What the Greatest Gift Christmas Offering will do to impact the world

For decades Grace Church has been known for its generosity. Each year we participate in The Greatest Gift Christmas Offering as a way of encouraging and supporting ministries that are among “the last, the least, and the lost” of the world. 

Give now to help us impact the world!

This year we have a goal of $175,000 to serve people in Wayne County and around the world. The projects we will help include:

• Orphan Care: $50,000 for SE Asia Orphan Home projects including the purchase of a van, motor scooters for our university students, college scholarships, equipment/appliance replacement and start-up costs associated with the construction of a school for our kids. Learn more here. 

• Refugee Relief: $25,000 for emergency relief for Christians who have fled from Syria into Jordan because of the threat of ISIS. As we partner with Grace Brethren pastor, Dr. Randy Smith and Global Vision Outreach, funds will be used to purchase blankets, heaters, sweaters, & coats, etc. for families during the coming winter. You can view a video here. 
• #ForWayneCounty Food Drive: $20,000 for the completion of the #forWayneCounty food drive. We’ve already received several thank you notes from area agencies for the support we have provided coming from this emphasis at the Wayne County Fair. These funds will help complete the project to provide 1 million meals for those in need in the coming months. Hear from those in our community here.
  
• Local Housing Project with Wayne Metro Housing Authority: $15,000 for the purchase of special building materials to help construct a home for a disabled couple funded through Metro housing.  Learn more here.
• Leadership Development: $40,000 – These funds will provide internships for young adults in our church who are considering ministry and/or missions involvement in the future. 
• Church Planting: Grace would love to see new churches started. We will give $25,000 to help Josh and Andrea Kuck who are staring a new church in the community of Chelsea, MI. Several years ago Josh served as Middle School Director at Grace Church in Wooster, so it’s our privilege to partner with his family in this venture of faith. See his video here. 

Give now to help us impact the world!

Wooster Grace to host Encompass World Partners Executive Briefing

On Monday, February 20 at 7:00 pm in the Student Ministries Center at Wooster (Grace), OH, Encompass World Partners (formerly GBIM) will share about the big changes they have catalyzed. Everyone is invited!

Executive Director, Dave Guiles, will be sharing some of the background for the recent changes. Come hear about the new name and logo as well as ask questions about the upcoming relocation to Atlanta, GA.

Please take the opportunity to come hear in person what is going on and why adjustments are being made.Encompass World Partners will serve light refreshments. Please come to this casual, family meeting.

You can RSVP in several ways:

• Call Encompass World Partners asking for Samantha Muntz at (574) 268-1888 ext 49.
• Go to Encompass World Partners website to sign up.
• Scan code below and sign up.

New Year, New Focus

DR Trip Sep 2011

I praise God for 2011!

Many things to be grateful for, including, but not limited to:

• Deeper walk with God, more sensitivity to the presence of the Holy Spirit
• Family is enriched--more time with Melissa & children; still need to improve but thankful for the time to spend with them
• Making ends meet financially--always need to be vigilant in taking care of the family. Praise God for food, shelter, clothes, and a vehicle to get around with.
• Learning how to get things done--one thing off the bucket list is a family missions trip. By God's grace, we were able to go to the Dominican Republic (all twelve of us--Chuck, Marge, our family, and Jeff's family). We learned how to honor God, to love one another as a testimony to everyone we met, and to love the people in the Dominican Republic.  This trip was one of the highlights of the year.  The other highlight was the polar plunge on New Year's Day 2011 where we jumped out of our comfort zone and dove into the icy waters of Winona Lake with many others to show ourselves and to ask God to help us go beyond ourselves to honor Him. Because of the polar challenge, we made plans to go to the DR. We made it happen with God's help and provision. 

Polar Bear Plunge 01.01.11

Overall, the Butler family has much to be thankful for. We praise God for His generosity. We seek to honor the Lord more in 2012. May you and your family seek to take the challenge to do great things for God. As William Carey, the great missionary of the past said, "Expect Great Things, Attempt Great Things" in 2012.

Don't be stuck searching for a Christmas Gift--Choose one of these

Thanks to Shimelle for the pic

Your Christmas Gift can make a great difference. More than a smile or yeehaw is possible with the gifts that I suggest.  I get lots of email, mailers, and ads in my inbox regarding Christmas Deals. But I have discovered the best gift ideas without the frills or the BOGOs. Pick a gift from one of these choices and know that you are changing a life dramatically. Long after your toss the shredded wrappings and you cave on your new year's resolutions, these gifts will bring more than happiness, your gift will bring hope!

I share these Christmas Gift Options in alphabetical order:

• Encompass World Partners (formerly GBIM) challenges you to reach and touch the world with gifts that demonstrate the love of Christ.  
• Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse where a shoe box gift can bring smiles, laughter, and Gospel opportunities. 
• Persecution.org urges you to choose the persecuted as the recipient of your financial blessings to remove the shackles from your heart and mind to remove the bonds of those under persecution.
• VisionTrust seeks to provide hope to orphans this Christmas. Show God's love to the orphaned and the impoverished children of the world. 
• Voice of the Martyrs provides the opportunity to help Christians in North Africa where Christians are under persecution. 
• WorldVision offers a plethora of gift choices! "Honor family and friends with a gift of love." Then send a free card to the one you are honoring. 

Please leave comments on which ones you have participated and share best practices in the comments.

My Top Ten Mistakes

Txs to Henrique Vicente Creative Commons

My Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid in doing short term missions trips: This list reflects my experience doing short term missions trips. The list could be longer. But I hope this short list helps you do short-term missions trips better than I did.  

1. Trips without a purpose clearly stated--do a missions trip because you have-to
2. Doing it alone--Going solo is not only lonely but draining.
3. Not asking for help--it takes a team to make a great missions movement. Don't settle for trips. Seek momentum towards a movement.
4. Go with the first contact you discover that matches when you can go--rather focus on the why you go first, when you go comes later.
5. Not Clearly thinking about how your trip fits with your church's purpose and values--connect what you do with the vision & values of your church
6. Not training or equipping helpers--you might have helpers, but those helpers need some training to be great helpers.
7. Being too carefree in planning and during the trip--"flying by the seat of your pants" may feel exhilarating, but it often leads to missed opportunities.
8. Being too rigid in planning and during the trip--Micro-managing may feel like your in control, but often you short-circuit empowering new leaders.
9. Not praying for the right people to go on the right trip for the right purpose--have a short job description of successful outcomes for your trips.
10. Not debriefing or following up with those who return from a missions trip--you may lose the momentum in people's lives to synergize greater things where God can work towards a lifetime of being on-mission versus a great memory of a trip. 

Rick Ratzel

IN HIS OWN WORDS:
Please hear how one of our people is developing into a fully devoted follower of Christ by sacrificing work and vacation time to serve the Lord in Central Africa again. Rick is returning to Central African Republic. Please pray for Rick to make new connections and to reinforce on-going connections so that God is glorified towards lasting relationships.

Dale Imhoff

IN HIS OWN WORDS:
Dale Imhoff is going to the Central African Republic for the first time. God provided for his trip in a miraculous way. One of his contacts outside our church is helping to get him to Africa. My how great is the Lord. Please pray for Dale to stay healthy, have Holy Spirit empowered energy, and God-centered stamina on this mission trip from April 4-16.

Team leader, Tim Harley

IN HIS OWN WORDS:
Tim Harley is passionate about being on-mission. His present focus is helping serve the people of the Central African Republic with small teams in partnership with ICDI. This trip will include follow up visits and updates of various projects Wooster Grace has assisted with in the past. Wooster Grace partners with ICDI to positively impact the development of programs where Africans get equipped to teach their own people to move beyond existing to grow towards living. Please pray for Tim as he leads this team asking God the Holy Spirit to give him wisdom, discernment, and guidance throughout the trip.

Wooster Grace sends team to SE Asia

This morning we commission a team to go minister to Cambodia & Thailand. Our mission is to develop all people into fully devoted followers of Christ. We empower and send people to minister on our behalf in places all around the world. Through the faithful giving of our people, we can REACH the world for Christ.

The team will travel to Cambodia & Thailand to minister to many people.  They will visit our missionary partners, Kevin & Jill Kane in Battambang. They will be with our rescued orphan homes with Asia's Hope in Battambang, Cambodia, and Weing Pa Pao, Thailand. Likewise they will visit our emerging G.R.O.W. home in Chiang Mai, Thailand and encourage Faa.  More things are listed but these are the highlights.

Please pray for the team:

• Health & travel safety for team members
• Team will be able to love & encourage the children and orphan home staff.
• Open hearts for teammates to understand and address the needs of poverty in a global economy.

You can follow their travels on their blog: www.woostercar.blogspot.com

In O'hare on the way to Seoul

I am sitting in Korean Air waiting for our plane to depart. I have butterflies. But I direct the nervous energy to prayer for those I leave behind, to those I will meet. I already had the chance to help a Korean lady at check-in. Her bags were too heavy. So I asked if I could help. She allowed me to help. After lifting her heavy bags onto the check-in place, she said in unbroken English, "thank you."  I praise God that we can be His hands, His feet, even His back to help others out.  I will be flying to Seoul for 14 hours.  So I trust you will hear from me when we land in Seoul.  Thanks.

Significant Times ABF serves Native New Life

 

Please pray for the Significant Times ABF from Wooster GBC team in NM (Aug 6-14).  They served the Native New Life Church in Albuquerque, NM the last few days.  The team consists of Dave & Pam Leonard, Tom & Emily Benekos, Linda Kline, Allison Steiner, Ralph Witucki, & Kim Griffin. They blessed Pastor Arnold Betoney. 

 

Dave reports that the grounds were cleaned up for the Fall ministry season as well as renovation of built-in bookshelves to make the center better prepared to receive new people this Fall.  The team conducted the morning services on Sunday.  They were able to befriend a homeless guy, Eddie, and feed him breakfast yesterday. Today Eddie returned to visit.  The team fed him again.  Eddie decided to help out. He worked outside for three hours with our team to clean up the grounds for the church.  The team gave him a gift--a McDonald's gift card along with a kids backpack filled with canned food as he left today.  Our Grace People rock! 

 

Please pray for the team as they transition from the inner city where Native Americans live to the reservation where more Native Americans live--specifically the Navajo people.  Ask God to give them great health, stamina to work steadily, and wisdom to rest and stay hydrated in the high altitude of NW New Mexico; as well as be empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve anyone with the love of Jesus because we are developing everyone into fully-devoted followers of Christ!  They will visit my parents, Tully & Mary Butler, who have ministered among the Navajo for 30 years.  

Summer 2010: On Mission "Live Like Were Dying"

photo from official Kris Allen site
I recently heard Kris Allen sing, "Live Like You Were Dying" on YouTube.  The lyrics in the chorus epitomize what Wooster Grace is all about.  Wooster Grace is committed to developing all people into fully devoted followers of Christ. 

One of our pillar values is Reach Out.  We desire for every person to reach out in love.  To care for others with the love of God.  To serve others in Christ's name and for His glory.

The lyrics preach,

"Yeah, we gotta' start lookin at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got, then we gotta' start thinkin'
If every second counts on a clock that is tickin'
We gotta live like were dying.

We only got 86 400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or throw it all away
We gotta' tell them that we love 'em while we got the chance to say
Gotta' live like were dying."

Love. Jesus said, "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35)." So take every second to love others in the name of Jesus.

Read how my friend Greg Stier challenges youth workers to engage students with this song too.  Greg has a heart for students and for every student to hear the Gospel clearly.  I like Greg's passion for lost students.

Pray for Mandy who goes to El Salvador

Mandy Isaacson leaves for El Salvador (thanks to Flags of the World website for image) for a missions trip over Spring Break with David & Debbie Hawk of the World Gospel Mission in Jacuapa.  From March 27-April 5, the team will serve in many ways, including, but not limited to, conducting a VBS while the children are on "Semana Santa,"or Holy Week, helping with construction projects for the new medical clinic, and sharing drama, puppet, and music presentations at church gatherings as needed. 

Taylor University expects students to experience the world through service.  Their Spring Break Missions Trips dovetail with our mission as a church--develop all people into fully devoted followers of Christ in all the nations of the world, to all the nations of the world.

I find it inspiring that students from our church seek to attend schools where the value of reaching out to others and acting in service for others is practiced.  May the Lord we serve always get the glory for all we do.  

Mandy shared with me the following prayer requests: 

1. "That my heart will be prepared for the trip and I will be sensitive to God's leading 
2. I'm going to a Spanish speaking country and I speak very little Spanish. Please pray that I will be able to connect with the people there despite the language barrier.
3. That I will contribute to my team in some way.

Thank you for your prayers!

-Mandy Isaacson"

Please join me in praying for her and the team.  I would add one more request that I am going to pray for her:

• Ask the Lord to bring her home challenged with greater love for God and greater service for God.  

You can check out a couple of pictures and a few comments on the host missionaries blog.  

The World Cup is not the only thing going on in South Africa

I had the great time getting acquainted with Chris Garrett. He is making his way with his wife, Kristin and son, Samuel to serve God in South Africa reaching the Xhosa people. 

He stopped by Wooster Grace on his way home. I appreciated his visit.

I heard how God pierced his heart for South Africa on two trips to South Africa ('03 & '04).  He wanted clarity so he started praying.  He prayed for the Lord to send teachers to help the people discern true spirituality based on biblical Christianity rather than false religiosity based on quasi-Christian unbiblical beliefs and practices.  God instead called him to go.

Chris was a high school teacher teaching students and leading them on short-term missions trips to locations around the world.  Only recently he changed jobs to accommodate working on partnership development with local churches for getting to South Africa. 

I appreciate his home church--Calvert Grace Brethren Church in Owings, MD.  Pastor Robert Wagner and Pastor Jay McKinley have led their church to impact the world for Christ.  In the past several years, God has asked them to send the Carver's (Chad), the Gornik's (Argentina) and now the Garrett's (South Africa).  I praise God for Calvert. Keep it up!

The Garrettt's need contact with local churches.  You can contact Chris to share with you personally or to share with your church or missions team by sending an email to cgarrett@gbim.org.  You can receive prayer updates as well.  You can also find Chris Garrett on Facebook.  Encourage him by making him your friend. 

Please pray for the Garrett's as they continue partnership development.  Ask God to move them toward full prayer and financial support as soon as possible. Pray for them as they clarify the Lord's direction with recent positive developments. 

C.A.R. team leaves on March 9

Pray for a team leaving for the Central African Republic to help ICDI with water well maintenance and filter equipment installation. The team goes March 9-25.  The team consists of Bruce Imhoff, Tim Harley (team leader), Rick Ratzel, and Jim Fish. Wooster Grace values community development where spiritual and physical needs can be meet.  Not all needs, but the most critical needs.

Ask God for safety, stamina, sense of purpose, and team unity.  May the Lord use their efforts collectively and individually to bring honor to Himself.

Our heroes in SE Asia

As you pray for our team in Cambodia, please focus your prayers on their health--ask God to keep them healthy amid sickness.  Likewise, pray for their stamina--ask the Lord to give them wisdom for how much to push themselves and how often to rest.  In addition, pray for their focus--ask God to provide encouragement to our missionary partners, orphan home staff, and our children. 

When you read the blog, please leave a comment.  They do read your words.  You can encourage them. So please check out the team blog and leave a comment to refresh their hearts. 

SE Asia Team in CAMBODIA

Praise God the team arrived in Cambodia overnight.  The team landed in Phnom Penh at midnight EST.  The next part of the trip is a five hour van ride to Battambang where they will stay in the guest house to visit Grace Place Battambang in the morning. 

Presently the team is 12-hours ahead of us.  If you follow their schedule, you can try to keep up.  Regardless, use the schedule as a prayer tool.  Look ahead on the schedule and ask God to give them rest while they sleep and renew their energy to love our kids at Grace Place Battambang.

I look forward to seeing a few pictures of their time tomorrow with our kids.  To check on what they post, please visit the team blog. 

Photos of Andrew Simms in Burkina Faso--Thanks 2 Stewart Stemple

 

SE Asia Team Departs with Prayer

Check out the team blog for their ambitious itinerary. 

Going to a party in Thailand--itinerary and prayer

Wooster Grace is sending a team of four on a short-term missions trip to Cambodia and Thailand. Pictured from left to right are: Pastor Ivanildo Trindade, Nathan Harley, Jeana Harley, Pastor Bob Doerr. 

I love the fact that we are sending a multi-generational team spanning various roles and seasons of life: a high school freshman, a mom, pastors who are fathers.  Each will have a unique perspective. God will speak to each one differently.  I can't wait to see and to hear how this trip unfolds. 

The highlights of the itinerary include, but are not limited to:

• Meet up with Faa Choemue
• Visit with our kids at Grace Place Battambang
• Visit with Kevin & Jill Kane in Battambang
• Introduction to micro-enterprise projects in Cambodia
  
• Tour Toul Sleng Museum, Dump People, a State-run orphanage
• Visit other Asia's Hope orphanages in Cambodia
• Visit with G.R.O.W. children in Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Tour ministries targeting rescue of street children from slave trade, sex trade, & AIDS.
• Celebrate dedication of Grace Place Thailand
  

Please pray for the following requests:

• Team flight schedule--make connections without duress or profound stress
  
• Team safety in danger and unity of purpose
• Humility to serve from a grateful heart every person they encounter
• Celebrate with joy the dedication of Grace Place Thailand
• Sustain stamina and great health throughout the trip
• Serve with a sense of priority

You can follow the team by visiting the short term missions blog at www.woostercar.blogspot.com.