WBC has a very practical way that we can carry Christ’s love to the world during the upcoming holiday season. It has become a tradition at WBC partner with Samaritan Purse ministry by sending Christmas gifts to children all over the world who do not know Jesus. We hope that you will be a part of sending these gifts this year. Listen to this story of how God has used people from WBC in recent years to carry Christ’s love to the world through the Operation Christmas Child Project.
Samaritan's Purse distributed thousands of shoe box gifts to refugees from the South Ossetia War, which erupted in August 2008. The last memory Nana has of her village is of flames shooting through rooftops and screams echoing through the streets as she joined her neighbors in a desperate flight for safety.
Nana was seven months pregnant at the time. She and her husband, Bagrate, owned a modest two-story house and a store in the Georgian town of Xeiti. They were caught by surprise on the afternoon of August 6 when Russian forces assaulted their quiet community, dropping bombs and setting fire to many buildings.
With no time to gather their belongings, the couple sped away in their car, veering around burning vehicles. They kept driving until they ran out of gas, then continued their escape on foot—an arduous undertaking for Nana.
Xeiti was among 36 villages burned or bombed by Russia in a territorial dispute with Georgia over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The city of Gori also sustained damage from bombing raids. The conflict left hundreds of civilians dead or injured, and displaced tens of thousands. Many of the survivors remained holed up in dilapidated school and abandoned buildings, afraid to return to their villages and rebuild.
In December, heartache gave way to hope for thousands of Georgia’s suffering families as Operation Christmas Child teams began blanketing the war-torn region, bearing gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love.
We came across Nana and Bograte living among the refugees crowded into old military barracks in the town of Koda. Among the 350 boys and girls who received shoe box gifts was the couple’s daughter, Lizzie, born two months after their harrowing escape.
“Thank you for the gift,” said Bograte. “We are trying to make our lives as normal as possible, but it is difficult. We have only the hope of God to get us through this.”
At another refugee center in an old school building outside of the capital of Tbilisi, 50 children heard a presentation of the Gospel and received words of comfort from a member of the Operation Christmas Child National Leadership Team in Georgia.
“We are bringing gifts that were specially prepared for you by children in America,” explained Pastor Gela. “They want to encourage you during your time of crisis.”
One at a time, the children walked to the front of the classroom to receive their boxes and Greatest Gift of All Gospel booklets written in the Georgian language. They returned to their seats and patiently waited until every child received a box before they opened them.
One girl lifted a cuddly brown teddy bear from her box and cradled it in her arms. A teenage boy got a green baseball cap and slapped it on his head, grinning.
For the past decade, Pastor Gela’s Pentecostal church in Tbilisi has worked with Operation Christmas Child to help deliver shoe boxes to youngsters in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country.
“We are always trying to expand our ministry to children,” he said. “The boxes give us an opportunity to reach out to them in a way that would not be possible otherwise. They are a good tool for explaining to them who Jesus is and to share the Gospel with them.”
His church began offering the 10-lesson Bible course through the Operation Christmas Child follow-up discipleship program. Over 100 children enrolled in the program at first, and the pastor requested lessons for 500 children afterward.
“I remember one boy whose parents wouldn’t let him come to church. That was before he received the Bible lessons,” Gela said. “Now they have given him their blessing to go to Sunday school.”
Pastor Gela notes that the hardships and uncertainty have prompted many Georgians to turn to Christ like never before. People seem more open to hearing God’s Word, and there has been an increase in the number of families who attend his small church. Along with that revival has come a heightened desire to minister to those in need in their community, particularly those affected by the war.
“We distribute food and clothing to the refugees. But we want to give them something deeper than physical help,” he said. “These people are hurting. We talk to them about Jesus Christ, and it’s a great blessing to see the powerful change in their hearts.”
Please consider allowing God to use you through the Samaritan Purse ministry this year. Operation Christmas Child is one way to express thanksgiving to God, by donating our time, energy, and resources to share the gospel with kids around the world. Please bring gift-filled, labeled shoeboxes to church by November 14. Shoebox packing guides will be available soon, or you can check out the Samaritan’s Purse website.
Even if you don’t have time to pack a box, you can still help! WBC’s Mommy&Me group is having a shoebox packing party and needs gifts that will fit in a shoebox, clean empty shoeboxes, and money for the box delivery fees. Check the posters for gift guidelines. Collection boxes will be in the Rotunda and by the office from October 31-November 11.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Festival of Worship to God
Most stories of Thanksgiving history start with the harvest celebration of the pilgrims and the indians that took place in the autumn of 1621. Although they did have a three-day feast in celebration of a good harvest, and the local indians did participate, this "first Thanksgiving" was not a holiday, simply a gathering. There is little evidence that this feast of thanks led directly to our modern Thanksgiving Day holiday. Thanksgiving can, however, be traced back to 1863 when Pres. Lincoln became the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving Day. The holiday has been a fixture of late November ever since.
However, since most school children are taught that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 with the pilgrims and indians, let us take a closer look at just what took place leading up to that event, and then what happened in the centuries afterward that finally gave us our modern Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists. The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.
Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.
This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. Many years passed before the event was repeated. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of thanksgiving was proclaimed. On June 20 of that year the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives,"
A hundred years later, in October of 1777 all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair.
George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson opposed the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.
It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.
As we conclude this look at the history of Thanksgiving in America we would be wise to consider the place of festivals in the Bible. For the followers of God in the Old and New Testaments it was commonplace to have yearly festivals that mark off special acts of worship to God. One such festival and meal was the celebration of Passover where the Jews remembered God’s faithfulness to save them from death. This is a symbolic representation of the ultimate form of salvation that was freely given to the world at the Cross of Jesus Christ. So, as we celebrate thanksgiving it is a meaningful act for us to remember the Cross of Christ at Thanksgiving. Here at WBC we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with a festival on Sunday November 21. We will take communion during worship and then have a traditional Thanksgiving meal together following our Sunday morning worship. Followed by a special community worship service that evening.
However, since most school children are taught that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 with the pilgrims and indians, let us take a closer look at just what took place leading up to that event, and then what happened in the centuries afterward that finally gave us our modern Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect). They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland (The Netherlands) to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists. The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.
Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl.
Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.
This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. Many years passed before the event was repeated. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of thanksgiving was proclaimed. On June 20 of that year the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives,"
A hundred years later, in October of 1777 all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair.
George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson opposed the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.
It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.
As we conclude this look at the history of Thanksgiving in America we would be wise to consider the place of festivals in the Bible. For the followers of God in the Old and New Testaments it was commonplace to have yearly festivals that mark off special acts of worship to God. One such festival and meal was the celebration of Passover where the Jews remembered God’s faithfulness to save them from death. This is a symbolic representation of the ultimate form of salvation that was freely given to the world at the Cross of Jesus Christ. So, as we celebrate thanksgiving it is a meaningful act for us to remember the Cross of Christ at Thanksgiving. Here at WBC we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with a festival on Sunday November 21. We will take communion during worship and then have a traditional Thanksgiving meal together following our Sunday morning worship. Followed by a special community worship service that evening.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Loving Others is Africa
Lately, besides teaching our SIM missionary candidates, I've been diving deep into writing and re-writing training material for helping congregations engage cross-culturally. It is so encouraging when its intent is realized, like on Wed. when a young, local pastor took me to lunch (always fun!) with a hundred questions about intercultural ministry. He shared that two Ethiopian immigrant couples had started coming to his church...and it was changing the dynamic. The regular members were wary and uncertain at first, but now they are proud of these new friends and intrigued to have this diversity and wanting more! Now the leadership of the church desires to pursue diverse outreach opportunities, not merely for evangelism, but for inclusion into their congregation… This is a huge paradigm shift for them and they heard about our ministry of coaching churches in intercultural relationships, so he contacted me. This is our driving passion, to help open up a whole new world of cross-cultural vision and ministry!
As I thought about this church I was reminded of a lesson that God taught me on loving others. Some time ago we prayed that we would be freed from the oppression of a bar and prostitution joint which was just 20 feet behind our house...the loud music, the carousing, the clientele. We had sought to reach out to these folks, Gwen treated the prostitutes’ children for malaria, and helped in other ways...all to no avail. For weeks we were under all that oppression, then, one night, someone stole their big boom box and ran off into the darkness. There was a bunch of yelling... then silence. Without the music, the operation was sunk. Within three days, the lady who ran the business moved away during the night. (in Africa, it is a shame to move at night...) Wow! A huge answer to prayer! Then, I took over. I didn’t want that building (actually a mud block house) to rented out to someone else who would do the same type of business, so I tracked down the property owner and rented it ourselves... (I justified it by saying that we could use it for the church ministry somehow...but it was really to keep others away.) That very night, there was huge rain storm and we heard a loud ‘crunch n’thump’. We looked out back...and the mud house had fallen down into a heap! I immediately felt the sting of guilt for my lack of faith. God had a sense of humor to wait until I had paid the money to rent the property before crashing it down! A good story of how we should be focused on loving others and trusting God more, instead of thinking that God needed my wily cleverness to help Him out...
As I thought about this church I was reminded of a lesson that God taught me on loving others. Some time ago we prayed that we would be freed from the oppression of a bar and prostitution joint which was just 20 feet behind our house...the loud music, the carousing, the clientele. We had sought to reach out to these folks, Gwen treated the prostitutes’ children for malaria, and helped in other ways...all to no avail. For weeks we were under all that oppression, then, one night, someone stole their big boom box and ran off into the darkness. There was a bunch of yelling... then silence. Without the music, the operation was sunk. Within three days, the lady who ran the business moved away during the night. (in Africa, it is a shame to move at night...) Wow! A huge answer to prayer! Then, I took over. I didn’t want that building (actually a mud block house) to rented out to someone else who would do the same type of business, so I tracked down the property owner and rented it ourselves... (I justified it by saying that we could use it for the church ministry somehow...but it was really to keep others away.) That very night, there was huge rain storm and we heard a loud ‘crunch n’thump’. We looked out back...and the mud house had fallen down into a heap! I immediately felt the sting of guilt for my lack of faith. God had a sense of humor to wait until I had paid the money to rent the property before crashing it down! A good story of how we should be focused on loving others and trusting God more, instead of thinking that God needed my wily cleverness to help Him out...
God Sais it Best by Rhonda Miller
As we think about becoming mature disciples and our theme of this issue of ignite it is clear that if we want to become mature we need to know how to love others well, and if we want to know how to love others we must first consider God word. It easy to find all kinds of advice and input on how to love others but all of this knowledge falls short if it is not based on the Bible. Listen to these words from Rhonda Miller as she shares her story of being directed to the Bible through the Love and Respect Marriage Conference for guidance on how to love her husband Terry.
Throughout much of my adult life, I thought that men and women were really very much alike, so when John Gray’s book, “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” arrived on the scene, I was excited to read it. I knew from the title that I must have a lot to learn. According to the book, the “Mars man” is non-compassionate, whereas the “Venus woman” likes to demonstrate feelings and gain sympathy. While it was very entertaining, I had one huge problem with it: I was from Mars and my husband was from Venus!!
This book was the New York Times number 1 best-seller of the last decade and it didn’t work for us at all. While I love gaining wisdom about marriage relationships, I gave up any further reading on the subject because it was really man’s interpretation of how a husband and wife should relate and it didn’t apply to us at all.
Immediately after viewing the “Love and Respect” video tapes for the second time, I had an “aha” moment! God’s Word tells us that men have the need for respect and women have the need for love as their deepest need. I now realize that even though my husband has the compassionate loving heart of a “Venus”, he needs respect because that is the way God designed him and that won’t ever change.
It’s no surprise that even Dr. Dobson is impressed by Dr. Eggerich’s book. Many “relationship experts” have totally missed the real heart of a man and a woman. God told us what we need as husbands and wives, we just have to be obedient to His Word and put Him first in our marriage relationship. He made us this way with a purpose and He said it best!
Throughout much of my adult life, I thought that men and women were really very much alike, so when John Gray’s book, “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” arrived on the scene, I was excited to read it. I knew from the title that I must have a lot to learn. According to the book, the “Mars man” is non-compassionate, whereas the “Venus woman” likes to demonstrate feelings and gain sympathy. While it was very entertaining, I had one huge problem with it: I was from Mars and my husband was from Venus!!
This book was the New York Times number 1 best-seller of the last decade and it didn’t work for us at all. While I love gaining wisdom about marriage relationships, I gave up any further reading on the subject because it was really man’s interpretation of how a husband and wife should relate and it didn’t apply to us at all.
Immediately after viewing the “Love and Respect” video tapes for the second time, I had an “aha” moment! God’s Word tells us that men have the need for respect and women have the need for love as their deepest need. I now realize that even though my husband has the compassionate loving heart of a “Venus”, he needs respect because that is the way God designed him and that won’t ever change.
It’s no surprise that even Dr. Dobson is impressed by Dr. Eggerich’s book. Many “relationship experts” have totally missed the real heart of a man and a woman. God told us what we need as husbands and wives, we just have to be obedient to His Word and put Him first in our marriage relationship. He made us this way with a purpose and He said it best!
Loving Others and Worshipping God
Do you consider others when you are worshipping God in public worship? Ephesians 5:19-20 says “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” When we think about the theme of this issue of Ignite which is how we love others reveals how we worship God this is an interesting passage to consider. In this passage Paul reminds us that we are not only to sing to God but to one another. One way litmus test of how well we love God can be seen in how we relate to one another in public worship. Check out these thoughts on this topic from one of the newest members of WBC, Mike Burchfield.
1. How long have you been worshipping here at WBC?
Sharon and I have been attending WBC for 6 weeks now.
2. What do you think about the balance of music at WBC?
I enjoy the music at WBC for many reasons ,the chief ones are; good sound mix all instruments can be heard but none overpowers the other, not loud!, I prefer a 3/2 mix of contemporary music to hymns and WBC is close most of the time, the musicians seem to be focused on worship and not a "performance".
3. How would you describe your overall experience of the WBC worship services?
Our overall worship experience has been awesome! I needed to find a church with an expository approach to preaching and Pastor Z. is a perfect match. I like the way that the mood for worship, prayer and meditation is accented by changes in lighting. I truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in worship time .
4. Do you think that the way we love others reflects how we worship God?
From the moment we walked into the church ,we felt as if the whole group had been waiting for us. We really felt welcomed and loved for the first time in a long time. When we came for our appointment with Pastor Z , I noticed that he never said what we were expected to do ,but ask for us to tell him about our experience with Jesus. Then he explained what we could expect as members of WBC, and actually seemed happy that we were joining! We have been amazed at every juncture of our "getting to know you" time at WBC. From you and Pastor Z through each member, even the youth! We feel the joy and welcoming love of Jesus
5. Sometimes worship can be a divisive thing. How do we come together in love for one another and worship God at the same time?
I believe division come from man trying to "improve" on Gods plan. If we set Jesus as our standard and example, and follow the Word, and above all love each other I believe most disagreements came be solved. Using the Bible to point out the errors we make and its solution for life’s problems will always meet with success. " My words will not return to me empty." Also we must always be mindful to forgive and remember how the Savior approached confrontation and people who were hurting. And God will be worshipped through our following His word and His Son’s example.
1. How long have you been worshipping here at WBC?
Sharon and I have been attending WBC for 6 weeks now.
2. What do you think about the balance of music at WBC?
I enjoy the music at WBC for many reasons ,the chief ones are; good sound mix all instruments can be heard but none overpowers the other, not loud!, I prefer a 3/2 mix of contemporary music to hymns and WBC is close most of the time, the musicians seem to be focused on worship and not a "performance".
3. How would you describe your overall experience of the WBC worship services?
Our overall worship experience has been awesome! I needed to find a church with an expository approach to preaching and Pastor Z. is a perfect match. I like the way that the mood for worship, prayer and meditation is accented by changes in lighting. I truly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in worship time .
4. Do you think that the way we love others reflects how we worship God?
From the moment we walked into the church ,we felt as if the whole group had been waiting for us. We really felt welcomed and loved for the first time in a long time. When we came for our appointment with Pastor Z , I noticed that he never said what we were expected to do ,but ask for us to tell him about our experience with Jesus. Then he explained what we could expect as members of WBC, and actually seemed happy that we were joining! We have been amazed at every juncture of our "getting to know you" time at WBC. From you and Pastor Z through each member, even the youth! We feel the joy and welcoming love of Jesus
5. Sometimes worship can be a divisive thing. How do we come together in love for one another and worship God at the same time?
I believe division come from man trying to "improve" on Gods plan. If we set Jesus as our standard and example, and follow the Word, and above all love each other I believe most disagreements came be solved. Using the Bible to point out the errors we make and its solution for life’s problems will always meet with success. " My words will not return to me empty." Also we must always be mindful to forgive and remember how the Savior approached confrontation and people who were hurting. And God will be worshipped through our following His word and His Son’s example.
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