APRIL 2016

 

 

 

      

 

  • Maurice and Lynn serve on our first impressions team. A few weeks ago Maurice became very ill and this led to an extensive life-saving surgery. Maurice has had several complications with his health in the past few months but continues to remain hopeful. This past Sunday they were able to join us for our weekly gathering. Maurice is doing incredibly well in light of what he’s gone through but there is still a long road of recovery ahead. We ask that you join us in praying for his health and that he is able to see God’s presence in this season. We also ask that you join us in praying for his wife, Lynn, as she cares for her husband, returns to work and finds rest when needed.

  • Bob Mucci is someone who has been coming to RESTORE since the beginning. He has a huge passion for people to know Jesus. One of the hardest people for him to reach is his wife, Anne-Marie. Please pray with Bob and the rest of us that she comes to know who Jesus is through Bob and others around her.
  • For the last several months we have asked you to pray for a woman in our church named Magda.  God has answered our prayers in a mighty way!  When we met Magda, she was a victim of domestic abuse and was living in a shelter with her son, Jacob.  They now have an apartment and a car of their own!  Magda also wanted nothing to do with church or God before we met her, and it’s been incredible to see her be transformed by the power of God.  Thanks for praying!

NorthPointe Christian Church

 

  • Rafi & Carl.  Over the past few months since coming to NorthPointe we’ve seen a huge change in their family, their marriage, and their faith. God is bringing restoration and growth, and it’s truly exciting to see. Just this past weekend, Shawn attended a Drug Prevention Town Hall meeting that Rafi helped organize. While there, a woman that Shawn has invited to NPCC many times, mentioned how she needs to come sometime soon. Rafi jumped right in telling her about NPCC and laying out the Gospel for her. Afterwards, Rafi was so excited he called Carla to tell her what happened, and before he could get the words out of his mouth, she told him she had just spent the last few minutes witnessing to someone and sharing the story of Jesus. It’s brilliant how our God works all things for good.
  • Christine & daughter.  This past weekend Christine attended our church with her daughter. On Sunday one of our leaders had the opportunity to meet and talk with her about her past and current struggles. There is much to be prayed for in a healing relationship between Christine and the church, and between Christine and her daughter. Pray that Christine would see God’s grace and care in how far she has come in the past couple of years. Churches and friends have told her she’s so far from Jesus, but compared to where she was, God has truly brought her very far along. Pray that she’d see God’s saving grace through Jesus as her way forward to more healing and hope.
  • Cadence.  This past weekend a member of NPCC mentioned that a close friend’s daughter was in the hospital. She had heart surgery and the recovery was not going nearly as well as hoped. There were some severe blockages.  Join us in praying for healing and wisdom for the doctors as they work to correct the problems.  Pray for God’s grace over the whole family and situation.

SouthPointe Christian Church

 

  • Easter Sunday was an incredible day at SouthPointe.  Please pray for the following people who came to an Easter service for the very first time.
  • Eric is a friend of a SouthPointer named James. James had been inviting him for two years, but Eric had never attended…until he “accidentally” attended on Easter. Here is what happened. We had our Easter service at a special location, a nearby performance theater. This theater happened to be located on the same street where Eric lives. He looked out his window and saw our sidewalk chalk arrows pointing to the theater. He decided to check it out and realized it was SouthPointe. He entered and asked for his friend James. Fortunately, the greeters knew James and took Eric to him. James said that Eric “was blown away” and wants to return! Pray that he takes this next step and that God continues to use James in his life. 
  • Carl recently moved back to Rhode Island. Prior to the service, he told a greeter, “I’m looking for a church that it is not all about meeting a standard in order to be accepted.” The sermon on Easter addressed this very issue: the resurrection means that we don’t meet a standard in order to be accepted, but that Jesus has met that standard to earn our acceptance. Pray for Carl to both know and experience the grace of Jesus in ways he never has before.
  • Tori wrote on her facebook wall, “The church service at SouthPointe this morning really opened my eyes. It’s not the first time I’ve felt an overwhelming sense of faith, but today captivated me. I think it’s time for a positive change in my lifestyle.” Tori also expressed desire to bring her parents back with her. Pray that Tori and her parents would come to trust in Jesus.
  • Josh and Jane came on Easter Sunday for the very first time. Bill and Lee have been praying for Josh for four years. This was the first church service of Josh’s entire life, outside of two Catholic funerals. After the service, he told Bill and Lee that they would like to return. Again, pray for Josh and Jane to have the courage to return and that they would see the greatness of Jesus.

OceanPointe Christian Church

 

  • Easter was quite the celebration! We were able to use our new space attached to Island Cinemas for the first time as we added a third service… and God doubled our normal weekly attendance! There were a multitude of new faces and some that we haven’t seen in months. Praise God for this blessing and for the families that have come back to worship with us in the two weeks since. We feel blessed in our new space and so happy to be able to have conversations on Sunday without a time limit or a long list of things to pack up!
  • Please pray with us for John. John’s niece and other family who attend OceanPointe have been praying for him to join them in church for months, and he finally came! John is struggling with an addiction to alcohol and is at a very low point. Join us in praying that he chooses God over his addiction and is made new in Christ’s love!
  • Please pray with us for Audrey, a young woman who recently moved to Rhode Island on her own. Audrey’s first prayer requests were for her depression and longing to kill herself. A counselor from our church family and one of our staff have been meeting with her for several weeks, and there is hope on the horizon! Please pray that Audrey finds new hope and belonging in Christ. 
  • We were so excited to celebrate Stephanie and Alex being baptized last week! God is stirring even more hearts toward this decision, and we pray that those hearts would respond. Please be praying for Ally, one of our staff’s coworkers outside the church who has been putting off coming to church for months and finally came last Sunday with her son. She has a history of substance abuse and has been struggling lately with feeling alone in her faith. However, this Sunday she told us she wants to be baptized! Praise God!

 

BridgePointe Christian Church

 

  • Kristen was baptized on Easter Sunday after being invited by a friend to attend for the first time in February. For most of her life, she has battled chronic digestive issues, including Crohn’s Disease. Before coming to BridgePointe, her abdominal pain was almost unbearable, often confining her to her house or bed. This was one of her obstacles to baptism, but she persevered and chose to surrender to Jesus. On Sunday, she told me that she has not experienced any pain in the two weeks since her baptism. This is the first time in years that she has been pain free and she credits it completely to the healing power of Jesus. Please praise God with Kristen for the amazing work God is doing in her body and soul! 
  • Starting Point is an 8-week conversation about faith. Many of the 14 participants are seeking Jesus for the first time in their lives.  For some, this includes working through profound religious and relational wounds from their past and present. Please pray that God removes all the obstacles for these people to get to Jesus. Pray that they surrender completely to Him, are baptized, and begin to experience the healing and hope that only He can offer. 
  • Two weeks after Easter, the church was encouraged to see doubt as an opportunity for faith rather than an obstacle to it. As part of their response, BridgePointe gave away 120 copies of Josh McDowell’s More Than a Carpenter to people who would like to overcome doubt to be more convinced of Jesus. Please pray that people are overwhelmed by the credibility of the Gospel and place their faith in the resurrected Jesus.

Restoration House Ministries

1300 Wellington Rd

Manchester, NH 03104

603-668-8808