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HAPPENINGS IN OUR DISTRICT
MISSION OPPORTUNITIES in 2012
1)Our women’s director, Deb Weitala, will be sponsoring a trip to Dominican Republic in February, 2012. This is for females from high school age through older adults.
2) Young people will be going to Belize in June of 2012 and your youth can be a part of this exciting trip.
3)We are planning two teams that will be open to anyone from all churches across our district:
a. Team to Odessa Seminary to do specific ministries.
b. Team to Aftercare Center for released prisoners that will help do spiritual, vocational and relational training.
Varied skills are needed, such as: carpentry, construction, landscaping, farming, accounting, discipleship, mentoring, library skills, painting, electrical & technological wiring, organization, etc. Can YOU help?
Grace Baptist Church
St. Paul, Nebraska
Happenings in Our Church
A near perfect summer evening this month found eighty folks, half from Grace Baptist Church and half from the St. Paul, Nebraska community, inspired and challenged by an outdoor showing of the movie “Soul Surfer”.
Plans began months earlier when a small group met to pray about hosting an outreach event for friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members. A movie with a Christian message was chosen as the avenue, and Soul Surfer was chosen because of its appeal to young people.
The planning committee suggested showing it in the city park, thinking some people would be more likely to attend if it was held in a public place rather than the church.
Folks handed out invitations, posters went up around town, and the event was publicized at the Howard County Fair. And the church prayed for the Holy Spirit to work through the event to draw people to Himself.
Friday evening, August 5 saw a break in the unusually high temperatures and people began to gather in the park, bringing their lawn chairs and blankets. Soon they were munching popcorn and thoroughly caught up in the remarkable story of a young surfer’s courage and determination to overcome the personal tragedy of a lost limb through a shark attack.
Part of the storyline centers on the part this teen’s church, youth group, and other Christians played in her victory. Grace Baptist Church seeks to be that kind of church in St. Paul – intentionally building relationships and offering support to people who have yet to come to know Jesus Christ personally. A movie outreach was another invitation to the community to get to know the God who brings hope out of despair. The church continues to pray for God to bring the message of the movie back to people’s minds and “to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope”. (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)
1 million meals
On May 7 about 1200 volunteers in Mitchell, S.D., gathered at the Corn Palace to pack 340,000 meals in eight hours. The third annual food pack, coordinated by Deb Weitala of Northridge Baptist Church, should lift Mitchell over the 1 million-meal mark. Each meal includes six vegetables for taste, soy beans for protein, rice for filler, chicken fat and salt for hydration and 21 vitamins and minerals. Total cost to pack and ship a truckload of meals: $85,000. Learn more at www.impactlives.org. You can help fund this ministry by donating online on our website: www.convergeheartland.org
Many Changes at "The Table" in Kearney, NE
First of all, thanks to all of you individuals and churches who helped us meet some needs as we transitioned to our new rental location. God used all of you to provide EVERYTHING that we have needed thus far. It was amazing to see how God worked!
Our new location has provided the perfect place for us to call home and invite others to. The kids' space was needed, and God is already filling it up. Just this last week we had 23 kids learning about Jesus during our gathering!
Since my last update we have Baptized 3 new believers! The two men that were baptized were recent converts who were athiest just weeks ago. Thanks for all you do to help us grow God's Kingdom. Tyler Wilterding (pastor)
Here's an update from 2 Pillars in Lincoln, NE:
God continues to plant his church here in downtown Lincoln. People's lives are being transformed by the gospel and we are seeing people confess sin, repent of their sin and trust in Jesus. In January we were blessed to be a part of six young men being baptized.
Since last September he has grown us from a small core of 27 adults to a worshiping body on Sunday mornings encompassing 90+ adults and over 30 kids. Our Launch Team has grown from that original 27 to 42 committed adults and we are praying that God will use our current Vision Series to connect more people to his work here as we pray that many will lay roots with us.
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Our Gospel Communities are growing fast. We currently have over 55 adults involved across four groups. We'll be starting two new groups in the next two to three months and are at work developing a plan to raise up more leaders.
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We continue to reach into the UNL campus and our college-age segment is growing rapidly. This presents some unique financial challenges as a young church plant and we continue to trust in God's providence in all of this.
Please join with me in praising Jesus for the work that he continues to do in us and through us by the power of His Spirit.
Todd Bumgarner (pastor)
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]I just wanted to give you an update on things that are going on here in Wahoo, Nebraska. Our church hasn't seen a baptism for at least five years and a few weeks ago we had the privilege of baptizing three people during a service.
Also, the church had not seen new membership since 2007, and at our last business meeting we voted in six new members! Tonight the elders will be meeting with another family to discuss membership and we have scheduled a meeting with another family in the near future. Please know, however, that this is only transfer or experience-based growth. But, still the same, the Lord is moving. I can also see the Lord tugging at some others. Praying for the Spirit's radical empowering.
This isn't something that I would normally broadcast, but I feel like the Lord is doing some crazy good things here. Please be in prayer for this church. I have a burden that the Lord has big plans for this place and this town.
Blessings, Mike Rue, Pastor of Calvary Church, Wahoo, NE
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