THE LETTER CARRIER

Letter Carriers are still part of our society. It sometimes appears that electronic and digital communication is quickly eliminating hard-copy mail service. Still, every day a mail car drives out our road to deliver our mail to our mailbox. I enjoy going out to the mailbox to get my mail. I still like a hard-copy that I can hold in my hand. I still read the printed newspaper!

BUT THINGS ARE CHANGING RAPIDLY!  We have digital service today through the internet that is so incredible!  Today I can send a letter via email or social media, instantly. Just the other day I carried out a full textual conversation in “real time” with a Spanish speaking friend of mine from Laval. As our conversation continued, he informed me that he was actually in Mexico! Imagine that!

And if that isn’t amazing enough, that we were communicating several thousand miles apart, I was also conversing with him in his own Spanish language using internet generated translation media. This digital age has changed our way of communicating!

But it wasn’t always like this. Years ago, cross-country communication for mail was so primitive compared to communication today.

I think of the Pony Express and their famous motto, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." They were able to traverse desert land from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California in a record time of seven days on the backs of ponies!  The risk to the Pony Express rider was unimaginable! Even the criteria for hiring these riders is interesting. They had to be under 18 years of age, skinny yet strong, fearless, willing to brave the elements as well as thieves and bandits and preferably an be an orphan! An orphan? I guess if he got killed, they didn’t need to be concerned about contacting his parents. These riders had to be willing to face outrageous difficulties along the way.

Not just weather-related obstacles either! They faced rifle fire from bandits and thieves and flying arrows from the apaches! But they were determined to get the mail to its intended destination regardless of the cost!

There is a very high cost to deliver someone else’s message!

History tells about World War I and it describes the horrible conditions when it came to two-way communication. They had telegraph and sometimes two-way radios. But at best, they were not much better than the walkie-talkies we used as kids around the house. Sometimes there was no signal at all. Many soldiers out on the front lines of war lost their lives because of poor communication.

One such story that history records was the story of Cher Ami. Major Charles White Wittlesey and his men we dug into a hole surrounded by the German army. And for some unknown reason they started receiving “friendly fire” from their home base some 25 miles away. Their home base battalion thought they were firing on the Germans but were actually firing on their own men! The lack of radio communication caused many of Wittlesey’s men to be erroneously gunned down. In desperation, Major Wittlesey took his last homing pigeon, Cher Ami (dear friend), as a last ditch effort to stop the barrage of ammunition. Yes! That’s right a “HOMING PIGEON”! They used homing pigeons as a way of sending messages back to home base from the front lines. A homing pigeon will always return to a designated place (HOME) BY INSTINCT.

“Cher Ami was a homing pigeon who had been donated by the pigeon fanciers of Britain for use by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I and had been trained by American pigeoners.”  www.wikipedia.org

The Major wrote a short message, rolled it up and stuffed it into a leather pouch attached to Cher Ami’s leg.  The message was simple! “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heavens sake, STOP IT!”

The lives of 200 hundred men was now depending on the wings of Cher Ami. However, when the Major released the pigeon into the air, the German Army saw it and opened fire! A bullet hit the bird in it’s chest and it began to flutter to the earth. All hope of salvation of these men was lost! But all of a sudden Cher Ami spread its wings and by some miraculous gust of wind, it was lifted high into the air out of range of enemy fire. That wounded pigeon, somehow, flew 25 miles to its home base with the Major’s message.

When the pigeon arrived, Cher Ami, the little letter carrier, had suffered more than one hit. Aside from a bullet hole in its chest that was deflected by the breastbone, it also had one leg that was barely attached by a thin tendon. Plus, one of it’s eyes had been lost by enemy fire!

Cher Ami became known as the Little Pigeon that saved the lives of 200 men!

“Cher Ami became the hero of the 77th Infantry Division. Army medics worked to save her life. They were unable to save her leg, so they carved a small wooden one for her. When she recovered enough to travel, the now one-legged bird was put on a boat to the United States.”   www.wikipedia.org

I share this with you today so you will understand the gravity of the message that you and I are carrying! You and I are carrying a message that must not be stopped! Nothing becomes more important than this! Whatever the cost! Whatever the risk involved, we must get this saving Message that “JESUS SAVES!” to it’s destination!

The story of the Pony Express tells of riders that were wounded and some that even lost their lives for the cause. One rider was discovered with an arrow through his jaw!

We often hear of casualties along the way of precious men and women who gave their lives for the cause of the Gospel.

Some of you that are reading this are carrying a message that can save the lives of many, many people! Along with the Gospel message, you also have a personal testimony that others need to hear!

We cannot fail, especially NOW! Too many lives are at stake!

Like a little homing pigeon, though some of you are even wounded, we must pray for a “gust of Holy Wind” that will carry us above everything that the enemy would try to use to stop us from getting the message though!

If you have been wounded in ministry work…..DON’T YOU GIVE UP! YOU ARE NEEDED! CARRY THE GOSPEL!

Yes! There is a great price to be paid to be a LETTER CARRIER for the Lord! But our price is in no comparison to the price Jesus paid on the cross!

I am willing to take the risk and to pay the price…..ARE YOU?

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom MUST be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

In 1983 I was Ordained as a Minister of the Gospel. It was a most important event of my life that I still take very seriously! I shall never forget it! There was a special song that was sung. My wife and I wept before the Lord as we listened carefully to the words.

The words are;

UNFINISHED TASK 

IF I CARRY THE GOSPEL TO THE LOST NEAR AND FAR 
I WON'T STAND EMPTY HANDED AT GOD'S JUDGEMENT BAR. 
BUT I DARE NOT RELAX UNTIL I'VE DONE ALL HE ASK 
LEST I SHOULD LEAVE BEHIND AN UNFINISHED TASK. 

IF I HAVE WRONGED A BROTHER IF I HAVE WOUNDED A FRIEND 
GIVE ME STRENGTH PRECIOUS SAVIOR TO MAKE AMENDS. 
AND WHEN I COME TO CHANGE MY WORLDS AND REACH GLORY AT LAST 
THEN I WON'T LEAVE BEHIND AN UNFINISHED TASK. 

WHEN I COME TO THE CROSSING I'LL BE LEAVING BEHIND 
ALL MY EARTHLY POSSESSIONS BUT THIS I WON'T MIND. 
IT WOULD MAKE MY HEART GLAD WHEN I LEAVE ALL I'VE HAD 
IF I DON'T LEAVE BEHIND AND UNFINISHED TASK. 

OH YOU HAVE RUN THE RACE YOU HAVE KEPT THE FAITH 
THESE WORDS I LONG TO HEAR MY SAVIOR SAY. 
AND WHEN MY LIFE ON EARTH IS PAST 
THERE'S JUST ONE THING DEAR LORD I ASK 
DON'T LET ME LEAVE BEHIND AND UNFINISHED TASK.

There is a very high cost to deliver someone else’s message!

I encourage you to read Foxes Book of Martyrs. It will inspire you to be willing to “pay the price” because nothing is as valuable as saving someone else’s life!

Written by Steve Roach

AGAIN

For Peter it was an all-out commitment when Jesus said to him, “Leave your fishing nets behind and COME, FOLLOW ME!”. Never before had he met a man like Jesus. Without hesitation Peter wrapped his entire life around this Man. He said, “Wherever You lead me, I will follow!” All of Peter’s dreams, ambitions and HOPE rested in Jesus Christ! Peter witnessed the power, authority, and His miraculous ministry; blinded eyes opened, deaf ears unstopped, lame walking, and the dead being raised to life.

It was after three years of following Jesus that everything took a turn in the Garden of Gethsemane. Not a good turn. As Peter witnesses Judas coming into the garden with Roman Centurions for the betrayal, Peter responds by drawing his sword and slicing off the ear of Malchus! Peter’s abrupt response was as if he was saying, “Take your hands off my HOPE! Leave my HOPE alone! This HOPE belongs to me!” Jesus said to Peter, “We don’t do things that way! Put your sword away, Peter!” as He miraculously reattaches the Centurions ear.

Peter watches as they lead Jesus away from the garden. His HOPE is now a prisoner. Everything he had lived for during these past three years is now being destroyed! His HOPE is vanishing! His HOPE is so devastated that in his confusion he denies even knowing Jesus…..three times!

We now see Peter as he lingers in the shadows witnessing the scourging, the cruel beatings, and ultimately the crucifixion……..the TOTAL DEATH of His HOPE!

But it was just three days later that Peter’s HOPE came alive! Just as He said! The stone was rolled away, as the Rock of Ages stepped forth!

All of a sudden Peter’s joy is restored!
His fear is taken away!
He is no longer a coward!
But greater than all of this, his HOPE has come ALIVE……AGAIN!

The word “AGAIN” carries a wonderful truth that we find in the first book that Peter wrote. He said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us “AGAIN” unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

If anyone understood the word “AGAIN”, it was Peter! He had HOPE, then his HOPE died on the Cross! But the greater truth is that his HOPE came ALIVE……”AGAIN”......through the Resurrection!

My prayer for you today is that HOPE will come alive in your heart!

God said of Jezabel, “I gave her time to REPENT but she had NO DESIRE!”

Do you have DESIRE today? That’s really all you need to experience this NEW HOPE through Jesus Christ! And especially if you feel you have lost your HOPE, I pray that you have enough DESIRE to seek for this NEW HOPE.......AGAIN! Remember, HOPE is not dead.....HE IS ALIVE!!

** Excerpt from an Easter message I originally preached in 1993 while Pastoring Back Bay, New Brunswick. SRR

YOU HAVE A DREAM

This wasn’t just general people out in the world. IT WAS HIS BROTHERS! They hated him! And when you read the account of Joseph, you can feel the hatred. “Look, here comes the dreamer…..Let’s kill him!”

After they threw Joseph into a pit to die, they changed their minds and sold him to a passing caravan that was heading toward Egypt. So probably down deep they didn’t really want to kill Joseph, they just wanted to kill his dreams. You’ve never felt real hatred until those closest to you want to kill your dream!

Everyone has a dream! I’m not talking about the kind of dream that you have in the night while you are sleeping. Most of those dreams are simply because you ate too much pizza the night before. I’m talking about the dreams that you want to see fulfilled in your life. Dreams that God has placed in your life. Dreams of doing something significant with your life with the talents and gifting’s that you have.

Often time our dreams get pushed into the background and they never have the opportunity of being used to bless others.

I want to say right here, that if you do not keep your dream alive it will just fade into nothingness and eventually it will die! You are the only one who can keep your dream alive! Do whatever you have to do to keep it alive because if your dream ever dies, that is the end of the world for you! I know that sounds extreme, but it’s true! The Bible says, “Without a vision or dream, the people perish. You cannot live without a dream or vision in your life.

I encourage you to cling to your dream. Position yourself to fulfil your dream and the destiny that God has for you. Only you can do that!

Joseph refused to allow bitterness against his brothers to rise up in his heart. He knew that if he did it would destroy his dream and that would be the end of the world for him. He maintained a right heart through every circumstance so that one day his dream would be revealed. Even when Potifer’s wife tried to seduce him, he ran from her…..because of the dream!

You are the only one who can protect your dream!

I have shared the true story of the Christian lady that prayed often for her unsaved family. She was the only one in her family that had given her life to the Lord. Whenever she had opportunity to share a prayer request at her church, she would always ask the people to remember her family in prayer and that one day they would surrender their hearts to the Lord. She had a dream and she kept it alive by praying and even asking others to join in that prayer.

This lady passed away as an elderly person and she never did see the fulfilment of that dream. However, at her Going Home Service there was such a presence of the Lord in that gathering, that within two months after her passing, there were 22 members of her family that gave their hearts to the Lord and began serving Jesus! You may say, “Well, that is so sad! She didn’t see the fulfilment of her dream!”

Oh, but wait a minute! Can you imagine the rejoicing in Heaven as that lady sees members of her family arriving one by one through the gates of that Holy City? What a time of rejoicing around the Throne of Jesus!

My point is this. Don’t ever stop believing in your dream. Don’t ever stop clinging to the promise that God has made to you. Pursue that dream with prayer! Preserve it, and protect it at all cost! Even if those closest to you do not believe in it or even think it will come to pass. You are the preserver of your own dream and God will see that it is fulfilled in and through you!

So today, I defy the darkness that has obscured the dream in your heart and I pray for you that you will rise up just as Joseph did and see the fulfilment of every dream that God has placed in your heart! SRR

Read the account of Joseph in Genesis 37.
Also a scripture of interest is Psalms 55:12-13 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. 

HOLD ON TIGHT.......HERE WE GO!!

My dad was a fun dad!  One Christmas he bought me skis. But where we lived there were no ski hills! He laughed!

I exclaimed, “What good are they!” But I put them on anyway and made my way out to our front lawn.  The snow plow had plowed the parking lot of the Hoyt church and had made a large pile of snow on our front lawn. I did the side step thing up the side of the mound and then pointed the skis downhill! I skied for about 6 feet and stopped. That was it! A 6 foot downhill ski slope! WOW! I returned to the top and went down again! And again, and again! I did this for the better part of an hour as my dad watched from the window…..LAUGHING!

Finally, Dad opened the front door and said, “I have an idea!” Dad went into the garage and got a rope! We drove the car to the old Gillet Road that hadn’t yet been plowed. The snow was light and perfect for skiing. He hooked the rope to the trailer hitch of the car and then He said, “Tie this end of the rope around your waist! I said, “OK!” As I fixed the rope to my waist, suddenly MY LIFE FLASHED BEFORE ME! My brain began to communicate with my body saying, “What’s wrong with this picture, son?” Don’t even think about it! I quickly unfastened the rope from my waist and said to Dad, “I think I would just rather hold the ROPE!” He laughed! Then he said, “HOLD ON TIGHT AND DON’T LET GO!!”

THIS REMINDS ME OF THE STORY OF JAKE

JAKES BIRTHDAY

Before Jake was born, Jake’s mom was gonna have a baby. She had the baby and named him Esau. But moments after he was born another son was born saying, HEY WAIT FOR ME! She had twins! This second boy WAS RED HEADED! AND THE BIBLE SAYS HE WAS HOLDING ONTO HIS BROTHERS HEEL! He had a grip on his brothers heel and he just wouldn’t let go! It seems that this GRIP followed him all of his life.

THE BIRTHRIGHT

As they grew older Jake realized he was not the oldest son since he was born after Esau. So that meant he wasn’t entitled to the Firstborn Birthright. The “Firstborn was entitled to the greater inheritance whenever Dad passed away. So, 60 percent of the inheritance always went to the firstborn and the remaining inheritance was evenly divided among the other siblings. Jake wanted the larger inheritance so much! And he decided to do whatever it would take to get it!

When the twins were about 12 years old, Esau was out hunting and when he came in from hunting he was so tired and hungry. It so happened that Jake was cooking a big pot of stew over the open fire. Esau said, “Can I have some stew?”   SURE! YOU CAN HAVE SOME STEW.…. JUST TRADE ME THE BIRTHRIGHT! The deal was made, and Jake now rightfully owned the Birthright! Now all he needed was his Father’s blessing….. and he got that too with the help of his mother!

Jake now had the birthright and the blessing!  AND HE HELD ONTO THEM TIGHT!

MARRYING RACHEL

When Jake turned 18, he fell in love with a girl named Rachel. He asked her dad if he could marry her. Laban said, “Sure!….. But you must work for 7 years for me FIRST.

On the wedding day the Bride was coming down the aisle with a heavy vale over her face. But it turned out to be Leah…..Rachels sister! Leah was not as pretty and Rachel. Jake had to work yet another 7 years in order to marry the girl he really wanted….Rachel! To Jake it seemed like nothing! WHEN HE GOT WHAT HE WANTED, AGAIN, HE HELD ON TIGHT!

WRESTLING WITH THE ANGEL

Another time Jake wrestled all night long!  “Let me go!” Said the Angel. “NO! NOT UNTIL YOU GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!”

I want the Blessing of God! Jake’s hip was knocked out of joint, but he continued to wrestle! HE WOULDN’T LET GO! HE JUST HELD ON TIGHT!

THE BIRTH OF JOSEPH

Jake loved his son, Joseph. He was his favorite boy. Jake had 12 boys all together.

The brothers were very jealous of Joseph. “Let’s kill him!”, they said. They hated him!

First, they threw him into a pit but then changed their minds and instead decided to sell him as a slave.

They took the “Coat of many colors” that Jake had made Joseph and dipped it into animal’s blood.

They took the coat to Jake and said, “JOSEPH IS DEAD!” But Joseph wasn’t dead! They lied to their father! Sadly, Jake believed them! For the first time in his life it seemed as though he lost his grip and forgot to hold on tight to something that belonged to him.

Later on, a famine came to the land and people were dying of starvation. And thankfully GOD WAS WITH JOSEPH. Joseph had grown up and he had become a very important man in Egypt in charge of the corn eventually saving his entire family from starvation.

BUT JAKE WAS HOME STILL REMEMBERING AND GRIEVING ABOUT HIS FAVORITE SON.

When Jake was real old, he found out the Joseph wasn’t dead! He was happy…..but think of all those years that he thought Joseph was dead! Years that were lost grieving over a dead son that wasn’t even dead! That’s just like that evil satan that tries to make you lose your grip on things that rightfully belong to you!

So here’s the point;

YOU NEED TO HOLD ONTO THE THINGS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO YOU! HOLD ONTO JESUS AND DON’T EVER LET HIM GO!

There will be many things in life that will try to make you lose grip and forfeit what rightfully belongs to you! BUT DON’T YOU EVER LET GO!

Satan will lie to you! BUT DON’T YOU EVER LET GO!

Satan will say you are worthless! BUT DON’T YOU EVER LET GO!

Friends will make fun of you for serving Jesus! BUT DON’T YOU EVER LET GO!

God wants to bless your life! Don’t EVER let Satan steal that from you! JUST HOLD ON TIGHT!

ON BURIED TREASURE

I remember when I was just a young boy I always loved little things. Little cars, little marbles, little boxes, etc.

I also loved burying things in the ground. Then digging them up and acting as though I had found “buried treasure”. I would be so excited!

At one place where we lived there was a bowling alley next door that had a small parking lot. I remember taking a tiny tin box and filling it with a few little things. Inside the box, I put a blue matchbox car, a green plastic soldier, a cats eye marble plus a nickel and some pennies. I then went over to the parking lot next door, found a place at the back of the lot about one foot east of a white corner post. Right there I dug a hole. I placed the little box down in the hole and buried it. I remember taking a piece of paper and drawing a map with an X where I had buried the treasure. Nobody knew where that buried treasure was, except ME!

As time went on, I forgot all about the little box next door and after a while we moved away to another town. The little treasure box never crossed my mind again.

Until one day we were visiting some relatives in that same town and I remember taking a little walk to where we had lived before. It was then that I remembered. I said to myself, “I must go dig up that buried treasure!”

As I ran toward the parking lot, to my dismay, the parking lot had been paved!

I believe that God has buried treasure deep inside everyone’s heart. Treasures that have yet to be discovered. You were divinely created with God's plan and purpose and there are talents, gifting’s and special qualities that you have yet to discover! Ask God to help you discover His full plan and purpose for your life! Read God’s Word daily! The Word of God is like a map that can direct you to the exact place in your heart where the buried treasures are hidden. But you must search for it and dig for it, until you discover God’s complete design and plan for your life! Let the Word shine a light on your heart! Don't let too much time pass you by before you search for the buried treasure. The soil of your heart may become too hard. You will be amazed at the treasures that are hidden in the darkness that are just waiting to be revealed!

Here is what Isaiah says in chapter 45:2-3. I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut down the bars of iron: And I will give to you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the LORD, which call you by your name, am the God of Israel.

And just as an added thought…..If you need a car and some money, or perhaps even a military husband, I can show you where you can find them! SRR

OCTOBER 2015 NEWSLETTER

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

October, 2015

Dear Friends and Family;

As we look over the vast field of Quebec, our hearts are still stirred at the profound need of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is spread out in front of us! It has now been 20 years since we began this marvelous journey in this Mission Field. Our first 6 months were spent in Sister Larsen’s little apartment in Ville St Laurent. It was late that night, Oct 27, 1995 when we put our suitcases down, and crawled into bed for a few hours of much needed sleep! Early the next morning we got on the metro to head downtown Montreal to the Unity Rally!! It was a very exciting, and yet terrifying season for us! On Oct 30, we sat glued to that little black and white television, watching and praying as the voting results of the QC Referendum came in. This was a significant opening to these next 20 years!! So many times we have felt that intense “waiting period” pressure that has driven us to our knees!! God has always been faithful!

We could never have made it through this rugged spiritual terrain without you, our faithful prayer partners. Thank you all so much for caring enough to take the time to pray and support us in the many ways you have. We’d like to take this opportunity to give you a brief update on our current activities in this mission.

Victory Bible Camp

We were blessed this year to have a very good enrollment of campers in our two weeks of Children’s and Teen Camp. It seems that the spiritual temperature is continually rising for these camps, and we are so blessed to see what God is doing in the lives of the workers along with the campers. For the Children’s camp, our ministry team took turns speaking in the night services. The counselors were exceptionally high-spirited, and motivational each day as they worked with the children. For Teen Camp, we were extremely blessed to have Pastor Terry Kennedy here as our night speaker. He and his wife were such a great blessing to our camp!

Each night God moved through him to stir the hearts of the Teens. Friday night, the Spirit of The Lord moved in such an awesome way! So many were filled with the Holy Ghost; some gave their lives to Jesus for the first time; many wept in His presence; and some even fell on the ground as the waves of His Glory swept into the tent! We are truly blessed to witness these life changing times in the lives of our teens! 

A few years ago, after being in a Camp meeting much like these ones, I opened my Bible to this very applicable passage: (Luke 10:24) “For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” This applies again this year, and we thank God! Please keep these young people in your prayers.

We thank God also for the new “physical” changes to Victory Bible Camp. Due to your passion for souls, we were able to put in 3 new windows, all new siding on the chalet, along with a beautiful new patio door where there used to be only a window! It is brighter inside, with better air flow, and looks really nice outside! We also have new kitchen taps! We are so thankful!

Victory Harvest Church

We thank God for the faithful ones in our Church. The Soup Kitchen has been operating for 10 months now, and they are doing great. It is a wonderful opportunity to serve the needs of our community. We have seen some new ones come in through the Soup Kitchen, and have baptized some of them. We see a great hunger for the things of God in this Town of Brownsburg. This area of our ministry (the Church) is in great need of workers. We are asking God daily to send us laborers. 

For the first couple of years here, our Church was all in English. Now, we have switched to a bilingual service like we had in Laval. We are thankful for David and Sylvia Lyons who come often to help us with music and translating. However, we need help with Sunday School Teachers, and overall discipleship of the new ones. There is great potential for many other areas of ministry in Brownsburg as well. This is an urgent prayer request!!!

Our Growing Family

Our little family of 4 that moved in QC 20 years ago is now made up of 6 adults, and 6 children! These children range in age from 3 – 10 and are like little lights in our lives. It’s hard to believe that 5 of these little ones are in school! My, how the times goes! It was so neat to have all of them at Camp this year. Estelle was able to be more involved with the activities at camp this year because Abel has grown so much since last summer and readily got involved with the activities. Parents were thrilled with the craft she sent home with their children’s photo on it! Michelle is very involved with camp as well. She does a large part of the administration, music, puppet training, and many of the activities. We are so blessed to have such a multi-talented and passionate family around us. Please keep each of us in your prayers as we see transitioning in progress with jobs and ministries. God is good!

Working/Financial

We are presently working 5 evenings a week at a cleaning job in Montreal. We are 68 kms from our job. It only takes us 3 – 4 hours each night to do the work, but it does take up our evenings. That makes it impossible to have a mid-week service at our Church right now. We are believing that it is just for a season that we will need to work every evening. Since the Church income is very small, we are not able to receive any income from that. Esther has had some problems with her back this summer. We are waiting for the MRI results, but the physiotherapist believes it is a herniated disc. Please keep her in your prayers. Our God is able!

This job is really a help to us financially, but does not meet all of the needs. We are willing to work jobs like this, but would much rather be putting our time and energy into the work of God. Again, we ask that you pray about this with us. Along with Jesus, we say (Luke 10:2) “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”

We encourage you to continue investing in this ministry. The track-record over the past 20 years has proven that God's hand is upon it! We are thankful for all that you have done, but we really need you today!

Thank You for your time today!

Steve and Esther

pastorsteveroach@gmail.com

The Good Samaritan Community Soup Kitchen in Brownsburg

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. 

This morning I sit here very thankful for opportunities to serve people. Last Sunday we announced that we, as a church, will begin The "Good Samaritan Community Soup Kitchen" at our church each Saturday at noon. The Bible says, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" In much of our region, we have people who live in poverty conditions. We have a responsibility to do our part in helping these people.

When we serve others we are actually serving God. Much of the evangelical church today is preaching a message of living in luxury and if were not careful we will overlook the people Jesus instructed us to reach. I feel strongly that God is more interested in seeing His people give and serve and wait upon others. This is the true heart of God. 

Here's a thought; Luke  16 tells the story of Lazarus. It reads, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. I've often thought about this in relation to the Church and it's responsibility. Consider for a moment that the rich man's table represents the Church, Lazarus represents the poor and the "dogs" represent all those community service organizations that are doing what we, the Church, are supposed to be doing. Thank God for the community food banks, soup kitchens, etc. that reach out to the poor, but that is really OUR job as the Church. It's not the "dogs" duty to nurture and look after the poor! Don't misunderstand. Thank God they do! But it's really the first obligation of the Church of Jesus Christ! Jesus instructed us to feed the poor, help the widows and be Good Samaritans!

So let's do it!!

God has given us a beautiful facility right in the heart of Brownsburg and we feel it needs to be used to show our region that "We Care". Be thankful today for the part you can play in helping others.

Saturday, December 13th, will be the launch date for the "The Good Samaritan Community Soup Kitchen". If you would like to contribute in any way to this worthy project or you would like to volunteer, give us a call:  1-450-533-9161

Let's be THANKFUL as we serve together!