“We proclaim Him, admonishing every one and teaching every one with all wisdom, so that we may present every one complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
~ Paul, in his letter to the church at Colossae, chap1, verses 28-29
We’re into 2014!
I operate within the university calendar, the church calendar, according to the cycle of refugees arriving, Southern Hemisphere seasons, the NZ tax system, the IRS calendar, the comings and goings of people in the house, hopefully within the cycles of your budget and missions team meetings…
if there’s ever a time when an update would be timely or helpful, please just ask. My spontaneous responses might be more exiting than a lengthy overview!
Orientation at the university is in a couple of weeks. It’s a great time to get momentum and meet new students & staff! We’ll have our chaplaincy team meeting soon, and then our Northern Regional training day in May.
• Please pray for chaplaincy team cohesion and clarity in priorities so we utilise our limited resources well.
I’m supporting Afghan and Pakistani refugees. Driving lessons and school uniforms are next on the list. Medical issues seem to be manageable right now.
• Please pray for Zahra, Fatima and their families.
Shore LifeGroup leaders’ meeting is this Sunday. we’re planning a discipleship intro/refresher course for April. I’m teaching on prayer at Shore next week, as well as leading some discipleship sessions for the church staff and the youth leaders. We have capable volunteers filling our youth minister role right now.
• Pray for consistency and intentionality for the good of the young people.
We live in a transient and global world. I enjoy the mentoring and networking I do around the world via Facebook, Skype or email. Some of those I mentor are going as missionaries or are seeking to play their position in the Kingdom. Others are picking through the pieces of their marriage, their history, their finances or trying to find their way out of addiction. I connect them with internships, with local churches in faraway cities, with training opps or ministry resources.
• Please pray for them to see God as a personal, supportive and accessible Father who has already made provision for them, who equips and goes with them in life & service.
SPCF had a tough 2013 with one team dismantling; some team members returning to the US and some joining the Christchurch ReChurch team. ReChurch lost its lead pastor. The reshuffle of roles and responsibilities seems to have settled and the church is growing.
Dr. Jody Owens, a professor from Johnson University, comes this year to lead training for both Shore Community and ReChurch staff & ministry leaders. I’m responsible for logistics and scheduling. Jody is wise and has experience we can all benefit from, especially the younger staff members.
•Please pray that they will see Jody as a trustworthy mentor with whom they’ll fully cooperate for maximum benefit.
It’s one thing to tell the Gospel to someone who has never heard it before.
It’s another thing to sift through the fragments of a person’s faith and understand where it all came unstuck…. so as to help them reassemble the bits worth keeping.
My weekly LifeGroup ladies are getting together with their families for a BBQ Sunday after worship. Within the group are HR directors, CEO’s, teachers, programmers, bankers, counselors and occupational therapists. Their circles of influence radiate outward. Within the group we have godly women dealing with marriages disintegrating, mental illness, addictions, children with sexuality issues… the stuff of life that is a reality in a broken world.
• Please pray that I will consistently respond in ways that both draw ladies and families into the arms of their loving Fatherand challenge them to live the reality of Jesus’ lordship, seeking the Spirit’s comfort and wisdom daily.
It is all for His glory that I seek common ground with as many as I can, teaching them to dwell with Jesus and seek God’s face, walk in step with the Spirit, and pass on to others what has been passed on to them, just as it was passed on to me. This is the way we’ll influence and change the world; life on life, one cup of tea at a time, in conversations and relationships that are immeasurable in the way they’ll radiate outwards…. My Sunday School had no idea their influence would reach so many countries and cultures through that little girl sitting in the second row. I’m still grateful.
Sincerely,
Jill – Please forward, print or share amongst your groups, teams and family.
