Beirut Mission Team: Mid-week Report

Sunday, May 2

After arriving at the airport we immediately discovered that our flight was significantly delayed.  This would cause us to miss our connecting flight in Philadelphia.  So the airline re-arranged our flight plans, sending us through Philly and London instead of Philly and Frankfurt, Germany.  Doesn't sound too bad, except it added around 6 or 7 hours to our total flight time.  Other than those changes in our plans it was uneventful flying all night.  We were excited to be off on our ministry adventure!

Monday, May 3

After a 5 hour layover in London we headed off to Beirut!  We arrived in Beirut around 11:00 pm Monday evening.  Flying across the Atlantic Ocean has an element of fun and excitement, but is also really tiring!  Fortunately our flights were smooth sailing as we tried to get some sleep and adjust to the massive time change were were about to experience.  We lost 7 hours on our flight to Beirut.  So when it's noon in Indiana, it's 7:00 pm in Beirut.  We were met at the airport by Chadi Melki, the Director of Cedar Home.  We got settled in and got a few hours sleep, already anticipating our first day of ministry!

Tuesday, May 4

We met Camille Melki, the Director of Heart for Lebanon at 8:00 am Tuesday morning.  H4L's offices are in the Meditteranean Bible College building, right next door to Cedar Home.  Camille and his staff took us into downtown Beirut where we distributed food to Iraqi refugee families.  These families fled Iraq due to the war and persecution going on there to this very day.  We were treated to lunch at a local restaurant by some friends of the H4L ministry:  Brother Frank & Brother Stephen!  It was a great time of fellowship with these two pastors and leaders from churches in Canada!  In the afternoon we went in teams of 4 or 5 to visit some of these families in their temporary homes.  It would not be possible to articulate the array of emotions you feel as you hear the stories of each family.  There is a bit of everything... sadness... grief... relief... joy... anger... desperation.  I encourage anyone reading this to ask one of our team to tell you a couple of the stories they heard.  In addition to the Iraqi families, it was so inspiring to see the Holy Spirit power through the H4L staff!  We are deeply grateful that God has placed these dedicated and Spirit-led people in Lebanon to minister to these desperate needs!  Camille and your staff...THANK YOU for the great work you are doing on behalf of God's Kingdom!

After returning to Cedar Home for the evening we finally got to meet the 21 girls who call Cedar Home... well... home!  Chadi & Joyce Melki are truly God's hands and feet for these girls who have all come from very difficult and sometimes tragic backgrounds!  Rhiannon McKinley led devotions and small group discussions before supper.  We chose a three part theme for the week on the topic of "Purity".  Rhiannon's topic was purity in your actions.  She did a great job!  We then ate supper with the girls and then quickly settled in for our first "real" nights sleep in almost two days!  We were ready for it!

Wednesday, May 5

Our day was identical in schedule to Tuesday:  Iraqi food distribution in the morning / Visiting Iraqi homes in the afternoon.  More powerful moments of ministry with the wonderful Iraqi people and the inspiring H4L staff!  We were blessed by our time with all of them!

After arriving at Cedar Home the evening devotion, this time on the topic of "Spiritual Purity" was led by Marlene Crump.  Another great job!  We played a couple of games with the girls and then shared a great supper with them!

We then walked over to H4L's offices to meet with Milad, one of the H4L staff members.  We wanted to hear his testimony of what God had done in his life.  It was powerful to hear this man who was raised as a Muslim tell of his encounter with Jesus, the persecution he endured after his conversion, and his faithfulness to God's call into ministry!  Thank you Milad for sharing your story with us!

After returning to Cedar Home we had an opportunity to hear Chadi Melki tell of some of the joys and challenges that come with caring for 21 young girls and women who have lived challenging and sometimes painful lives before coming to Cedar Home.  Please continue to pray for Chadi and Joyce as they serve these girls!  It is a powerful expression of the love of Jesus to watch them live every moment of their lives for others!

That's got you up to date so far!  We will share some more in a couple of days!  Thanks for your prayers for our team and for the ministries we are serving with!  Blessings from Beirut!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Beirut, Lebanon Mission Team Itinerary

Please be in prayer for our team leaving Sunday, May 2 for Beirut, Lebanon.  The team consists of:

Pastor John Crump
Rhiannon McKinley
Marlene Crump
Pastor Ron Crump
Maggy Fisher

Here is the teams itinerary for the week.  Pray for them throughout the week as the travel and serve:

Sunday, May 2
- Depart Indianapolis 3:15 pm
- Arrive Philadelphia 5:04 pm
- Depart Philadelphia 6:25 pm

Monday, May 3

- Arrive Frankfurt, Germany 8:45 am

- Depart Frankfurt 10:20 am

- Arrive Beirut 3:05 pm

- Settle in at Cedar Home for the evening

Tuesday, May 4

- 8:00 - Noon: Food Distribution to Iraqi Refugees

- 1:00 – 5:00: Home visits with Iraqi families

- 6:30 – 7:30: Devotion/Games with Cedar Home kids

Wednesday, May 5

- 8:00 - Noon: Food Distribution to Iraqi Refugees

- 1:00 – 5:00: Home visits with Iraqi families

- 6:30 – 7:30: Devotion/Games with Cedar Home kids

Thursday, May 6

- 8:00 – Noon: Breakfast & Staff Meeting w/ H4L Staff

- 1:00 – 5:00: Cedar Home projects

- 6:30 – 7:30: Devotion/Games with Cedar Home kids

Friday, May 7

- 8:00 – Noon: Iraqi Women’s Program

- 8:00 – Noon: Pastor John leading Devotions & Staff Meeting w/ CHO staff

- 1:00 – 5:00: Outdoor Activities with Cedar Home kids

- 7:00:  Production of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" by Cedar Home kids

Saturday, May 8

- Site-Seeing Day:  Cedars of Lebanon

Sunday, May 9

- Depart Beirut 3:05 am

- Arrive Frankfurt, Germany 6:15 am

- Depart Frankfurt 8:25 am

- Arrive Chicago 10:31 am

- Depart Chicago 1:10 pm
- Arrive Indianapolis 3:04 pm

A Consultation Considered

After a full weekend of interviews, meetings and reporting, I find myself on this Monday after, still in a state of excitement and anticipation. The report Rev. Dr. Doug Talley shared with us yesterday was extremely constructive and I have a good and healthy pride of what God has done through Mooresville Church of God. We have come a long way and this should be celebrated. But a celebration can easily turn into a plateau. Rather than slipping into a state of satisfaction, we need to push on to the goal of having as Doug put it, "greater impact on the community."

A wise man once said, "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." This is good advice especially when thinking about our dreams and goals for tomorrow. There is no doubt that God is revealing his vision to us for an amazing future. Pastor John's leadership during the last 16 months has been pivotal. I pray that we step up and commit to be fully devoted ambassadors of Christ by accepting the recommendations of the consultation team. I fully believe that this will enable us to jump the life cycle generating a new birth with greater kingdom work in the Mooresville community.

I would like to ask each of you to commit to pray for the next 3 weeks regarding the recommendations by the Consultation Team. Pray that people will put greater faith in God and his Word rather than in their own opinions. Pray that conversations during the next 3 weeks will be edifying and that questions will be appropriately directed to our church leadership. Pray also that Mooresville COG will succeed at being the hands and feet of Christ.

If you have any questions regarding the Recommendations please contact any of the Pastoral Staff.

Committed to the Kingdom,

Pastor Jeremy

Great Rules to Live By

I picked up a John Wooden book on leadership this week and was intrigued with some simple rules that Coach Wooden learned from his father. You won’t find them to be novel in any way. They are a simple set of principles to live by. He calls them, “Dad’s Two Sets of Threes.”

Instructions on Integrity…
1. Never lie.
2. Never cheat.
3. Never steal.

How to face adversity…
1. Don’t whine.
2. Don’t complain.
3. Don’t make excuses.

I had grown up hearing something extremely similar to these rules. The first 3 have always been quite easy for me to follow but the second three convicted me a little bit. More times than I care to admit, I have broken all of the last three rules. I think it’s mostly because there are times when I feel I have a right to whine, complain or make excuses due to the great injustice of adversity. Philippians 2:14 states to, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe…” Paul’s directions to the church at Philippi are still relevant for Christians today. We should be on a journey of becoming blameless and pure having control of our tongue. Too many times have I made situations worse or increased my struggles with adversity simply because I started talking about it in an unproductive way. That’s exactly what these rules safeguard against. When we keep the second 3 rules, it keeps us on the path of becoming rather than prolonging our wallowing in self pity. In addition to afflicting our self through whining, complaining or making excuses we commonly pull someone else into the situation. Usually, this is done behind closed doors with a third party. Most times this only poison groups of people rather than edify them. I believe the only time this can be productive is when someone checks themselves with a confidant rather than anyone who will listen.

Here are some self check questions in regard to how we deal with adversity…

What is your typical response to adversity and setbacks? If venting about a situation is necessary are you sure you are talking to the right person? (The right person would be a confidant who can remain neutral helping you check your reactions) Are you damaging the person you are whining or complaining to? Are you trying to get your listener to be on your side of the argument?

Beginning Sunday, April 11 - Life Hurts / God Heals

I think it will be accepted as fact if I say, "Sometimes life hurts"...won't it?  

I mean life just takes a toll, especially on relationships:  Marriages, friendships, brothers & sisters, parents & children, at work, at home, at church, at school...even our relationship with God shows some wear and tear after awhile.

Many people struggle to trust that God really wants the best for them and their relationships.  In fact, where there has been hurt...He wants there to be healing.  

We will spend a few weeks exploring God's desire to heal what may have been hurt in our relationships.  Here are our topics:

April 11 - God wants to heal our relationship with Him.

April 18 - God wants to heal our relationship with other people.

April 25 we will take a one week break from this series as we invite our Executive State Minister, Dr. Doug Talley, to share with us as a part of our Indiana Ministries Consultation.

May 2 - God wants to heal our own self-image, or you may say, our relationship with ourselves.

We hope you will join us this Sunday, April 4th for our Easter Sunday Celebration!  We will be putting the finishing touches on our Lent Series:  One Month to Live.  And then mark your calendars to be with us beginning April 11th for Life Hurts / God Heals!

In His Grip,

Pastor John

Beirut, Lebanon Mission Experience

BEIRUT, LEBANON 

MISSION EXPERIENCE

May 2-9, 2010

A 5-person team from Mooresville Church of God will embark on a week-long mission experience in Beirut, Lebanon in early May.  The team consists of:

Pastor John Crump

Maggy Fisher

Rhiannon McKinley

Marlene Crump

Pastor Ron Crump

 The logos to the left represent the two ministries that the team will be working with while in Beirut:  Heart for Lebanon, led by Camille Melki and Cedar Home, led by Chadi Melki.

While working with Heart for Lebanon the team will be distributing food to Iraqi refugee families who were driven out of their homeland due to the war and persecution by Muslim extremists.  The team will also be doing home visits with the Iraqi families to minister to the relational and spiritual needs of the families.  The team will also have opportunity to minister to the Iraqi women during a special worship service designed just for them.

The team will be lodging at the Cedar Home for girls, an orphanage that ministers to the life-long needs of orphaned girls in Lebanon.  While at Cedar Home the team will be leading nightly devotion and game times with the girls as well as doing some assorted projects around the Home.

Both of these ministries are affiliated with the Church of God.  The Melki family has a long history of Church of God ministry in Lebanon.  Camille and Chadi simply carry on a rich heritage of effective ministry to the people of Lebanon.  The leaders and staff of each of these ministries are changing the world through the powerful and mission-focused ministry they do each day!

Would you pray for our team as we travel?  Would you pray for God to use us to encourage the Heart for Lebanon and Cedar Home staff and leaders?  Would you add Heart for Lebanon and Cedar Home to your list of prayer targets?  God is working all around the world and we are privileged to partner with our brothers and sisters in Lebanon to accomplish a small part of the work He has called them to accomplish in their part of the world!

In His Grip,

Pastor John 

 

Indiana Ministries Consultation - April 23-25, 2010

Mooresville Church of God is entering an important season of its life and ministry. April 23-25 will be an opportunity for us to examine our ministries, our practices, our habits, our structure, all of those things that define who we are and why we exist as a church.

Every congregation needs some self-examination as well as some accountability.  Indiana Ministries of the Church of God is offering to assist us with both of these productive efforts.  

The MCHOG Board of Directors recently submitted an extensive Self-Study to the Indiana Ministries Consultation team.  They will review it over the next few weeks, come spend the weekend of April 23-25 with us, and then provide feedback, recommendations and insight for our future ministry and mission here in Mooresville.

Here is a synopsis of the steps and timeline for the consultation:

April 23-24:  Consultation team will interview the Pastoral Staff, congregational focus groups and individuals to gain further perspective and information about our ministry, mission and effectiveness.

April 25:  Dr. Doug Talley, our Executive State Minister, will be preaching and sharing the Consultation Team's recommendations with the congregation.

May 9:  Our congregation will hold a Special Business Meeting to vote on the recommendations put forth by the Consultation Team.  If the recommendations are accepted, the Consultation Team will then draft a covenant detailing what Indiana Ministries will provide for MCHOG and what our congregation will do to accomplish the recommendations.

Early June:  Our congregation will hold another Special Business Meeting to vote on acceptance of the covenant with Indiana Ministries.  If the covenant is accepted, our congregation will be assigned a coach who will assist us and provide accountability for us as we accomplish the recommendations over the next few years.

What is the goal of this consultation and why are we doing it?

The mission of Mooresville Church of God is "To Make Disciples".  More specifically, "To make disciples by reconciling people to God and to each other".  The goal of this consultation is to make whatever changes are necessary in order for us to best accomplish this mission in our community!  To fail at our mission is disobedience and is not an option for our congregation.

Churches all across the United States are failing at their God-given mission.  We refuse to be one of them.  We are attempting to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to see that our congregation is outward focused, mission focused and people focused!  We asserted at our recent "Impact Your World Week" that no ministry, program, practice or habit in the life and ministry of our church is untouchable, unchangeable or sacred.  What's working we hope to make better.  What's not working will be replaced with mission-focused practices that do work.

We are in desperate need of your prayer, participation, patience and support throughout this process!  Will you commit to make this consultation, our congregation and the eventual outcomes a matter of daily prayer?  Mooresville Church of God's effectiveness, future and ministry depend on it!

Thank you for your efforts to see God's mission and purpose accomplished in the Mooresville community through this congregation!

In His Grip,

Pastor John