MINISTRY REPORT...Birthday Bash

Cakes, punch, games, decorations, gifts and a lot of love going around….what more could you want from a birthday party? How about adding support of the Asheville Pregnancy Support Services which is doing its part to make sure that there are a lot more birthdays happening!

The Women’s Ministry welcomed Jill Derrick from APSS who gave an overview of the objectives and successes of the organization. We were pleased to hear that adding the ultrasound service has caused a huge reduction of abortions. It’s true; a picture is worth a thousand words! APSS will be sponsoring a Breath for Life walk 10am, April 25th at Carrier Park and all are invited.

Along with support of the APSS, attendees were challenged to send a red envelope to President Obama in protest of his recent appeal of the abortion restraints initiated by President Bush. Though the mail date was March 31st, you are encouraged to go ahead and send red envelopes to the President. There may be some still on the welcome desk.

Attendance at the party was small - about 25 - but all who were there would agree that the fun and love was really big! And in our book that means it was a huge success! We came away remembering that God loves us and HE celebrates and values our lives!

TESTIMONY

Hello, my name is Donna Goss. My husband’s name is Conrad and our daughter’s name is Catherine. I have been a member of TOF for about six years now. Some of you may know my sister Murphy Kanupp.

As a child I don’t remember ever really attending Church, though I did have some knowledge of the Bible and who God was. My sisters and brother and I grew up with an unstable home life. We moved around a lot and attended several different schools. Times were very hard for us. My mother was trying to raise the five of us for the most part as a single mother with the help of my grandmother. Things eventually fell apart and we were all separated.

Not long after the separation, I went off to college. My college dorm became my only home. I had the opportunity to occasionally visit different Churches and believed in God, but never gave it too much thought. I just lived my life being unsure of much and doing as I liked.

Even though I was busy going to classes, writing papers, studying for tests and hanging out with friends, I felt pretty alone and empty a lot of the time accept when I could visit with family. I started visiting the Baptist Student Center, but nothing really changed.

Things took a really bad turn when the boy I had been dating for three years became abusive. I guess I was looking for love in all the wrong places. In the midst of the worst part of the breakup with this boy, I met a girl in a campus café who asked if she could sit with me. She talked about her relationship with Jesus. She told me she was a “born again Christian” and I replied “I am also,” but the truth was that I didn’t know what that even meant.

Not long after I graduated college, I met my husband who was divorced with three children. Wow, I had an instant family and I felt very needed. But as time went on, my desire to have my own child only increased. Many years went by and I still did not have a child of my own. I felt a lot of despair. During these years, I wanted to attend Church, but my stepchildren were Catholic and I never felt quite right in the Catholic Church.

My thoughts of God increased and after listening and watching Billy Graham several times I felt energized. I knew God was calling me. When I heard that Billy Graham was going to be in Atlanta, I knew I had to be there and could barely wait. I wanted to be there in person when I asked Jesus for my salvation.

When God became my focus, two years later my daughter was born. Life is not perfect, but I know that God is there for me. He loves me unconditionally. His love is true, never-ending love.

THE POWER OF ONE!

She was born, raised, lived 88 years, died and was buried in Baltimore, MD, but she impacted the world like few women have. Her name is Annie Armstrong. Born to a prominent Baltimore family which had influenced the area for generations prior, the city in turn influenced Annie’s life and work. Living in a port, industrial and railroad city broadened her horizons and facilitated her interest in missions. She started and supported evangelism and needs-based programs for port-workers, sailors, immigrants, Blacks, Native Americans, the sick and the poor especially women and children.

Other influences were her mother who took Annie to Church and missionary meetings, her pastor Richard Fuller who deepened her convictions about living a missionary lifestyle and the new Church start in which she participated. Most importantly, she went from being a Church girl to being born again at the age of twenty. With all of these influences it is interesting that God never called Annie to be a missionary…He had other plans for her.

A turning point in Annie's life came in 1880 after she heard a speech on the destitution of Native Americans in Oklahoma. She and other women organized to gather gifts of money and clothing. This experience germinated into the idea of encouraging women to organize into groups to educate and help the needy….the idea became the seed for the start of the Woman’s Missionary Union.

Missionary Lottie Moon (China), desperate for help, wrote home and encouraged women in the USA to band into formal societies to promote foreign mission work. She asked them to send two women missionaries to her aid. Annie took up the cause with a passion. The seed began to grow into a sprout.

Annie began writing relentlessly to other women’s groups asking for monetary donations. By the goal date in December, enough money had been raised to send not two but three women to China.

In 1888, women from 12 states formed an auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Annie was elected Corresponding Secretary. Then in 1890, the name “Woman’s Missionary Union” was adopted (www.wmu.com). Now the flower was in full bloom and Annie continued serving as its leader without pay until 1906.

This short article cannot begin to mention the incredible amount of labor and travel that Annie Armstrong performed to support missions in the USA and abroad nor the powerful influence she had over the continuing formation of the SBC (www.sbc.net). As a result of her efforts, the Home Mission Offering (www.namb.net) was named in her honor. From the beginning to the end of 2005, giving to the Christmas and Easter offerings has blossomed to nearly $3.7 billion. If you are interested in learning more about her incredible life, google “Annie Armstrong missionary” or visit her profile at www.facebook.com. The 2009 Home Missions Offering Goal is $65 million. Be a part of this ongoing legacy…give!

APRIL SPONSOR

Please pray for God's blessing on our April sponsor, who made the newsletter possible:



As well as

New Horizons Office Service
Linda Buchanan
828.628.9500
nhos@bellsouth.net

who provided the printing for the April Newsletter.

PRAYER REQUESTS

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please enter your Prayer Requests in the comment section (see below) and they will be sent out to the "Prayer Chain".

The Story of the Clover

One day St Patrick was attempting to explain the difficult concept of the Trinity. He glanced down and at his feet was the humble clover. The beautiful little sprig was perfect for illustrating this doctrine and since then has been honored in Ireland. While Patrick noted the three leaves being part of one sprig (three in one), we can take it a step further by noting that the leaves are heart-shaped representing the love of God and the color is green representing the gift of eternal life.

How ‘bout that Forgiveness?

Forgiveness…such a beautiful word when we think about receiving it. Especially the wonderful forgiveness that God gives to us. But when it comes to giving forgiveness, the beauty of the word seems to fade. We often feel we need time to overcome hurt feelings or scars that run deep. Forgiveness becomes an internal foe with whom we must wrestle until the battle is won or lost. Is it possible to forgive instantly and immediately? Maybe the secret is what Patrick discovered during his lonely exile. That is, to be so close to God that at every moment one is in a state of preparedness to forgive quickly and instantly. The reward for forgiving is joy, peace and the ability to hear the voice of God. The quicker we forgive the sooner we get the reward and that, folks, is worth the struggle! ….Contributed by Laura Weeks