Safe Arrivals

For those who are wondering, Amy Mich made it safely to Paris and Beth Larsen has safely arrived in Brno.

Amy has already updated her blog. Beth will update her blog soon.

The Flood Is Coming

I vividly remember June 10, 2008. It was the day before I left for the Czech Business Camp. At our staff meeting, Kim shared with us a private meeting he had attended where they were predicting the Cedar River would crest above flood level and flood our city. They talked about the urgent need to help those in the 100 year flood plain.

At that time, the prediction was a crest of maybe 24 feet, not the over 30 feet we actually experienced. We could not have imagined the devastation and loss of property that would occur. But we did believe a flood would happen. A number of Serve the City churches including New Covenant mobilized volunteers to help those in danger. They originally went to help people move belongings to a higher level, and later mobilized to get word out about the need to evacuate.

I know that we did not act alone, and I don’t write this to brag or give credit to ourselves. My point is simply this: We were told something would be true, we believed, and we took action on that information.

The Bible clearly teaches that those who do not put their trust in Christ will not have eternal life (John 3:18). It clearly says that people cannot believe unless someone goes and shares the good news with them (Romans 10:14-15). Jesus specifically told us to pray for workers who would go to those who need to hear (Matthew 9:37-38). So why is so little being done to reach and make disciples of every people group (Matthew 28:19-20)?

Perhaps you do not believe the flood is really coming. Yes, you might agree in theory, but you haven’t really driven down by the river and seen how high it has risen. It doesn’t seem real or urgent to you. I challenge you to take the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement class here at New Covenant next January and learn more about the state of the world around us.

Perhaps you don’t know where to start. Consider praying regularly for Myanmar (formerly know as Burma), or join us Monday night, September 15, at 6:45 PM in Room 135 to pray for the Muslim world.

The flood is coming. What are you going to do about it?

(Picture courtesy of Austin Spooner.)

30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus

From the intro to this year's prayer guide:

The 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus coincides yearly with Ramadan (a holy month of fasting in Islam). This prayer movement calls upon Christians to make a concerted but respectful effort during this time to learn about, pray for and reach out to Muslim neighbors--across the street and around the world.

It is not our intention with this prayer focus to disparage Islam or Muslim sentiments in any way. We recognize that humans and the Muslim world are far too complex to simply or easily condense or explain with a mere booklet. At the same time, as Christians, we long for all the world's people to have an opportunity to understand the grace of God incarnated in Jesus Christ. To this end we inform ourselves, pray for, and support respectful opportunities to make that grace also know among Muslims.

To particpate in this prayer focus, go online to www.30daysfire.net. It will provide stories, information, and daily prayer requests during the month of Ramadan.

Franglais

Amy Mich, another new Kingdom Partner, will be departing next week for France to serve with Young Life. You can read her blog to get updates.

Moravian Living

One of our new Kingdom Partners, Beth Larsen, left Wednesday for the Czech Republic. Pray for her transition into her new ministry with Greater Europe Mission in Brno.

For updates on Beth, be sure to visit her blog.

Missionary Care Conference

Imagine that it was your job to support, encourage, and nourish a missionary family who lived halfway around the world. What would you do? Where would you start? What is the best way to offer quality, meaningful care from a distance?

New Covenant currently supports 22 Kingdom Partners – missionaries serving in countries all over the world. One of our core values is to support and care for our missionary families. To accomplish this goal will take more than just the Missions Committee. We need your help to care for our missionaries.

On Saturday, September 20, we will host a Missionary Care Conference. It will go from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM and be led by Dave Shepherd of Ministry Essentials International. Founded in 1996, Ministry Essentials exists to spiritually nourish Christian leaders by drawing them into a deeper experience of Christ. Here is how Dave describes his seminar:

“What is missions really about? When we send someone to the ‘mission field’ what are we hoping to accomplish? And while we each may have differing opinions and conclusions from scripture to answer the previous questions, there are a few more things we’ve not considered. In this seminar we hope to raise an awareness of mission realities beyond what you may already know. We also hope to better understand what we are really after when sending missionaries overseas. And finally, we will discuss some practical ways to encourage, nourish and support those we send.”

Session topics will include:

• Missionary Attrition Issues missionaries face (in what areas do they struggle?)
• Lines of responsibility
• What we are really after in missions
• What is already available
• Practical ways to help

Anyone with an interest in learning how to better care for a missionary is welcome to join us. To register, contact Jen Olsen at 319-395-0021 or send me an email.