|
|
|
|
|
|
bfc board of missions |
||||||||
|
|
Edition Issue 37 Let’s
Fish Bible Fellowship Churches sharing resources to evangelize the
world. A
place for the exchange of ideas on short term missions projects and local
outreach. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you
fishers of men." All
responses can be sent to office@bfcbom.org Current and past
issues can be found on the web at: look
in Let’s Fish, Archives Greetings from 4.
Trips in the works (updated weekly) 7.
Need input for next summer? 8.
Push The Rock Announces Overseas ST
Opportunities
1.
Innovative Outreach OR Ministry opportunities
right under our nose! I call this the mustache
approach to ministry. This is looking for a ministry right under your
nose. Check out this following letter. Hi. I was just speaking
with Francisco DeSouza regarding a possible new local outreach. We have
been doing Veteran's Appreciation Sunday for years at CCBFC. Each year we
invite local VFW chapters to come. We have a Veteran's Clinic in Dorneyville which has support groups for Vietnam Vets, etc.
that our men could join in order to develop friendships and share Jesus with
those men and women. Please pray about this
as I feel led to help organize this but need guidance as to how to go about
it. Thank you
The BOM will conduct a Culture
Link Seminar for short term mission leaders on January 23-24. This
Friday thru Saturday event will give you hands on experience in building team
spirit and adequately preparing your team for cross culture ministry. You will
learn a seven step process from picking a ministry to follow-up phase six
months after the event. This will be a fun, eye-opener event that will include team building exercises, and cross culture flexibility. From the food you eat to the place you sleep will all be part of the weekend process. SAVE THE
DATE! (Jan. 23, 7:00 p.m. thru Jan. 24, 3:30 p.m.) WHO should
attend: All leaders of future short term mission teams. PLACE: COST: $70.00 includes Saturday Breakfast and the
Student and Leader’s Culture Link Manuals. The only additional cost will be
Saturday lunch at a local restaurant. REGISTER NOW
at office@bfcbom.org.
Dear Pastor Weller who loves mail, When I went on my missions trip I
expected that almost everyone I told would feel like they should do something,
and so probably a lot of people would promise to pray cause that doesn't cost
anything, and a few people would give me money. As it turned out, almost eveyone I wrote to gave me a financial contribution but
only one person made a commitment to a specific time of daily prayer. Lots of
people did pray and so I wasn't worried, but I began to realize that I'm not
alone in feeling that prayer is not the easy thing to give. It's a hard
commitment. It's easier to spare some money. People are always asking for
prayer, and one thinks, "you're assuming I pray
every day." Of course one tries. But I'm sure almost everybody can
identify with the experience that talking to God every day when I want to get
to work on my to do list, or I feel bad that I didn't
do it yesterday, is one of the greatest struggles of the Christian life. C.S.
Lewis said the weakest Christian on his knees makes all hell tremble. Maybe
that's why they fight so hard to keep him from getting there. But having once stood on the missions field, I felt the prayers of the saints upholding
us and I felt the desperate need of them. It's not just something missionaries
say. For every person out there on the "missions
field" there definitely needs to be a bunch more people lifting them up in
prayer. We have to be a people who knows how to pray.
I started thinking about this recently when I went to a missions
conference and saw a display of many missionaries and stacks of cards one could
fill out and pledge to pray regularly for a family, and the cards would be sent
to them. I thought, "I could never live up to one of those cards." I
also thought, "If I were a missionary I would want to get lots of
cards." It's hard to remember them all, there are so many needs. It's hard
to understand what it means to mention them to God every day. I said it
yesterday, I say it today, I'll say it tomorrow, should I say it twice 'cause I
missed Tuesday - what does this do? Am I doing it right? Am I missing
something? What does it mean? It's not enough for our
missionaries to send back requests of the needs in their lives unless we are a people who knows how to pray. On the field you need a people behind you who knows how to talk to
God because they know God. And I want to not just have such
people, but be such a person. We need to go deeper than know what to say, we
need to learn what it means to talk to God, what it does, how He can use our
overwhelming weakness, where the power in prayer comes from. This all sounds like the beginning
of an article, but I don't know how to finish it yet. I'm laying it out for
God, for you, for anyone on the Let's Fish loop with thoughts. I need the end
of the article if for no sake but my own, my own crying, "Lord teach us to pray!" He did answer that question, of
course. Oh to know what it means to speak to our Father, our Father is
in Heaven in charge, through the Son who made Him our Father, and the interceding
Spirit that teaches us to say "Abba." And to ask then, Thy kingdom come. Elizabeth Studenroth Write me. I love e-mail!
4.
Trips in the works (updated weekly) The Board of
Missions is keeping statistics of all short term missionary trips (both by
teams and individuals). As you can see the 2003 trips are quickly coming to an
end (we have had nearly 50 ministries this year!). Please register your 2004
trips as soon as they materialize. WHO, WHAT,
CHURCH, MISSIONARY, COUNTRY, and DATE. Contact: office@bfcbom.org OR Check
out the short-term trip webpage on the bfcbom.org website. Click on Short-Term Trips. You can also register your trips through the
website. The statistics for 2003 – There were 56 short term trips by 27 different BFC
churches! Aug. 30 - Dec. 1 Pastor Carl & Charlene Cassel in Trips highlighted need our
prayer support RIGHT NOW! November 12-29 Sandy Wolfinger and Nancy LoRusso to 2004 June 12-18 Paris Prayer
Conference all invited! Don’t
forget to register your 2004 trips!!!
Osborne Buchanan attended the
Short Term Symposium sponsored by this office in Blandon and is willing to make
his notes available to anyone who missed that great event. You can
request your copy by contacting us at office@bfcbom.org. Thanks brother for your generous
offer!
November
14-16 BOM Missions RWR This annual work/study weekend
sponsored by the BOM is for high school and post high school young people
serious about knowing God’s will for their life and the possibility of career
missions. This weekend fills up quickly so register early on line at: Missionary Registrations are already coming
in! Don’t miss out!
7.
Need Input For Next Summer? If you need
advice or ideas for host partnerships for a ministry next summer please contact
8.
Push The Rock Announces Overseas ST
Opportunities Dana, If
you would like I can register our 2004 trips for Push The
Rock with you and they can go in the Let's Fish in the event that people want
to pray for us or if there is someone who reads it who would be interested in
joining us. 2003: Dec. 17-Jan. 2: 2004: May 16 - June 2: June 18 - July 3: July 24 - August 8: Thank
you. In
Christ, International
Director Push
The Rock 610-530-2930
I heard an
advertisement today that announced the fact that a sneeze can project germs for
thirty feet! Now that is a gross thought! I read that a deer can
smell a hunter 130 yards away. I wonder when was the last time that hunter took
a shower! Did you know
that no one can “catch” your faith by you sneezing, nor can they smell that you
believe? Simply being a Christian does not spread the gospel
message. We unlike the flu must work at being contagious. We unlike
our smelly hunter friend must plan to spread the sweet aroma of faith. Here is a
thought to hold on to: Going on a short term missions
trip does not make you a missionary. Being a witness for Jesus
Christ requires strategic planning. Simply going will not cut
it. What are YOU doing to be contagious? Most of all, Keep Fishing! Dana A cooperative effort of the churches of the BFC to win the
world for Christ Your response is always welcome at: office@bfcbom.org 610 398-8776 |
|||||
|
|
|
 |
|
|
