On Point - CEF of North Central Florida

On Point
June/July 2011
Volume 12, Issue 2
CEF of North Central Florida
& Camp Good News®
2615 NW 6th St., Suite# E
Gainesville, FL 32609
Office (352) 378-0949
Camp (352) 481-3550
E-mail addresses:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Together We Can
T
he motto, “Together We Can,” is so
much more than a nifty slogan. It
even goes beyond a stirring rallying cry.
We have experienced first-hand the
successes that are only possible through
united efforts of multiple individuals in
concert with our Almighty God.
Forty-four members of the Harmony
Baptist Association joined more than
three thousand believers from diverse
backgrounds and affiliations to affect a
spiritual change in that country.
Camp Website:
www.campgoodnewsfl.com
Area Website:
www.cefofncflorida.com
CEF Home Office Website:
www.cefonline.com
Staff
Steve & Maxine Carlson
Directors
Steve Westbrooks
Camp Coordinator
Local Committee
Mr. Steve Summerlin,
Chairman
Where do you begin? Imagine a
blur of 170 national flags arrayed across
a stage. The lights dim and then six more
flags are triumphantly carried in from the
wings representing the most recent
additions bringing the total number of
countries to 176 where children are able
to hear the gospel on an ongoing basis.
More than 10.9 million children heard a
clear gospel presentation last year. I am
Mr. Troy Blakely,
Vice– Chairman
Mr. Robert “Bob” Thomas,
Treasurer
Ms. Juanita Melchoir,
Secretary
Mr. Jim Amburgey
Member
Rev. Gary Fuss
Member
On Point is a periodic
informational publication of
Child Evangelism Fellowship
of North Central Florida, Inc.
Trademarks, registered
trademarks and logos in this
document are owned by Child
Evangelism Fellowship, Inc.
“For God so loved the world….” (176 flags)
not diminishing the importance of
opportunistic evangelism but these
children heard about Jesus and then had
the prospect of learning more over the
course of a week, or a month, or even
longer. Together we can.
Maxine and I responded to an
invitation to lead a team into a school as
a part of an outreach across Jamaica.
God answered our prayers holding back the rain.
The teams fanned out to schools,
prisons, among the people in the streets
and shops culminating with a crusade-like
event on Dumped Up Beach. (This is an
area of Montego Bay that was reclaimed
from the sea with the cast-offs of the area,
the junk.) God took broken lives and will
use them in wonderful ways they would
never have imagined possible. More than
21,000 decision cards were filled out and
handed over to local churches for followup. Together we can.
God changes lives one person at a
time, but He often uses that one to carry
the gospel to a family member. Then one
of them shares with a friend, or two, or
three… The media headlines proclaim
with discouraging detail the depravity of
mankind. However God still has a plan
and a purpose for reaching the lost. He
calls each of us to be a part of making
disciples (Matt. 28:19, 20) promising that
He will be with us. On our own we cannot
do anything. Praise the Lord He said, “I
am with you always…” Together we can.
Page 2
On Point
Volume 12, Issue 2
A Good Way to Grow Your Faith
S
ummer often spurs people to want
to exercise to become stronger,
leaner, etc. Why not make a conscious
decision to develop more faith? We
strengthen our faith by acknowledging what God is doing around us.
When we pray we assert that
God is able. Our prayer warriors
intercede for specific requests and
then glorify God as they read how He
answered them through our CEF
Praise and Prayer updates. Our prayer
warriors have the unique privilege to
watch God unfold His plans for this
ministry often at the last moment and
from unexpected directions.
Let me share just a few
examples that typically you would
only read about in the CEF P&P. Our
Teaching Children Effectively ™
course requires multiple certified
instructors. Consequently they can be
difficult to schedule. In April God
opened the door for Maxine to take
the Instructor of Teachers’ training in
Daytona Beach beginning May 1st.
The
location reduced the travel
burden compared to going to
Warrenton, MO. In addition God
provided a place to stay and a
scholarship for the tuition.
It gets better. Directors and
staff are to make every effort to attend
the various CEF conferences. They
provide workshops but also motivation through various speakers. This
year Maxine had already settled in her
mind that she would not be able to
attend this year’s international conference because of the shortage of funds.
Less than a week before the conference was to begin, and with Maxine
out of town at training, a couple came
into the office. When they discovered
that Maxine was not registered for the
CEF conference they retreated to their
car for a quick meeting of the minds.
The result was an offer to pay the
conference costs if Maxine was still
interested and accommodations could
be arranged.
It gets even better. On page
Trench Warfare
Y
ou may have heard me speak of
the division of labor at one time
or another.
Dr. Robert Morgan
preached a message along those lines
at this year’s CEF International
Conference. Here is an overview of
the key points.
God’s message is contained
in John.3:16. God’s methods can be
found in and around II Kings 3:16.
God planned on providing through a
miraculous event but He still wanted
an obedient response first.
The men probably didn’t
understand their leaders when they
told them to dig trenches in the desert.
It was hot and they were thirsty. Why
work so hard when they were there to
fight? Apparently they put aside their
arguments because it says the next
Steve C. posing with Dr. Morgan.
day they had all the water they needed
because they did what they were told.
The Moabites saw the water
and thinking it was blood they came
down. The water was a two-fold
miracle. It sustained the Israelites but
it tricked the Moabites into a reckless
response that resulted in their
destruction.
The living water to one was
the blood to the other. God provided
the provision and the victory following the people’s obedience and
one I told you that we were invited to
Jamaica but I didn’t tell you that in
answering that call we charged the
trip on our credit card. God again
blessed us by stirring individuals to
cover those costs as well.
Maxine holding one of her visuals.
The Bible repeatedly affirms
the power of prayer. I promise that
you will be uplifted seeing God touch
lives in answer to your specific
prayers. Call me today to join our
CEF prayer team. You’ll be blessed.
faithfulness to dig ditches.
God sometimes calls us to dig
ditches in the desert. It will be hot.
The sand will keep sliding back into
the ditch. Don’t give up. It might
seem worthless but once the work is
complete then God will do His part.
In the family of God “you are
commissioned as Ditch Diggers.”
Reflect on Is. 55:10-11; 1 Cor. 15:58;
and Gal. 6:9.
God has a plan and a purpose
for our lives. Often He will quietly
prompt us to do something but then
with our logical minds we begin to
come up with multiple reasons why
this cannot be done. God is a gentleman in that He will not force His will
on us. Consequently we may miss
being a part of something beyond our
expectations, and even imaginations,
simply because we were afraid to act
on what we know to do.
On Point
Volume 12, Issue 2
Devos help set the tone for the day.
For many the adventure begins in Gainesville.
Page 3
Anne keeping track of time
It is not too late to make camp a part of your summer.
It’s fun and children learn more about God.
Manning the helm for destinations unknown.
The staff and volunteers love the Lord.
In the process they reflect God’s love to the children.
Check out www.campgoodnewsfl.com
Let the adventures begin!!!!
What is camp without a visit to Canteen?
Action songs stir the heart while teaching important concepts.
Digging in God’s Word
Successful Teams Accomplish More
S
uccessful teams do not just
happen or result from “the luck
of the draw.” Successful teams
require individuals that are willing to
be a part of something bigger than
themselves. Furthermore those individuals understand the importance of
being stretched and developed.
What are the building blocks
for a successful ministry team? The
foundation may seem basic but all
team members must be born-again
believers. Without this spiritual kinship the other assets will not interact
properly.
Sometimes we think that if
we only knew all the details we
would step up. In contrast Jesus
said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of
God…” (Matt. 6:33). Consequently
we should pray, “Lord, I’m willing
to be willing.” Then let God determine the path to making it happen.
The next step involves intentional preparation. This phase begins
with prayer and a period of personal
introspection. Assessing likes and
dislikes is good but don’t invest a lot
of time in figuring out what you are
truly great at since God often places
His people in an area of weakness
rather than strength. This is also the
time to minimize personal debt.
Lastly preparation includes taking
classes and courses that teach general
ministry skills that can be applied in
various settings.
Training and development
are not a destination but rather a
www.whif.org
process. For example one axiom
states that, “leaders are readers.”
Each of life’s experiences will be
combined with natural and spiritual
gifts to groom the individual to
uniquely complete others as they
engage in unified projects.
proclaims, “Living He loved me/
Dying He saved me/ Buried He
carried my sins far away/ Rising He
justified freely forever/ One day He’s
coming/ Oh, glorious day!”
The least we can do is be
obedient to God’s great commission.
I praise the Lord for the wonderful
teams we have already. Nonetheless
there is much more to be done.
Perhaps You might be the missing
piece to another incredible team.
Please give us a call to learn some of
Camp Good News and Good News Club workers the many ways that you can plug into
came together to share God’s love to 93 children the most fruitful mission field in the
at Lake Yale over the Memorial Day Week-end.
world, children.
Lastly teams mature as they
go through shared struggles and
celebrate common victories. A
degree of trust grows with each
encounter as members of the team
find that they can rely on the other
members.
The ultimate success lies in
recognizing the motivation for why
you do what you do.
Casting
Crowns recorded a moving hymn
that serves as a reminder. The chorus
Donovan, one of Steve Westbrooks’ daughters and a valuable team member, will be
going to Moody Bible Institute in the fall.
Training Pays Dividends
Ongoing training benefits everyone with
an interest in working with children. Myrtle Hill
is one of our Teaching Children Effectively™
students that was recently recognized for her
successful completion of the course requirements.
The Good News Club she participates in was
blessed by a significant number of TCE™ 1 trained workers.
CEF offers residential, online, and local training to fit your needs. The
TCE 1 course provides a comprehensive, evaluated program. Give us a call.
We are grateful to these two
radio stations for their willing efforts
to help us get the word out. Each
day their programming provides
uplifting encouragement through
songs and messages that glorify God.
They are faith-ministries just like us.