January 19, 2007
Thank you for your prayers, support and especially for those who began the year in fasting and prayer. God is faithfully answering our prayers and showing us His glory in so many ways!
The prophetic word from the 10-day fast was this: We are to BE the church in Acts! That means fellowshipping with the lost, outside traditional church walls, as we see in Acts 2:46-47:
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
A woman at Meredith College has written a missionary about a college class that would do advocacy work with the homeless. The missionary was just talking with her son about how an ideal college class would combine lecture with hands-on work!
The monthly outreach to homeless camps has also been magnified by God. When missionaries went to bring batteries to the camps, a News & Observer reporter and photographer went along. Their story appeared in the N&O on Sunday, Jan. 14th. You can read it online at the following link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/532405.html
As a result of the story, a man who went to school with one of the homeless lambs has asked to contribute and wants to contact her. Another man has offered to donate at least 20 tickets for an all-day pancake supper at a downtown church. A Christian radio station is holding a blanket drive to provide warmth for the Moore Square outreach. Another woman called with more blankets to donate. And one of the missionaries from the battery drive is now picking up and delivering food every week.
One amazing story came from a woman in Apex. She said a stranger approached her at a grocery story and told her: “God wants you to start serving Him.” She saw the N&O story the next day and felt called to serve the homeless lambs. She was also looking for a new home church and now wants to attend the church that hosted the battery drive. And she has expressed an interested in prayer walking areas near her home. Praise God!
Someone who noticed homeless lambs on Six Forks Road has contacted CITW about finding ways to serve them. And a Baptist church has also responded to the newspaper article, asking for ways to serve.
A local realtor/developer has expressed an interest in buying and remodeling an efficiency complex that could be used as transitional housing for the homeless. He is meeting with a sister, Western Wake homeless ministry Tuesday. Please keep this meeting in prayer.
A county meeting of YMCA Indian Guides and Indian Princesses asked missionaries for Church in the Woods and the Brown Bag Ministry to set up a table and answer questions about serving.
An area couple asked for some part-time help painting and received many more requests for work than they were prepared to handle. Please pray for more job opportunities!
Another couple helped a lamb get a new tent and provided transportation to NA/AA meetings.
Missionaries were praising the Lord for so choosing to be substance free during the prayer circle. A lamb was asked about prayer to stop drinking. His response was “not until the day I die.” He returned to the study asking for prayer for his “vacation”. He doesn’t have the needed documentation to have his ‘begging without a permit’ charges dropped, spending 3-4 days in jail. The missionary smiled and hugged him telling, his new day could begin today. He will be alcohol free for 3-4 days. Please keep this lamb in your prayers.
There are many more prayer requests:
A lamb who had been working fulltime and staying at an Oxford House disappeared for a couple of days. Friends helped keep him from losing his job, but he needs a place to stay. Inexpensive housing is also needed for two women and three other men who are trying to get back on their feet.
Please pray for a lamb who was hospitalized for stomach and heart issues. He has been released but needs to watch his cholesterol and blood pressure, which means cutting back on cigarettes.
Another lamb needs prayer after being taken to the hospital for an abscess.
We also need prayer for lambs who face police harassment, especially as they try to turn their lives around. It is so discouraging to live under the expectation that you are going to break the law or cause problems.
Upcoming events:
The next medical mission for Church in the Woods will be Thursday the 25th.
On Feb. 10th, missionaries will be taking camping items – tents, propane stoves, propane, tarps, flashlights and lanterns – into the camps. For more information, contact Stephanie Narron at 274-8120 or snarron@worshipfacilities.com.
On Feb. 12th, there will be a training workshop on support circles as part of the Wake County 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The workshop will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Triangle Family Services, 401 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC. For more information contact Roberta at roberta.macauley@raldioc.org. Please respond by Friday, February 9, 2007.
The prophetic word from the 10-day fast was this: We are to BE the church in Acts! That means fellowshipping with the lost, outside traditional church walls, as we see in Acts 2:46-47:
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
A woman at Meredith College has written a missionary about a college class that would do advocacy work with the homeless. The missionary was just talking with her son about how an ideal college class would combine lecture with hands-on work!
The monthly outreach to homeless camps has also been magnified by God. When missionaries went to bring batteries to the camps, a News & Observer reporter and photographer went along. Their story appeared in the N&O on Sunday, Jan. 14th. You can read it online at the following link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/532405.html
As a result of the story, a man who went to school with one of the homeless lambs has asked to contribute and wants to contact her. Another man has offered to donate at least 20 tickets for an all-day pancake supper at a downtown church. A Christian radio station is holding a blanket drive to provide warmth for the Moore Square outreach. Another woman called with more blankets to donate. And one of the missionaries from the battery drive is now picking up and delivering food every week.
One amazing story came from a woman in Apex. She said a stranger approached her at a grocery story and told her: “God wants you to start serving Him.” She saw the N&O story the next day and felt called to serve the homeless lambs. She was also looking for a new home church and now wants to attend the church that hosted the battery drive. And she has expressed an interested in prayer walking areas near her home. Praise God!
Someone who noticed homeless lambs on Six Forks Road has contacted CITW about finding ways to serve them. And a Baptist church has also responded to the newspaper article, asking for ways to serve.
A local realtor/developer has expressed an interest in buying and remodeling an efficiency complex that could be used as transitional housing for the homeless. He is meeting with a sister, Western Wake homeless ministry Tuesday. Please keep this meeting in prayer.
A county meeting of YMCA Indian Guides and Indian Princesses asked missionaries for Church in the Woods and the Brown Bag Ministry to set up a table and answer questions about serving.
An area couple asked for some part-time help painting and received many more requests for work than they were prepared to handle. Please pray for more job opportunities!
Another couple helped a lamb get a new tent and provided transportation to NA/AA meetings.
Missionaries were praising the Lord for so choosing to be substance free during the prayer circle. A lamb was asked about prayer to stop drinking. His response was “not until the day I die.” He returned to the study asking for prayer for his “vacation”. He doesn’t have the needed documentation to have his ‘begging without a permit’ charges dropped, spending 3-4 days in jail. The missionary smiled and hugged him telling, his new day could begin today. He will be alcohol free for 3-4 days. Please keep this lamb in your prayers.
There are many more prayer requests:
A lamb who had been working fulltime and staying at an Oxford House disappeared for a couple of days. Friends helped keep him from losing his job, but he needs a place to stay. Inexpensive housing is also needed for two women and three other men who are trying to get back on their feet.
Please pray for a lamb who was hospitalized for stomach and heart issues. He has been released but needs to watch his cholesterol and blood pressure, which means cutting back on cigarettes.
Another lamb needs prayer after being taken to the hospital for an abscess.
We also need prayer for lambs who face police harassment, especially as they try to turn their lives around. It is so discouraging to live under the expectation that you are going to break the law or cause problems.
Upcoming events:
The next medical mission for Church in the Woods will be Thursday the 25th.
On Feb. 10th, missionaries will be taking camping items – tents, propane stoves, propane, tarps, flashlights and lanterns – into the camps. For more information, contact Stephanie Narron at 274-8120 or snarron@worshipfacilities.com.
On Feb. 12th, there will be a training workshop on support circles as part of the Wake County 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The workshop will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Triangle Family Services, 401 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC. For more information contact Roberta at roberta.macauley@raldioc.org. Please respond by Friday, February 9, 2007.
posted by Cindy at 12:29 PM
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