By Rob Flood

One of the most lasting melodies written in all of music is the theme to the end of Ludwig van Beethoven’s 9th symphony. We are most familiar with the English words set to the melody:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

This is a melody that has lasted two centuries. In the context of the opus of all mankind, this melody stands out as memorable, singable, and reverent. We can marvel at such beauty and be glad for such genius. But we must not lose sight of one very important and relevant fact: it was written by a deaf man.

The theme recognized by much of the western world was never heard by its composer.

Now, I don’t want to elevate Beethoven to an unhelpful place but I do want to learn something from him. Amidst his many quirks and eccentricities, along with his many sinful patterns, there was a clarity about his purpose in life. He was confident that God made him to compose. He endured a father that discouraged his original compositions. He endured a life of ridicule for his personality and insecurities. And then, most ironically, he endured increasing deafness for most of his life until it overtook him.

Any one such trial could throw a person off his game…distract him from his purpose. But the combination of all of these, and more, still did not shut down the composer inside of the heart of Beethoven.

We, like Beethoven, have been given a purpose. We are called to serve the King. We are called to adore the God of glory…the Lord of love. Not just with our flowering hearts, but with our surrendered lives.

Some of us face trials right out of the gate. Others of us face them while we’re serving. And still others face the trial of their responsibility seemingly outgrowing their ability. We are quick to fall into discouragement…quick to be distracted from what God has called us to. We are quick to pull back, protect ourselves, and pull out of the fight. When we do this, when we stop serving because serving is costly or too hard, we forget the character and power of the God we serve.

Is anything too hard for our God? God used a deaf man to write a timeless symphony. Is anything too hard for our God? The very power of sin and death were overcome with the sinless sacrifice of the Son of God. We’ve been freed and purchased and adopted and sanctified. Is anything too hard for our God? The resounding answer from all of redemptive history is, “No!”

Are there ways you’ve been serving that have worn you down? Are there areas where you feel unneeded or underappreciated? Do you feel called to serve in an area of weakness? We must remember God:

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

If God can use a deaf man to write a timeless symphony, he can use you to serve in weakness.

By Doug Hayes

Church history has taught us that ministries of mercy are often erroneously equated with evangelism. Even today, some would say that we proclaim the gospel by meeting physical needs, breaking the chains of oppression and setting people free from multigenerational conditions of poverty and suffering. At best, evangelism is an afterthought; at worst, it’s not a thought at all, or it’s presumed to be inherent in deeds that reflect God’s justice and mercy.

On the other hand, some would claim that it’s not the mission of the church to care for the poor at all. They would view a strong emphasis on social justice as inherently worldly, an exchange of the eternally glorious, life-giving gospel for the culturally popular goal of making poverty history. The job of the church is to evangelize, not to combat poverty. After all, they might argue, what good is it to fill the stomachs of people who are on their way to hell?

So which one is it? Is the church to be concerned with evangelism, or is care for the poor supposed to be a high priority for God’s people?

Yes.

It is the job of the church to preach the gospel, and it is the job of the church to care for the poor. Too often, these two high callings are treated as an “either-or” proposition, but Scripture calls us to a “both-and” embracing of the two. We are called very clearly to preach the gospel, and we are called very clearly to serve the poor. One should not be done to the exclusion of the other, nor does our obedience to one fulfill our mandate for the other.

It’s important to recognize the difference between evangelism and mercy ministry. They are members of the same family, but they are not one and the same. The former is the all-important proclamation of the gospel, the latter a demonstration of the gospel’s effect on the life of the one who would proclaim it. Both are beautiful displays of the many-faceted mercies of God, whose compassions come in many colors though they flow from one source in the cross. And both are priorities that must find expression in our lives if we are to be faithful to our calling as disciples of Christ.

I believe that we as Christians need to become more comfortable with the fact that God is glorified through our merciful actions, regardless of whether or not they lead to the salvation of the person we’re ministering to. If you faithfully care for a suffering friend or family member over a period of years, yet that person dies without Christ, you have not wasted your time. You have greatly glorified God through perseverant, merciful action! This may seem like a startling statement at first, but Scripture does not command us to serve marginalized and suffering people merely as a pretense for evangelism. We care for the poor as a means of reflecting the merciful and loving character of God. When we faithfully do that, his name is glorified. The eternal results are his alone to determine.

Does this mean we’re off the hook for evangelism? Can we simply care for people’s physical needs and leave it to God to make the gospel known to them? No. The greatest mercy of all – the mercy that makes all other mercies possible – is God’s desire to forgive repentant sinners through faith in Jesus Christ. If we neglect this greatest mercy, can we honestly call ourselves compassionate people?

When Paul and Barnabas received their commission from the other apostles to take the gospel to the Gentiles, they were specifically exhorted to "remember the poor" (Gal. 2:10). Despite their primarily evangelistic mission – in terms of salvation history, perhaps the most important evangelistic mission ever – they were not excused from the priority of serving the poor.

And don’t you love Paul? This man is not looking for excuses! Rather, he says that remembering the poor was the very thing he was eager to do. Regardless of his unique role as evangelist and church planter, Paul was eager to be a “both-and” Christian.

Where the gospel is preached, it is to be accompanied by care for the poor. Where the poor are relieved of their suffering, it is to be done in the name of Christ with the good news of the gospel on our lips. May these two towering mandates of Scripture be for us – as they were for Paul – the very thing we are eager to do, for the glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom.

By Rob Flood

A recent article came out in LifeScience referencing a study done on human personalities and whether they change over time or not.  The article is titled, “Personality Set for Life by 1st Grade, Study Suggests.” 

The article says flatly:

Our personalities stay pretty much the same throughout our lives, from our early childhood years to after we're over the hill, according to a new study.

The results show personality traits observed in children as young as first graders are a strong predictor of adult behavior.

So, join me on a little journey back to when you were 6 or 7 years old.  What were you like?  What things interested you?  How did you interact with others?  What was your perception of people?  … of work?  …of your teacher? 

Now, join me back in the present.  What are you like?  What things interest you?  How do you interact with others?  What is your perception of people?  …of work?  …of those in authority over you?

Now, consider the following statements from the article and see if you agree:

"We remain recognizably the same person," said study author Christopher Nave, a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Riverside. "This speaks to the importance of understanding personality because it does follow us wherever we go across time and contexts."

If you agree and see continuity between then and now, then praise God.

• He is the one who knit you together in your mother’s womb and made you in a fearful and wonderful way.
• Even the parts of your personality that you wish had changed, but haven't, serve as platforms for praise.  They keep you close to God and regularly aware of your dependence upon grace...not personality growth.
• God uses the personality He's given you for your good, the good of others, and His glory.

If you disagree and see discontinuity between then and now, then praise God.

• He is the one who orchestrated events to occur that have shaped you into the man or woman that you are now.
• You likely are seeing the impact of the gospel in your life.  Earth shattering truth like the foregiveness of sins and peace with God will change a person...even a personality.
• God uses the personality He's given you for your good, the good of others, and His glory.

The bottom line: God is still God.  I’m glad there are folks that study this stuff and write their findings.  I’m glad because, in all honest work that observes mankind, we can always detect ways to fall on our faces and worship God. 

Your personality…love it or hate it…is a creation from our God intended for his purposes.  Whether it is to draw you close or use you mightily, it is a tool in the hand of our good and gracious Creator…who knew what He was doing when He formed you.

By Rob Flood

As a church, we can often look to those who lead and teach us and see the fruit of their ministry. We are grateful for those leaders and we are thankful to God for the fruit we enjoy in our lives. What may be less obvious but no less real is the fruit that exists in the leaders’ lives because of the ministry of those in the church. Simply put, the lives of the members of the church are stronger because of their leaders…and the lives of the leaders are stronger because of the members of the church.

This is our story at Covenant Fellowship Church. And, as a church, we had a recent display of the fruit of our church’s ministry in the lives of one of their leaders: Dave Harvey.

As you may know, Dave has recently written a book called Rescuing Ambition. In addition to expounding upon the Scriptures, Dave has included many stories of many people from our church. These examples exist because of the faith and fruit that has resulted from members of this church living out the gospel in real life.

Well, on July 28th, Dave was the featured guest on Desiring God Live: a two-hour interview broadcast through www.desiringgod.com . If you saw it, you know that God was honored and the Covenant Fellowship Church was well represented. If you missed it, you can watch it below.

Thank God for fruit in the mission…both in the members and in the leaders. Truly, what do we have that we have not received? We are thankful to God for his faithfulness. May he use this interview, this book, but primarily the witness of this church for his glory in the mission. 

By Rob Flood

Summer is almost over. Do you remember June 1st? You know, the day you had a boatload of helpful plans for the summer. This summer was going to be when those books got read, those neighbors got reached, those household jobs got done. Well, let me break the news to you gently: THE END IS NEAR!!!!!

August is just around the corner and the summer is in its waning moments. If this reality floods your heart with panic and guilt, then your summer has been as productive as my summer. I don’t know what happened this year, but I want the police to find the thief who stole July out of our summer calendars.

Take heart, fellow mourners. There is time yet to be redeemed. If you thought this summer was the perfect time to have your neighbors over to build relationally with them, there is still time. If you had your heart set on finally attending a Second Saturday, you’ll be glad to know that August has one…it’s on the first Saturday.

Or, maybe you wanted to read through the New Testament this summer. If you open your Bibles, I assure you the thief who stole July has left your Bible in tact…it’s in there still. If this was the summer you were going to learn more about the fathers of the Reformation, their deeds have not changed just because the month does.

There’s still time.

We live lives that orient around the summer, with all new ambitions scheduled to begin the fall. Yet, the call of mission…of treasuring, proclaiming, and growing in the gospel of Jesus Christ…is a 12 month call. If you had high hopes for June, July, and August…you can still fulfill those goals for August, September, and October. While the end of summer is near, we need not panic. Ours is not a summer calling. We are not called to present our summers as living sacrifices, but our lives. And, if your life is like mine, it’s lived all 12 months of the year.

As much as we’d all have preferred to have July back, we must remember that God’s mercy and grace are new every morning…not just on summer days. Take heart…but still take action.

By Rob Flood

 When we think of carrying out a mission, we can become pretty task driven.  For those of us who get serious about it, we can be caught putting our heads down, our shoulders to the grind stone, and get about the work of getting the work done. The problem with this, however, is that, when we look up, we can find ourselves carrying out the mission alone.

 There is an added temptation for those of us with families.  Why?  Because we can think that carrying out the mission with our family is the same as carrying out the mission in community.  As important as it is to labor in the gospel with our families, we need a vision that sees beyond that. 

 Let’s just take a moment to define the mission of our church for those who may yet be unfamiliar:

 We exist to treasure, proclaim, and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 When this clearly defined mission is being carried out in the context of community, there are two key symptoms that we will see:

1. Speaking the mission: When community is functioning in mission, we will talk about it with others committed to the same mission. Questions such as, " How are you treasuring God during this season?" will come up in conversation when you are talking with friends. Testimonies of times you’ve shared the gospel, even when it’s gone bad, will be common when talking with brothers and sisters in this church.  We will seek out discussion of specific areas of sin in our lives and solicit help from others.
   
   In short, when mission is functioning in community, we’re going to talk about it.  We’re going to live open lives before each other and seek help while we also offer help to others who are seeking help. 
    
2. Doing the mission:  Our shoulders ought never be the only ones set to the grindstone of the mission.  Too many of us have been called to labor together for any of us to labor alone.  Whether that means hitting the streets doing evangelism or whether that means pursuing prayer for a challenge at work or in your home, community means that we do it with others.
   
   We study the Scriptures, we parent our children, we pursue purity, we handle our finances, we resolve conflicts…together.  We do it in community.  This is how the mission happens when the mission happens well.

 There is a great obstacle that creeps up separating mission from community: pride.  In our pride, we don’t always want people knowing where we are weak, where we need help.  We don’t want to do street evangelism with someone because they may see just how scared we are.  We don’t want their help in parenting, not because we don’t need it, but because we’d have to admit we don’t know what to do.

 Just think…if the dam of our pride could just burst, the grace that would flow into our lives.  In each and every area of mission, community is an asset, not a liability.  It is what God intended when He saved us to the Body of Christ.  It is the only real way to treasure, proclaim, and grow in the gospel of Jesus.

By Rob Flood

As a church, we exist to treasure, proclaim, and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We all agree with that.  We rally around the truths contained in that sentence.  Each element of that sentence has its own particular expressions in our church.  But, as we carry out our mission together, are we aware of what feeds and supports and defines what it means to treasure, proclaim, and grow?

The regular preaching of God’s Word is both fiber and fuel of the muscles of mission.  It is fiber in that it provides the substance and material of the muscle.  It is fuel in that the Spirit flows through our mission like blood and adrenaline through the muscle.  He gives the mission, defines the mission, and enables the mission.  And he does this most commonly and powerfully through the preaching of his Word.

Some churches have set aside proclaiming the Word for the sake of mission.  It isn’t friendly enough to guests.  Or, it isolates the church from the community.  Isn’t that time better spent sharing the gospel rather than sitting in front of a long, Christian speech?  If we remove the preached Word, how, then, will we treasure, proclaim, and grow in the truth?  By removing it, we strip our mission of muscle.  By removing it, we leave ourselves passionately sold out to a shell of a mission that will end up with little substance.

When the preached Word is central to our worship, we are more aware of the glorious truths of the gospel that we treasure.  We know God to greater depths.  We see his blessings in greater breadths.  His holiness seems higher.  His mercy greater.  His love richer.

When the preached Word is central to our worship, we see the vast hopelessness of the lost and we are driven, through truth, to proclaim.  Our fear of man is diminished in light of the truth of eternal judgment.  Our compassion is greater for their condition.  Our patience is greater when seeing or suffering from their sin. 

When the preached Word is central to our worship, we understand and appreciate what it means to walk with the Lord and we grow in the gospel of grace.  We grow more into Christ’s likeness as we know more of Christ.  We grow in grace as we experience the grace and love of God’s commitment to his children. 

As a church, we are strengthened in our mission through our commitment to the preached Word.  And, as a church, our mission is furthered as we commit to purposeful listening to the preached Word.  We come to church, not to endure the message but be transformed by it.  We sit under preaching not to pay our dues but to hear from God. 

The preaching principle is not simply a commitment to preaching, but a commitment to subject ourselves to the truth and power contained in the preached Word.  As a church, we ought not be satisfied that we set aside time each Sunday for preaching.  Our joy, our satisfaction in preaching ought only be achieved when we have placed ourselves under that preaching.  When it has had its intended effect on our souls. 

We must never pit preaching against mission and we must never allow a devotion to mission to pull us from a devotion to preaching.  On the contrary, if we are serious about mission…we will be ever more serious about preaching.  And thankful for it.

By David Mayinja

As I write this blog, my heart overflows with gratefulness to God for the many friends He has given Covenant Mercies as an organization. Many of these friends set aside last Friday evening to attend Portraits of Hope, our main fundraising event of the year. They enjoyed an evening of mingling with friends, hearing updates about Covenant Mercies work with orphans in Uganda, Ethiopia, and Zambia; and bidding on David Sacks photography of the beautiful people and landscapes of Zambia. They opened their checkbooks and gave generously with the goal of enabling Covenant Mercies work to go further.  $60,000 has been raised so far, with more art yet to be sold on the web site.   

Many of Covenant Mercies friends are going beyond financial giving and sponsoring children enrolled in our Orphan Sponsorship Program, by volunteering to serve in different capacities on mission trips planned to the different locations where we work. This summer and fall, a number of teams are in the works to serve in diverse ways the children we care for and the communities in which they live. They include:

Grace2Uganda – This is a group of seven members of Grace Bible Church of North Philadelphia that will be traveling to Uganda in June to serve the teachers and students at New Life School in Nagongera. Covenant Mercies began construction on the school in the fall of 2008 with the goal of providing the children with a quality Christian education. Currently of the one hundred and forty students registered in the school, ninety eight are enrolled in the Sponsorship program. The group from Grace Bible Church, mainly composed of educators, will be teaching some classes and will also conduct some teacher training workshops. One of the team members who is a registered nurse will be helping our nurses to develop a Wellness program for the children.

Education Consultants – Two members of Covenant Fellowship Church with a wealth of administration experience in Christian schools will dedicate part of their summer to travel to Uganda to work with the leadership of New Life School on long-term strategic development. They will be helping the administration to create a 5-year strategic plan and will also conduct a workshop for the teachers focusing on the goals of Christian education.

Medical Team – A team of medical professionals is being assembled to travel to our other Ugandan program, in the remote village of Kiburara, this October. The team will bring much needed medical care and drugs to the children enrolled in our Sponsorship Program, and to the community at large.

How to pray

• That God would prepare each individual who will be involved in these mission trips to serve with a servant attitude and with humility
• That God would provide financially for all individuals volunteering to be part of these trips
• For safety in travel and during the stay, and for good health for everyone involved
• That teams would work well together with our staff and brethren on the ground
• That the gospel would be proclaimed powerfully through works of mercy

Thanks for praying with us.  And thank you for the many ways you partner with us in serving the orphan, the widow, and many other underprivileged people throughout the communities in which we work.

By David Mayinja

In September 2009, Covenant Mercies welcomed Moses Etyang as Program Coordinator in Nagongera, Uganda…our largest program.  Moses is a gifted administrator and also an associate pastor with Nagongera Gospel Center, the church with whom we partner to administer our Orphan Sponsorship Program.   In his position as an associate pastor, Moses faithfully served Covenant Mercies as a volunteer on numerous projects before joining the ministry on a full time basis.                      
                                                    
                                                        

In the eight months Moses has been with our organization, he has, through his excellent leadership, helped the staff in Nagongera become more efficient in serving the growing needs of our sponsored children.  He is excited and encouraged by the obvious impact of the program on the children and how they are flourishing under the faithful sponsorship just like you.  In a recent conversation he pointed out how the program has impacted the children and the community:

 

Education – Many of the children were destined to drop out of school at an early age to support their households.  Now, they are able to stay in school as the program pays for their educational requirements including tuition, uniforms, school lunches, and school supplies. By providing for an education these children, their potential vocational opportunities have been increased. There is now hope for them to escape the cycle of perpetual poverty and subsistence living they were otherwise destined for.

Basic needs – The program has eliminated the looming threats of hunger, homelessness, and no health care.  Nutritional supplies are provided on a monthly basis to every child and their caregivers.  Covenant Mercies has also established a medical clinic, a well stocked pharmacy, and two full-time nurses to extend crucial medical care to the children and their caregivers. Those that have AIDS have been enrolled in a treatment program and are receiving treatment and counseling.  All the children in the program have been provided with treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria infections.  In the absence of all this help, many of these children would not have been able to afford food or to access medical care.  As a result, many would have probably died of malnutrition or treatable diseases. But now, because of the work of Covenant Mercies, God’s mercy is evident and serve as a significant witness of Christ’s love to the community of Nagongera.

The family homes - Covenant Mercies built five orphan family homes which have offered shelter and family life to over fifty orphaned children that do not have any relatives to care for them. They are receiving parental love and a Christian upbringing.  They are strengthened daily by the devotions conducted by their caregivers in the homes and are growing and thriving spiritually, as well as physically and emotionally. Some of these children were at the point of death when they were taken in by Covenant Mercies, and others were homeless. They are now getting regular meals; they are healthy and enrolled in school. They have been protected from many dangerous situations and exploitation.

Water – The wells that have been drilled in the community have provided safe clean water for the children and for many other people in the surrounding areas. They no longer have to walk long distances to fetch water from stagnant pools or dirty streams. This has reduced occurrence of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.  This alone has significantly improved the quality of life of the children and people in the community.

As sponsors of the children in our programs and supporters of the work of this organization, you have made possible all that Moses bears witness to. You are giving many children hope and a chance to reach their God-given potential. But it’s more than that.  Through these acts of mercy, performed in the name of Christ and by those locally who serve Christ, these children experience the truth of the gospel each day.  And, far more than simply reaching their God-given potential, they are able to actually come to faith in Christ.  Thank you for giving these children these eternal opportunities. 

 

If you want to play a part in the mission of Covenant Mercies in Africa by sponsoring a child, click here.

By Rob Flood

 

When we think of the mission of the gospel, we often think of using tools such as tracts or even drink giveaways.  We can think of car washes and guest Sundays.  These are all good and useful and ought to be utilized for the glory of God.  But do you ever think of our website?

 

Our website is chock full of tools that can be used for helping others, encouraging others, even leading others to Christ.  Here’s a quick overview:

 

• VIDEO – Each week, normally on Thursday, a video clip of Sunday’s message gets posted on our website.  It often captures a compelling point from the message.  These can be very useful in posting on personal blogs, Facebook pages, etc.  Additionally, the urls can be sent to friends you’ve been witnessing to or even to souls who you know to be struggling in those specific areas. 
• SERMON ARCHIVES – The audio of each our Sunday messages is available going all the way back to 2008.  Wow!  What a resource!  Considering the amount of Scripture that has been covered in that period of time, along with the amount of topics that have been addressed, this is food from the Word for folks to ingest.  Again, links can be posted on blogs or Facebook, emailed, or converted into CDs to be handed out.
• CHURCH-WIDE BLOG – Every Monday through Friday, a new blog entry is posted.  Mondays feature a word from our Senior Pastor.  Tuesdays feature something specifically intended for the ladies.  Wednesdays feature either marriage or parenting help / encouragement, Thursdays feature something specifically intended for the guys.  And Fridays, like this one, are intended either to help you in the mission or inform you of things related to the mission.  Short to read…easy to recommend.
• ACTS BLOG – Jared is regularly posting entries on this series-specific blog.  This may be further thoughts on something from the message or information / quotes that never made it to the final message on Sunday.  Definitely worth checking regularly.
• NON-SUNDAY AUDIO – There is much teaching available on our site.  Venues include those in Family and Married Life such as our recent Married Couples Meetings.  They also include Youth and Cross Culture, Singles and College meetings, and discipleship courses such as Grow and Vital Life.
• OUTREACH – There are resources and information available for our many outreach venues and materials.  If you have a heart for the lost and for evangelism, there is plenty there for you.
• COVENANT MERCIES – A heart for the poor?  …for the orphan?  Covenant Mercies can help out.  Regular Friday blog contributors Doug Hayes and David Mayinja busily and effectively serve orphans throughout several nations in Africa.  You can learn of the ministry, find things to pray for, and ways to participate through the website.

 

And these are just some of the tools openly at your disposal as you consider your own soul and the souls of those in your neighborhoods, your families, and your places of work.  And none of them cost you a dime.  The are possible because of generous giving, but free for the user.  No risk…lots of value.  Now, those are some effective mission tools at our WEBSITE!

By Doug Hayes

A few years ago I almost drove off the road as I was listening to an NPR report about public outrage over the rising cost of cable television.  A service that had cost my Dad about $7/month when he first signed up during the early 80s was now taking a much heftier chunk out of people’s budgets… and they were livid.  Consumers were demanding that the government step in to regulate the cost of cable TV, and the government was actually doing it!  

As someone who has never been a cable TV subscriber, I found this somewhat bewildering.  When was cable adopted into the family of air and water, which the government has an interest in ensuring for all citizens?  I guess Sting was right… we want our MTV!  And we will even use the coercion of government to get it at a price we can afford.  

Wherever you may fall on the spectrum of opinion regarding free markets vs. government regulation, surely you will agree that a person who doesn’t like the increasing cost of cable TV has the option of simply canceling the service.  While one cannot stop using air or water, it’s difficult to argue that Comcast’s Triple Play belongs in the same category.  I was reminded of this liberating truth recently when I received a letter from a sponsor in our Orphan Sponsorship Program.  We’ll call him Stan.  He was writing to let me know how glad he was that he had prioritized the sponsorship of his child over his MTV.  In his own words:

“Canceling my Television and giving this money to support a child is one of the best things I ever did.  It makes me feel glad I can do this, and I don’t miss my TV at all.”

Stan went on to say that he’d recently lost his wife of 61 years.  In such circumstances, many people would use TV as a comfort, as noise to fill the emptiness of an all-too-quiet house.  But he is more content to invest that money into the life of a child whom he will never meet in this life.  In this, Stan reminded me of the early church in the book of Acts.  

Have you noticed the way the early Christians sacrificed for the needs of others?  Multiple times in the Acts account, we hear that there was not a needy person among them because they were actually selling their possessions to be able to give to others.  And this practice that began for the benefit of their own friends and neighbors eventually spilled over for the good of unknown people far away, as they heard of an impending famine in Jerusalem and gave generously toward the saints there (Acts 11).  

I have had to ask myself… when was the last time I sold some of my possessions so that I’d have more to give to others in need?  Honestly, I don’t know that I’ve ever done that.  Most of us tend to have enough cushion in our budgets to give without feeling much pain.  But I wonder if the current economic tightening isn’t an opportunity to grow in giving like the early Christians gave.  

This kind of giving can be countercultural and liberating.  I don’t know the specifics of Stan’s situation, but apparently his budget presented him with a choice between continuing his Sponsorship or continuing his TV service.  He didn’t have enough to fund both.  Our consumerist culture would tell him that life won’t be the same without his cable TV (or without 4G phone service, or fill-in-the-blank with the next cool innovation to come down the pike), but Stan knows better.  He has chosen to “be generous and ready to share,” and in so doing he has taken hold of “that which is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:17-19).  He has chosen wisely, and he would testify that it’s one of the best things he’s ever done.  He doesn’t miss his TV at all!  

After all, it isn’t air or water.    

By Dave Harvey

Editor’s Note:  Periodically, Dave Harvey posts blogs on CJ Mahaney’s blog for pastors called “View from the Cheap Seats & Other Stuff.”  The focus of Dave’s contribution is the same as our Friday focus here at the CFC blog: mission.  Below is a post from Dave about our churches in Juárez, Mexico.  As you pray for our churches, pray for the people and nation of Mexico as they endure and seek to survive the recent and ongoing bouts of violence.

You may have seen reports of the murders of three people associated with the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, Mexico, earlier this month. Sadly, these are among the latest of thousands of murders in the city of Juárez and elsewhere in Mexico as the country battles drug traffickers. The weekend of the Consulate shootings, 28 other people were murdered in Juárez alone. Stunning doesn’t quite capture it; it’s devastating, a social shock to the people of Juárez.

We recently received some updates and prayer requests from Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Cd. Juárez, the Sovereign Grace church in that city, and wanted to pass them along to you. Will you join us in praying for believers in Juárez?

First, some more specifics. As Mexico’s war on the drug cartels continues, the city of Juárez is embroiled in violence. On average, at least seven people have been murdered every day since 2009, including more than 500 murders since January. The violence is not limited to those involved in drug trafficking—innocent bystanders, including children, are among those killed. In addition, the city is facing a crime wave in which anyone can be a target of kidnapping, armed robbery, and extortion.

This ongoing social catastrophe has far-reaching effects. About 5,000 businesses have closed, and some estimate that as much as 15–20% of the city’s population has left. Those who remain face the daily threat of ruthless violence.

Carlos Contreras is senior pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Cd. Juárez (Sovereign Grace Church of Juárez). For more than 20 years this church has been a faithful gospel witness in their city. They have trained a number of pastors and leaders and in 2006 planted another church in Aquascalientes, Mexico. And they’re continuing to preach the gospel faithfully in spite of the trials they’re facing.

After describing the violence in Juárez Carlos writes,

But there is good news also. The church in the city remains strong and has apparently become the only remaining source of hope for many people. We all pray and we pray a lot, and we pray boldly and we pray publicly for God to intervene in a miraculous way to change things and to do justice. But mostly we pray for revival and for the salvation of thousands.

Under the leadership of their pastoral team, Iglesia Gracia Soberana is taking the gospel to the streets. The most recent session of their Alpha class (an introductory class on the gospel) graduated 63 students, more than they’d ever had. The church is airing evangelistic programs on local TV. Earlier this month, 150 church members went to two busy intersections, handed out about 800 evangelistic tracts and about 200 New Testaments, and prayed for about 300 people. On Saturday they hit the streets again, handing out 6,000 invitations to church, 300 copies of the Gospel of John, and 200 New Testaments—and praying for 1,300 people.

Here’s a slideshow of their outreaches: 

My friends, this is authentic Christianity.

By David Mayinja

Have you ever received news that immediately turned your world upside down?  That’s what happened to Su Shannon and her husband the first week of January 2000. Su had recently suffered her second miscarriage and now her doctor informed her that she would never be able to bear children again!

The following weeks were difficult as Su came to terms with the news. Her dream of bearing more children had come to an end. Nonetheless, she and her husband and their two sons carried in their hearts a persistent hope that one day the Lord would make it possible for them to adopt a child that needed a family.
 
In the spring of 2004, they moved into a larger home with the hope of adding to their family through adoption. Unfortunately, the beautiful home they purchased turned out to be a white washed tomb that ended up depleting all their savings and retirement funds. As they later discovered, they had unwittingly purchased a house with toxic mold and infested by bats. They had to evacuate the house and throw away many of their earthly possessions.  They had just enough money to decontaminate the house but could not do the needed renovations. They chose to avoid getting into debt and trusted that the house would be restored as the Lord provided for them.  Hopes for adoption were deferred indefinitely

Five years later, they were still living with plywood floors, a makeshift kitchen, and two incomplete baths. They were tempted to get into a loan and invest in completing the renovations. However, the house had become a precious life lesson from the Savior reminding them that their treasures were not here on earth.  Su’s husband Danny led the charge as he directed their efforts towards investing in God’s work.  The house could wait, eternal investment couldn’t. With this in mind, the family decided to sponsor a child through Covenant Mercies Orphan Sponsorship Program. In the same period of time, they got news that Covenant Mercies was organizing a medical team to go and serve the community in Kiburara, Uganda. Su who was a professional nurse desired to serve on the team, but they did not have enough money to cover all her costs for the trip. So her husband coordinated a surprise 50th birthday party to raise the needed funds. They were able get enough contributions to add to their own money. In the midst of all the excitement Su realized that the team was actually going to serve in the community where their recently sponsored child lived!  She could barely wait to meet her.

On the third day after the team’s arrival in Uganda, Su finally met her sponsored child, Phiona. Recently Su commented on what that day was like for her: “That day will remain imbedded in my heart and mind forever! This beautiful little girl walked toward me with an inviting smile that immediately melted my heart.  Without hesitation she wrapped her little arms around me. It was as if we were re-uniting, not meeting for the first time! I told her about the joy that she had brought into our lives. Tears streaming from my awestruck eyes, I told her of our love for her and of our nightly prayers on her behalf. As we talked I discovered that Phiona was born on January 2nd, 2000!  The very week she was born, our family had begun to cry out to God for another child.  The Lord heard our prayers.  He had a marvelous plan.  Our journey was long and at times filled with sorrow; but our God in His perfect time had joined to our family a little orphaned girl from a remote village in Uganda.”



 
The Shannons are currently sponsoring two children through Covenant Mercies Sponsorship program. We are grateful to God for them and all of you that have sponsored children. We continue to trust God to make similar sovereign connections between new sponsors and our waiting children.

By Doug Hayes

I’ve been accused of consulting the Farmer’s Almanac for the timing my recent three-nation African tour, enabling me to get out of Dodge just before the skies opened up and dumped a historic accumulation of snow on our region.  Those uncharitable assumptions aside (I can’t help it if I’m lucky), my brave wife deserves a lot of credit for sending me off during such a time.  Not once did she ask me to turn myself around, come back home, and grab a shovel.  

My wife’s gracious response is partly due to the fact that she is a godly woman who understands her role as sender to be every bit as important as my role as go-er.  But her response to these challenging circumstances also points to the ministry of the body of Christ, our local church family, which kicked into high gear while I was half a world away.  

Truth be told, Rachel is always well cared for when I’m traveling.  We have a long list of friends who have insisted that she call if there’s anything she needs.  Often she has had no reason to take them up on their kind offers, but this time opportunities were in abundance.  Keep in mind, these are men with their own families, driveways, roofs, and gutters to worry about, taking time to concern themselves with mine.  There’s nothing like three feet of snow to bring out the best in the body of Christ!

When I arrived back home, I made a point of thanking everyone personally who helped my family while I was away.  One brother replied, “I felt in some small way that I was reaching Africa with every shovel full of snow.”  Now, I think he was also quite simply extending Christian love to my family and me, but his sentiment captures a beautiful truth about the way the body of Christ works.  All of us have different roles, capacities, and spiritual gifts, which provide us with various opportunities to serve.  Some of us may consider our roles fairly mundane, like shoveling snow.  But here’s the thing… as we serve one another faithfully in the role God has called us to play, we acquire a stake in the larger work the body is doing.  

Not all prophesy, not all preach, not all travel to Africa to build programs for orphaned children.  But as we serve one another according to our varied giftings, we all make a genuine, indispensible contribution toward the overall ministry of the church.  My friend was not merely shoveling snow at my house; he was making it possible for me to travel to Africa in February, confident that my family would be well cared for in my absence.  In that sense, he truly was “reaching Africa with every shovel full of snow.”

The same truth applies to every person who supports the ministry of Covenant Mercies or Covenant Fellowship in any way.  Perhaps you wish you could fly over there and lay your hands on those precious children yourself.  The reality is, if you give money so that David Mayinja or I can go, if you volunteer your time on the home front, or if you commit yourself to holding us up in prayer, you have made a contribution that is every bit as vital!  That may be hard to believe, but it’s absolutely true.  The whole body is built up, strengthened, and launched into service as each part does its work.  

When people thank me for the work I’m doing, I almost invariably reply – after making a point to receive their encouragement and gratitude – “We’re doing it together.”  Those aren’t obligatory words meant to deflect praise or project false humility.  Rather, they are my way of recognizing the beautiful reality that everything I do in ministry is only possible because of the participation of the broader body.  Nothing I do could be done by me alone.  

We’re reaching Africa together, through shovels-full of snow, through prayers, through gifts large and small, through words of encouragement, through time volunteered sacrificially, and through myriad other ways.   This is a body work, or it’s nothing at all. 

By Rob Flood

Tragedy is a very ironic thing, isn’t it?  In the midst of things that devastate our lives, hope strangely sprouts up out of the rubble.  You can sense this at funerals when, in the midst of losing a dear loved one, everyone’s minds and hearts turn toward eternity.  The question the worldly things they’ve valued and wonder about some greater purpose designed by some greater being.

You may recall the strange sprouts of hope in the wake of 9/11.  Great tragedy overwhelmed the country…especially those of us in the Northeast Corridor.  Yet, that very evening, churches were full of frightened, praying people.  The streets of NYC were at the same time filled with devastation and gospel sharing.

The strange sprouts of hope don’t make tragedy a welcomed visitor.  I mean, who wouldn’t turn back time and undo 9/11 if they could, right?  Yet, in the midst of unalterable and unwanted tragedy, God seems to be up to something of eternity.

In tragedy and trial, we all sense our need for God to one degree or another.

It’s the times of peace when we have to remind ourselves of our need for God. The times when the paycheck is coming, when work is plentiful, when friends abound, when health is good…these are the times of danger in our lives. 

Good times can cause us to forget our need…to live as though we have no need for God.  We turn to false gods of this world and find them sufficient.  They scratch our itch for something beyond us without costing us anything.  These are the times when we must beware.

In good times, we all struggle to sense our need for God.

Our need doesn’t change…we are as needy for God now as we were on the day we were created…as we will be on the day we pass on.  And our God doesn’t change.  He is as totally sufficient for all of our needs and being now as he ever was…or ever will be.  Our circumstances change.

Deuteronomy 8:11-20 gives us a great caution that begins with:

Take care lest you forget the LORD your God…

It warns the people of Israel of their prosperity.  When things are going really well… Take care lest you forget the LORD your God.  The manna was a daily reminder of their need for God in the desert.  Now, their bellies would be full from the produce of their new land.  And their need for God would be a bit more abstract.

It is here were we have two opportunities for the mission of the gospel.  One for us and one for others.

For Us:  We must take care that we don’t forget.  That we never out grow or out prosper our awareness of our need for God.  We must avoid loading the freight of our hope in the basket of our prosperity and accept both good and bad from God, trusting that all things will work together for our good.

For Others:  We have an opportunity to view others through this lens.  When things are good, we can help others check their souls…that they remain dependent upon God.  And when things are bad…when tragedy hits…we are prepared to share with them the unchanging love of an unchanging God for the unchanging state of our sin.

Sprouts of hope are not accidents…they are grace.  And trial and tragedy, though unwanted and unwelcomed visitors, need not come alone.  With God, they come with hope.

By Carlos Garcia

Have you ever visited another country where the predominant language is one you don’t understand? If you have, you can probably relate with many of our ESL students. Coming to the USA from another country is a life-changing experience. I know this first hand because I lived it myself a number of years ago. Moving to another country is not merely a geographical change. It typically involves many sacrifices, such as being removed from one’s network of friends and family, sometimes financial challenges, and in many cases, having to learn a new language.

Many times foreign people want to be integrated to American society but language difficulties can become a barrier. In the Scriptures, we see God’s heart for the foreigner and his desire to love and provide for them. Deuteronomy 10.18-19 says:

“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.”

As we seek to serve in this ministry, our prayer is that we can be God’s instruments. We can do this by showing God’s love to our students in the context of teaching the English language but even more important is our reaching out and extending our friendship and love to them.

One would think that serving in ministries such as ESL is a one-way ministry, where we are only giving to our students.  It is actually a two-way ministry.  While we help our students to learn the English language and culture of this country, we also learn much from them and their situations. For example, in seeing their experiences, we are reminded how we ought to see our time in this world from a spiritual perspective. 1 Peter 2:11 calls us to live as strangers in this world, looking forward to our future and permanent home which is in heaven. 

Last December we had an opportunity to see an example of this as we shared a meal with all our students.  Everybody brought a dish from their country of origin and our time was a blast!  We learned from their traditions, their countries and tasted their wonderful food.  As I talked with many of them, they shared with me that living in this country was a great experience, full of opportunities and new challenges.  At the same time, some of them also shared with joy experiences of their home countries and it was evident that they had a longing to return there someday.

As I reflect on this experience and on 1 Peter 2:11, I am reminded that spiritually speaking I am also a foreigner in this world. I must think of my time in this world as temporary in contrast with the eternal life awaiting me with the Lord. This is something I tend to forget on a day to day basis. But this verse and my experience with our ESL students are a living reminder of how I must live in this world.  I should be yearning for my time in eternity, longing to someday be there as my joy-filled destination.

If you would like to learn more about ESL, you can check out our web page or contact the church and we will be happy to send more information to you.

By Doug Hayes

Whenever I’m visiting Covenant Mercies’ international programs in Uganda, Zambia, and Ethiopia, I always take at least one day to walk around the neighborhoods where the highest percentage of our children live.  Most of the children in our Orphan Sponsorship Program live full-time with extended family members, so my visits represent wonderful opportunities to observe the interactions of our field staff with the children and their guardians, and get a feel for the conditions our kids are growing up in. 

 

Today, as we walked through a slum neighborhood in Addis Ababa, I reached out to knock on the metal gate outside one of our children’s homes, caught a couple of my fingers on a jagged edge, and started to bleed.  As soon as my condition was evident, everyone around me jumped into action to help.  On a normal day, I would have stopped them all immediately because I travel with band aids and antiseptic cream in my backpack.  But today, since my luggage is somewhere only Ethiopian Airlines knows (or rather, I wish they knew!), I was unprepared to meet my own need.  My friend Tesfaye ran to a nearby shop to purchase band aids.  The grandmother whose home we were visiting rushed inside to grab some cotton balls and rubbing alcohol.  Quicker than you could say “Neosporin,” my wounds were cleaned and bandaged, and I was sitting down for coffee. 

 

The traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a delight for all the senses, and always an enriching experience on many levels.  It’s a humbling thing to enter a cramped shanty – with dirt floor, walls a patchwork of cardboard, plastic, and mud, and a makeshift roof pieced together with corrugated metal and plastic grain bags – to sit down, and be asked with great insistence (commanded may be more accurate) to stay for coffee and bread.  One might be tempted to decline on account of the disquieting thought of taking bread from someone who has so little.  “I don’t need this.  I eat too much already.  Maybe it would be better if I just gave them some money to fix the roof before rainy season.” 

 

I have long since abandoned such thinking, and I find the coffee difficult to turn down.  In fact, I believe that in most cases the best thing I can do – for my host and for myself – is to receive with gratitude.   

 

There’s something “equalizing” about sharing your need with others, especially others whom you perceive to be more needy than yourself.  I might be tempted to take on a “hero complex” toward those we are serving in Ethiopian slums, while they might be tempted to play the role of the helpless aid recipient.  When a woman jumps at the opportunity to clean my wounds or meet my need for refreshment, this is a demonstration of her dignity as a suitable contributor, and an opportunity for me to humble myself and receive.  Her actions have enriched me, and  I am indebted to her.  This is good medicine for both of us.  The ground is level at the foot of the cross.

 

I think I’ll continue traveling with band aids, but I was kind of glad I didn’t have them today.  And as for the coffee… smooooooooth is putting it mildly.  Don’t be too rich to receive it.  If you are, you may be more impoverished than you think. 

By Jessica Evans

 

Pastoral Note:  As the one that carries pastoral responsibility for the Pro-Life Ministry, I’ve invited Jessica to write about our recent experience in Washington, D.C.  Our hope as a pastoral team is simply to keep this issue in front of us all from time to time.  Often, perhaps too often, this is an issue that may drift from the front of our minds.  We encourage you all to pray for our legislators, our justices, our president, women with unwanted pregnancies, and the safety of the unborn.  Stefan Bomberger

 

On January 22nd, a group of twenty Covenant Fellowship Church members made the trip to Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life. Reports estimate that over 300,000 people came out in support of the pro-life cause: individuals from different states, different ages, races, religious backgrounds, and physical abilities were all united in our burden to protect the unborn.  These were record numbers!

 

As you may know, this year marks the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court's infamous Roe v. Wade abortion decision. Since the court ruling in 1973, a recent analysis (from the National Right to Life Committee) estimates that we have lost over fifty-two million children to abortion. This number is nearly impossible for us to wrap our minds around.  May this reality stir conviction in our hearts, that we would embody Doug Hayes’ Sanctity of Human Life message [click here] to “act justly,” extend mercy, and “walk humbly” as we speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 31:8).

 

Here are some questions that we can ask ourselves as we seek to embody Doug’s message:

• How am I representing the body of Christ?
• In my attempt to speak truth, am I doing so in a way that is condemning or that extends God’s love?
• Am I doing so in a way that recognizes and fully appreciates that I’ve undeservingly received mercy and forgiveness from God for my own sin through Jesus?

We should desire to share the redemptive truth of the gospel and extend that same mercy to the many women who have been wounded by abortion.

Here at CFC, our Pro-Life Ministry is helping to equip church members on how to engage others on the issue of abortion in gospel-centered, winsome ways.  In so doing, we hope to provide a context for meaningful pro-life outreaches and involvement in pro-life fundraisers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Rob Flood

 

Has your car even been out of alignment?  You know what I mean…when your car naturally drifts left…or drifts right.  What’s missing?  Why does it do this?  It’s lacking adjustments that stop the natural drift.

 

Christians, too, can automatically drift to one side or the other when it comes to the mission. 

 

Some drift to disengagement.  They consider their involvement in the mission to be restricted to church attendance, family time, and fellowshipping with friends.  They’re solid Christians but not aggressive on mission.

 

Some others engage mission with unbridled fervor.  They throw themselves into ministry of compassion: helping the poor, tending to the sick, encouraging and befriending the outcast.

 

And, perhaps the most difficult thing of all, is that each drifting faction attempts to proselytize the other.  The disengaged attempt to pull back to super-engaged.  And the super-engaged attempt to motivate and enlist the disengaged.

 

In the process of making cases and prosecuting perspectives, the alignment of the church can get out of whack.  Each group, though well-intended and well-motivated, needs adjustment.  Because of their intense focus on the trees, they’ve missed the forest.

 

The fix for both groups, and the key to alignment, can be found in the facts and implications of the work of Christ.  The song, Rock of Ages by Augustus Toplady, captures the message of adjustment well.

 

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

 

Regardless of which group we’re a part of…regardless of our perspectives and passions…we all need to be hidden in the cleft of Christ.  This is the beginning of the adjustment each drifting group needs.  Without this, we will necessarily miss the forest for the trees.

 

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

 

Our efforts in compassion, in mission, or even in fellowship are not the basis of our spiritual health.  The labor or our hands, which we are called to do, cannot be used to judge the mission…nor is it to be used in judging others.

 

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

 

Regardless of our gifting or passions, we truly come to God with nothing in our hands.  1 Corinthians 4:7 makes it clear that whatever we have, we have been given.  Our need for grace brings the forest into clarity.

 

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

 

It is the end of our story, our union and eternal fellowship with Christ, that fuels our hope and our engagement in the mission.  The end of the story pulls us out of our own perspective on mission and helps us see the rest of the forest.

 

So, how should we engage the mission of the church?  …the call of the gospel on our lives?  Keeping our eyes on the cross and our hearts the coming of Christ, we engage the mission.  We encourage one another in the work of the mission.  And we first identify our own tendency to drift prior to concerning ourselves with the drifting of others.  This will help us avoid missing the forest for the trees.

By Jared Mellinger

 

Marty is currently in Uganda serving our sister church in Nagongera.  He sent this report from the field that I thought folks would appreciate.  Somehow you get the sense that there are parts of Marty’s diverse gifting and skills that come out in his trips to Africa that don’t get displayed the same way here. 

 

Here’s his report.

 

Things are going well here in Nagongera.  I am feeling well and have adjusted to the time change.  They have me scheduled for a lot of speaking this time.  Things are going well and I am enjoying my time here.  I did three messages to the pastors of the six churches they have now.  I spoke on biblical roles in ministry that stirred up a lot of discussion.  They used to have women pastors but they have changed that.  I used material I developed after our time with CJ at the pastor’s conference for the other two messages.  We are exposed to so much great teaching they just would not get here in Africa.

 

Today I finished speaking the first day of our leader’s conference, which will last three days.  Each day I will get to speak three times with a session in between for questions and answers.  Today I spoke on pleasing man, tomorrow I speak on pleasing God and then Wednesday I am going to speak on finding our pleasure in God.  I didn’t know I was going to do three days so I am working on those messages here.  I finished my first one last night on psalm 73.

 

Things are going well.  I ate guinea fowl for the first time for lunch today.  The church I am speaking at is a half hour drive from Nagongera into the bush of Africa.  They have no electricity, no running water, and the church building was constructed by members who carried water for two miles to mix the cement.  They recently planted a church in a nearby town.  They held a fast with no food or water that lasted for 100 hours.  At the conclusion of that fast they went into the town to preach the gospel and start the church.  A man who was mad (out of his mind for some time) came in and they prayed for him.  He was healed and went back to his family.  He, his wife and his daughter all were converted and joined the church.  So now, a few weeks later they have 20 or so members and sent 4 leaders to the conference. 

 

Before I began speaking the group gathered was praying.  It was loud.  Everyone was praying individual prayers but it was as though each person wanted to be heard publicly.  The resulting volume was intense. 

 

I am blessed to be here but will be glad to get back home.

 

Marty

 

I thank God for Marty’s ministry serving churches in Africa, and for reports like this that remind us that God is at work in powerful ways throughout the world.

By Doug Hayes

The year was 1963.  Outraged by a story he’d read in the newspaper, a young Bob Dylan sat down in an all-night café and penned the words to one of his most moving and brilliant songs.  A well-connected white man had killed a poor black barmaid in a fit of anger over a drink, and the ensuing trial had resulted in a slap on the wrist.  The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll is not only an exceptional piece of songwriting, but also a surprisingly insightful treatise on biblical justice.    

Verse one sketches the grievous incident in no uncertain terms: 

William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled ‘round his diamond ring finger…

The words depict a tragic event that surely must have evoked many tears.  But the chorus concludes begging the listener to refrain, for there’s an even greater tragedy yet to come: 

Take the rag away from your face
Now ain’t the time for your tears.

Verses two and three juxtapose the high position of the scornful perpetrator with the lowly social status of his innocent victim.  After hearing of a killer who “reacted to his deed with a shrug of the shoulders, and swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling,” we are certain that our tears should flow when we’re told of Carroll, who…

Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane
That flew threw the air and came down through the room
Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle
And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger. 

But again, in the chorus following each verse, the songwriter bids us wait.  Now ain’t the time for your tears.  The events depicted are heartbreaking indeed, but the tragedy of tragedies is still to come. 

In the fourth and final verse, we enter “the courtroom of honor,” where the judge pounds his gavel “to show that all’s equal and that the courts are on the level.”  A white man may be able to kill a black woman in the barroom.  But in the courtroom, black and white are irrelevant; justice is the one and only concern.  There, the judge…   

Stared at the person who killed for no reason
Who just happened to be feeling that way without warning
And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished
And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance
William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence.

Now, finally, we are granted permission to grieve.  The fourth and final chorus concludes differently from its prior three renderings:   

Bury the rag deep in your face
Now is the time for your tears. 

The point?  Injustices will happen in a fallen world.  Because of the sinfulness of man, it’s a virtual guarantee.  There is little we can do to prevent it from happening.  But God has ordained government to restrain evil and entrusted it with the sword of justice to answer when the blood of an innocent victim cries out from the ground.  In the case of Hattie Carroll, the “courtroom of honor” did not answer.  Her death in itself was tragic, but the greater tragedy was the fact that there was no justice for her. 

Today is the 37^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, a decision rendered by America’s highest “courtroom of honor” denying justice to its smallest citizens. 

Now is the time for your tears.

As we grieve the loss of 50 million lives to legal abortion since 1973, let us renew our commitment to work tirelessly for the protection of the unborn.  And let us pray that one day, though a world without abortion is not possible until Christ returns, the laws of our land will again reflect justice for the weakest, most vulnerable among us. 

By David Mayinja

Editor’s Note: As many of us have put our Christmas decorations away, thoughts of Christmas can begin to seem like distant memories.  But before the boxes get stored for good, let’s take a look at Christmas in rural Africa.

My daughters believe that the Christmas season is their best time of the year. When I asked them why, they readily gave their reasons: they look forward to the Christmas Concert and Christmas Eve Service, singing Christmas Carols, decorating the Christmas tree, enjoying Christmas music played around the house, reading the Christmas story in the Bible, spending time with visiting relatives, the sumptuous meals, baking cookies and of course the gift giving.  They enjoy the traditions we have as a family and as a church.  These traditions make the season special for them.

The other day they overheard me mention that Covenant Mercies was sending funds from sponsors to our program locations in Africa so the children can have Christmas parties. They were intrigued and wanted to know how Christmas is celebrated by families in Africa.  As I explained, their eyes were filled with amazement…and, perhaps, yours will be, too.

• The Christmas holiday in Africa is not commercialized as it is in America. The holiday is more centered on the religious aspect of celebrating the birth of Jesus and singing Christmas carols and hymns than on giving gifts. On Christmas Day, most churches are full of worshippers and many churches hold additional services to accommodate the larger attendance. If anything is bought at Christmas for the children, it is a new set of clothes to be worn to the church.

• Just like in other cultures, celebrating Christmas dinner with family and friends follows the worship of our Savior. This day, most families will provide a full meal!  They save up for goat meat or beef, which are considered luxuries in Africa.  Much of the day is filled with food preparation over an outdoor open flame (just like camping for us).  And in families that are able to afford it, sodas will accompany the meal. Sodas (that we enjoy often without much thought) are a wonderful treat for the children.

• After the meal is done, the children entertain the adults with lively plays and songs.   So many are gifted in music, dance, and creativity.  The dramas and music are great and bring a lot of joy and laughter to everybody!

Covenant Mercies works hard to ensure that Christmas Day is meaningful for sponsored children in each program location. Sponsors are able to participate in making this celebration possible by contributing $15 per child. These funds are all sent to our field offices, where the staff organizes the Christmas parties and purchases new clothes for each child. This day is one that the children look forward to with great anticipation.

During the gathering, the children enjoy food, games, singing, drama, and also receive their Christmas gifts with much joy.  However, before they are dismissed, they are reminded about the purpose for Christmas. As one of our African pastors put it, “We tell them this celebration is to remind us that Jesus Christ so loved us that he came to die on the cross for our sins. And now by his grace we see this love demonstrated through our brothers and sisters in the USA.”

What a privilege that we get to participate in bringing Christmas joy to fatherless children in Africa.  And what a blessing to have so many of you joining us in that endeavor.

By Doug Hayes

 

I recently read a book written by the president of a large Christian relief and development organization.  It was well-written and compelling.  I was moved to tears on more than one occasion as I read of the author’s personal transformation through the power of the gospel.  I agreed with nearly all of what he said and was personally challenged. 

 

However, the main point of the book, expressed concisely in its title – The Hole in Our Gospel – could be summed up in this way:  if we preach the gospel to a lost and dying world without engaging in good works toward the poor, there is a hole in our gospel.  The “whole gospel” includes not simply a call to repentance and faith in Christ, but also a corresponding lifestyle of compassion and justice toward the poor. 

 

Wow – that’s an attention-grabber to say the least!  But is it accurate to describe the gospel in this way?

 

I submit that it’s both inaccurate and unwise to speak of the gospel in this way.  The gospel is the good news that, though we are sinful people who will always fall short of God’s glory and moral standards, we can be forgiven and restored in our relationship to Him through faith in Christ alone.  The author makes it clear that he believes this to be true, yet says there’s a hole in our gospel if we fail to take action toward the poor. 

 

There are many things that are true of all genuine disciples of Christ, because of the gospel.  But the fact that they are true because of the gospel doesn’t make them part of the gospel.  For example, I am called to be a faithful husband and father to my wife and daughters because of my identity as a disciple of Christ.  This is an implication of the gospel that I cannot escape!  But it wouldn’t be right to say that the gospel includes this.  We don’t preach, “Turn from your sins, place your faith in Christ, become a faithful husband and father, and God will accept you.”  My faithfulness in these areas makes an important statement about the validity of my faith, but it is not the gospel itself.

 

This may sound like hair-splitting, but I believe it’s an essential distinction that we must preserve lest we dilute the gospel of its power and meaning.  The very essence of the gospel message is fact: Jesus has fulfilled the moral commands of God on our behalf, even though we have universally fallen short of this righteous standard.  His righteousness, not ours, merits our salvation. That’s what makes it such good news!  To say that the moral commands of God are included in the gospel clashes with its central meaning and erodes the “goodness” of the good news.    

 

So… does this spring us from our responsibility to alleviate the suffering of the poor?  If you know me, you will know that’s not what I’m saying! 

 

I believe with all my heart that God’s burden for the poor must find expression in the life of every Christian.  We would indeed have a hole in our Bibles if we denied this recurring Scriptural theme!  There would be a hole in our discipleship, if we denied our calling to reflect the many-faceted mercies of God toward those who suffer in poverty.  There may even be a hole in our faith, if our profession of Christ is not authenticated by a transformed life in the areas that are important to God (just read James chapter 2 if you doubt me on that one). 

 

But the gospel message remains unchanged, regardless of the degree to which we understand and apply its implications in our lives.  Let us be careful to preserve the borders of this glorious message, even as we work to embody all its essential effects in our lives.     

By Stefan Bomberger

 

For years now, our church has been doing a free gift-wrap outreach in local stores. We’ve gone to Toys’R’Us, Circuit City, and this year we’re in Christopher & Banks next to the Borders. It’s a small way to share the love of Christ with our community. Because of this, we don’t accept donations. It’s fun to see the looks you get when you offer to wrap people’s gifts. Many are perplexed, surprised, even suspicious. We’re often asked, “Why are you doing it for free?!” In that moment, what would you say?

 

I know in the past I’ve gotten locked up in bringing the gospel into contexts like these. I’ve feared that it would undermine the “freeness” of the outreach. If I bring up Jesus, the unbeliever might think: “Ah-ha! I caught you. There is a string attached!” But what I’ve come to realize is that the gospel truly is the reason I’m doing this. So bringing it up isn’t a bait-and-switch. It’s being authentic. It’s disclosing the real motivation behind my actions – which is what they asked for.

 

The same could be said of all our good deeds as believers. We love because God first loved us. We have mercy on others because God has had mercy on us. We forgive because we’ve been forgiven. We serve because Jesus served us. We freely give because we’ve freely received. This is who we are. Conduits of God’s grace. Vessels of mercy with the treasure of the gospel inside of us. We shouldn’t pretend that we have no motives or that our actions simply flow out of our own intrinsic goodness. No. We do it because of Jesus Christ.

 

Keep this in mind the next time you are doing something kind for a neighbor. …going out of your way for a co-worker.  …serving at a Second Saturday in a free carwash. …visiting a nursing home. …feeding the homeless at a soup kitchen.

 

Jesus calls us to give out a cup of cold water, but to do so “in His name.” To connect all our deeds back to his amazing grace. The gospel isn’t something we tack on. It’s why we do what we do. Go public and share it with others. Who knows, God might just use it to powerfully change them like he’s changed you!

By David Mayinja

Everyone has a different experience from going on a mission trip.  Throughout Covenant Mercies’ history, we have sent around 300 people on short term mission trips.  Some come back so excited that they signed up for the next trip; some come back never wanting to leave the country again. And some people simply cannot see themselves take a step outside continental America.  According to John Piper, everybody should want to do short-term missions for the following reasons:

 

· Fellowship: Churches exist in nearly every culture, and seeing the way the church functions outside of your own culture is enriching, broadening, strengthening, and deepening.

· Faith-Building:  Experiencing the working of God in other cultures gives you a bigger picture of God.

· Preparation:  Short-term missions will envision you and prepare you for evangelism throughout your whole life.

This past September, Covenant Mercies led a mission team to Uganda to continue construction on New Life School. Our construction teams are normally made up of men, but this team was unique in that it included two ladies; Bev Farley and Margie Rice, who for a long time had desired to be part of a mission trip to Uganda. They were a means of grace and blessing to so many and brought such a unique vibe to the team.

 

Here are some of Bev’s reflections on the trip:

 

Within minutes of leaving the airport in Entebbe, the evidence of poverty was sobering. Many people were barefoot, young children had babies on their backs, homes were shacks and stalls were plentiful selling a few bunches of green bananas or a pile of oranges.  I realized the income of such stalls would be pennies a day if any sales were made at all.  Children played in the dirt and men slept in the shade on mats. 

 

Covenant Mercies has built a new clinic across the street from the church compound.  It’s a well equipped clean building staffed by two nurses that extend medical care to the children enrolled in the orphan sponsorship program.  The day I went to see the clinic, there were a number of children that were being treated. Not knowing the degree of illnesses I simply prayed with each child that God would heal them and protect them.  It was disturbing knowing no mother would cuddle them or soothe them with song as each one has been orphaned by dramatic circumstances.  I was painfully aware of a sense of loneliness and sadness as they waited their turn to be seen by the nurses. 

 

These children will now be receiving medical care, basic necessities and an education. And most importantly, they will be introduced to our Savior by Covenant Mercies staff as they care for them! Imagine the joy of finding sponsors for children who will be able to experience a dramatic and immediate difference in their life!

 

Covenant Mercies has over 700 children in Nagongera sponsored through their program.  After visiting their school that gives quality Christian education, spending time in the orphan homes, worshipping with the church that Covenant Mercies has partnered with to care for the orphans, I came to realize that we are able to make a difference.  Although the astounding need makes us feel helpless, I know by God’s grace His love can be brought to a few.  I came home with more love than I can handle.  In spite of the corrupt government and the expansive poverty, Covenant Mercies is making a difference…and so can we.

 

Most people, like Bev Farley, come back with a greater sense of God and a new heart awakening to the glory of God manifested in even the most dire, poverty-stricken, hopeless situations. 

 

Will you begin to pray and position yourself for service on a future short-term mission team?

 

“For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.” Psalm 9:18.

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Rob Flood

 

When we lived in Little Rock, we discovered the wonder and the magic of the Super Walmart.  In one place, you could buy lettuce, soda, produce, socks, motor oil, potted plants, and a television.  It was the ultimate in one-stop shopping.  A task we all need to do made simple by putting everything we could possibly need in one place.

 

As we depart Thanksgiving and run head-long toward Christmas, many of us will see family and friends.  We will find many we encounter far more open to spiritual conversations than they may be at other times of the year.  Wouldn’t it be great if you had a Super Walmart at your disposal in your conversations with such people?

 

Well, we have created such a wonder for this holiday season.

 

Celebrate Christmas is our winter season invitation intended to be used for evangelism.  Just like the Super Walmart, it has a vast variety of items in it, to fit nearly every occasion.  Check out what it covers:

 

~   God with Us (Our Christmas preaching series)

~   The Christmas Concert

~   Christmas Eve Services

~   The Children’s Christmas Musical

~   A Holiday Blood Drive

~   The Alpha Celebration Dinner

~   Financial Peace University

~   Explore

~   Word of Comfort (Our preaching series that will follow Christmas)

 

Folks, that’s better than motor oil and lettuce.

 

But notice that this blog is not titled “The Mission Done for You.”  It is titled “The Mission Made Simple.”  This “Super Walmart” of an invitation is as useless as the Super Walmart is if you never go.  It has to be used.

 

It provides all the information you would need to communicate, so you don’t have to remember anything.  It covers a wide array of topics, so you don’t have to fear it will be irrelevant.  The only hitch is that they still need to be carried from our church to people’s doors, desks, pockets, etc.

 

Consider picking up 5, 10, or even 20 of them.  Consider the block you live on, the department you work in, the gym you workout in.  Consider having one handy at all times and praying that God would open your eyes to opportunities to hand them out.  When you run out…we have plenty more. 

 

By Stefan Bomberger

 

As many of you know the Thrive community handed out about 180 boxes of food in Chester through our annual Boxes of Love event on Saturday, November 7th. This was the third year we've done this Thanksgiving outreach, and every year its been a huge blessing and highlight for many of us.  What was particularly special about this year, is that we did it in partnership with a local church in Chester called Freedom Baptist Church. The pastor, Sidney Harrell, has been pastoring there for over twenty years and has a real heart to reach the community with the Gospel. As we gathered with them that Saturday, you could feel the joy both groups had to be serving alongside of one another.

 

In the morning, before distributing the boxes, we were able to focus our energies on doing renovations and projects around the small church building. In just a few hours, we were able to tile the foyer, paint the exterior, clean out a basement, bust out a window, put in a door, trim a hall, clean up the street, and more. Our team worked very hard alongside of many other contractors and professionals from our church to execute all the various projects quickly and with excellence.  We broke for lunch around 1:30 p.m., where Pastor Sidney Harrell told us about his story of coming into ministry, into Chester, and how we both connected as local churches. It was a real highlight.

 

Then in the afternoon we broke into seven groups to hand out the Boxes of Love. Members from Freedom Baptist joined all the groups so that they could connect directly with their neighbors. We as a church also created special invitations to Freedom Baptist Church which went out with every box.  As we distributed the Thanksgiving meals, so many of the residents expressed their gratitude through warm receptions and even hugs. We were also able to pray with many folks right there on their porch. Besides the food, inside every box was a New Testament and an invitation to our Christmas events at Covenant Fellowship.

 

The evening ended with a bonfire back at Covenant where we shared stories, ate dinner, and closed out the night with praise and worship. It was an amazing day where God met us and blessed us. We thank God for each of you that filled up a Box of Love. We couldn't have done it without the dozens of families that went grocery shopping and filled the boxes with food, gifts, and prayers.

 

Feel free to join us on any Second Saturday in the future to participate in more outreaches like this. For example, December 5th we will be putting up Christmas Door Hangers for the Share the Good News of Christmas Campaign. See goodnewsofchristmas.org to learn more. Thanks for being the kind of church that proclaims the Gospel and is eager to share the mercy of God through your actions.

 

 

By Doug Hayes

 

Editor’s Note:  Doug is training for and running in two half marathons for Covenant Mercies.  To learn more, check out his original blog on this here.

 

When I left for Africa in September, my suitcase was full of running clothes.  I needed to maintain a training regimen that I had found difficult to maintain even at home.    Now, running in Africa earned me a lot of puzzled looks (except in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - distance running capital of the world!).  The more rural the area, the more strange my behavior seemed.  My running in rural Uganda evoked the most smiles, laughter, and head scratching. 

 

It wasn’t simply the blinding whiteness of my legs that struck them as so unusual… it was the running itself.  You see, in rural Uganda, life is exercise.  So much energy is expended simply carrying out the tasks of daily survival, the thought of going out of one’s way for exercise is a strange thought indeed.  Daily life is exercise enough.  

 

Many times, I’ve questioned my own sanity and felt like quitting.  I’ve thought, “You don’t need to do this! If you were to stop now and simply decide this was a bad idea, life would go on.”  When battling such thinking, I have often wandered back in my mind to those puzzled stares in Uganda.  The hardship of their life is the reason my behavior seemed so strange.  Could it be good for me to endure some hardship so that they might benefit?   

 

I am accustomed to a life of ease.  My 5-6 mile commute to work, preparation and enjoyment of three square meals (okay, my wife prepares most of them), and drawing of water for drinking/bathing are daily tasks that require little effort on my part.  For the average person in rural Uganda, the same tasks are a backbreaking ordeal, and they often consume most of one’s energy and time in a day.  I don’t feel guilty about this contrast.  It’s a great blessing to have the mundane tasks of life made easier; there’s nothing to be gained from an ascetic desire to give up conveniences for the sake of renouncing them.  But it’s helpful to remember that these are blessings…not birthrights.  And it may be helpful to consider whether embracing a certain element of suffering or discomfort could be a net positive for my spiritual health.   

 

I’m not looking to over-spiritualize the act of running.  However, there can be something enriching about enduring a bit of discomfort that I don’t need to endure, with a direct connection to others who routinely endure such hardship as a matter of survival.  To suffer with them as a choice could be a guilt-ridden act of aesthetic noise, but it could also be profound expression of biblical compassion: suffering together with another while alleviating their need. 

 

Have you ever considered doing something like that?  Are there certain conveniences or luxuries that you could intentionally forego as a means of identifying with others in need and alleviating their suffering?  For example, there’s nothing wrong with going out to lunch at work, but what if you fasted one day a week and gave the savings to serve orphans lacking access to a good, nutritious diet?  There’s nothing wrong with Starbucks coffee, but what if you chose to forego this privilege (or some other beverage you enjoy) for a season, giving the money you save to bless communities lacking access to clean water?    

 

These ideas aren’t just clever ways to raise funds.  They’re actually a means of “suffering with” the ones whose suffering you intend to alleviate.  And you might just find, as I’ve found with my running this year, that there are many side benefits you hadn’t anticipated. 

 

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.  (1 Tim. 4:8)

By Rob Flood

If we’re not careful, we can fall victim to the “over there” mentality of mission.  Mission is something that happens “over there” that someone else does.  It happens in special events or special sacrifices or other lands.  Mission is an E-Team trip.

Yet, our mission statement is:

We exist to treasure, proclaim, and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And if that is true (which it is), then we actually need a place and a body in which to do these things.  And, while special events or special sacrifices can be part of mission, there is a sustaining work that must be done in the local church to provide a platform, a forum, a home for our mission.

And this is where Ministry Teams come in.

Our Ministry Teams are not just ways to feel like you are helping.  No…our Ministry Teams serve the life of our church in the same way internal organs serve the life of our bodies.  Each organ plays its part in keeping our bodies running.  And, if you don’t think kidneys or lungs are important to the mission of a body, just consider how a mission might go without them.

Over the past couple months, we’ve highlighted some of these “internal organs” of our church to draw your attention there.  Of course, this gives us an opportunity to honor those who have served.  But equally as important is letting you know of the need to keep those internal organs staffed and functioning.

Three of the teams that have been covered are listed below.

~    Ushers – It is because of this team that we as a church are able to collect Tithes and Offerings, enjoy the elements during Communion, and even find seating.  But this “organ” does more than that.  These folks stand poised to step into the types of unanticipated needs that often arise each Sunday.  We are thankful for our Ushers.

~    Function Support – These are the folks that make sure the auditorium is ready for our services.  Among the many duties they carry is the preparation of seating and the setting of the lobby.  So much of what we enjoy each Sunday is because of this team…most of us don’t even know how we rely upon them.

~    IMag / Sound – The combination of these two teams gives us our eyes (IMag – Image Magnification) and our ears (Sound) on Sundays.  These are the people who, when they do their job perfectly, you never even notice them.  Think of how many Sundays you are completely unaware of the people serving on these teams.  That is due to the excellence of their work. 

While there is much value in mission that is “over there,” there is plenty of mission to be had “right here.”  As you consider how you fit into the mission of treasuring, proclaiming, and growing in the gospel of Jesus Christ, consider these vital organs of our church.  And how you can join them in their work.

By Cindy Campbell

I have been reflecting a lot lately about our 25th anniversary. Twenty five years is a long time – about one half of my life and nearly the entire lives of our adult children, which really do not know any other church experience. In many ways, the twenty five years have flown by.  In others, well you know how it goes, they passed slowly. As I have looked back and remembered the past twenty five years, there has been a lot that has transpired in our lives, in the world around us and in the church.

Twenty five years ago, our family moved here from Gaithersburg not because we were in love with Philadelphia, but because of the vision that the Lord had placed in our hearts. Our lives had been radically changed by the truth of the gospel through living our lives in a New Testament church called Gathering of Believers.  That church is now called Covenant Life Church. We belonged to a small group, served in the church, shared our lives with others and were learning to be God-directed parents to our small children.

It was hard to leave our church family and, to be honest, there were times during that first year or so that returning to our friendships and former church looked very appealing.  However, there was truth in our hearts about how the Lord had changed us, and we felt compelled to live and share it with those He would add here in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

It was a lot of work at the beginning with only 14 adults and our children. When there were meetings that needed to happen, chairs to be set up, children to be cared for, meals to be made, people to care for - it was all of us. In those first days, I distinctly remember that when Bill Patton dismissed everyone to “Children’s Ministry,” over half the room got up to leave. We met together to pray for the people the Lord was adding, we talked about how to reach out and share the truth of the gospel with those we were meeting in our neighborhoods and in our daily lives, and we began to share our lives over meals together.  “Love Feast, any one?” or perhaps spaghetti at the Redrup’s?

There are so many memories from those early years as the Lord quickly added people to the church. I think all of the original church planters would agree that no one was more surprised at the growth of Covenant Fellowship Church of Philadelphia than we were. We realized that we were not special or unique in what we were doing, but the Lord was blessing and using our efforts. He was the one who breathed life and truth into those early days. Did we make mistakes? You bet we did! But did we grow, change and learn to laugh at ourselves more? You bet we did! The one thing that remained the same during those early years and to this day was the unending and unchanging faithfulness of our great God. We experienced, lived, and witnessed the truth that He never changes and that all that He does is for our good and His glory.

Looking back, there have been many people added to our church family. Some have stayed for a short season and then moved on.  Many others are still around today. We have shared in the life of the church together, gotten married, added children, experienced the passing of time and some have gone home to be with the Lord. We all look a bit older, but hopefully we have been changed over these past twenty five years.  By God’s grace, we have just a little more wisdom from our life experiences and trials. Many of our children are grown now, some are married and have begun families of their own, but we are so grateful that this next generation has begun to step up and take ownership of this church; the baton is being passed. I see my own older children serving in the church, in love with the Savior and passionate about building their lives for the Lord. It doesn’t get better than that!

Twenty five years of His faithfulness is something to celebrate together. In the blink of an eye, we will be celebrating 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years together. We can count on the fact that God’s faithfulness will never change and, as we have seen, experienced, and celebrated, His grace and mercy will be what we can celebrate together on each and every anniversary to come.

You have always been faithful
And You will always be good
You’ll never let us go, We’ll never be alone
You have always been faithful

By Jared Mellinger

In preparing to celebrate our 25th Anniversary as a church, I came across an article by Alex Chediak on the theme of passing the gospel from one generation to the next.  The title of Chediak’s short article is “Don’t Retire; We Need You.”  It is a plea to the generation that has gone before us to not “retire” from the next generation but instead take full advantage of “the unique opportunity to reap eternal dividends by investing in younger Christians.” 

As I read the article, I couldn’t help but think of those who have labored long and hard at Covenant Fellowship – the generation that has gone before me.  I often thank God for these people because their labors over the years have made Covenant Fellowship the church it is today. 

It could perhaps be tempting for those of you who have labored for two decades to think that now you get to relax on the sidelines while the next generation does all the heavy lifting.  But the reality is that you are more needed now than ever. 

Listen to Chediak’s plea:
 
“Perhaps your children are out of the home or you’re at a place financially where you can afford to work less. As one a generation behind you, looking to your example and guidance, I entreat you: Give yourself structure so that hours aren’t frittered away in passive consumption of television. Fight the cynicism that often accompanies the loss of physical or mental acuity. Make war with the temptation to spend time entirely in a familiar, comfortable circle of same-aged peers.”
 
Why?  Because the next generation needs you.  We are looking to you for your example and guidance.  There is a unique opportunity for you to pursue and invest in those who are younger.
   
Chediak continues:

“Maybe you’re thinking this makes sense for pastors — after all, this stuff is in their job description. But you don’t have to be a gifted communicator to care deeply for those around you. Pray by name for the younger generations of Christians in your church, and let them know you are doing so. Authentic love is hard to hide, no matter how poorly you think you communicate.”

In other words, everyone has a part to play in transferring the gospel and preserving the gospel in the next generation.  “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).

I couldn’t agree more with Alex Chediak: Don’t retire from the next generation.  We need you. 

By David Mayinja

What is the difference between orphan relief and orphan care?  In the answer to this question lies the heart of Covenant Mercies.

Orphan relief programs do good and worthwhile work.  They care for the physical needs of orphans: food, clothing, shelter, and medical care.  The goal behind them is to provide “relief” from their destitute circumstances.

So, what is an orphan “care” program?  Well, it can’t be legitimate care if the physical needs of the orphans are ignored, so the program must include that.  However, it can’t be legitimate care if all we do is care for their physical needs. 

With Covenant Mercies, we seek to provide both physical and spiritual care.  Essentially, we build all we do around the message of the gospel.  And God has given us His hand in blessing this priority.

The pastors of the local churches we have partnered with are ensuring that these children are exposed to the Gospel and are reminded of their need of the Saving Grace of God. As these pastors have faithfully ministered God’s Word to these little ones, some of them have been moved by the Holy Spirit to submit to the Lordship of our Savior Jesus.

I recently received the testimony of one of the children that gave her life to Christ after a sermon preached by Pastor Moses Nkwasibwe who manages our program in Western Uganda (Kiburara). Below is a summary of her testimony:

My name is Atuheire Evarini. I’m 15 years old, and enrolled in my first year of high school. I’m currently cared for by an uncle and live in his household. According to my uncle, I grew up without my parents. My father died of HIV/AIDS when I was one year old. Later my mother disappeared and left me on my own. I was taken in by my stepmother (my father’s second wife) who mistreated me.  When my uncle realized that I would not survive the harsh treatment and hardships I was faced with, he came and took me to his home. When I moved to my uncle’s home, I started attending services at Kiburara Gospel Center. When Pastor Moses Nkwasibwe realized that I was an orphan, he enrolled me in the orphan sponsorship program. What a joyful day it was when he let me know that I had a sponsor to help me get a high school education!  Pastor Moses has diligently cared for all the children in the program. He has constantly told us about Jesus’ love for us and why He died on the cross. One day after hearing him preach, I gave my life to Christ. Life has been hard for me, but now with my life in Christ, I’m confident about my future. I’m sure that my dream to become a registered nurse will be fulfilled. I am so grateful to Christ, my Pastor, Covenant Mercies staff, Sponsors and friends who are making my life meaningful. I, who had no smile, can now smile all the time. All glory be to God!

What a joy to know that the children we are helping are experiencing God’s grace at work in their lives…both physically and spiritually. Let’s pray that many may be moved, like Atuheire, to give their lives to the Lord even as they encounter His love among those that are serving them so faithfully day after day.


                                 

By Rob Flood

 

We often use Mission Fridays as a way to equip and encourage you in the mission of the church.  Often times, we use this slot to help you see beyond Covenant Fellowship Church to other parts of the country and other parts of the world.  Today, join with us as we celebrate the planting of new churches.

 

As we’ve been well taught here, church planting is at the core of completing the Great Commission.  The true fulfillment of the great commission is not simply the sharing of the gospel, but the creation of a people…a local church.  Through that church, the gospel goes forth and those converted through the gospel are baptized and discipled. 

 

The churches below represent far more than simply new Sovereign Grace churches.  They represent new bodies of believers that desire to see the name of Jesus glorified, the good news of the gospel shared, and many to put their lives and souls in the hands of our wonderful Savior. 

 

This is a task that is worthy of our efforts…and our prayers.  So, as you read below and perhaps even visit their websites, consider praying for one or two of these plants.  Whether here at Covenant Fellowship Church or elsewhere, it is our prayer than many would come to know Christ.

~   San Francisco, CA: Christ Church has been meeting since August 2, led by Toby Kurth. The church meets on Sunday afternoons in the Richmond District. www.christchurchsf.org.  

~   Fredericksburg, VA: Sovereign Grace Church has been meeting since August 23, led by Ken Delage. The church meets on Sunday mornings at Freedom Middle School in Spotsylvania. www.sovgrace.cc.  

~   Peoria, AZ: Grace Church has been meeting since August 30 in a northwestern suburb of Phoenix. Led by Chris Daukas, the church meets on Sunday afternoons at the Rio Vista Recreation Center. www.gracechurchaz.org. 

~   Downingtown, PA: Brandywine Grace Church launched just over a week ago, on September 13, in this western suburb of Philadelphia. The church is led by Kenny Lynch and meets at the Downingtown Educational Center. www.brandywinegrace.org.

~   Orange County, CA: Sovereign Grace Church of Orange County is led by Eric Turbedsky. The church-planting team meets on Saturday evenings at Pacific Church in Irvine. Keep an eye on www.sovgraceoc.org. for more updates.

~   Sydney, Australia: Sovereign Grace Church Sydney will be led by Dave Taylor and will launch, Lord willing, in 2010. Dave and his family will be moving from Newport, Wales, to Australia soon. But if you’re in Sydney, you can connect with him on Facebook or at an Intro Night he is hosting on October 30 at the Waldorf Apartment Hotel in Pennant Hills, Sydney. Check www.sovgraceoz.org. for info.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Marty Machowski

In the midst of the Jewish persecution of Nazi Germany, while many pastors fearfully held their tongues, Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke against the atrocities of Hitler with great courage.  He stood against the Nazi’s, refused to give into fear, and worked selflessly to help Jews trying to escape.  Though Dietrich Bonhoeffer had opportunity to leave, he chose to remain.  He was imprisoned multiple times, forbidden to preach, and in the end he was executed by hanging. When I hear stories of courageous men and women I wonder how I might have responded in their day.  I sometimes fancy myself the hero, but not for long…I realize I don’t yet display adequate courage where I am right now.

We live in a land that is free.  No one is forcing us to fight for the forces of evil.  No one is compelling us to deny our faith.  The worst reprisal most are likely to face for preaching the Gospel is rejection.  Yet we still struggle to find the courage to overcome the fear of man which silences our faith. The bold presence of courage is such a rare commodity that many of us have learned to insulate ourselves from unbelievers as though they don’t exist.  We walk by them daily without saying a word. The fear of man is very real in our lives.

My point is not to levy a burden of guilt, but to help us better understand the struggle for courage we all face.  I can easily become self-righteous and expect others to stand up for righteousness where they are: teens, people in the workforce, etc.  I want them to speak up and say no to the temptations of following along with the crowd; to be the voice of wisdom when worldly foolishness prevails, to boldly proclaim their faith and show a little courage. I forget just how much we all need God’s help to stand and be courageous. 

Rather than be self-righteously assertive or passively judgmental, let’s regularly pray to the Lord for courage; courage to follow Christ in the face of any fear.  That was Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s secret.

Even at his execution Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood, trusting God with courage against perhaps our greatest fear, the fear of death.  In that moment, he spoke these words, “This is the end, for me the beginning of life." 

Ten years later a military doctor reported witnessing Bonhoeffer's kneeling in prayer before his execution. He said, "In the almost 50 years I have worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”  Let’s take courage from his example, not forgetting our own weakness.  Let’s pray for one another…with one another…as we call out for grace-given courage to battle against the fear of man side by side.

[1] Howell, Leon A Time of Trials: The tribulation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
http://www.faithstreams.com/ME2/Sites/dirmod.aspsid=5F4E345683D8492B9B56CBC49802F459&nm=Get+the+News&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&SiteID=29EE738D89044C718E7899A97B37B6C4&tier=3&nid=4E2CC13C0AFE42748034B38A4E0364C4

 

 

 

 

By Jared Mellinger

Covenant Fellowship recently hosted a small conference for Sovereign Grace Senior Pastors who are serving in the Northeast region.  Over 20 men attended the retreat.  Aron Osborne, the Senior Pastor of the church in Souderton PA, provides leadership for the region and did a great job leading us in our time together.

It is because of your generous giving and support that we were able to host this retreat, and that I was able to attend, along with Mark Prater (who is not a Senior Pastor but helps out with the leadership and care of churches in the region).  Thank you for enabling us to partner with other pastors throughout the region for this time of encouragement and training.

In no particular order, here are some of the personal highlights from the week:

 

1. The teaching.  Both Dave Harvey and Mark Prater were among the men who taught us during the week.  Dave gave a teaching on parenting, and Mark taught us “10 ½ Things to Consider in Being a Spirit-Filled Senior Pastor”.  I continue to learn a lot from these men!

    

2. Baseball.  We played several games of wiffle ball on the front lawn.  As you might expect, we all talked a big game and then no one was especially good.  Afterwards, we went into the city to see a Phillies game together, to observe how it’s really done.  

    

3. Honoring my dad. Aron asked me to honor my Dad, Ken Mellinger, who is the Senior Pastor of the Sovereign Grace church in Harrisburg PA.  I was able to share with all the guys the things I appreciate about my dad as a father, a mentor, and a friend, and talk about the influence he has had on me personally over the years.   

    

4. Seeing Kenny there.  What a great joy to see, along with many of the other church planters we have sent out over the years, my friend Kenny Lynch.  He is now a fellow Senior Pastor!  Wow.  Seeing him at the retreat and enjoying fellowship with him was certainly a highlight. 

Thanks again, Covenant Fellowship, for making this time possible.  It is one of the many things that makes it a pure joy for me to lead the church. 

By Rob Flood

 

Note of Hope is currently in Africa.  Doug Hayes and Rosella Washington, along with the rest of the band and the film crew, arrived in Tororo, Uganda on Wednesday.  All are safe.  In addition to the concerts they are performing, they are filming a documentary focusing on Covenant Mercies’ role in providing care for orphans in various places of Africa.

 

As a church, we prayed for this trip.  As you consider praying for the team and their trip, the prayer we shared on Sunday may serve to guide you and remind you.  What a privilege we have to support Covenant Mercies with our prayers.  What a privilege to have them within our walls.  What a privilege that they are a genuine part of who we are.

 

A summary of the pastoral prayer:

 

You have shown us such grace in allowing us to provide care for orphans in Africa.  We thank you, God, we thank you for the privilege as we join your work in other parts of the world.

 

As A Note of Hope travels to Africa for their concerts and for the filming of their documentary, we cast our care for them on you.  Would you provide them with your mercy to endure the travel, to flourish even when fatigued, and to have your favor with the electricity.

 

But beyond that, God, we pray for the ministry on this trip. We pray that, even now, you would be preparing hearts to respond to the gospel. As we pray here, you are present there. We pray that lives would be changed for eternity because this band and this crew have followed your will and have been faithful to your gospel.

 

But even beyond that, Lord, we ask your mighty hand to be on this documentary. That the plight of the orphan in Africa would be made known…well known.  That you would use the reach of this documentary to fund Covenant Mercies and their future efforts…to expand the numbers of orphans our current programs can care for and to expand the program to other nations.

 

Father, we cast our cares for A Note of Hope on you.

 

We serve a mighty, wonderful, powerful God.  And though you could stand at a distance and watch us in our weakness, you are a near God, who invites us to cast our cares on you.  Father, hear our prayer.  We wait in faith…in hope…knowing that we need not worry…that we can cast these cares on you…and that you are more than trustworthy to make these things work for your glory and our good.

 

In Christ’s name…Amen.

By Rob Flood

 

On Sunday, August 23^rd, Jared Mellinger preached from 1 Thessalonians 5 on relationships in the church. (You can find the message here)  He highlighted three different types of relationships: relationships with our leaders, with one another, and with wrongdoers.

 

In the message, Jared referenced an article written by David Powlison from CCEF.  In an effort to serve you and provide the fullness of this content for you, CCEF has graciously agreed to make the article available to you.  You can download it at the bottom of the page.

 

Here are the two excerpts that Jared read on Sunday:

 

“Wise and timely flexibility is the fruit of 5:14.  Paul teaches us to understand our brothers and sisters in terms of their particular struggles, and then to respond appropriately. He never says, “Admonish the disheartened.” To acknowledge personal wrongs is not step one for the anxious. If you primarily admonish them, you only further discourage them.  In the same way Paul never says, “Encourage the unruly.” Helping them grasp that God loves them and will not abandon them is not step one for the willful. If you simply offer promises of kindness to the willful, you will only reinforce their impression that God, like you, is a sentimental dupe, and their confidence that they can get away with whatever they are doing.”

 

“Probably each of us who does ministry tends towards one of the characteristic forms of helping. It’s your gift. But left to itself, it remains unbalanced. That is part of why God has given us 5:14, to keep us from being blinded by our best gifts. We are called to broaden our vision, to work out of our comfort zone. A hammer thinks everything is a nail; a blanket, treats everyone as shivering; a wheelchair thinks everyone needs a lift. But wisdom sees people for what they are and gives what is needed.”

 

These thoughts matter.  Why?  How we relate with each other is a vital part of our mission.  As we treasure, proclaim and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ, we do so in relationships.  And our relationships prove to be a significant witness to the world.  Not primarily about how kind of a church we have…but how great of a God we have.

 

We live out our mission in community…not in isolation.  We live out our mission in relationships with the redeemed…the flawed redeemed…the sinning redeemed…the trying redeemed…the serving redeemed…the unruly redeemed…the faint-hearted redeemed…the weak redeemed…but the redeemed nonetheless. 

 

We encourage you to read the attached article, review the message from Sunday, and thank God for our church.  As members here, we have the wonderful opportunity to receive this kind of care…and to give it.  We have the distinct privilege of living our mission…together.

 

Download the CCEF article HERE.

 

This article is published in the Journal of Biblical Counseling, a publication of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). All content is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any manner without written permission from CCEF. For more information on classes, materials, speaking events, distance education and other services, please visit www.ccef.org.

By Lennie Spitale

Editor’s Note: Lennie Spitale has been involved in full-time prison ministry for many years. In fact, he’s even written a book or two on the topic. Just pop his name into Amazon.com and you’ll pull up his book entitled Prison Ministry: Understanding the Prison Culture from the Inside and Out. It has this plug from Chuck Colson on the cover: “This may well be the definitive book on prison ministry.” Lennie now oversees the prison ministry of Covenant Fellowship Church.  What a gift this man is to our church! Below is an update from Lennie on our Prison Ministry.

 

“I am an inmate at GWCF (G.W. Hill Correctional Facility), and I’ve been attending your church services…Your services have helped me and others maintain a good spirit and hope! I and my fellow inmates thank you.”

 

The sentiments above were taken from a letter that was recently sent to the church in response to one of the prison team’s ministry among them. GWCF is the alternative name for the Delaware County Prison, which is located only a few miles from Covenant Fellowship making it a prime target for evangelistic outreach. The church has granted me the privilege of leading the team for the past year.

 

Over the last year, the prison itself has gone through a change of leadership. Beginning January 1^st, an entirely new administration took over the facility; the old guard is out and the new guard is in. (Pun intended)  And although this resulted in many administrative changes for the correctional staff, its impact upon the prison team was minimal. We were able to continue serving at our various weekly assignments without interruption.

 

One major key to the smooth transition was the fact that God has our own David Robinson, a member here at CFC, as the sole chaplain for the Delaware County Prison. David and I meet regularly and he was able to keep me aware of all the changes that were taking place.

 

The new administration has set a limit on how many volunteers a church can send into the facility. Their formula is a limit of four volunteers per service. Since we currently have five weekly services going on, in five separate units of the institution (two for women and three for men), we are allowed a total of twenty volunteers. Our CFC prison team now has 21 members, which includes two letter-writers.

 

Currently in process, is the launching of Grafted In, a CFC outreach that is designed to help former prisoners integrate into the life of the church. This mentor-driven ministry will be headed up by Tom and Maggie Fitzpatrick.

 

Please pray regularly for this ministry. The prison is replete with opportunities for the gospel to go forward, to both save and encourage.  Pray for the volunteers to have courage and for the hearts of the inmates to be open.

By David Mayinja

 

When you hear the word “poverty,” what picture comes to mind? A child in rural Africa dressed in rugs with flies clustered around his dirty face? Or a young girl in Ecuador falling prey to child traffickers as she searches for a job in the big city? Or maybe it’s the children on the streets of the inner city in your own backyard being ensnared by drug sellers?

 

As we consider how we ought to think and what we could do to help, it is important to know three things about poverty.

 

1. The Source of Poverty is Bigger than Man:  In the creation account, God pronounced as good all that he had made. (Genesis 1:31) He provided food in abundance so that none experienced want. (Genesis 1:29) Man was fulfilled in his work, joyfully employed in God’s Garden. However, with Adam and Eve’s rebellion came the Fall. With the Fall came the curse.  The seeds of economic hardship were planted at the fall of man. They blossomed into natural disaster, famine, and drought.

 

2. The Difficulties of Poverty are Made Worse by Man:  Even if man develops the capacity to produce enough resources to meet all mankind’s basic needs, corruption would still rule the day. As a result of the Fall, greed and covetousness are inherent to human nature. The results are self-evident: social injustice, oppression, and structural evil pervade all parts of the world…especially the developing nations. These vices fuel world poverty, and as long as they exist, world poverty will continue to be a reality we have to live with.

3. Poverty will Remain with Us until Jesus Returns:  We must be mindful that, through the atoning death of Christ, man is ultimately restored to God. In the end, there will be a final act when Christ’s return to earth will mean the restoration of everything.  When the damage of the Fall is reversed, creation itself will be set free from the decay and corruption of sin (Romans 8:20-22). When God finally redeems the creation, there will be no more poverty and the intolerable suffering we are faced with today.

Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you.” (Mark 14:7)  But this truth does not let us off the hook nor does it allow us to ignore the poor.  The Scriptures hold out a consistent call to compassion and care for the poor and the oppressed.  They call the believer to fight injustice (Micah 6:8), to look after the orphan and the widow (James 1:27), and to care for the poor (Psalm 41:1).

 

So, what’s a Christian to do?  Deuteronomy 15:11 puts it well:

 

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

 

This may be through the orphan sponsorship program at Covenant Mercies.  It may be baskets of food at Thanksgiving or Christmas.  It may mean serving at a soup kitchen or city ministry.  Or, it may be as simple and mundane as a small token of generosity toward a neighbor or friend in need.  The call is not to obliterate poverty, but a heart’s posture of openhandedness toward the poor and needy.  When we do this, we’re reminded of our own need that God himself meets…and we bring him glory.

By Jared Mellinger

Last week the Pastoral Team, along with our wives, attended the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference in Gaithersburg Maryland.  This conference has been a highlight over the years as all the folks serving in pastoral ministry have come together to be instructed in the care of God’s people and our shared mission together.  It is also a time of reconnecting with friends who are participating together with us in the advance of the Gospel through church planting in our still-small movement of churches. 

Historically we have been served by friends from outside Sovereign Grace – men like John Piper, R. C. Sproul, Wayne Grudem, David Powlison, and others - who speak into our experience from theirs.  But this year was special – it truly was a family affair.  All of the main sessions featured Sovereign Grace leaders speaking on the theme of Pastoral ministry.  Both Dave and I had the privilege of doing main sessions – Dave on ‘The Pastor and the Mission’ and yours truly on ‘The Pastor and the Future’.  In my session I had the privilege of communicating our recent experience in the Senior Pastor transition.  One further evidence of how your pastoral team is having influence were the opportunities Jim Donohue and Andy Farmer had to lead seminars, as well as Marty Machowski, who participated in a children’s ministry panel. 

One of the highlights for me was hearing C.J. Mahaney speak from 1 Peter 5:1-4 on the task of pastoral ministry and shepherding God’s people.

C.J. reminded us that the call to pastoral ministry is “the most elevated task God could assign to a man.”  This is because it is pastors who have been entrusted with those for whom Christ died.  The flock we care for is “the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).  It should be astonishing to all of us that God would call anyone to this remarkable task. 

One of the applications of this truth is that when people ask me what I do, I should be amazed, humbled, and joyful.  My service must be “not under compulsion, but willingly” (1 Pet 5:2).  C.J. reminded us that God wants happy pastors who in turn create a culture of joy in the church, as we together “Serve the Lord with gladness!”  (Ps 100:2).

As I sat there listening to C.J. preach, I was reminded once again of what a joy is it to lead Covenant Fellowship.  I can’t believe I get to be your pastor!  This will never cease to be a source of astonishment to me.  Thank you, once again, for making it such an overwhelming joy to serve you, and for making it so easy for every one of the pastors to be “happy pastors.”  We thank God for you often, and we return from the conference happier than ever to be called shepherds of the flock of God at Covenant Fellowship Church.      

Posted by Jean Benson

 

Editor’s note:  Jean Benson is a wife and mother at CFC who is also a licensed pharmacist.  This skill has produced some unexpected but ultimately glorious adventures for Jean.  Here’s her story from her recent participation on the Covenant Mercies Medical E-team to Uganda last month.  It’s longer than our usual blogs but will encourage you no matter what God is calling you to.

 

In October 2006, I was on a plane heading to Nagongera, Uganda.  If you know me, this was so far out of my comfort zone it was ridiculous.  There was very little desire in my heart to participate on this type of missions trip.  Fortunately God is so much bigger than my fears and apprehensions.  He used the encouragement of my husband Wendell and others, along with my own grappling for faith to confirm His will for me to go.

  

Fast forward to summer 2008.  Another medical missions trip was announced.  Clearly, in my mind, I had already served my time in Uganda.  Upon hearing that the area for this trip was even more rural and there was a possibility of no running water, I came up with a strategy - avoid Doug Hayes at all costs.

I am the type of person who does not prefer most creatures, except cats and kittens.  I hate all insects and the prospect of being dirty.  I do not enjoy hot summers in the U.S., much less in Africa.  I also do not like surprises and fear the unknown.  Having experienced a horrible bug situation at the end of my last trip, I had vowed never to return to Uganda.  Surely, of all the churches we have in Sovereign Grace, it should not be difficult to find one or two pharmacists besides me to send along.

 

This was the state of my heart during the summer of 2008.  It was screaming emphatically, NO!  Yet once again the spirit of God broke through my fears and unbelief, with encouragement from Wendell and friends.  There was a growing awareness that this medical team had a need and clearly God was not raising up anyone else.  I realized that God was calling me once again to go to Uganda.  The months of preparation that led up to the trip were mostly filled with fear and dread.  Praise God!  His grace is so much bigger than my fears and anxieties.  Although He was gradually chipping away at my unbelief and fear, leaving the U.S. was still a complete step of faith.  Right up until departure I was hopeful the trip might be cancelled.  In fact, it had snowed in London on the day of our departure.  Since London had not seen snow in about 20 years, Heathrow cancelled over 700 flights into their airport.  All flights that is, except the one scheduled to depart from Heathrow to Entebbe the following day.  That was my flight.

 

God was again reminding me that His grace would be sufficient for me in my weakness and that I was to fully trust in Him.  He was the one who was controlling this trip.  This was not an easy task, since most of the people I was surrounded by seemed so excited to be going.  However, God very graciously connected me with another person on the trip with a similar testimony to mine.  For us, this missions trip was a leap out of our comfort zone, looking to God constantly for grace for each situation.

 

After a 20 plus hour trip from London by plane and car our 8 hour flight, we arrived after midnight, looking forward to hitting the ground running the next day.  But God supernaturally carried us and sustained us as we sought to provide medical care for the people of Kiburara.  We later found out that this small town, that was not even on the map and was unknown even by people in Uganda had caught the attention of the Creator of the Universe.  I began to realize that God had called me to play a small part in the work He was doing here!  What a privilege!

 

My second day in Kiburara started around 3:00 am.  I was startled awake by an intense, overwhelming feeling of panic.  Initially, I could not breathe, I could not speak and I forgot where I was.  As I reached for my flash-light, everything was closing in around me; the mosquito net seemed to suffocate me.  I wanted to scream to my room-mate for help, but all that came out was a whisper.  I was crippled by fear, though my Bible and walkman lay a the foot of my bed, I could not move.  My heart was racing as I reviewed my options.  Leaving the bed to go to my roommate was not optional, I feared what might be crawling on the ground, and leaving the room conjured up even more frightening prospects.

 

I could not recount a single scripture.  Slowly and quietly I began to cry ‘God help me!  God help me!’  Soon I remembered a song from my daughters' CD.  I quietly sang, “When I am afraid I will trust in you, I will trust in you, in God whose word I pray.”  I sang this over and over as I rocked back and forth on the bed.  Some time had passed, and then suddenly scriptures started to flood my mind, it seemed to be every scripture I had ever memorized on fear and trusting God.  The crippling, overwhelming feeling started to diminish and I reached for my walkman and started to worship God for what seemed like hours.  When I looked at my watch it was just after 4:30am, and that was the last thing I remember until my alarm went off.

 

Although the desire to return home was still in my mind, there was increasing grace to remain and walk where God was calling me to go.  God was using my limitations to display His awesome power.  I still marvel at the fact that God took a simple housewife and homeschooling mother on this journey.  I no longer practice pharmacy, but have maintained my license, apparently for a time such as this.  I am overcome by how God delights in using our weaknesses to display His power and glory.  As difficult as it was for me to go on this trip, I will forever be aware of how God chose me, in spite of my fears.  We serve an extraordinary God.

By David Mayinja

Editors Note: This entry by David Mayinja displays a wonderful mercy outreach for families to do together. It also reveals God’s heart for the fatherless…a worthy read at any time. For more information on Caring for Orphans, be sure to follow the link at the end of the blog.

I grew up in a middle class family of six children. My father was an engineer and had a good career in Uganda. My siblings and I were able to enroll in some of the best private schools, and were well taken care of. In my third year of high school, my father was gunned down on the streets of the capital city, Kampala. During that time, Uganda was experiencing political turmoil and instability due to the chaos and ethnic conflicts that plagued the country in the early 1980’s.

A few months before my father’s death, I had accepted Jesus as my Savior at a conference that I was invited to by a Christian young man who had befriended me when I joined high school. During my time of grief, the members of the Christian Fellowship rallied around me and provided encouragement and care that completely overwhelmed me. It helped me to remain focused on the Lord and to trust that He was in control of my life. With the help of some of the leaders, I learnt to pray and to wait upon the Lord. Little did I know what a means of God’s Grace prayer would become for my family and me in the days ahead.

The passing of my father left my mother, who had no career, with the daunting responsibility of caring for six children in a deteriorating economy. However, despite not having had the privilege of a high school education, my mother managed to turn her hobbies of sewing and baking into a small business that was able to keep us afloat. We moved out of our home in the suburbs into a small apartment to cut costs. Our extended family, in true African custom, also became a means of God’s provision and grace in our lives by contributing toward my mother’s start up capital for the business. An uncle took responsibility for me and provided a home and tuition for my high school education. He became my mentor and inspiration for a better future.

In spite of numerous difficulties and trials we faced as a family in the succeeding years, we experienced God’s faithfulness and providential care for us in countless ways. God has honored His word in my life, that He is indeed “A Father of the fatherless….” (Psalm 68:5) I was ultimately able to undertake graduate studies in International Economic Development in the United States. The program, along with my recent work experience in International Development, has prepared me well for the role I have recently taken on in Covenant Mercies’ initiatives in Africa.

It is indeed a privilege to be involved full time with Covenant Mercies; but what gives my family and me greater joy is the life change we have observed each passing year in Michael Owino, the child we sponsor through CM’s Orphan Sponsorship Program He has been given an opportunity to an education and a hope for a brighter future. However, in many ways we have been the greater beneficiaries as we have supported him.

As one who understands firsthand the challenges faced by fatherless children in Africa, I do encourage you to consider sponsoring a child in one of our programs in Uganda, Zambia, or Ethiopia. Your involvement will have an enduring effect in an orphan’s life and bring much glory to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

God is indeed a Father to the fatherless. Would you consider being a means of his grace to one of our children?