THE EPICENTER

 

ON MISSION
thoughts from
Henry Blackaby

No one individual has the total vision for God's will for a
local church.

_______

A church needs to hear the whole counsel of God through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church.

_______

Sharing what
God is doing
in my life
may help someone else encounter God
in a meaningful way.

_______

A church comes to know the will of God when the whole body comes to understand what Christ--the Head--is telling them.

_______

Every believer has direct access to God.



The Spirit of God is always present to equip me to carry out a divine assignment.

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A spiritual gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit at work in and through a person's life for the common good of the body of Christ.

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The Spirit decides who to give assignments to, and enables spiritual leaders and members to accomplish His work.

_____

God puts spiritual leaders and members in the body where He wants them
 to be.

_____

The body is not complete without all the spiritual leaders and members God has given
the body.

_____

Members of the body should have equal concern for
each other.

_____



Spiritual leaders and members of the body have different assignments from God for the good of the whole body.

______

Jesus is Head of the body.

______

God is very concerned about the body maintaining unity.

______

God-like love ought to prevail in the body.

______

God decides where I ought to function in
the body.

______

I understand the will of God for my church when I listen to the whole body express what they are experiencing in the life of
that body.

______

Jesus is Head of the body.

______

God is very concerned about the body maintaining unity.

______

God-like love ought to prevail in the body.

______

God decides where I ought to function in
the body.

______

I understand the will of God for my church when I listen to the whole body express what they are experiencing in the life of
that body.

______

Each member is precious to God.

_____

Right relationships with God are far more important than buildings, budgets, programs, methods, church personnel, size, or anything else.

______

God doesn't add members to
the body accidentally.

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God builds the body to match the assignment.

______

God builds the body, gives it an assignment, and equips the body to carry out the assignment.

______

I will pay close attention to the people God adds to my church.

 

 
 

From Galt to
...the Ends of the Earth

We have had visitors from (at least) 84 nations:
 

Anguilla  Argentine Republic
 Ascension Island    Australia  Austria

 Bahamas   Belgium  Brazil  Burkina Faso

Canada  Cayman Islands  Chile China
 Cocos Islands Colombia (Republic of)
  Cyprus (Republic of)    Czech Republic

Denmark   Dominican Republic

Estonia   Finland  France
Germany  Ghana  Greece  Guatemala
Guinea (Republic of)

 Hong Kong  Hungary

India (Republic of)
Indonesia (Republic of)  Iceland  Ireland
Israel  Italy  Jamaica  Japan

 Latvia (Republic of)  Lebanon  Lesotho
Liberia  Lithuania  Luxembourg

Malaysia   Malta  Mauritius (Republic of)
Mexico   Mozambique (Republic of)

Netherlands   New Zealand   Niue    Norway

 Peru  Philippines (Republic of)

 Poland  Portugal  Romania
 Russian Federation    Rwandese Republic

 Samoa   Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of)    Singapore
  Slovak Republic   Slovenia    South Africa   Spain
Sweden   Switzerland (Confederation of)

Taiwan, Province of China  Tanzania
Thailand  Togolese Republic
 Trinidad & Tobago  Turkey
Ukraine   United Arab Emirates  United Kingdom
United States  Uruguay    Yugoslavia  Zimbabwe

We are pleased to know that somebody from each one of these nations has visited our website. We don't know how or why...but it's an UNSEEN reality. May God's Will be done.

From the Sanyu Babies Home
 
April 8, 2005 (Received and posted May 10, 2005)

Editor's note: This letter was received via "snail-mail," which explains the delay in posting.  It was written with a typewriter and transcribed by Robin Kwizera.

 

I am writing first of all to apologize to have taken long without writing however reference to our conversation on telephone last week.  I am glad to see that I am writing to the Church to thank them for their continued support to the Home of financial support towards the Nurses; this has enabled the Home to engage 2 nurses which has changed the lives of the children in the Home.  Many of our children come when they are in a very bad state of health they really need intensive care for example like the photograph attached was found abandoned in one densely populated slum near Sanyu Babies Home.

 

Even if they are admitted like this God always gives them life through your support.  Last October we admitted the baby immediately after birth was dropped in a pit latrine was rescued and brought to us where we rushed him to the hospital and was put straight away on Oxygen; after a month the baby was well and foster by a Senior Nurse in the hospital.  So these are the children you are giving hope through your help.  The number now in the Homes 35 amongst them there is one set of twins brought from Eastern part of the country from the District of Kumi so you can see we cater for all in the Country.

 

That is why I once again thank you very much for your yet another donation of  $1500 US Dollars- through Maam Robin Kwizera and Charles.

 

The following is the Address for the Children's Bank ...(deleted for the sake of confidentiality).  Thanking you very much once again.

 

Yours Sincerely,
 
Joyce Lulindya
Administrator

Mission to Macedonia
On Sunday, March 27, 2005, at the Epicenter, we  commissioned our own mission team to join others from the
Delta Valley Association on an evangelistic mission trip to Skopje, Macedonia with International Commission

DonL@IC-World.org


 

Post Mission Trip Comments

Macedonia Evangelism Project was a great success. You would have
been especially proud of Miss Parlee. She did an outstanding job. On the
final Sunday we were there she shared her story in the morning worship.
She shared for the first time (so she told me later) with any group that
she had had four strokes and her doctor told her that international
travel would be out of the question. But she said "God is" and here I
am. That was her theme: "God is."

Overall 325 decisions for Jesus Christ were recorded. That is an
average of 25 decisions per church. The normal for them is 1 or 2 per
year.

Jerry Yates

Director of Missions for the Delta Valley Association

 

 

For more information about mission trips, write click here & write to pastorob

We received this nice letter from a couple in the Ukraine.
They would like to correspond with others.
Our own Journalist, Joe, wrote Lora and the two have corresponded regularly.

Greetings:

We are Christian family 35 and 41 year old. We have desire to have a fellowship with Christians from other countries. Our country has independence 13 years and after that we had an opportunity to hear about Jesus and life of Christians in other countries. We shall be glad if you can write us.

I was a journalist. Also I am the head of the charitable organization. My wife teacher. She helps in work of organization. We have one daughter. She is 20 year old. She studies at the university and will be the lawyer. We live in Kiev, capital of Ukraine.

Kiev city. It is a capital of Ukraine. Kiev was based 1500 ago. Here is a lot of constructions, is especial temples and the monasteries which were constructed about 800 and more years ago. It is very beautiful city where also many tourists from different parts of the world. Here there are a lot of hotels, theatres.

I shall be glad to any friendly letter.

God bless you.

Valeriy and Lora     lora_mail@yahoo.com

                                               Our 2005 Church Goal for this offering was:

                  $3,300

We've exceeded our Church Goal!



We've Raised: $3,567.12


Ed and Nancy Giddens are two among thousands of International Missionaries we support through the
Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Nancy is the daughter of members: Cliff and Margie Hoff

 CLICK HERE to read their letters to us.

Click here to send Nancy and Ed a greeting.

 Our Mission ...
"From Galt to the
Ends of the Earth"

At FBC Galt we take seriously the Lord's command to:
"Go into all the world and preach the good news..." (Mark 16:15)

We have participated in a number of short-term missionary trips (including four different countries in Africa), as well as ministries in North America.

             * * *
 On December 11th, Pastor Rob Patterson sang our Lottie Moon Theme Song in both of our morning services. Four little girls came up to him after the second service--singing the chorus. Later, he heard children yelling from the play area at Carl's Jr.

"Hey, Pastor Rob!!!  
 I wanna be your hands...
I wanna be your feet..."

We have printed the lyrics next to the video box,
so that you can sing along too!   
     click here 
 
   **************
update:
      November 11, 2005
         news from:
Nancy and Ed
in Tanzania

click here
Ed and Nancy are coming to the Epicenter in December

             * * *
Rick Warren's little church has
adopted Rwanda.
Would you take time to look at what they're doing,
then help us with our assignment to reach out to Liberia?
 
   Saddleback's
          P.E.A.C.E. Plan

             * * *

Liberia
Please visit this link to our special Liberia page to see our ongoing ministry to this country, especially to the Sinkor province of Monrovia.

We have a special link with Pastor Richard Wesley and the Greater Love Bible Baptist Church and it's medical clinic and orphanage.

____________

Estonia
Beginning in 2000, when our church sent eleven people to Estonia as part of Estonia 2000, a short term mission trip that blanketed the nation with the good news.

Since that first trip, we have revisited Estonia and sponsored several Estonians to visit the epicenter in Galt.

Please visit our Estonia page for more details.

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Kenya

In 2001, two members of our church went to Kenya with
International Commission.
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Uganda

First Baptist Church Galt actively supports the
Sanyu Babies Home. 

As of September 2004 there were 41 children, ranging from 1 month to
3-1/2 years old. 

40 of the 41 children are abandoned without any family or relatives according to Joyce Lulindya, the home's Administrator.

"The babies are abandoned in trash heaps, hospitals, car/taxi parks, bushes and on the grounds of the babies home," according to Lulindya.

Donations, primarily from FBC's "Retired" Sunday School class have provided salaries for two nurses over the past year.

We will be posting some pictures of the Sanyu Babies Home and some of the children in the near future.  In the meantime if you would like to contribute to this very worthwhile cause, you can send a donation of any amount to:

"Sanyu Babies Home"
C/O First Baptist Church of Galt
653 "A" Street
Galt, CA 95632

__________

South Africa


Parlee Halfin first traveled from pastorob to Cape Town, South Africa with International Commission.

          __________

Lesotho
(Southern Africa)
In February 2005,
Pastor Rob Patterson will travel (with several other pastors from Galt) to Lesotho for a Pastors' Vision Trip. In cooperation with World Vision, this trip is for the purpose of exploring a city-wide project to assist victims of AIDS in that part of our world. CLICK HERE for more information.

         __________

Mexico


We participate in an annual
"Love in a Shoebox" ministry to Triqui Indian children in Baja Mexico.  You can read about this year's program on the pastorob home page.

__________

 Tanzania


 Ed and Nancy Giddens are two among thousands of International Missionaries we support through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Nancy is the daughter of members:
  Cliff and Margie Hoff

Click here to send Nancy and Ed a greeting. They plan to come from Tanzania to Galt for an official visit to the Epicenter someday soon!
         
          __________
Moscow, Russia


 Mary Chase is an ambassador of Christ in Moscow. She has visited the Epicenter on two occasions. We support her ministry through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

         __________
 

Macedonia

On March 27, 2005, at the Epicenter, we will commission our own mission team to join others from the Delta Valley Association on an evangelistic mission trip to Skopje, Macedonia. Currently planning to go to Macedonia is:

Parlee Halfin

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Kalamazoo, MI
Pastor Rob & Cathy served at Alpha & Omega before moving to California. 

We encourage you to support this halfway-house ministry which seeks to heal hurting people and bring the message of Jesus to inner-city children.

A great place to travel in the United States for a mission trip.

Click below for directions:

 Alpha & Omega Ministries
821 Rose Ct
Kalamazoo, MI 49001
(269) 345-5100

Pastor Al and Shirley Dines would welcome your support and encouragement.

CLICK HERE to email them

__________

Our 2005 Church Goal for this offering was
$3,300

We've exceeded our goal and Raised
$3,567.12