Posted on June 15, 2009 at 1:26pm.
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Anna Dalton lives in Hong Kong where she works with ministries that Church at Charlotte supports. She recently shared an experience that showed her the power of the Gospel.
It was hard to believe the hilly landscape we encountered when we stepped off the bus was less than an hour away from a city that was home to several million people. Grandma Mudslide (a name I gave to the woman) warmly welcomed us into her little home where the floors were made of dirt and the remnants of the day’s laundry still hanging to dry. One bed was piled with blankets and buckets of pickled leftovers stood next to her kitchen. We tried to imagine the daily life she lived with her adult daughter and the young boy she adopted.
Translated first from her dialect to Mandarin Chinese and then to English, she told us her story. Grandma Mudslide always lived in the same area, struggling to make a living since she doesn’t own land. Several years ago rural church planters shared the Gospel with her as they passed through her village. She spoke of her unwillingness to believe.
Then she told us how her son-in-law was stabbed in the side by a drunken man, leaving him with a wound that never healed correctly and caused him constant pain. The church planters heard her story, had compassion and raised money for hospital care. Soon after, her son-in-law was completely healed. Grandma Mudslide told us she knew it was the work of God and because of that, she put her faith in Christ.
Most of the families in her “neighborhood” are Muslim and no longer accept her because of her decision to believe. She is isolated. She cannot read. She doesn’t even own a Bible. Still, flapping her arms up and down with every word, she joyfully explained, “I can’t read, but give my praise to God in everything I do. When I wash, I give it to God! When I sweep these dirt floors, I give it to God! When I take care of this boy, I give it to God!”
In Mark 10:14, Jesus calls the children to him and remarks that the Kingdom belongs to those who are ready to receive it. As we left the village, I found myself trying to understand Grandma Mudslide’s simple faith. She was the only person we were able to visit that afternoon and it could have been easy to feel disappointed that we spent a morning bouncing around in a bus to see just one woman. But God showed me the bigger picture. I left the village with mud on my shoes and a deeper understanding of the breadth of the Gospel and God’s power as He creatively fulfills the Great Commission.
Posted on June 2, 2009 at 10:01am.
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Partnering Ministry: Lois’ Lodge
Lois’ Lodge provides Christ-centered support services for young women and families facing an unexpected pregnancy. The Lois’ Lodge Maternity Home provides young women a safe place to live and the Mom Shoppe Learning Center offers support services to women throughout the community - including Bible study, first aid and CPR classes, childbirth and parenting classes, vocational training and more. For more information on how you can get involved, contact Tamea Bock - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Supported Missionaries
Geoff and Connie Griffith
Geoff and Connie met in high school and were married in December 1969. After a time in the Army, Geoff returned to school to pursue missions at Western Baptist Seminary. The Griffiths joined the Africa Evangelical Fellowship, which later merged with Serving in Mission (SIM). Currently, they serve with SIM as trainers for national church leaders, traveling throughout the year and teaching at the SIM Korea Training Institute, at Union Bible Institute in South Africa and at Columbia International University. Please keep Geoff and Connie as well as their family - two daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren - in your prayers.
Zach and Amy Fulginiti
Zach and Amy were recently married on May 2, 2009 and they are on staff with Campus Outreach, where their primary ministry involved serving their staff team administratively. Zach is the region’s financial manager and the Missions Agency Director for South Africa, acting as a liason for the U.S. staff. Amy volunteers in the Campus Outreach office, meeting many of the organization’s administrative needs. Please pray that college students would come to know Jesus; that students they invested in would invest in other students; and that they would be able to adjust to ministry as a married couple.
Focus Countries: Costa Rica and Cuba
Church at Charlotte recently adopted Costa Rica and Cuba as our third and fourth countries of focus where we have both compassion and church planting initiatives, totaling $100,000.
You can find a complete list of Church at Charlotte’s Partnering Ministries, Supported Missionaries and Focus Countries on the ServeGlobal page.
Posted on May 26, 2009 at 1:37pm.
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You may have picked the perfect Christmas tree off of one of their piles in December and proudly hauled it home. Maybe you offered or purchased an item or a service at their auction. Perhaps you sat down to a steaming plate of lasagna on a Wednesday night or played a round of golf during their tournament in May. Or maybe you covered their fundraising efforts in prayers.
Whatever role you played, 80 senior and junior high school students - the largest group of students that’s ever participated in summer mission trips - are grateful for your support. And they are pleased to announce they’ve raised over $137,000 to cover the costs of their trips to Ethiopia, Costa Rica and West Virginia.
In Ethiopia students will work with Sports Friends and use sports and other activities as a platform to develop relationships and share the Gospel in Addis and at Camp Langano. In Costa Rica students will use art and sports to evangelize in schools in addition to serving a local church by painting and performing general maintenance tasks. And in West Virginia, students will work with Reach Workcamps to impact low-income communities in Hurricane, WV.
Thanks, Church at Charlotte, for your support in helping our students reach their summer fundraising goals!
Posted on May 5, 2009 at 2:16pm.
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Make your time count! Volunteer with Jackson Park Ministries (JPM) and help transform lives.
Impact a Child (July 13 - July 17)
Reach children through games, music, teaching and other fun. Youth and adult volunteers are needed for one or more days during JPM’s annual Vacation Bible School
Spruce Up a Home (Saturday, May 30 - 9 a.m. - Noon)
Repair, paint, clearn or landscape to help spruce up JPM’s transitional housing. No skills required. Come one; come all!
Give Free Time (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 - 7:30 p.m.)
Provide childcare on a Tuesday or Thursday evening and give parents a chance to attend JPM events.
Provide for Needs (Right Now!)
Donate nonperishable food items as well as clothing (infant through youth sizes are especially needed) and help stock JPM’s food pantry and clothing closet. Collection bins will be located throughout CAC’s campus until Sunday, May 17.
Support JPM’s Team (Anytime)
Coordinate publicity or help with administrative work from our office or the comfort of your own home.
For more information about these and other volunteer opportunities contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Posted on May 1, 2009 at 9:24am.
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The ServeGlobal featured ministries for the month of May are:
Partnering Ministry: Jackson Park Ministries
Jackson Park Ministries serves families in the Charlotte area by offering Christian counseling, youth programs, food, clothing and temporary housing. If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved, contact Gerry Anderson at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Supported Missionaries:
Kirk and Cindy Flanegan joined Wycliffe Bible Translators in 1995 and served in Papua New Guinea for several years. They currently serve at the JAARS center in Waxhaw.
Ron and Mae Frazee served with Serving in Mission in Liberia, West Africa for 16 years and returned to the United States in 1976. They are retired and live at the SIM Retirement Village in Sebring, Florida.
Focus Country: China
Church at Charlotte has a number of initiatives in China, totaling $417,000 over 3 years. Among these are compassion initiatives, including a senior center that houses retired pastors and providing relief to the victims of the earthquake.
