Gas Buy-Down sponsored by The Journey

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Pump 4 Team–getting it done! Had a great day at the gas buy-down!

50 people from The Journey served on Saturday. It was a wonderful time, and those serving really loved it.

We pumped 1769 gallons of gas, served 120 cars, and touched hundreds of lives!

Two different television stations came out: WPTV (NBC, channel 5) and WPEC (CBS, channel 12). They plan to air stories about the buy-down tonight (5:00, 6:00, 11:00).

#bocajourney #advancethegospel

Published via Pressgram

Sunday Night Worship w/ Students @LongHollow

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Sunday Night Worship w/ Students @LongHollow Baptist Church. They’re on a Spring Break mission trip to the Glades. #advancethegospel

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Monday is for Missions :: Typhoon Haiyan

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Please pray for the Church and missionaries in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan devastated many parts of the island.

Former members of First Baptist Belle Glade, Mike and Marti Foster, lead a ministry there called “Word of Life Philippines.” Here is some correspondance that I just received from Mike asking for prayers as well as a few updates and praises.

It is interesting how we had just talked about prayer in our services yesterday. Ironically, I believe it was preparing us to put into action what Jesus taught us in Luke 11.  We need to boldly approach God with our prayers for our brothers and sisters all around the world. We also need to pray for the devistation there in the Pacific. We pray for God to be glorified in every situation, much like the raising of Lazarus in John 11.

Here is a link to the letter Mike sent on Sunday evening…

Here is an email update from Mike early this morning…

Jesil Bambie Asaph PhilippinesHow You Can Help:

Many of you have written asking about how you can help! When things are under control and roads clearer we plan to send an evangelistic relief team. The biggest need will be trying to rebuild shelters for those who have lost their entire homes and possessions. We hope to bring a generator, rice, canned goods and roofing materials along with other supplies. Financial help is going to be needed to purchase these things. Please let people know!

There is so much looting and chaos right now. One pastor who was able to buy food for his family was robbed before he could get back to them. Our fellow believers need protection from the Lord!  We want to make sure funds go to help the ones who lost everything. Please pray that we will have wisdom and discernment! Thank you for your care and for being willing to get involved!

How to Give:

Project Name: Philippines Evangelism Trip Funds Project 07036C
Online  – https://give.wol.org (use the project name above)
Check – mail your gift to:
Word of Life Fellowship – Donations
PO Box 600
Schroon Lake, NY 12870
Please include the project name with your check!
Phone – call our NY office at 1-800-965-7177 to give with a credit card, debit card, or check

Monday is for Missions–James Calvert

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When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.”

To that, Calvert replied,

“We died before we came here.”

See: Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Egg Drop 2013

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Wow, what an awesome day for our church and the Glades community! Our first ever Easter Egg Drop was a HUGE success!

We had several hundred kids come through and EGGchange their plastic eggs for a big bag of candy at The Great EGGchange! (Get it, EGGchange?! Pretty pun-y, huh?) Our children’s pastor, Tim, says that by his best count, we gave out 1153 bags of candy! (That’s a LOT of candy!)

We think we had close to a thousand kiddos who attended the event for sure. (There may have been a few that made a couple of “EGGchanges,” if you know what I mean.)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us pull off this massive event!

A HUGE thank you to Phil and Sugar Cane Golf Club hosting us.

A HUGE thank you to John Kandel and his piloting skills.

A HUGE thank you to our church staff who served for weeks in planning and implementing the vision for this community event.

A HUGE thank you to all of our volunteers who gave up their time and energy to show the love of God to our community!

YOU ALL are the BEST!!

Here are some pictures and a very short video taken by Chuck from the helicopter as they were dropping eggs.

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Dr. Roy Fish Has Died: A Heart for Evangelism and a Life Dedicated to Sharing the Gospel

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One of my favorite professors at SWBTS passed away yesterday. Dr. Roy Fish was an amazing man who truly cared for each and every student in his classes. What I remember most about him is his evangelistic heart, yes; but it was a pastor’s heart with that evangelistic passion that every person would find a relationship with Christ. I was just looking through some old notebooks of when I was back in Missouri pastoring after seminary. I found a sermon outline that he preached at the Pastor’s Conference in St. Louis that was “great medicine” for my heart. I think what really spoke to my heart was his passion for the Church to become all she could become and specifically (preaching from Acts 17) bring the Gospel to the next generation. It did my heart good to hear from an old leader stressing to the next generation of leaders to focus on getting the Gospel to the future generations. May we all press on to share the Gospel to the future generations for God’s glory!

Here is a great post from Dr. Ed Stetzer on Dr. Fish’s life and ministry. Enjoy.

Ed Stetzer – Roy Fish Has Died: A Heart for Evangelism and a Life Dedicated to Sharing the Gospel.

Collaborate is just around the corner

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Please be in prayer for Collaborate 2012 on June 24-29 here in Belle Glade. It is a collaborative mission effort here in Belle Glade (hence the name!) that will bring in several hundred students and adults to do local missions. We will be doing painting and construction projects as well as VBS and activities for the kids all across our city. Then, the students will come together in the evening for a worship service.

We are really excited about the potential of almost 700 students and adults on mission here in Belle Glade! Will you pray with us?

Here is a recap video from a couple of years ago. This year should be bigger and better than ever before!

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Prayers for Revival in Belle Glade

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The Glades have been through a really difficult week or so with the murder of local business owner, Jimmy McMillan, followed by the armed robbery of a jewelry store the very next day. This is on the heels of an extremely bad 2011 with far too many violent crimes including a Saturday in December with two homicides in less than 12 hours. We are praying for a revival in this place and an end to the violence!

Here are some videos from just one of the news stations that were camped out in our church parking lot for the last few days at the visitation and funeral on Thursday and Friday as well as Monday night as we held a prayer walk for the Glades that went from our church to the Community United Methodist Church.

We are praying for an end to the senseless violence in our community. We are praying that there will be real revival here in the Glades that will be rooted in the true Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is beginning to happen here in the Church community is truly amazing! We are beginning to see true revival and repentance in the Christian community here in the Glades. The last three nights have seen three very powerful prayer events at three different churches in our community. What has been absolutely amazing is the start of an amazing unity that is being formed that goes far beyond race, economics and denominational affiliation.

We had a really good crowd on Monday night (which you could see on the video.) I was praying that we would not have a “let down” in attendance tonight as many of these things have a tendency to wain over time. I was absolutely amazed to see EVEN MORE people there tonight to go from Community United Methodist Church, past the Alabama Georgia Grocery (where the store owner was murdered), to St. John’s First Missionary Baptist Church. It was beautiful to see all races and ages gather together under the name of Jesus to beg God to touch our community. As pastor Robert Reese, pastor of St. John’s, said tonight, “this is a picture of what heaven might be like!”

Please be in prayer for Belle Glade and the communities of the Glades as we try to minister to this hurting community. We are having a prayer walk or prayer vigil each night through MLK celebration on Monday. I am feeling like we are going to have larger and larger crowds each night. I hope we can maintain this momentum and that the people will see a unified group of Christians here in the Church in the Glades.

Here are some pictures from the last several nights’ prayer meetings… (quality isn’t great…iPhone 3Gs…waiting for the iPhone 5 and Siri 🙂

 

KC Church Responds to Murders

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Talk about a church and a pastor that is living out the gospel in its context! Pastor John Mark Clifton and the Wornall Road Baptist Church in Kansas City are having a “Longest Night” event to pray for the over 100 homicides in Kansas City this year. They are gathering to pray for the victims and their families as well as peace over their city. Check out their story of a church almost at death just 5 short years ago that has been reborn and is thriving, and making a huge impact in their community. They are a great motivation for me as I lead our church through similar change. Check them out on their website.

Feel free to conspire

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Check out this promo video from Advent Conspiracy. It is amazing what could happen if we would simply rethink how we do Christmas! Check out the site at adventconspiracy.org to see how you might “conspire” to have Christmas be different and better this year.

There are also some great ideas on how to give affordable gifts that you have made this Christmas at rethinkingchristmas.com.