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February 12, 2003 Edition
This is the fourth issue of
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:
www.bfcbom.org look in “Mission Events” then Let’s Fish
Greetings from Allentown!
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Concerns on the heart
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Coopersburg leaving soon for
Africa
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Global Focus coming to
Wallingford
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Trips in the
works
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ACMC
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Do you know the
meaning of waylay?
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Recruit a Reader
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Guadalupe Team Returns
Today
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Final Thought
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Concerns on the heart
Amy Sandt just went to Philippines last summer.
Many of you know her personally since she was a “regular” at Sno-Glo and
participated in all denominational youth events. Amy also spent several of
summers at Pinebrook Bible Conference. Her upbeat attitude and smile is
certainly her trademark. I am including a paragraph from her letter I received
today. It reflects well the concerns of ALL of our missionaries
overseas. Please become a regular prayer partner for our missionary family.
(See item 7)
Only God knows what will come in the next few days
and weeks as the decisions will be made as to whether the US will go to war or
not. Please pray that God will give discernment to all of us. Especially those
serving in other nations. Pray that we would not fear (Psalm 27) but put our
trust in Him. We do not know what reactions will come if the US goes to war.
Please pray for safety and peace.
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Coopersburg leaving soon for
Africa
Since returning from the Pastor's
vision trip 3years ago, Calvary BFC in Coopersburg has been raising money for
the Heart to Heart Foundation each fall. Heart to Heart is a ministry
organized by Philip Osenya, a graduate of Scott Theological College and a
prized pupil of Dick Gehman's. Philip has responded to the call of God to
minister to those whole have been tragically affected by the AIDS pandemic.
Specifically he is ministering to the widows and orphans of the Lake District
(northern tip of Lake Victoria). These people are from the Luo tribe, the same
ethnic group that Philip belongs to.
As Coopersburg prepared to collect
their Dare to Care offering this fall, it was decided that a team from the
church would hand deliver the offering to Philip Osenya and Heart to Heart
Ministries. Naturally, since I was there before, I would be the team leader
for this trip. God has brought together an exciting and divergent group of
people to be a part of this team, including Phil Morrison.
The team will leave Philadelphia on
February 21st and return March 2nd. During the trip we will spend time in
Kijabe and two and half days in Kisumu with Philip Osenya. We will have
ministry opportunities with both the widows and orphans (the number of orphans
at last count could exceed 100). Though brief, this trip should give the
people from Coopersburg a dramatic look at life among some of the poorest
people in the world.
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Global Focus coming to
Wallingford
March 7-9
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-Would you
like to see the world’s people as God sees them?
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-Would you
like a personal strategy to minister both locally and globally?
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-Would you
like to find your role in the Great Commission?
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-Would you
like a renewed passion for the 2+billion who have never heard?
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-Would you
like to discover what God is doing in the world?
Here is a special deal for three readers of
“Let’s Fish”
- You may attend the Seminar as my guest. (I will even
purchase your notebook)
- If you need I will attempt to get housing for you for
the weekend.
This is not a contest, but if more that three apply, I
will choose my “guests” on the bases of interest. Send me an email stating
why you would desire being considered to be a guest at this weekend seminar.
(In order to be considered you MUST be willing to attend both the Friday
evening and Saturday morning sessions. Sunday morning is optional.)
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Trips in the works
(updated weekly)
The
Board of Missions is keeping statistics of all short term missionary trips (both
by teams and individuals). Please let us know all the important information
about your trip.
WHO,
WHAT, CHURCH, MISSIONARY, COUNTRY, and DATE.
Contact:
office@bfcbom.org
To Date
the following ministries being done by BFC’ers have been registered with Let’s
Fish.
Feb.
4-12 - Coopersburg, York, and Blandon doing
renovation work in Guadalupe. (See item 8 below)
Feb.19-22 - Frances Sears to stay with the
Lawrence children.
Feb.
21-March 2 - Coopersburg Kenya Trip. (See
item 2)
March 14-24 LBC trip to Morocco including
team members from BFC churches in Lebanon, Newark, York and Emmaus. (This trip
will be featured in a future Let’s Fish)
May
10 One day ministry blitz through out the
tri-state area as part of Emmaus Mission Conference.
August 2-18 - Emmaus Ukraine Trip doing
puppet shows, drama, music and coffee house ministry as well as a morning camp
program with Push-the-Rock each morning.
August 16-23 - Emmaus going to Wissinoming
BFC for VBS and evangelistic puppet shows.
August 22-24 - Walnutport BFC Weekend Block Party. Emmaus will be doing
puppet shows and a Saturday block party.
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ACMC
The Mid-Atlantic Missions and Your Church Conference
is being held March 20-22 at Chelten Baptist Church. This is a great
practical conference with over 30seminars and is worthy for you to promote in
YOUR church. You can get information and brochures for your church at
1-800-959-3523 or
tomtelfore@compuserve.com.
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Do you know the meaning of waylay?
waylay \WAY-lay\, transitive verb:
1. To
lie in wait for and attack from ambush.
2. To
approach or stop (someone) unexpectedly.
People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a
trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some
people, eager for money, have been waylaid from the faith and
pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, Let’s Fish reader, flee
from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and
gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life
to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of
many witnesses.
Lets fish reader, guard what has been
entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas
of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing
have been waylaid from the faith.
Grace be with you.
-Paul (freely translated)
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Recruit a Reader
Our readership of Let’s Fish
has grown to 106 mission interested people. Many are teens and young adults
desiring to be open to God’s leading. Why not encourage others to sign up.
They can read past issues at the bfcbom website (www.bfcbom.org).
They can sign up by contacting me at
office@bfcbom.org. By the way, are you on our daily prayer e-mail? Why not
join by sending an e-mail to
office@bfcbom.org with “Friday Prayer” in the subject line.
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Guadalupe Team Returns Today
The tri-church mission’s team returns today from
Guadalupe. Thank you for praying for this team project. Please pray for
safety as they return to the States this afternoon. We hope to have a debrief
for you in next week’s publication.
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Final
Thought
The U.S. State Department put
out a warning this week to all Americans overseas. There is a heightened
alarm that Americans will be targeted for retaliation. This can happen
anywhere in the world. The words of the alert that caught my attention were:
“There is a possibility that American citizens may be targeted for kidnapping or assassination.”
Everyone of our missionary
family is aware of this possibility.
This is not theory but has already happened on many occasions in the past.
Every missionary knows that no ransom will ever be paid on their behalf. They
know the potential dangers when they board an airplane and leave the comforts
of family and home church.
Amy (see item 1 above) told me
a year ago that the first time she went to the Philippines as a short term
worker she was overwhelmed with the thought that she may never return. You
see the political climate was terrible and her safety could not be
guaranteed. “As the airplane left the runway here in the states” she said,
“God gave me a peace, a peace that the world will never understand.”
Amy’s letter gives us an
assignment:
1.
Read Psalm 27
2.
Pray for safety and peace for all of our missionary family.
(I hope Amy and all can count on us to
pray!)
Many of you are contemplating short term missions’ trips
and some career missionary service. Keep focused, keep trusting, and read and
re-read item number 6 on the meaning of waylay.
When I was a kid we use to sing marching around the
Sunday School room…
“I may never march in the infantry
Ride with the cavalry
Shoot the artillery,
I may never fly ’or the enemy,
But I’m in the Lord’s army.”
It was a “cute” little song marching around the basement
of the Mt. Carmel church, but I began to realize even at such a young age,
that we are indeed at war! (Eph. 5) That every one of the kids marching
around the basements of churches all around the BFC were being called upon to
consider the challenge of Christ:
I tell you the truth, unless a
kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.
But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose
it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal
life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am,
my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
Until next week,
Keep Fishing!
Dana
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