Want to Learn More about Missions Opportunities?

Two Here Am I weekends have been scheduled. The first is May 13-14 at the New Beginnings Church of God in Decatur, IL. The second will be May 20-21 at the Christian Ministries Center in Findlay, OH. These informational events are designed for persons who want to know more about possibly serving in a cross-cultural context. Participants will discover answers to such questions as...

• What is the current state of Christianity in the world?
• What is happening in CGGC missions?
• What are the opportunities where missionaries are needed?
• How do I know if I'm called to be a missionary?
• Am I "qualified" to serve?
• Where can my mix of spiritual gifts, skills and personality be utilized?
• How can I best prepare for missionary service?
• What if I don't want to commit to a lifetime of serving overseas?
• What are the unique challenges facing missionaries in today's world?
• What are the next steps I need to take?

The schedule begins at 7pm on Friday and concludes by 2pm on Saturday. The registration cost for the weekend is only $25--whether a single person or married couple--just to cover some resources for each participant. Friday night lodging will be provided to those persons living outside the immediate area, plus snacks and one meal on Saturday.

Participating in a "Here Am I" weekend does not obligate anyone. Persons may not be ready to say, "Here am I--send me!" (as Isaiah did). That's okay. We just want to assist you in making a more informed decision--either now or later.

The reservation deadline is April 30th. You may download a registration "Here Am I" form and return it with your $25 fee. For more information, contact Don Dennison (missions@cggc.org) or 419.424.1961x132.

Ben Tobias Selected as Assistant Director

Pastor Paul Benjamin Tobias of Mount Pleasant, PA has been chosen to become the Associate Director for CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries. This is a new position created in response to the growth of the missions department. He will share some of the field administrative responsibilities currently carried by CCM Director Don Dennison as well as strengthen areas of missionary care and recruitment. The appointment was approved by the CGGC Administrative Council on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 and will begin on July 1.

Ben has served as Senior Pastor at the Mount Pleasant Church of God since August 2006. Prior to that, he was Associate Pastor at Indian Head Church of God in Indian Head, PA (2001-2006) and pastored the Shawnee First Church of God, Lima, OH (1994-1999).


He brings to the position a variety of field missions experiences. From 1999-2001, their family served as Churches of God missionaries in Indonesia with a national ministry organization. In 1990, Ben was a student intern at the Spanish-speaking Fallbrook, CA Church of God pastored by Fred Adams. He has participated in or led missions trips to Columbia, inner city New York, Croatia, Bosnia, South Africa, Mexico, Kenya, Bangladesh, India and numerous trips to Haiti.


A graduate of Houghton College (B.S. in Biblical Studies) and Winebrenner Theological Seminary (M.Div), Ben has also completed post-graduate studies in Missions and Intercultural Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He and Sherri also completed pre-field courses at the Center for Intercultural Training in North Carolina in preparation for their Indonesia assignment.


Sherri grew up in several countries since her parents were (and continue to be) career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She is a graduate of Messiah College (B.A. in Communciations/Theatre Arts) and The University of Findlay (M.A. in T.E.S.O.L [Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages]). The Tobiases have two children:  Charis who is a student at Seattle Pacific University, and Jonathan who is in high school.
 
The Tobias family will be relocating from Mt.Pleasant to the Findlay, OH area this summer. Pray for them and the Mt.Pleasant Church during this transition time.

New Assignment for Pastor William Primè

The CCM Commission recently approved Pastor William Primè of Orlando, FL to become the newest Project Help missionary to Haiti. Today the Administrative Council of the Churches of God in Haiti endorsed that appointment.

In accepting this Pastoral Advisor assignment, Pastor Primè is returning to his homeland to focus on making disciples and developing leaders. He will initiate training opportunities for the Conference as well as local churches, including reopening the Saint-Marc Bible Institute which he co-founded as a pastor in Haiti. His role will be similar to Pastors Mark Hosler and Dale Miller who previously served as pastoral advisors coming alongside the Haiti Conference to assist, equip and encourage.

While serving the Pierre Payen Church of God, Pastor Primè became the first President of the newly formed Haiti Conference in 1997. He later moved to Orlando, FL and pastored L’Eglise Evangelique Bethesda Church which affiliated with the CGGC. He has continued as a frequent seminar leader and interpreter in Haiti as well as the States. In 2009, Pastor Primè was appointed as volunteer Haitian Ministries Field Representative for the CGGC. At present, he is completing doctoral work at Florida Christian University.

Pastor and Madame Isemenè Primè have three children: Robenson, Gestanie, and Jordanny; and three grandchildren.
   
The Primès do need prayer and financial partners before beginning this assignment. Support should be designated for CC 2746 Pastor William & Isemenè Primè Support. Thank you for prayerfully considering this vital role.

News from JAPAN

I trust that you and your churches have been praying for the people of Japan throughout this past weekend. The 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami have devastated portions of the northeast coastline. Thousands are dead as bodies begin to wash up on shore. Nearly 2,000 more were injured. At least 1,500 are still missing. There have been more than 150 aftershocks. Throughout the weekend, the crisis escalated with explosions at a nuclear power plant. Millions are without food, safe drinking water, and heat in near-freezing temperatures. Aid has been slow in arriving due the enormity of the crisis and the destroyed infrastructure in the area.

We have affiliate missionaries in Japan. They are Ray & Georgia Landis from Madison Church of God (Great Lakes Region) serving with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). I wrote them this morning and got this response: "All the pastors of TEAM churches in the devastated area have been contacted and are safe. Ray went to the grocery store last night to get some supplies. The faces of the customers looked so dark and hopeless. The only thing they can do is hoard their supplies of food and basic necessities. Please pray that we will be in the right place at the right time to give hope to those who have no one to go to. Pray for CRASH, Christian Relief Assistance Support and Hope, an organization started several years ago to help during times like this. Several TEAM missionaries are directly involved in this disaster relief organization. If you have a Facebook account you will find updates at CRASH Love On Japan."

According to the TEAM website, "...all TEAM personnel are accounted for and safe.  Transportation infrastructure, telephone and cell phone communications are being restored.  One TEAM missionary reports: “Gas is being rationed, batteries and food staple supplies are low in stores, and we anticipate planned electricity outages, but otherwise our lives are almost normal. This isn't true for tens of thousands of Japanese...."
We received inquiries soon after the tsunami warnings in regard to the Kapakus in Hawaii and the Sarvers in Thailand. Their locations were not impacted by the tsunami, and both couples are fine.

If you or your church wish to contribute to the relief efforts in Japan, I would encourage direct assistance to one of four evangelical organizations:

1. TEAM with whom the Ray & Georgia Landis are serving;
2. World Vision
3. Mennonite Central Committee; or
4. Samaritan's Purse

You can go to those websites to donate online or to find their mailing address.

Pray for the relief workers, that God would grant them safety and stamina. Pray for the Christians of Japan that they would be able to mobilize relief efforts and provide for people's needs, both physical and spiritual. Nearly 70% of the Japanese claim no personal religion, even though the influences of Buddhism and Shintoism dominate society. Christians make up less than 2% of the population. Pray that the response of Christian aid organizations will open hearts and minds to the one Source of love and mercy. Thank you!

Dental Professionals Requested!

Two dental teams are being scheduled for Haiti this fall. Here is the information from team leader Michael Wheeler:

• A Sept. 17-24 team will serve at Borel, Haiti. A dentist, an assistant, a hygienist and a couple support personnel are already committed to this team. We can use additional dental professionals (dentist, assistant, hygienist)  as well as a few support personnel.

• A second team is lined up for the following week (Sept. 24 - Oct 1) probably in Pierre Payen, Haiti. There are currently two dentists considering this week. Two dental assistants and a couple support people are already committed to go. We can use additional dental professionals (dentist, assistant, hygienist) as well as a few support personnel.

At this point both teams will be limited to a total of 12 people. First priority has to go to the dentists; after that the next priority is to staff 2 assistants/dentist or at least 3 assistants per 2 dentists. Next would be hygienists and then 2-3 support personnel per team. We would like to fill both of these teams with at least 2 dentists, 3-5 assistants, 2-4 hygienists and 2-3 support personnel, but we will take whatever size team that we can recruit.

 

If you are considering either of these teams, it would be helpful to know that within the next couple weeks. Please email Michael at dental teams and indicate which date you prefer. Thanks!

 

Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org

UnveilinGLORY Seminar this Saturday!

I will be presenting a full 5-session UnveilinGLORY seminar at Union Chapel Church of God this Saturday, March 12 from 9:00am - 3:00pm. The church is located at 17983 CR A, Bryan, OH. Sometimes referred to as Cat 'n Dog Theology, a UnveilinGLORY seminar seeks to bring Christians to a point where glorifying God becomes their passion…and to take that passion to the nations. The material really impacted my life when I was first exposed to it in 2003. I’ve seen the perspective of Christians radically altered by the Bible’s truth about God’s glory and our relationship to it. 

The seminar is FREE, including lunch. Please contact Pastor Jim Wilder wilderj@findlay.edu if you are coming so they can make adequate preparations for lunch.

To view sample videos of the content, go to UnveilinGLORY videos.

Steve Mossburg reports that the Andy & Theresa Snyder family have moved into the house on the Borel compound that was being prepared for them. The Snyders are currently on a 3-month assignment to assist with a heavy schedule of teams in Haiti through the winter months. They will return to the States in early spring to continue support raising and their training at Mission Training International. Their support account is CC 2765. Pray for them as they continue preparation for full-time placement.
 
The New Beginnings Church (MRC) team returns back to the States from Haiti today. Pray for them, especially as air travel attempts to get back to "normal" in the aftermath of the blizzard in the midwest.

Pastor Joseph in Kenya communicated over the weekend that areas of the country are again being impacted by drought and famine. This is true for churches east of Nairobi as well as in other areas. He shared that he is presently hosting three families in his church who have been looking for food. Four of the churches have been left without pastors who have gone to look for jobs in other towns to feed their families. He says the government is sending relief but it is barely enough. $600 was requested to help provide emergency relief for the worst cases. Funds are being sent this week from our Kenya Ministries account. If you wish to assist in replenishing these funds so we can respond to additional needs, please designate CC 2831 and send to:  CGGC, P.O. Box 926, Findlay, OH 45839.

A total of 238 CGGC churches gave to the CCM designated budget in 2010. We are very thankful for every contribution--great or small. Special recognition goes to Hanover 1st Church of God (ERC)—pastored by Jerry Shoap—which led all CGGC churches in total designated giving with $83,082. The Top 25 list (in order) includes:

1.    Hanover 1st, ERC
2.    Shippensburg 1st, ERC
3.    Olive Branch, MRC
4.    College First, GLC
5.    Indian Head, ARC
6.    Mt.Carroll, MRC
7.    Carlisle First, ERC
8.    Zanesville, MRC
9.    High View, ERC
10.    Germantown, ERC
11.    Lancaster 1st, ERC
12.    Mt. Pleasant, ARC
13.    Chambersburg 1st, ERC
14.    Wooster 1st, GLC
15.    CrossPoint, GLC
16.    Latrobe 1st, ARC
17.    Casey White Oak, MRC
18.    Tulip, MRC
19.    Martinsburg, ERC
20.    Edgewood, ERC
21.    Enola 1st, ERC
22.    Newburg 1st, ERC
23.    Elizabethtown 1st, ERC
24.    Eberly’s Mill, ERC
25.    Leadwood 1st, WRC

Through our relationship with New Life Stockholm and New Life Gothenburg churches in Sweden, their Harvest Field Tour group will be making some CGGC stops during their month-long visit to the States in March. The purpose of the tour group of 8 persons (led by Pastor John van Dinther) is to communicate in creative and relevant ways the need for missionaries, prayer and financial support for the planting of churches in Sweden, especially in the capital city of Stockholm. Their presentations will feature video, a concert or worship experience, testimonies, and a report on how God is at work through church planting in Sweden. Their CGGC itinerary will include:

Monday, February 28  Tulip Church of God (MRC)   7 p.m.  (home church of Jim & Kasie Brinson, who just completed serving 1 year in Gothenburg)
Tuesday, March 1     Winebrenner Theological Seminary  Sharing over pizza between evening classes and during vespers
Wednesday, March 2   Findlay Area Rally at WTS TLB Auditorium    7 p.m.
Thursday, March 3     Mt. Pleasant Church of God (ARC)    7 p.m.
Friday, March 4       Middletown First Church of God (ERC)    7 p.m. (home church of Kara Shifler, who did an internship in Gothenburg)

If you live in any of these areas, plan now to hear this special presentation. You will be glad you did!

Special need: The Sweden team needs a 12-passenger van for this CGGC portion of their tour. Renting might be an option, but if your church has a van available for all or some of these days, please call me (419.424.1961) to discuss it.

New prayer cards for Donna Binkley and Doug & Anna-Karin Molgaard will be sent out soon to all churches and donors. Thanks so much for your partnership with these and all CCM missionaries.

Caleb & Christina Acosta and I just had a wonderful weekend in California visiting three of the churches. Caleb preached at the quarterly meeting of the Eldership held at Farmersville, and then at Fallbrook on Sunday morning and at San Diego on Sunday afternoon. Christina also sang during those worship services. This provided a great opportunity for the Acostas to connect with the Latino pastors. We rejoice that the Latino churches there are growing and planning to plant more churches. Continue to pray for the Thermal church which is being forced to find another location in which to worship (due to "imminent domain" being exercised over the building they have been renting for some years).

Did you get your copy of Operation World--the Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation? This 978-page resource is loaded with clear, concise, accurate information on peoples, languages, religions, denominations, spiritual trends, and prayer needs--for every country in the world, from the largest to the smallest. A $24.99 retail value, you can order it from CGGC Publications for ONLY $14.99, plus shipping. Email Kris at publications@cggc.org.
Blessed to be a blessing,

Don Dennison, Director
CGGC Cross-Cultural Ministries
missions@cggc.org