Hartford City Mission is an organization that seeks to
learn and practice what it means to love Jesus and live like Him in the context
of Hartford's North End.
From their center on Garden Street, they offer Christian workshops and learning opportunities for area young people. Many First Church members worked to rehabilitate the home which now serves as the focal point of the ministry.
Learn much more about this life-changing ministry at www.hartfordcitymission.org.
• For the Lord’s leading in hiring our first Executive
Director
• For volunteers to staff “Noah After School” programs
• For our partnership with Young Life in reaching Hartford
youth for Christ
Project MedSend is a mission organization that assists medical missionaries in covering educational expenses in order to expedite their travel to foreign fields that are in desperate need of trained professionals. Project MedSend allows Christian doctors, dentists, nurses and other medical personnel to begin using their medical skills on the mission field shortly after graduation without having to first work several years paying down school expenses. See more at their website: medsend.org.
PROJECT MEDSEND PRAYER REQUESTS:
• For safety and effective medical ministries for all current Project MedSend missionaries.
First church participates in a yearly summer mission trip
to serve the Haitian people living in the sugar cane fields around La Romano in
the Dominican Republic. This intergenerational trip includes medical clinics,
children’s ministry, construction projects, installing water filters and
bringing the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ to these impoverished people.
First Church is partnering with the Kilometer 6 elementary school, the
Maranatha church, and the Good Samaritan Hospital as part of this ministry.
Please pray for this life-changing partnership and
specifically for this summer’s mission trip, July 6-14.
ABC (A Better Choice) Women’s Center in Middletown is a
unique, caring place where women can receive the information needed to make
informed choices about pregnancy, abortion, adoption, parenting, and sexuality.
It serves as a much-needed alternative to the one-sided information offered by
government-supported organizations. Visit www.abcwomenscenter.org.
SPECIAL REQUEST: The center has a need for donations of
gently used newborn/children’s clothing (up to size 6) and women’s casual and
pregnancy clothing.
Executive Director Donnita Young gives us the following update:
Our April 2012 fundraising banquet was a huge
success. Former actress and cover
girl model Jennifer O'Neil was our keynote speaker, and she delivered a powerful
message of hope and forgiveness for those who have been living under the guilt
of abortion. There were 458 in attendance and half of those were new contacts.
Afterwards, we received a letter from one of those first-time dinner guests, who
wrote that she had recently made up her mind that she was not going to live
through another mother’s day celebration, as that day was always very sad and
difficult for her ever since her forced abortion 25 years ago. She even said “it was hell.”
But, PTL, her letter detailed her deliverance that evening while Jennifer
O'Neil spoke—the letter was signed, “I am set free.”
Our new initiative this fall will be reaching out to churches with our post-abortion healing support group ministry. God has given
me a vision of training women in the churches to become facilitators so that
they can bring the healing support group to their own congregation. Focus on
the Family’s statistic is that one out of every four women sitting in our
church pews has been touched or affected by abortion.
Please pray that more people will desire to volunteer at
the Center. We need help in all areas of administration, client advocacy, and
support services. I especially
need people to assist me in communications and technology.
Pray for our outreach programs with the elementary grades
and teens in high schools, churches and group homes. Our abstinence program for
teens is called WAIT Training (wait until marriage), and Girls’ Discovery
Program is for 4th- and 5th-grade girls.
Also, please pray as currently we are serving four women who
are abortion vulnerable: one lost her job when she told them she was pregnant,
one is a diabetic and her doctors are pressuring her to abort, and two younger
women are being pressured by friends.
Thanks again for partnering with us and co-laboring in the
Kingdom of God.
Camp Hope, located in Litchfield, Connecticut, is a family of
sports camps committed to providing life-changing experiences for young people
from the northeastern U.S. They have a special focus on serving inner-city
children by offering them a spectacular place of refuge, staffed by committed
Christian counselors, far from the concrete jungle where they live and attend
school. Camp Hope is a non-profit organization that depends entirely on the
prayers and generosity of concerned Christians who are committed to meeting the spiritual needs of youth.
First Church has participated in this ministry in many
ways. For several years, we have been sending our First Church youth for a week’s
camping experience at Camp Hope. Many of our young people have been past counselors
or will serve as counselors this year, including Brian Darius, Anneli Johnson,
Andy Braren, Trevor Bradley, Kristin Chilberg, Phillip Shattuck, Angela
Salvatore, Jack Sylvester, Jenny Hart, and Joanne Woodworth. This year’s camping
week for First Church young people is July 29 – August 4.
Several men from the First Church Men’s Ministry have also
worked to get the camp ready and prepared for the summer camping season, and for the last several years, First Church has also provided financial support through our Outreach Committee.
SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS:
• For a successful 2012 camping season, with many young people committing their lives to Jesus Christ.
Christian Nagel is a veteran staff member of Campus Crusade for Christ who works in their Executive Ministries Group. CB was based in the Hartford area for many years and was befriended by many First Church members. He and his wife, Susan, relocated to the Washington DC area a few years ago, where he continues his ministry with key business and political leaders. Although no longer based in Hartford, CB has continued his ministry here with periodic visits to meet with his covenant group and to provide continued support to the work in Connecticut. His email address is christian.nagel@ccci.org.
CB is one of Campus Crusade’s senior staff and, in addition to his work with area leaders, he also works as a member of Campus Crusade’s Human Resources Department to ensure that other staff members are supported in their Christian walk and serve as role models for their ministry contacts. CB has sent us the following prayer requests:
• For Susan’s health, as she has experienced several years of severe, chronic back and lower body pain.
• For a positive Christian ministry to business and political leaders in the DC area.
Van Hall needs no introduction to most First Church members. He served as our Youth Minister for many years and now continues his ministry to young people as a full-time Area Director for Young Life, based in South Windsor. His email address is wyldvan@gmail.com.
Van writes:
Hi
Everyone,
As
the Area Director of Young Life in South Windsor and Tolland, Connecticut, I'm
reaching out to the middle and high school youth in these areas. One prayer
request at this point is for my two summer trips—that many teens will sign up
for camp and that I will have the leaders I need to go with us as well.
This
year, in addition to my regular events, I have been helping Saint Matthew
Church in Tolland develop their ministry to their high school youth. Please
pray that my friendship and partnership with Saint Matthew will continue to
grow.
Thank
you,
As we learned from their visit to First Church last year,
L. and A. serve in a volatile area of the world, where L. works as a tentmaker
missionary teaching computer literacy to the local people. Late last year his
training center was damaged by gunfire from rival forces battling for control
of the city. At that time, L. and A. requested our prayers for peace and
protection to enable them to continue to serve in the local community and to
share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with their national contacts. Due to the
sensitivity of their location, they must be kept anonymous online and in our
publications.
Now we have the latest news. Last month, the
family was forced to flee the country due to a renewed outbreak of
fighting in their area, which made it too dangerous for them to remain. They
have arrived safely in the U.S. and hope to be back in Connecticut very soon.
Their experience reminds us that serving as missionaries for Jesus Christ can
be very dangerous work in many parts of the world.
L. and A. have sent the following prayer requests:
• Gratefulness to the Lord for their safe evacuation and
return to the U.S.
• For the safety and quick evacuation of their friends and
coworkers.
Randy and Jill Hasty have served with Wycliffe Bible Translators for almost 20 years. Both are originally from Wethersfield and were called to the mission field during a missions conference whose theme was “Here Am I! Send Me” (from Isaiah 6:8).
Based in Dallas, Texas, Randy and Jill can be reached at Randy-Jill_Hasty@sil.org. (Note: There is an underscore between “Jill” and “Hasty”)
Randy and Jill have worked faithfully through several problems during their years on the mission field. Matters relating to personal health, financial struggles, and various family issues have been met head-on through prayer and practical measures.
Randy is currently working on a global project called “Every Tribe Every Nation.” In 2011 he and his colleagues finished 50 New Testaments for the Digital Bible Library, which can be accessed online and from cell phones. The goal for this year is to complete another 50 texts for the library. For more about this exciting project, visit http://everytribeeverynation.org.
THIS JUST IN — The Hastys’ 2012 First Quarter Report is available, with fuller details on work, personal, spiritual and family matters, along with specific prayer requests. CLICK HERE to view or download the PDF.
Barbara Ettinger is the New England Area Director for
Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, an organization that brings the love of
Christ to students right on their college campus. As a former associate pastor
and mother of two adult sons, she brings a wealth of practical experience to
her ministry. She can be reached at Barbara.ettinger@cox.net.
Barbara oversees outreach to undergraduate students on
four college campuses in Connecticut. She is a licensed and consecrated
minister with the Christian & Missionary Alliance. Barbara has served in
ministry for 20 years in many roles, including founding Director of Women’s
Ministries and then as a church planter and Associate Pastor. She has also
served on short-term missions to Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras, and the Dominican
Republic as worship leader, team chaplain, and Bible teacher. She is an
engaging and popular retreat speaker, teacher, and worship leader.
Wherever she ministers, Barbara brings a passion for
helping her listeners experience life transformation through the power of the
Holy Spirit. She teaches with joyful enthusiasm and skillful handling of God’s
Word. Audiences respond readily to her unique combination of down-to-earth
humor and powerful biblical exhortation.
Barbara holds a BA in English, an MA in Rhetoric and
Communication, and an MA summa cum laude in Theology and the Bible. She and her
husband, Jeff, have been happy newlyweds ever since their wedding day in 1980.
PRAYER REQUEST
On 2/19/12, Barbara sent the following to Dana Crompton:
David and Terri—missionaries with Mission to the World—come to us from the Theological College of Central
Africa in Ndola, Zambia, where David has served for the past ten years as Academic
Dean and Lecturer. The college is a major training school for pastors and Christian leaders from all over the continent of Africa.
Prior to going into the mission field, David pastored churches in Wisconsin and Indiana. He is a graduate of Indiana University and has graduate degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the University of Wisconsin. In addition, he received a Fulbright Scholarship for study at the University of Geneva. He and his wife, Terri, have four children and are currently on home assignment, living in Indiana.
Terri is also a graduate of Indiana University, with a major in Interior Design. Besides shepherding the children through school and running the Wegener home, Terri coordinates the Wives Study program at the Theological College in Ndola.
David and Terri have been members of the First
Church missionary family for the past ten years. They can be reached at djwegener [at] gmail.com.
Jim and Becca Oehrig are missionaries with American
Leprosy Missions, based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim serves as the
Director of Program Development for ALM, which ministers in the Name of Christ
to thousands of leprosy and buruli ulcer sufferers and their families in 15
countries around the world. They provide treatment, rehabilitation and
community health education, coupled with evangelism and discipleship.
Prior to
joining ALM, Jim and Becca lived for several years in Quito, Ecuador, working
with MAP International, a large international medical support charity. The
Oehrigs have five children and are adopting a foster baby named Marcus, who was
born 15 weeks prematurely and has just been released from a neonatal intensive
care unit.
Jim and Becca have asked First Church prayer support for
the following needs:
• Marcus, their new family member
• Jim’s recovery from knee surgery and patience after six
weeks on crutches and undergoing physical therapy
• New ministries starting up in Democratic Republic of Congo,
Ghana, Liberia, Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh
• A critically important policy meeting with the World
Health Organization in Manila
This ministry brings the love of Christ to people who are living in a prison environment, providing the Alpha course in nine Connecticut correctional facilities and also offering two community programs, one at a center administered by the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) and the other at Isaiah 61:1, a Department of Correction halfway house.
The program serves 475 individuals annually. The first course was offered in 1999. From 7/1/07 through 12/31/11, a total of 1,402 Certificates of Completion were signed by the DOC Director of Religious Services and presented to offender participants.
The ministry provides a sense of hope that no matter the circumstances there is an opportunity, through a personal relationship with the Lord, to have inner peace and a life worth living. For more information, contact administrator Larry Mayer (photo above) at 860.808.4842, or visit firstchurch.org/prisonalpha or the APCM website.
As one of First Church’s top mission priorities, we have developed a focus on the island of Hispaniola, which contains the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
First Church partners with Bethesda Evangelical Mission (BEM) to provide vital support to the people of Haiti. This partnership, through the leadership of Pastor Lubin Beaucejour from Wallingford, includes yearly individual short-term mission trips by members of First Church to provide medical care, distribute food, and to care for the children of Haiti. We also help support an annual pastors’ conference and a Christmas celebration for children in Haiti. Visit the BEM website.
Photo shows First Church’s Terry Shook with Haitian children, during the recent Christmastime trip. The team served over 2,000 children.
Pastor Lubin has just emailed us with the following prayer requests:
• Wisdom in every decision-making process that we have to make as leaders
• Protection over the saints traveling with us
• The precious children of our orphanages and their parents, as well as our children’s homes
• The unity of the Body of Christ
• For Haiti to completely turn from Voodoo to Jesus Christ
• God’s blessings to be over all of our supporters
Gunja Bahadur Tamang, known as Samuel Bomzon, a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, is a Nepalese national who serves as the Chairman of International Fellowship of Evangelical Students based in Kathmandu, and also serves as the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God of Nepal and is the Board Chair of the Nepal Theological College. Pastor Samuel planted, and is senior pastor of, the Bethel Church in Kathmandu, with a congregation of over 700 attendees and 74 daughter churches throughout the country. He also conducts several training sessions durig the year to develop more young leaders. PHOTO: Samuel and Karuna
Rhonda Bennett celebrates her 35th year of
serving the Lord as a missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) in January. She
is praising God for His amazing and miraculous provision for her during these
years of service to Him. Rhonda is a cancer survivor, and God has enabled her to
share Christ with several members of her support group. Next month she is
hosting a brunch for her support group in her home in Clinton, Connecticut.
Rhonda is presently working as Leadership Development Coach in a two-year program called “Senior Leadership Initiative,” overseeing 28 Christian business and professional leaders. These lay leaders are, in turn, training 28 emerging Campus Crusade personnel, who will move into national and global ministry leadership positions in the near future.
In January Rhonda also becomes part of a new ministry to recent college graduates in New York City with a two-fold purpose: (1) helping believers to continue their testimony in the workplace, and (2) reaching out to non-believers to meet their spiritual needs.
She shares the following requests with her prayer supporters at First Church:
• Praise to the Lord for her 35 years of service as a missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ and for her faithful supporters at First Church.
• Pray for effectiveness in her coaching responsibilities with Senior Leadership Initiative.
• Pray for continuing opportunities to share her faith with members of her cancer support group.
• Pray for a good response to the New York City outreach to new college graduates
• And pray for continued healing, strength, and energy to keep her in the center of God’s will for her life and ministry.
Mark and Lis Daley have served with the FamilyLife ministry of Campus
Crusade for Christ (www.familylife.com) for over 20 years. Mark is a Team
Leader/Senior Event Planner and Lis works at the home office in Little Rock,
Arkansas. FamilyLife conferences are designed to strengthen marriage and family
relationships based on biblical principles. In October, Mark was the planner
and leader of a FamilyLife conference right here in the Hartford area.
The Daleys have three children—Janelle, Holly and Tim—all of whom are actively involved in local Christian ministries. Please keep the Daley family in prayer for success in their ministries and for continued growth in the lives of the children. Mark is originally from New London, and Lis grew up right here in Wethersfield. They are longtime members of the Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church on Maple Street.
Compassion International is a Christian child development organization
which serves as an advocate for children to release them from spiritual,
economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible,
fulfilled adults. It was founded 50 years ago by Rev. Everett Swanson, a
missionary to Korea, and now works in 26 countries around the world. Compassion
is Christ centered, child focused, church based, and committed to excellence
and integrity in order to benefit the sponsored children. Each child is
assigned one sponsor who commits to a support level of $38 per month and
develops a relationship with their child through photos, prayers and letters.
In recent years First Church has supported as many as three Compassion children
through the Outreach ministry.
We are in the process of developing a one-on-one partnership with a church in Barranca, Peru, through which we can learn from each other, be inspired by new ways to reach others with the Gospel, and develop lasting relationships. One of the ways we are coming alongside this passionate church is by sponsoring some of the children who attend its after-school program (SHOWN IN PHOTO ABOVE); Many First Church families have already begun such commitments. There are still several unsponsored children in this school who have been set aside for us; if interested, please call Marilyn at 860.529.1575, ext. 213, for details.
Dennis and Linda Ryan now live in Orlando Florida after serving 12 years in France. Dennis works for Campus Crusade for Christ as the chief financial officer for the JESUS Film Project (www.jesusfilm.org). Linda continues to teach their two younger girls at home while exploring part-time opportunities to minister to the local Campus Crusade staff. Based on the Gospel of Luke, the Jesus film is reaching millions with the Gospel each year in an ever-increasing number of languages. Dennis and Linda have four girls—Audrey, Emily, Kelsey and Isabelle. Please pray for Dennis as he travels to Turkey for nine days for a directors’ conference, for the Jesus film recording teams scattered around the globe, and for guidance as parents to raise their children in the way of the Lord. The Ryans can be reached at dennis.ryan@gmail.com.
Dennis just wrote from Turkey with some specific prayer requests:
• For Linda and me and our children, that we would understand the Gospel and our need for Christ, and that daily we would choose to follow Him.
• I am still new to my job as CFO of the JESUS Film Project. Pray that I would learn how to be an effective CFO and that I would make a significant contribution to the mission and goals of the JESUS Film Project.
• For the JESUS Film Project — Pray for Project 865, our effort to translate the film JESUS into the remaining 865 languages spoken by 50,000 or more people. In most of these languages, there isn’t a single verse of Scripture. Pray that we would find partners who are reaching out to these people groups and for the financial and human resources to provide them with translations.
Thank you for your prayers! —Dennis
Jon and Valerie Brown are missionaries with CrossWorld, an international missions organization serving unreached people groups around the world. They come to First Church through the Connecticut Missions Consortium, a group of ten churches which support each others’ members as they serve the Lord in many different international locations. Jon and Valerie are based in northern Brazil and work among the primitive Yanomami people in the jungle habitat of the Amazon rainforest. Some anthropologists believe the Yanomami to be the oldest people group in the Americas. Since they are currently on home assignment, they were scheduled to be with us at First Church on October 29-30 to provide a personal report on their mission work, but our rare October Nor’easter forced the cancellation of Missions Weekend. Please remember to pray for Jon, Valerie and their two children as they reconnect with supporting churches and enjoy a time of refreshment and relaxation from the stress of their mission work.
On September 28, Anneli Johnson left for New Zealand to start her short-term mission trip with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Anneli begins her five-month commitment by attending a two-phase Discipleship Training School. The first phase helps participants to grow deeper in their own relationship with God in preparation for the Outreach and Sharing phase, which will take place somewhere in Southeastern Asia beginning in December.
Sarah Papertsian has already begun working for a mission organization that focuses on bringing the love of Jesus to the Muslim world. She is starting her two-year commitment by representing the organization here in the Northeast until January, when she will relocate to the organization’s U.S. sending base in Arizona. Sarah is their Campus Coordinator for the Mobilization Department.
Kevin and Maureen Kimball are lifelong missionaries with Campus Crusade for Christ (soon to be renamed Cru). (Mo is a close personal friend of our own Betty and Bruce Woodward.) They are shown at left in a 2010 family photo.
We are a community
of Jesus followers
who love God, love one another,
and make disciples.