Worship News May 13, 2009

A Little Girl From India Adapted from "Send," Gospel for Asia News

Courtesy of GFA -- by permission --Article by Ed Kuehneman: Christians are a minority group in India. Adkala is a bright little third-grader at a Bridge of Hope School in Manipur, India. She likes school, and she took their invitation to attend Sunday School too. The school is paid for by Americans and other "Gospel for Asia" donors worldwide, but all the staff are local people of India, so they know the languages and customs, they can live cheaply, and they seem less "foreign" to Indians. In India, many lower caste "untouchable" families have been doomed to poverty for centuries. Adkala's poor family is happy that someone has provided a school. Some Indians, however, resent anything Christian in their predominantly- Hindu nation. Adkala's fifteen-year-old sister Basanti was angry that Adkala was going to Sunday School at a Christian church. It was not needed for her studies! She was foolish, disloyal! The teen called Adkala names until the younger girl cried. The next Sunday, however, Adkala returned to Sunday School. What she was learning was moving in her heart, changing her life. Finally Basanti realized there were big changes in her little sister’s behavior, good changes. Curious, she visited Adkala's church, and now she attends regularly. Adkala’s American sponsors did not know that anyone would come A Little Girl From India Adapted from "Send," Gospel for Asia News to Christ as the result of their giving. They are just supporting a poor child’s education. But already, two young souls are living testimonies for Christ in a far land. Should we give? Perhaps you have given $20 to some cause, only to be flooded by fund-raising mail from all over. Your name was sold to a "beggar list"! Some causes spend most of their money on fund-raising and administration. It is easy to harden our hearts and clutch our wallets. Our tithe should go to our local church; there are local and family needs; and saving for a rainy day is sensible. You can't give to everybody! There are organizations, however, who are doing great good in poor lands, with low administration costs, able to multiply our money with good exchange rates and bulk purchases. We could support one or two, but which are worthy? Gospel for Asia, World Vision, Compassion, and others have long, solid reputations and good ECFA ratings. (Check online.) They won’t sell your name, and they’ll send you a monthly magazine so you can see where your money's going. Also, here at home, are there children like Adkala that you could bring? All the Sunday Schools aren’t in India!

Pastors Pray From the G..C. Ministerial Assn. (the Rev. James M. Nelson, Secretary)

You were prayed for! Can you feel it? On May 7th, twenty pastors and spouses prayed over the churches, businesses, government and emergency services buildings, schools, nursing homes, clinics, and hospitals serving our communities. This was held in honor of the National Day of Prayer for 2009, and is a part of the Gila County Ministerial Association's continuing efforts to claim the people and places of Globe— Miami—Claypool—Roosevelt—and San Carlos for the One Lord God. The pastors of our communities are praying for all of us. Are we praying for them in return?

From the Gutter

Pictured: Terri Cadiente is a 15-year world record holder on her Kawasaki jet ski. Terri Cadiente is a wife and mom, a stuntwoman and a jet-ski world record holder -- who once ended up in the gutter. Terri grew up in a broken home and felt unloved. After the external structure of high school was gone, she "imploded in a big way." She was on drugs for more than seven years. One night there came a change: "I found myself bloodied and laying in a greasy gutter of the street and that's when I said to God, 'If You're who You say You are, will You help me?' ...I realized for the first time in my life that I had a choice in the matter." She says God showed her she had value, "and I walked away from that gutter. And I wasn't sure exactly where I was going, but I knew with every step that I would never return back." She was clean after a short time in recovery. "I was choosing a different way." She was not a helpless victim of life. "I chose to walk it with Him." That was 21 years ago. She has been a stunt double for Lindsy Lohan and Jessica Simpson, but now she’s dropping stunt work for her greater passion, "life coach." She is also the author of "Living Courageously" (Destiny Books, $16.99 paperback), urging readers to "choose to be the real you," and "to accept themselves and the way God has made them, and not try to be someone else." Another passion of Terri's is making Americans aware of the horrors of the sex traffic she's witnessed first-hand in Asia. She thinks Christians should be "concerned and outraged ... Slavery of any kind is not OK."

Alone or Lonely?, by Dan Morton,Co-Pastor, First Christian Church(Disciples of Christ

There seems to be such a move today to be a part of a crowd. There are gangs, clubs, organizations, all looking for new members. The truth is that you can be lonely in the midst of a crowd. The difference is inside of you. Haldor Lillenas wrote, "One is walking with me over life's uneven way, constantly supporting me each moment of the day; How can I be lonely when such fellowship is mine, with my blessed Lord divine!" He then adds, "Why should I be weary, or my path seem dreary, when He's walking by my side." We need not walk alone. God is available to you and to me as we walk l i f e ' s journey. If you do not feel his presence , perhaps you are the one who has moved away. He is patiently waiting for you to join the others who have come to know him as a personal friend and companion. You may be alone, but you need not be lonely.

He Was Killing Himself, By Ed Kuehneman

Pictured:Dick Moran is enjoying "extra" years with his wife Carolyn. In his 32 years at the Miami smelter, Dick Moran had seen Christians like Les Uptain, Ann Kirkwood, Jesse Martinez, and Cheppe Casillas, but Dick thought, "I'm OK. I'm a decent person, and I'm not hooked on drugs or alcohol." Although he had left church as a teen and called himself an "agnostic," he remembered his godly mother, and he did pray sometimes. "God, help me get off these cigarettes," he'd say. At over three packs a day, he had lung congestion and got bad colds. The problem was, Dick liked his cigarettes! He also liked to go to the casino, and he loved to eat. He'd fry a dozen tacos, eat seven, and finish up the leftovers later. There was a lot of fat in his Mexican food, but it was delicious! Dick’s wife Carolyn was concerned: he was killing himself! His weight got up to 400 pounds, and his back and legs hurt. "I've got to work. My house on G Hill just burned," he told the company. "I can work sitting down running heavy equipment." They didn't want to take the chance of injury, and gave him a medical retirement. Meanwhile, Carolyn felt guilty about not going to church. She'd grown up Pentecostal, but things had interfered. Her daughter Dana Deatherage urged Dick and Caroline to come to her new church, the Globe Christian Center. Carolyn said she’d go when she got Sundays off, but she went to the casino with Dick instead. She hated it. "I've seen people lost their houses, max out their credit cards..." She was embarrassed to be there. Finally, she said. "That's it!" She went to her daughter's church, feeling a little awkward and out-of-place at first. In a few months, the guilty feeling was gone, and she felt like she belonged there. She didn't pressure Dick, but he could see it made her happy. "You should come too," she told him. "If this works, I promise I will," said Dick. He’d chosen a stomach surgery that was drastic, not for everyone. He lost 175 pounds! A year later, doctors found dozens of cysts in his kidneys. One specialist wanted to remove both kidneys. Another specialist removed only a cancerous one. Then Dick went to his doctor for his cigarettes. He "prayed hard," and a month later he was off smoking for good. He had begun to go to church with Carolyn. It seemed strange at first, but he began to understand more, and it brought back his mother's faith. He saw how God had helped him, step by step, and he realized he wasn't "OK." After a year, he said, "If I'm going to do this, I need to do it right." He quit gambling. He had given up his "enjoyable" habits, but he was happier! Putting his "new-found faith in action," he volunteered for Meals on Wheels in Miami, and says he gets "more out of it" than he puts in. Dick and Carolyn go to church together. "I've got a long way to go, but I know I'm on the right track," he says. "There are so many inspiring people at church, like Rick Kidd, Ruben Garcia, and Elvis Castaneda; and I finally appreciate what a good influence my wife has been."

Prayer Conference is Open to All

Pictured:Guy Chadwick will speak on prayer. Guy Chadwick will be one of the speakers at at a Prayer Conference at Living Waters Community Church in Globe, Friday evening and Saturday morning, May 15 and 16, open to church men and women across Copper Country. (The cost is $10 for each participant. Contact Jean Campbell at 928•812•1890, or register at the door.) As Director of Arizona Call to Prayer, Chadwick has led prayer gatherings throughout the state. He has been married for 24 years and has three children. Other presenters will be Hal and Cheryl Sacks, founders of Bridge- Builders International, dedicated to helping Christian leaders break down the barriers of culture, denomination and age. They have led large statewide prayer conventions in the Valley. All interested people are urged to take advantage of this multi-church conference here in Copper Country. Raise your prayer power and motivation a notch this Friday and Saturday.

Prayer Conference Starts May 15 in Globe

Hal and Cheryl Sacks of BridgeBuilders Living Waters Community Church in Globe will host a Prayer Conference on a Friday evening and Saturday morning, May 15 and 16, open to church men and women across Copper Country. (The cost is $10 for each participant. Please contact Jean Campbell by May 12 at 928-812-1890.) Presenters will be Hal and Cheryl Sacks and Guy Chadwick of BridgeBuilders International, based in Phoenix, and Guy Chadwick, director Arizona Call to Prayer. Bridge- Builder founder Hal Sacks has spoken to church, government and business conventions. His wife Cheryl is the author of the book "The Prayer Saturated Church." CCN's Rita Hassard calls Cheryl "one of the most inspiring prayer warriors I’ve ever met." Two of the goals of Bridge- Builders are to 1) Mobilize the Church in united fervent prayer and worship, and 2) Strengthen Christian leaders to fulfi ll their God-given call. Many Christian leaders face a sense of i s o l a t i o n and discouragement in facing the chal lenges of life and leadership. A time of gathering with other sincere Chr i s t i ans and hearing c o n f i d e n t speakers can be motivating in itself, and if all the participants could fi nd just one key to improving their prayer life and drawing closer to God, the good consequences would be well worth their investment in time.

Biker’s Sunday

On Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 10:45 A.M. Calvary Shadows Assembly of God will sponsor a Bikers Sunday service by Christian Motorcycle Association New Life East Valley Chapter 1024 out of Mesa, Arizona. Bikes, Trikes, Cars and Pick- Ups are all welcome. There will be a Christian Motorcycle Association video presentation and sermon by CMA New Life East Valley Chapter Chaplain, Jerry Miller. After the service the church will be sponsoring a free spaghetti lunch, although donations will be accepted but not required. If you ride a bike or just like to look at bikes, come on by, there will surely be something of interest for everyone. The church is located at 815 South Verde Lane; Globe, AZ off of Highway 70/77 and Desert Drive on the east end of Globe.