Mission Trip to Show Low, AZ

We are headed back to American Indian Christian Mission (AICM). The local students we worked with had a great experience last year, and many of them have already indicated they are looking forward to coming again.

Our primary goal is to lead these teenagers to faith in Jesus Christ and to help them grow as His disciples. We do this through teaching times, interacting and activities with the teens, but mostly by living out the gospel of Jesus Christ in tangible ways while running a summer camp for these students. These junior high or high schoolers are watching us constantly as we are living letters of Jesus Christ being read by all of them (II Cor 3:3). By living with the students during the camp week, we get to know them, and they get to know us... building relationships that will have eternal impact.

Another goal is to lead children not at the camp into a new knowledge of Jesus Christ by organizing and holding Back Yard Bible Club style gatherings daily in the area surrounding the AICM camp for teenagers.

A third goal is to form work teams who will do various projects for the camp and for residents and organizations in the ACIM camp area.

AICM is located in the white mountains of Arizona. It is cool and beautiful there. We are on the grounds of AICM, which is a boarding school during the school year. There are dormitories, a cafeteria, gymnasium, swimming pool, chapel and classrooms.  

We need people like you who will listen to people, learn from them, love them, live out the life of a disciple, and lead them to Jesus. We will interact with each teenager/child or adult on their walk with the Lord in a personal way.

Dates:  July 11-19

Trip Staff and Elder Support:

• Bruce Zimmerman  - Trip Coordinator and Work 

  Project Coordinator 

• Jeff Knowles - Children’s Ministry Coordinator

• Lee Coleman - Co-Camp Coordinator/Camp 

  Speaker

What can you do to support this trip?

First, be in prayer for the team members as they prepare for and head out on this short-term mission trip. Second, each team member is responsible for raising financial support for the trip. If you would like to contribute in this way, please contact the church office.

Top 10 Reasons YOUR Kids Should Come to WBC's Wilderness Escape VBS 2014

10. Your children’s thumbs could fall off from too much video gaming this summer!

9. It’s waaaaay cheaper than Disney World. I mean, have you SEEN their prices lately? Plus, you don’t have to wait in a long line next to any smelly tourists!

8. Your ex-babysitter posted the names of your kids all over the social media sites with the tags: #pureevilkids and #neverbabysittingever

7. You can’t afford for your home insurance premium to double again like it did last year after the “kids home alone incident of 2013.”

6. Because your kids enthusiastically asked you, “when the next VBS is...” walking out of last year’s VBS.

5. Our wacky and zany WBC stage crew is returning this year with new, exciting characters! Who knows what kind of surprises are in store!!

4. There will be a petting zoo!

3. Your kids will get to spend the whole week with their friends. (If they invite their friends to go too, of course!) In all cases: they will make new friendships with our awesome leaders!  

2. Every activity, song, game, craft, and snack has a purpose behind it, supporting a Biblical truth!

1. They will hear the Gospel preached and have an amazing opportunity to grow in a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Get ready for the biggest event of the year: Wilderness Escape! 

Pack your satchel and get ready to go on an adventure like never before! Each day will be filled with exciting and amazing new things for your child to learn about and be involved in! From stories about God’s faithfulness in the desert with the Israelites to wonderful, fun activities centered on the truths of God’s Word, each day is new and fun-filled. Travel back in time each day with our amazing and silly skit crew! Walk through the Red Sea on dry ground during story time, just like the Israelites did! Enjoy tasty snacks each day from our awesome kitchen! Weave baskets during craft time just like the Israelites would have made! Run and play fun, challenging and exciting games with your tribe during game time! Learn new dance moves to some super cool songs about how God constantly provides for us!

Each day your kid will be led by an amazing Tribe leader who is devoted to showing the love of Christ! Don’t worry parents, you get to have a part in the awesomeness too! Join us Friday for our family day and enjoy quality and fun time spent with your kids in this exciting Wilderness Escape and see how God provides! There will be plenty of new surprises along with the amazing opportunity for kids daily to get to see who God is and come in contact with the Gospel of Jesus! 

WBC is preparing for over 300 kids at this year’s VBS...will you be there?

This Month's Focus - June 2014

This month we will continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ as we worship around Jesus in the “Heaven” worship series. On June 4, we will begin the month by praying together at our monthly church meal and prayer gathering. We will also collect the last of the Firstlook “Change For Life” bottles on Father’s Day. Vacation Bible School will meet on June 16-20 followed by Fuse Youth Camp on June 22-26.

Ministry Partner of the Month - June 2014

North Ellis County Outreach

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray that God’s direction is clear as we continue to grow.

2. Ability to pay off remaining debt by December 2014.

3. Wisdom regarding usage of our current facilities and whether we should sell old building and build another facility at present location.

4. That our clients continue to grow through the classes that they are taking.

5. That we would know how best to mentor the families we are interacting with.

6. That our Victory Garden would grow abundantly this year.

7. That more opportunities to provide healthier food choices would be available.

8. Wisdom and discernment and the love of the Lord would be evident in all our ways.

9. Strength to continue doing all that we do.

10. That more volunteers would come give their precious time.

11. That God would provide part-time people to help in our Thrift Store that have a love for working with people and serving Him.

12. That God would provide a new van for use in picking up and hauling supplies as well as donations.

13. For new Board Members to come be a part.

14. For continued opportunities to help other ministries.

This Month's Focus

As we continue to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ in this month of May, there are several things that we would like to keep you aware of. May 1st is the national day of prayer. Please join other believers around our community at the courthouse on that day at noon. On May 4th we will gathering with the Spanish community here at WBC for bilingual worship services and a family celebration to include a meal and fun for the whole family following the second service. Also we will once again be taking part in the Firstlook baby bottle campaign to help raise money for this much-needed resource center for women here in Ellis county. On May 18th, we will be honoring the senior class of 2014 in our worship services. We will also be starting a new worship series on that day called Heaven.

Ministry Partner of the Month - May 2014

Pavel & Stana Kozak

Prayer Requests:
1. Lord’s special protection, while we serve in this dark country/city. Our church ONLY is ministering outside and we know that the devil hates it and us.

2. Everyday guidance of the Holy Spirit as we share the Gospel with a variety of people. Some are criminals and abusers and others are university students.

3. Very effective sharing of the Gospel and the Word of God to the unsaved people. Practices of the Catholic Church in the medieval times have caused people here to mostly hate “church” as an “institution.”

4. Lord’s special TOUCH of the Holy Spirit into the hearts of those who are listening to the Gospel. They really need God’s Touch to REPENT.

5. OUR COUNTRY – Please pray that the strong spirits of the paganism and atheism would be bound and broken by the power of the Lord’s Holy Blood. Very strong demons are ruling over this country and are keeping people blind and deaf concerning Lord Jesus.

6. OLOMOUC – a city of 100.000+ population, which is totally in the darkness, with empty religions, materialism and caught up in money worship. It is obvious that there are HUGE STRONGLOLDS of the devil here.

7. DECIN – where we continue to minister to the Gypsy people, while helping the Maranatha Church there. The Maranatha Church is recovering from a painful split, and new people are visiting but they need a lot of prayers and encouragement.

8. Christians in Czech Republic. “Christianity” in Czech Republic is back sliding, the world and entertainment have come to the churches. There is NO GOSPEL sharing, NO fighting, just fun and smiling while everybody is “happy and satisfied.” OUTSIDE of the churches is DARKNESS, CRIME, ATHEISM, VIOLENCE and the devil! NO! The Lord is crying… Please pray with us for the breakthrough!

9. For 10-12 real faithful NEW young ones, who would heartily REPENT and became NEW ZEALOUS DISCIPLES for the Lord in Olomouc.

10. We are planning many actions and activities for the spring and summer for the youth. Please pray for warm and quality relationships with us and for fruitful future follow up with them for the Lord Jesus.

11. We are planning to provide the open air worship services on Sundays afternoon on the Main Square soon. People will have a chance to see and mainly listen to the worship songs of Stana and also the basic Gospel preaching about the cross of the Lord Jesus. We surely will NEED MIGHTY Lord’s assistance, guidance and His PROTECTION! Please pray!

12. Our car was recently stolen and Police have since stopped their investigation. With high probability our car was a “TARGET” of the satanists or some other hate groups, because of what we do here spiritually. On the street where our car was usually parked overnight are MUCH BETTER and MORE EXPENSIVE cars, but they are there till today…yet our car is gone. Pray for a replacement.

13. HUMBLE PRAYER REQUEST – We would like to ask you humbly, dear Brothers and Sisters, those who are touched by our Lord Jesus for a kind money collection to be able to replace the ministry car. It was only one ministry car we had to use for the Moravian and Bohemian ministry. We do pray to collect about $8,000 – 10,000. Thank you for your prayers for its provision!

14. We are so very THANKFUL for you LOVE, MINISTRY and mainly for your PRAYERS! It is such touching that we are NOT ALONE here on this tough mission field, but we do serve TOGETHER! What the PRIVILEGE!!!

Father-Son Retreat Report

If you happened to talk to any of the Father-Son pairs that went to the Father-Son retreat on February 28th thru March 2nd, they will tell you... you missed an incredible time! Located in Grapeland Texas, Frontier Camp (one of WBC’s sponsored missionary organizations) offers everything you could possibly want from a father-son retreat: from horseback riding, to archery, to high ropes climbing, to zip-lines, to riflery, and great food!

Not only are you physically well fed, but you won’t go spiritually hungry over the weekend either. Author and speaker Shane Sanders challenged boys and their fathers to step up to the plate of 3 of the greatest biblical heroes: Caleb, Jonathan, and Nehemiah. As Shane shared how each of those Old Testament heroes put total reliance on God and showed steadfast determination, he encouraged fathers to remember the weekend’s focus verse: 2 Chronicles 16:9 which says, “for the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards him.”

If you ask boys who attended like Caleb Knowles and Samuel John, each of them would tell you their favorite thing was ‘hands down’, launching the air-pressure powered 2-liter bottle rockets into the sky Saturday evening. Some rockets traveled over 100 feet high, and across a lake that was longer than a football field! Fathers and sons: be sure to join us next year for an unforgettable weekend of memories with each other!

The Father-Son Retreat happens annually the last week of February. Frontier Camp also offers a Mother-Daughter retreat in early November and a Father-Daughter retreat for girls ages 11 to 17 in the first weekend in January! Additionally, Frontier Camp features week long Summer camps for elementary, junior high, and high school aged kids. For more information on any of these, check out the website here.