Thank you, Northwest Chapel!

Dear NWC Pastors, Elders, and church family,

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for the support that Northwest Chapel has given to the development and successful launch of ClearView Church.  Thanks for your prayers and financial and personnel support.  ClearView wouldn’t exist today if it weren’t for your vision, faithful support, encouragement, and prayer.  I give special thanks to you for your perseverance in tilling the hard soil of northeastern Franklin County with us.  I am confident that God will bring a great harvest of missionaries and new churches as fruit of your efforts with us.  Ephesians 3:21!

ClearView has much to celebrate.  As you know, God blessed our Grand Opening celebration with a strong attendance of 162.  Even more than this number, my heart was delighted at seeing the faces of friends in the audience, new people plugged into service, and a great response to the mailers (that you helped us put together)!  God gave us a beautiful day and much to celebrate!  We were excited to have 85 people return on October 18.  Now we’re working hard to assimilate these guests into regular attendees and invite them to join us in our mission of loving people to a clear view of Jesus and His mission. Thanks for continuing to pray with us!

With love and appreciation,

Andy Wirt, Church Planter

ClearView Grand Opening Doesn’t Disappoint

The following is a note from Andy Wirt, church planter at Northwest Chapel’s daughter church in New Albany, ClearView Church.  Andy writes about what God did on October 11, ClearView’s Grand Opening Celebration.

Sunday, October 11, was a milestone for ClearView Church! After more than two years of hard work, our start-from-scratch church plant celebrated it’s Grand Opening! The celebration was full of fun, new faces, great music, an official welcome to the community from Mayor Ferguson, and a message detailing why ClearView exists. We had a great day of energy…one that was truly a culmination of a lot of work and many answered prayers. God gave us a beautiful day outside for the festivities that followed- free pizza, grinders, salad and ice-cream along with activities for children (face-painting, games, and bounce houses). All-in-all, I think all of the 162 in attendance sensed God’s presence and had a great time.

Personally, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so satisfied (vocationally). The day was just a clear movement of God in many ways. I left feeling that I/we had so much to be thankful for and that God was/is just really, really good to us. Here are a few things I’ve contemplated this week that I give praise to God for:

• I am so pleased with our ClearView team. I’ve been amazed, over the last few weeks, how people have come together, new people have plugged in, and we’ve made significant strides to improve all of our critical systems (Sunday worship, KidView, Wow Factor, Set-up/tear-down, etc.). There has been great energy, wonderful commitment, and excellence from people that are truly excited about ClearView’s vision. In some cases, families that have only been with us a few weeks carried out vital roles to make our Grand Opening a success.
• The decision of our team to rally and move locations has proved to be truly wisdom from God. Moving to New Albany High School has acted as a rallying cry for our crew and I believe God used this transition point to create a sense of urgency in us that was needed to make this final push towards the great goal of a large Grand Opening.
• Things on Sunday went really smoothly. Considering that we just implemented sound and video into our services over the last 4 weeks (since we started meeting at the High School), we’ve had to train people, troubleshoot, and figure out our systems in these areas in a compressed amount of time. God was truly good to us in how well the program went. Also, our greeters and children’s workers were on the top of their game and all facets I observed (and got comments on from others) were excellent.
• We were pleased with the attendance. Even though I had prayed for 200, I think 162 is full of miracles. It was SO exciting to see a full house and so many smiling new faces. There was a great buzz of excitement in the air…and I think our team felt a great sense of praise to God for answering our prayers for a good turnout.
• God worked through the marketing He helped us put together. Well over half the audience came due to a post-card or billboard or other form of promotion. It was exciting to see a lot of hard work in this area pay-off.
• It was personally gratifying to me to hear a lot of positive comments about the message I shared. I loved putting this talk together because it was a simple explanation of our purpose statement: ClearView exists to love people to a clear view of Jesus and His mission. I shared from the Bible about why we work to love people (because Jesus did, God does, and mission requires it), that we want to love them to Jesus and then help them adopt Jesus’ mission as theirs. I heard a response from several people that they felt compelled by this vision and want to help ClearView fulfill it! Praise God!

I’m sure there is more that I could share. But, if you are a regular blog reader and have prayed for us over the last 2.5 years as we’ve worked towards this special day- thank you. God has answered your prayers and done a great work. Ephesians 3:21.

ClearView Grand Opening This Sunday!

ClearView Church is a daughter church of Northwest Chapel in New Albany, OH.  They will be celebrating their Grand Opening this weekend.  Below is a note from church starter, Andy Wirt.  Please pray with ClearView for God’s great work this Sunday.

From Andy Wirt:

The day has come!  For two and a half years, we’ve worked to build a team to launch a healthy new church in northeastern Franklin County, OH.  After much sweat, some tears, a lot of memories and learning experiences…the day for ClearView’s Grand Opening Celebration is here!  This Sunday, October 11, we’ll celebrate God’s work in ClearView at our new location- New Albany High School.

We’ve worked hard at letting the community know about our Grand Opening service.  Northwest Chapel helped us prepare three, 38,000 piece mailings, and we’ve purchased ads on a billboard and in newspapers.  Our people are actively inviting their friends.  Our promotions have stimulated many interesting spiritual conversations!  God has created a buzz about ClearView in the community and we see Him doing exciting things to prepare us for this Sunday.  I’ll try and communicate more fully all that God has been doing over the last few months in a follow-up note (coming in the next few weeks).  But, for now, I’d like to ask you to pray about this weekend.

Here are some specific ways to pray:

• That God would lead spiritually seeking people to our Grand Opening event.  I just finished having coffee with Randy, a man who e-mailed me after receiving one of our promotional fliers.  By his own admission, he recognizes something is missing in his life.  His family is looking for connection and he is looking for answers to his spiritual questions.  I had the chance to get to know him and share the Good News of Jesus with Him.  Pray Randy comes to know Jesus and that others like him would check out ClearView as a result of our invitations.
• That God would move in the hearts of people the ClearView team is personally inviting.
• That God would answer the prayers that have been prayed for many years by hundreds of people (you!) around the world for ClearView’s Grand Opening.
• That God would be honored by our hearts and all that happens on October 11.
• That God would use us to love people to a clear view of Jesus and His mission.
• That God would burden us with a continued excitement and challenge over the call to love people to Jesus and figure out how to develop missionaries in our context (no matter what does or doesn’t happen on 10/11…this is our mission).

Needless to say, we are really excited about this weekend.  We’re asking God for Ephesians 3:20 type results.  “Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:21).  Thanks for praying with us.  Any fruit God brings is yours!

Feel free to check our Blog for more information and updates on what God has been doing.  I’ll try to post a Grand Opening summary there by Weds. of next week.

Update from Kelly Emerick – Campus Crusade for Christ

In about a month all the Campus Crusade for Christ staff in the entire country are going to be converging on Ft. Collins, CO for our bi-annual staff confer-ence. It’ll be a serious Jesus injection into this little college town at the foot of the Rockies. At the conference, we’ll be hearing from our leaders, as well as other spiri-tual leaders of the country as we all are refreshed, re-connected,

and re-focused on the mission God has called us to, to reach the world for Christ one person at a time.

I have come out a month early to go through new staff training and to take classes offered by Crusade to help sharpen my under-standing of God and the World. I am ex-cited to spend some focused time on study and being built into. Please pray for me, that I would take this very important material into my heart, and not just cram for tests .

I will be taking…

• Introduction to Theology
• Bible Study Methods

World View Surveys

For my Intro to Theology class we conducted a world view survey for a project. Our objective was to talk to people and get their opin-ions on different matters of Chris-tianity.

In order to get my assignment completed I sent out a message on Facebook asking people to fill out the survey. The response was

tremendous! I am excited to say that more people responded than I had hoped. I was even more ex-cited that some of the students that I have been working with sent me their responses.

In reading their answers I was amazed at the different views that each person held of Christianity. There were some who held a strong Christian world view and some that did not.

Needless to say, these surveys opened the door for me to talk with students about what they believe and why. I am excited to follow up the students that filled out the surveys. Please be praying with me as I do!

Prayer Requests

• That I will be able to learn much from my time here at New staff Training in Colorado
• Pray that my additional support will be raised quickly so I can get to my assignment in Orlando.
• Pray that the Lord will use this summer to really speak to my heart and draw me closer to Him.
• Pray for the students that I have talked to with the World View Surveys. Pray that I will be able to follow them up and talk to them more about what they think and view.
• Pray for safe travels back from Colorado to my next destination.
• Praise that the Lord has fulfilled my dream to serve Him on staff

Where will I be Going?

So it is true, I am now on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ! The Lord has blessed me with another

dream fulfilled! Where  will I be going you might ask! The answer to your question is the National Headquarters of Student Venture in Orlando, Florida!

The Lord has blessed me with the amazing opportunity of working with the International Projects and the Conference Administration departments! I will be impacting students lives in an even larger way than I have ever imagined!

In order for me to get to my new assignment I will need to raise some additional support! Please be praying with me that the Lord will bring new ministry partners alongside of me to partner in this amazing opportunity! Please be praying with me as I start on this journey that the Lord has given me! I am excited to see how He is going to deepen my faith and dependence on Him.

Contact Information

Kelly Emerick

306 Weatherburn Ct

Powell, OH 43065

kelly.emerick@studentventure.com

Staff Account: 0581609

Kelly Emerick

306 Weatherburn Ct

Powell, OH 43065

kelly.emerick@studentventure.com

Staff Account: 0581609Kelly Emeric

Ensenada Mission Trip Video

Ensenada Mexico Mission Trip – Saturday Update

So as you might expect, we have been quite busy the last few days, and God has blessed us richly.

We completed the house building project on Thursday as expected.  It was a blessing to have the Olivares family join us at the job site for the day.  Gabby was helping with VBS all week, and Polo was working.  He had almost lost his job when he helped pour the slab for the house, so we didn’t want to risk that in order to have him help us all week, but his boss let him come the last day. We enjoyed getting to know them and hear their story.  At the end of the day, YUGO does a key ceremony which they video tape for the team.  Each person on the team gets to hold the keys to the new home and say something to the family, usually a blessing or wish for them.  When we all finish, the family says something about the week or their story.  Polo mentioned that they have been praying for 9 years for a house.  They have had promises, and opportunities, but nothing.  They have been faithful to God, but still no home.  So this was a special day, when they actually received the keys of their new home!

VBS continued to grow all week.  Wednesday they had over 150 children, and the Central Ohio team delivered the story of Daniel in the lion’s den.  The theme was “God is bigger than the lion’s and God is bigger than … (fill in the blank).”  The children shared some great stories, including one little boy that said God is bigger than the man that wouldn’t give his daddy a job.  On Thursday, children from a local orphanage came, and there were over 200 children at the VBS that day.

Friday the team enjoyed some down time and a trip to La Bufadora, a natural blowhole and tourist area outside Ensenada. We needed the rest from the long week.  The restaurant owner where we ate had caught a large squid that morning, and he added it to the salsa and guacamole that he made for us.  Then he brought the rest of the squid out to show us.  Now that’s fresh!  It was delicious!!!

Friday night was incredible.  We had a celebration at the church for the VBS and the house building.  We invited the families of the children who came from the neigborhood and around the church.  Over 150 people came to the church (typically the church has between 60 and 100 people).  There was great music with Latin passion, clowns and Bible stories, a powerful drama about how romance, drugs, money, and other things sometimes get between us and Christ, and a simple yet effective Gospel message by Pastor Martin.  When he invited people to receive the gift of salvation, over 60 people came forward to receive Jesus Christ!  We were completely blown away!!!  Pastor Teo and Rosario worked quickly to gather that group up and talk with them and counsel them and get contact information while the Central Ohio team passed out a bag of food and toys for the families (here they call it a ‘dipsensa’).  Each family got a bag of rice, beans, and flour for making tortillas as well as some candy and toys for the kids.  Afterward, we said goodbye and headed back to YUGO for a camp fire and team debrief.

Today we leave for San Diego and some back to Ohio.  Please pray for safe travels and no issues crossing the border.  Pray also for Mindy as she is quite ill.  Please pray for these folks who have come to know Christ, that they would grow in their faith and add to the numbers of the church and encourage the believers here.   Thanks again to everyone for your support in prayer, finances, and loving well wishes.  We have truly been blessed by this trip.

Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ensenada Mexico Mission Trip – Tuesday Update

Today both teams enjoyed wonderful weather, the breeze was coming from the ocean and kept the temperature comfortable all day.

The construction team is almost done with roofing and we are done with putting up drywall.  We are a bit ahead of schedule so far and thankfully nobody has gotten seriously hurt.  Tomorrow we hope to finish the roof and start with the small details (trim around the house, sanding the drywall).  Our team continues to enjoy tacos at Tacos El Poblano on the way home from the worksite.

The VBS team had over 150 kids show up today!   That is the most kids that the church has ever seen for one of its programs. We are the first team from the U.S. that has come to work with them the local church not just for them.  Not only did they have that many kids, they fed all of them plus more folks in the neighborhood.  There were clowns, bounce houses, and shuttle vans everywhere.

Please pray for continual safety for both teams as well as the VBS team as they are expecting even more kids in the next couple days. Pray also for Sandi and Tim Peterson.  Tim’s mom was admitted to Riverside hospital after having a stroke this morning.  Pray for the VBS team as the Mexico team asked the US team to lead the story at VBS.

We have many pictures, but the internet connection is a little slow.  We’ll try to add them when we are back in the US.

Ensenada Mexico Mission Trip – Monday Update

God is soooo good.  We have had an amazing couple of days on this trip to Baja California Mexico.  On Sunday, we gathered in San Diego, Ca and traveled to the Ensenada Outreach Center of YUGO ministries.  On the way we noticed high poverty rates mixed with very nice homes.  Also the view of the ocean and beaches was strikingly beautiful.  The team was amazed at what they saw and experienced just on the way down.

Today is Monday, and we have already seen fruit from our labor.  The VBS team spent the day planning and handing out flyers for advertisement.  While they were at the church, a lady came up and said to Rosario Huerta, Pastor Teo’s wife, “Please tell me how I can know Jesus,” and she accepted Christ on the spot!  Praise God!!!  The VBS team handed out over 1000 flyers and met with many many people.  We are expecting over 100 children tomorrow including at least a few children from the neighborhood where we are building the house.

The house team is very tired tonight after a hard days work in the hot sun. We got a lot done on the house, including the framing, siding, holes for doors and windows, and the electrical wiring.  Our jobsite foreman, Rodolfo, is amazing, and is very capable at building this house.  His magic, Titanium framing hammer drives nails faster than you can imagine.  Stephen Carrick had a small accident involving his thumb and a hammer, and a little blood, but he’s a tough guy and seems to be holding up nicely.  While we worked we connected with an 8yr old guy from the neighborhood.  First he asked for money, then he wanted to sell us a family cordless drill.  Finally, he decided to help us work and spent the day painting and nailing the frame to the slab with the .22 round nailing gun.  Even though our team ranged from 8yrs old to something over 50yrs old, we worked well together and were able to accomplish a lot.  After work, some of us stopped at Tacos el Poblano for a local taco treat – YUM!

It has been great connecting with Pastor Teo and his team.  It has also been great connecting with the folks at YUGO.  Tonight, Scott Wester, the leader here at YUGO reminded us of how priviledged we are as Americans and how we have responsibility to share with the rest of the world.  It was not intended to be a guilt trip, but a realization of how the world is…and he’s right.

Please pray for a good night’s sleep and continued health.  Pray for Stephen’s thumb – it hurts. Pray for the VBS that really gets underway tomorrow.  Pray that team will bond together and be effective ministers along with the Mexican team members.

Please Pray for the Mexico Mission Trip Team

Beginning next Sunday July 12, a team of people from Central Ohio will be traveling to Mexico to build a house for a family in a partner church there.  We’ll be working with Pastor Teo Heurta and building a house for Apolonio, Gabriella, Adan, Selina, and Aaron Olivares.  Below is a video from YUGO, the organization we work with, about the family and where they will be living.

http://eocyugohomes.blogspot.com/search/label/July%2012-18%202009

Please pray for the family and that we will be a blessing to them.  Please pray for our Vacation Bible School at Pastor Teo’s church.  Pray also for our safety and health as we go.

Also, the Kellet family is returning from building a house there.  Please pray for safe travels as they return.

Pray for Cuba

Please pray for the work of God in Cuba especially this week.  Our brother Mariano will traveling there this week in order to visit the churches, spend some quality time with the leaders and encourage the believers.  His schedule will be quite full as he travels daily from place to place, shares messages of encouragement from God’s word and stays in the homes of believers.  Please pray for good health and protection as he travels from place to place.  Pray that Mariano will accomplish all that God has plannned for him.  Pray that the churches would be strengthened and encouraged. Pray that the leaders, their marriages and their families would be strenghtened and refreshed.  Pray that the believers there that Christ, out of His glorious riches woulc strengthen them with power through His Spirit in their inner being so that Christ may be more and more at home in their hearts through faith.  Pray that, being rooted and established in love, that they would be able to grasp, together with all the saints, how wide, and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that they may be filled to the mesasure of the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-20).   Pray for the believers that they would continue to be a light as they love one another in unity and share boldly the Gospel of Jesus to neighbors, family and friends.  Pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send more workers into His field and that He would daily add to the number of believers and churches until everyone in that country has had an opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel.   

 

  

 

Some facts about Cuba:

 

The tropical Island extends 750 miles (roughly the size of Pennsylvania) and is a beautiful mix of mountain ranges and plains.   Cuba has no plants or animals that are lethal to humans (Yes, this includes poisonous snakes!)  

 

 

  

 Full country name: Republic of Cuba
Area: 110,860 sq km
Population: 11 million
Capital City: Havana (pop 2,200,000)
People: 60% Spanish descent, 22% mixed-race, 11% African descent, 1% Chinese
Language: Spanish; Castilian
Religion: 47% Catholic, 4% Protestant, 2% Santería (many Catholics also practice Santería).        

What is Santeria?  Santería is one of the syncretic religions. It is a system of beliefs that merge the Yoruba religion (brought to the New World  by slaves imported to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations) with Roman Catholic and Native American traditions. These slaves carried with them various religious traditions, including a tradition of a trance for communicating with their ancestors and deities, animal sacrifice and the practice of sacred drumming.  It is similar to vodoo and combines the worship of traditional Yoruban deities with the worship of Roman Catholic saints.  The word Santeria literally means the worship of saints.