Two updates for you:
First, great job on Sunday, Southviewers! We collected almost $5,000 in service on Sunday for Compassion International's Haiti relief work - way to go!! If you were unable to attend Sunday but still want to give to this, go here and you can donate directly to Compassion's Haiti Relief efforts.
Second, please keep Compassion Haiti staff member David Hames in your prayers - he is still unaccounted for. We are lifting up David and his family as well as the countless others affected by this disaster.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Compassion: Haiti
No doubt you have heard about the devastating earthquake in Haiti this week - I received the info below from Compassion International earlier today:
The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12 has resulted in unfathomable chaos and devastation for hundreds of thousands of children and families.
Compassion sponsors and donors serve more than 65,000 children in Haiti. At least a third of them live in the areas that were hardest hit.
Please send a generous gift today to help precious children and their families, and encourage others to give to Compassion International - the people of Haiti desperately need our help and hope.
Compassion International is working rapidly to assess the situation and determine the full extent of damage:
• Sadly, we anticipate there will be many deaths.
• We anticipate thousands of children and families will have lost everything.
• We anticipate many of Compassion's church-based child development centers will have been destroyed.
Without a doubt, the children we serve in Haiti are in shock and face immediate needs for food, water, medical care, shelter and counseling. We have teams prepared to respond, and we are deeply committed to helping each child.
We need your help immediately. Please reach out in the name of Jesus to bring relief, comfort, love and restoration to precious children and families whose lives have been devastated by this crisis.
As I taught in our last series of messages, every life matters to God. We can make a difference in this world for the Kingdom in the name of Jesus. If God leads you, make a donation today to help with the relief efforts - you can do so here.
Why Compassion? The FBI is warning of several Haiti charity scams that have popped up in the wake of this earthquake.
They are suggesting that donations only be made to organizations monitored and rated by CharityNavigator.org and The American Institute of Philanthropy. Both organizations have given Compassion International their highest approval ranking. Compassion International is the only non-profit in it's category to receive eight consecutive years of four star rating from CharityNavigator.org.
Because Compassion International ministers through local churches to meet the needs of that church's neighbors, and because these church partners are respected aid workers in their communities, Compassion is uniquely positioned to assess and meet the needs of it's sponsored children quickly. This is an advantage of their church-based model that's been in practice for more than 50 years.
How can we help? All funds raised in response to the Haiti earthquake will be used immediately to provide for Compassion-assisted children and families affected by this crisis. Any funds raised in excess will be stewarded by Compassion for additional and future disaster relief efforts. You can provide immediate relief today.
• $35 helps provide a relief pack filled with enough food and water to sustain a family for one week.
• $70 gift helps care for their needs for two weeks.
• $105 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain two families for two weeks.
• $210 gift helps care for two families' needs.
• $525 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain 10 families for two weeks.
• $1,050 gift helps care for 10 families' needs.
• $1,500 helps rebuild a home.
• $2,100 helps supply 20 families with the basics for three weeks.
Let's do this together in Jesus' name.
The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12 has resulted in unfathomable chaos and devastation for hundreds of thousands of children and families.
Compassion sponsors and donors serve more than 65,000 children in Haiti. At least a third of them live in the areas that were hardest hit.
Please send a generous gift today to help precious children and their families, and encourage others to give to Compassion International - the people of Haiti desperately need our help and hope.
Compassion International is working rapidly to assess the situation and determine the full extent of damage:
• Sadly, we anticipate there will be many deaths.
• We anticipate thousands of children and families will have lost everything.
• We anticipate many of Compassion's church-based child development centers will have been destroyed.
Without a doubt, the children we serve in Haiti are in shock and face immediate needs for food, water, medical care, shelter and counseling. We have teams prepared to respond, and we are deeply committed to helping each child.
We need your help immediately. Please reach out in the name of Jesus to bring relief, comfort, love and restoration to precious children and families whose lives have been devastated by this crisis.
As I taught in our last series of messages, every life matters to God. We can make a difference in this world for the Kingdom in the name of Jesus. If God leads you, make a donation today to help with the relief efforts - you can do so here.
Why Compassion? The FBI is warning of several Haiti charity scams that have popped up in the wake of this earthquake.
They are suggesting that donations only be made to organizations monitored and rated by CharityNavigator.org and The American Institute of Philanthropy. Both organizations have given Compassion International their highest approval ranking. Compassion International is the only non-profit in it's category to receive eight consecutive years of four star rating from CharityNavigator.org.
Because Compassion International ministers through local churches to meet the needs of that church's neighbors, and because these church partners are respected aid workers in their communities, Compassion is uniquely positioned to assess and meet the needs of it's sponsored children quickly. This is an advantage of their church-based model that's been in practice for more than 50 years.
How can we help? All funds raised in response to the Haiti earthquake will be used immediately to provide for Compassion-assisted children and families affected by this crisis. Any funds raised in excess will be stewarded by Compassion for additional and future disaster relief efforts. You can provide immediate relief today.
• $35 helps provide a relief pack filled with enough food and water to sustain a family for one week.
• $70 gift helps care for their needs for two weeks.
• $105 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain two families for two weeks.
• $210 gift helps care for two families' needs.
• $525 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain 10 families for two weeks.
• $1,050 gift helps care for 10 families' needs.
• $1,500 helps rebuild a home.
• $2,100 helps supply 20 families with the basics for three weeks.
Let's do this together in Jesus' name.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
The God of Providence
Last Fall, I started reading a daily devotional book called Morning and Evening, by Charles Spurgeon (updated by Alistair Begg). I'd highly recommend it to you if you're looking for a new devotional for 2010. Here's a part of this morning's, from 1 Peter 5:7:
"Do not doubt His grace because of your tribulation, but believe that He loves you as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life you might lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why do you need to care too? Can you trust Him for your soul and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens; He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! Say goodbye to anxiety and leave all your concerns in the hand of a gracious God."
"Do not doubt His grace because of your tribulation, but believe that He loves you as much in seasons of trouble as in times of happiness. What a serene and quiet life you might lead if you would leave providing to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why do you need to care too? Can you trust Him for your soul and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens; He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! Say goodbye to anxiety and leave all your concerns in the hand of a gracious God."
Monday, December 28, 2009
Compassion Ministry Update
During the month of December, we focused on our new partnership with Compassion International. I taught a series of messages in a series called "A Christmas of Compassion," studying some of what God's Word has to say to us about God's love and compassion for us as well as His expectation of the compassion and love that we are to show to others, especially the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the oppressed. We offered a number of opportunities for Southviewers to get involved, and wow! Did you ever!During the month of December, 54 children from Rwanda were sponsored by Southviewers through Compassion International! I am so excited about so many children being provided for and given an opportunity to hear the life and eternity changing message of Jesus Christ due to your obedience to God's Word!
We also collected an offering at our Christmas Eve service this year, 100% of which is going to a clean water project for communities in Rwanda that Compassion International is working with. Southviewers, as of this morning, $14,123.00 has been given toward this! Each community's water project will cost approx. $4,400, and you gave enough to do 3!! I praise God for your generosity and your love for these children and for our God. May we, the church of Jesus Christ, be known for our compassion and love for all people, as a testimony to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Eve Service this week!
Due to the big snowstorm, we didn't gather as a church last Sunday, but I am looking forward to seeing you all this Thursday at our Christmas Eve candlelight service! We'll begin at 7 p.m. - we've been praying about and planning this service for a while, and we are looking forward to a special service. Don't forget that our Christmas Eve offering will go toward the Compassion clean water project in Rwanda - come prepared to share as you have been led by the Spirit.
We'll also have a few more packets for Rwanda children who are in need of sponsors through Compassion International - if you didn't get an opportunity to sponsor a child on the 13th, this opportunity will be available before and after the Christmas Eve service.
See you Thursday night!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Fruit of Compassion
In Luke 6, Jesus speaks of how you can recognize one of His disciples:
vv. 43-46 - "No good tree bears bad fruit, not does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things our of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
A true disciple will bear good fruit. Our works are not what save us; our salvation comes by faith in the work of Jesus Christ alone. But our works do reflect whether or not we are truly disciples of Jesus - are we like our Rabbi? Are we more like Jesus than we were a month ago, or 6 months ago, or a year ago? What is our fruit that we're showing to the world around us?
What if the world saw our actions of compassion to the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the oppressed - what if we were known for our compassion for other people? What if we were known for our love? (See John 13:35) Would that make others listen more closely to our message of hope that we bring from God? I believe it would.
I like how Mark Batterson put it in his new book Primal: "Compassion is the ultimate apologetic. There is no defense against it."
vv. 43-46 - "No good tree bears bad fruit, not does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things our of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
A true disciple will bear good fruit. Our works are not what save us; our salvation comes by faith in the work of Jesus Christ alone. But our works do reflect whether or not we are truly disciples of Jesus - are we like our Rabbi? Are we more like Jesus than we were a month ago, or 6 months ago, or a year ago? What is our fruit that we're showing to the world around us?
What if the world saw our actions of compassion to the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the oppressed - what if we were known for our compassion for other people? What if we were known for our love? (See John 13:35) Would that make others listen more closely to our message of hope that we bring from God? I believe it would.
I like how Mark Batterson put it in his new book Primal: "Compassion is the ultimate apologetic. There is no defense against it."
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Another opportunity this Sunday
If you missed the opportunity this last Sunday to sponsor a child through Compassion International at Southview, this Sunday (12/20) you have another chance! We'll have additional packets for children from Rwanda who need sponsors - stop by the counter in the foyer either before or after the worship service and we'll be glad to help you make a difference in the life of a child! If you won't be at Southview this weekend, you can still sponsor a child through Compassion - click on the link on the right hand side of my blog for Compassion and you can choose a child online to sponsor. As Mark Batterson says, "don’t let what you can’t do keep you from doing what you can." We can make a difference – one life at a time.
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