048 missiongo.org 100 Willow Ridge Drive Amherst, NY 14228 Brian Tofflemire: 716-563-1545 intervarsity.org PO Box 255, Niagara Falls, NY 14305 Jim Haid: 716-870-9557 isaiah61niagarafalls.org Jericho Road Ministries & Family Practice 184 Barton Street Buffalo, NY 14213 Eric Budin: 716-348-3000 jrm-buffalo.org Kingdom Bound Ministries, Inc. 8550 Sheridan Dr. Williamsville, NY 14221 Donna Russo: 716-633-1117 kingdombound.org MINISTRY PARTNER DIRECTORY La Voix de l’Evangile (The Voice of the Gospel) 13320 Bouc Bel Air, France Bill & Anne Aldin Contact: Global Outreach Mission missiongo.org Let Them LOL PO Box 180, East Amherst, NY 14051 Joe & Kate Vacanti: ltlol.com Renovation Church theWELL 567 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14207 Brek Cockrell: 716-819-4100 therenovationchurch.com 781 Maple Road Williamsville, NY 14221 Darrick Castronova: 716-404-WELL theWELLbuffalo.com Restoration Church 504 Frankhauser Rd., Williamsville, NY 14221 Dan Trippie: 716-541-0794 restorationbuffalo.com Saving Grace Ministries, Inc. Transformation Mongolia PO 49 Box 412, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Axel Fischer: [email protected] Transformation.mn P.O. Box 1013, Williamsville, NY 14231 Terry King: 716-893-1840 sgmworld.org True Praise and Worship (Food Pantry) 8 Holleran Drive, Downingtown, PA 19335 Dolph Laraio: 484-467-3505 Lockport CareNet Pregnancy Center SCORE International Urban Christian Ministries Life Transforming Ministries 559 Humboldt Parkway Buffalo, NY 14208 229 East Avenue, Lockport, NY 14094 Cindra Enzinna: 716-434-0251 lockportcarenet.com PO Box 9994, Chattanooga, TN 37412 Jeff Hackett: 423-894-7111 scoreinternational.org 967 Jefferson Avenue, Buffalo, 14204 Alexander Wright: 716-882-9472 urbanchristianministries.org Lockport CARES Emergency Homeless Shelter Saturation Church Planting Village Church PO Box 586, Lockport, NY 14150 716-438-2273 lockportcares.org Missio Church 620 West Genesee St., Syracuse, NY 13204 Jordan Stinziano: 315-383-1452 missionchurch.org Mission of Hope Haiti P.O. Box 60004 Fort Myers, FL 33906 Drew Garrison: 239-791-8125 mohhaiti.org Niagara Gospel Rescue Mission Inc. PO Box 2657 Niagara Falls, NY 14302 Shaun Smith: [email protected] niagaramissions.com NorthGate Community Church 5225 Harris Hill Road, Williamsville, NY 14221 Jon & Yolande Hasselbeck: 716-773-4337 northgatebuffalo.com Patch Our Planet PO Box 441, Holly Springs, GA 30142 Steve Gillis: [email protected] patchourplanet.org Peace of the City 146 Parkdale Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14213 Mark Cerbone: 716-883-2799 peaceofthecity.org Presidir.net c/o World in Need 1420 Celebration Blvd. Suite 200 Celebration, FL 34747 Alejandro Belmar: [email protected] presidir.net Chad Smith: spci.org SEND International PO Box 2426, Buena Park, CA 90621 Kent & Joan Wilson: 714-269-1659 send.org Set Free, Inc. PO Box 245, Buffalo, NY 14215 Al & Deb Warner: 716-553-0009 setfreeinc.org Singing Waters Christian Center PO Box 1544 Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, CA 90704 Enrique Dominguez: 310-510-0073 singingwaterscc.org SonRays Ministries, Inc. PO Box 673, Tonawanda, NY 14150 Alice Murchie: 716-695-9494 sonraysministries.org Springville Crossing Church 11 West Main Street, Springville, NY 14141 Keith Clark: 716-560-4704 springvillecrossing.org Steamtown Church PO Box 112, Scranton, PA 18504 Dennis D’Augostine: 570-290-7250 steamtownchurch.com Teen Challenge of WNY 124 Locust St. Buffalo, NY 14204 Kurt Tarkington: 716-855-0602 tcwny.org The Rock Community Church 9403 Garfield Blvd. Garfield Heights, OH 44125 Dave Brunelle & Mike Hopkins: 216-429-2636 therockcleveland.org 410 Elmwood Ave, 2nd Floor Buffalo, NY 14222 Jeremy Hazelton: 716-551-0677 villagechurchbflo.com Vision New York 10 River Road, Apt. 6P New York, NY 10044 Jim Hines: [email protected] visionnewyork.org Word of Life Bolivia Palabra de Vida C.C. 4038, Cochabamba, Bolivia Juan and Noemí Lella: [email protected] Word of Life Local Church Ministries 76 Marlow Road, West Seneca, NY 14224 Rod & Jamie Whitney: 716-822-1256 rodwhitney.wol.org World Hope International 625 Slaters Lane, Suite 200 Alexandria, VA 22314 888-466-4673 worldhope.org XCEL Leadership Center 567 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14207 Toni Benjamin: 716-819-4100 xcelleadershipcenter.com Youth With a Purpose Inc. 157 Locust Street Buffalo, NY 14204 Bob Keubler: 716-830-8240 youthwithapurpose.org 500 CrossPoint Pkwy. | Getzville, NY 14068 716.631.2636 | thechapel.com