As we move through what, to date, has been a very mild winter, the approaching spring time is a reminder of the new life that is available through Jesus Christ.  In addition, February and early March is a time for our church to turn our attention to our 2012 Focus on Missions.

From the beginning of Grace Evangelical Church, back in 1984, one constant in our church has been our focus, emphasis, and support of God’s mission to the world.  With this year’s Missions Conference, we will move from the usual 3-day conference format to a full week of emphasis on missions!  The week will progress as follows:

Sunday, February 26^th, I’ll be preaching on Missions and setting the stage for the week to come.  This year, we will not be breaking from midweek classes, but with the G3 groups in session, all classes will meet, and as is the usual format, the previous week’s sermon text will be the topic of discussion.  All G3 and care groups will meet on their usual days, at their usual times and locationsTo prepare our hearts for the week, a 24-Hour Prayer Vigil will be held in the Church Library from 1:00pm, Sunday, February 26^th, through 1:00pm, Monday, February 27^th.  Please sign up and take a 30-minute prayer slot to come to the church and pray.  

Wednesday, February 29^th, High Five (Children’s Ministry) will meet on Wednesday night, as usual. TM412 (Middle School) and The Grid (High School) will meet in a combined session from 6:30pm-8:00pm in the Chapel.  They will have  Missionary Steve Hagemeyer, with Pioneer Bible Translators, as a special guest speaker. Steve will also be sharing later that same evening with RENEWAL (College/Young Professionals) from 8:30pm-9:30pm in the Sanctuary.

Friday, March 2^nd - There will be no evening Missions Conference meeting on Friday night.

Saturday, March 3^rd will be a Missions / Hands of Grace Outreach - “Go Light The World” Together. Rather than host a men’s breakfast and ladies lunch at the church, we’ve decided, “Why not actually engage in mission work during our Missions Emphasis Week?” 

So… Saturday morning, from 9:00am-1:00pm, we’ll all meet at the Bartlett Community Center, 408 S. 18^th, for an opportunity to work and minister with the neighborhood surrounding the center. 

We have invited Sam & Silvana Shaw, with The Agape Puppets, to join the Grace Puppet team and minister to the neighborhood children. There will also be various projects to work on surrounding the Center in addition to the Children’s Crusade led by Sam & Sylvana. 

Then from Noon to 1:00pm, we will host a Neighborhood Block Party with a hamburger and hotdog cookout.  We’ll need lots of help for this one!  You can read more about this event in the Hands of Grace article in this newsletter and watch the Sunday bulletin for details on how you can get involved.

There will be no Missions Conference meeting on Saturday night.  Instead, the Missions Committee will be meeting with the missionaries for a time of prayer and encouragement. 

Sunday, March 4^th will be a standard Missions Conference event.  Dr. Doug Carter, Vice President of Equip Ministries, will be our featured speaker for both morning services.  He will also be speaking at one combined Adult Sunday School class in the sanctuary. Sam & Silvana Shaw will minister to our children during Children’s Church. The Children and Youth will meet with their regular Sunday School classes.

On Sunday evening, Dr. Carter will bring the message at 6:30pm. Then, following the service, we will receive and tally the Faith  Promises to Missions which will support the church’s 2012 Missions Budget, and we will pray for our missionaries.  Finally, we’ll conclude the evening with a Sandwich Supper.  Please bring sandwiches or finger foods to share for this meal.

This year’s emphasis will have some new components, as well as some of our tried and true components, but the goal remains the same… that God will call some of our own into fulltime Christian service; and that we as a church faithfully support God’s mission with our time, our talents, and our treasure!  I hope you’ll make plans to be part of the event!

Blessings,

Pastor Darrell

About Our Missionary Guests…..

Steve Hagemeyer has been serving as minister at Christian Campus House at the University of Missouri in Columbia, but  he and his wife, Alesha, are now getting ready to begin their field assignment with Pioneer Bible Translators to disciple the Bible-less in West Africa.  They have four children:  Kaelyn, Joya, Lydia and Carson.

Sam & Silvana Shaw, along with The Agape Puppet Team, travel all over the world training and equipping others in puppet ministry as they share with over 70,000 children a year. Sam & Sylvana met in 2006 when he came to train and equip a team in Brazil. They were married in 2007 and make their home in Northern Ireland.

Dr. Doug Carter and his wife, Winnie, served as missionaries to American Indians for more than sixteen years. From 1989, until he joined EQUIP in 1996, Dr. Carter served as Vice-President of World Gospel Missions, an interdenominational mission agency. He is an outstanding communicator who has ministered in more than eighty nations worldwide. Doug and Winnie live in Atlanta. They are the parents of three children:  Angie, Eric and Jason.