Calling All Sr. Pastors and Christian Workers

   A special meeting will be held on June 10th at the Italian Conference Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee from 10-11:30 a.m. This will be an informative meeting to examine the feasibility and the possibility of Franklin Graham, son of Dr. Billy Graham, coming to Milwaukee for an event called, “Rock the Lake” at Veteran’s Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront.  This will be a two or three day event including the top Christian musicians in the country performing with messages by Franklin Graham and others. This event promises to be life changing.

  It has been 30 years since Dr. Billy Graham held a crusade in the Milwaukee area at the old County stadium. Are we ready for another great event? Come out on June 10th to hear the prospects and voice your support if you think Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin is ready for another such evangelistic experience, with this one especially geared to the youth of our community. 

A similar event was held last summer called “Rock the River” when a number of major cities were set for a one day event and thousands upon thousands came out at each city and many responded to the Gospel message. A lasting impact was made on each city.

   That was Rock the River, now let’s Rock the Lake in 2011. Your input and support is needed. Get more information at info@rockthelakeswisconsin.com or call 414.344.7300.

Children of inmates receive Christmas hope

NEW ORLEANS — Franklin Avenue Baptist Church is making Christmas brighter for some 225 children whose parents are imprisoned.

“We recognize it as fulfilling a need and planting a seed,” said Elvira Brown, prison ministry director at the New Orleans church.

“The need is great on so many levels. Many of these children will not get any other gift for Christmas.”

In Louisiana, Franklin Avenue is among more than 100 churches committed to serve nearly 4,000 children whose incarcerated parents signed up for Angel Tree, a benevolent and evangelistic outreach coordinated by Prison Fellowship.

Nationally, Angel Tree networks with thousands of churches to give gifts to children, presented as given by the parents, along with Gospel tracts and the parents’ personal messages.

Brown said Angel Tree presents a positive image of Christianity to needy children and the families with whom they live, many of whom are not members of missions-minded congregations.

“They need to know that love is what we’re all about,” Brown said.

Louisiana houses about 3,000 federal inmates as well as about 38,000 state inmates, plus an uncounted number of local jail inmates. Children of imprisoned parents likely are impoverished, have emotional and behavioral problems and suffer sexual or physical abuse, according to the nonpartisan Council of State Governments Justice Center.

Churches develop relationships with the children and the families, ministering to them throughout the year, as Angel Tree encourages. Franklin Avenue distributed the gifts during a Christmas program Dec. 12, introducing the children to Christ through storytelling, a play and liturgical dance.

“We do have some families that do continue to come to church,” said Brown, who is working to develop a mentoring program through Franklin Avenue’s prison ministry. In addition to its Angel Tree outreach, the church plans to provide for an additional 20 children identified separately through the congregation.

Elsewhere in Louisiana, Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles, which has participated in Angel Tree nearly 20 years, distributed gifts to 90 children at a Dec. 5 Christmas musical and encouraged the families to continue to fellowship with the church.

“There are some who have come back and we have some families that have joined,” said Pam Ford, Trinity’s Angel Tree coordinator. “[These families] have become a part of the family and they are experiencing the ministry that is available at Trinity.”

Angel Tree provides an opportunity to foster evangelism and giving among Trinity members while showing love for the incarcerated, Ford said. “It’s a special opportunity for parents to teach their children and for the congregation as a family to express what the real reason of Christmas is,” she said.

“We wrap our arms around everyone who comes through those doors. They get filled with the love of Jesus,” Ford said of the outreach. “There’s a connection that takes place where it doesn’t matter about any differences that may appear outwardly. Our hearts are united as one.”

First Baptist Church in West Monroe, meanwhile, is delivering Angel Tree gifts along with Bibles to the homes of the 80 children, said Joy Regan, who coordinates the outreach along with her husband Ed.

“It’s a good ministry to serve or represent the person that’s incarcerated, to be able to do something for the children that [their parents] can’t do,” Regan said. “We also want them to experience God’s love in their lives.”

And the children certainly are responsive, Regan said. “We can tell in these kids’ eyes. They say, ‘This is from my daddy?’”

(Source: Baptist Press)

“The Milwaukee Give” – World Outreach seeks help in feeding hungry

MILWAUKEE — On Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 9AM World Outreach & Bible Training Center under the leadership of Pastors Ervin & Melva Henderson will once again host “The Milwaukee Give”, a hunger relief effort donating food to families with children in the Greater Milwaukee area.  Last year World Outreach fed over 400 families, this year their goal is 1000 families!
 
Those interested in participating in “The Milwaukee Give” hunger relief effort must live within the Greater Milwaukee area and must have children under the age of 18 living in the household.
 
Utilizing a semi truck packed with food, personal care items and pallets of assorted goods, 1000 families within the Milwaukee area will be able to receive one box of food & toiletries items.  Vouchers are required and available by contacting World Outreach Center at 414-962-0600.
 
World Outreach & Bible Training Center is located at the Barnabas Center Complex-4650 N. Port Washington Ave, Jefferson Building, and Glendale, WI.
 
If you would like more information, to volunteer or obtain a voucher please contact World Outreach Center at 414-962-0600 or info@worldoutreachbtc.org

Thanksgiving Outreach Service & Meal – Liberty & Truth Ministries – November 21,2009

Liberty and Truth Ministries extends an invitation to the public for their Thanksgiving Outreach Service Saturday November 21 2009 at 3PM. The outreach will take place at 6119  W Fond Du Lac Ave in Milwaukee, and a complete Thanksgiving meal will be free of charge for the first 65 families.

For more information and to RSVP please call 414.463.3733

Missionaries/Bible Translators Buck Employment Trend

As the adage goes, “There is bad news and good news…which do you want first?”  Okay, first the bad news…

The number of unemployed persons (14.7 million) and the unemployment rate (9.5 percent) were little changed in June. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 7.2 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 4.6 percentage points. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 2, 2009)  According to Reuters, the White House expects unemployment rate to climb to 10% in next two to three months. Average weekly hours came in at a slightly worse-than-expected 33.0. Since hours often lead payrolls and employers are cutting back hours suggests that hiring remains a long ways off, which will damper consumer spending and hopes of a consumer-led economic recovery.

Now for the good news…

Wycliffe Bible Translators, the world’s largest organization of its kind, is looking for workers with a range of skills to assist in the translation of the scriptures into the last remaining languages.

“Of course, a large number will go into translation,” said Chuck Michaels of Wycliffe to Mission Network News. “But for every translator team we send out we need three support personnel: people who are pilots, IT personnel, teachers that will teach missionary children, managers that will help us in our administrative work, government relations officers, and a whole host of other areas.”

The Bible translation organization estimates that 25,000 more workers are needed over a period of 10 years for its Vision 2025 effort that seeks to start translation in every language by the year 2025. Wycliffe aims to recruit 7,000 people from the U.S.

Some 200 million people, making up a third of the world’s language groups, still do not have the Bbile in their own “heart language.”

The goal of Wycliffe’s Last Languages Campaign is to provide literacy and life-saving health information along with the Bible to all the world’s small language groups in need of language development by 2025.

Besides Wycliffe, other mission organizations have also referenced the troubled economy in their missionary recruitment efforts. World Gospel Mission president recently reported that “the job market for missionaries has never been brighter.”  (Source: The Christian Post)

Heart-Fire Ministries Summer Outreach Efforts

Heart-Fire Ministries along with World Harvest Community Church is collecting specific
school supplies to fill backpacks for children in need. Below is a list of volunteer
opportunities and specific items needed:

Backpacks (All ages)
(Inexpensive) Headphones/Earbuds (For computer use)
Hand Sanitizer (8oz. of smaller)
Facial Tissue
Washable Wide Markers
Colored Pencils (12 ct.)
Pencil Boxes/Pouches
Scissors

Volunteers
Packing Backpacks / Friday, August 7 / 6:00pm
Outreach / Saturday, August 8 / 9:00pm – Noon
Held at The Fire Escape / 819 N. 27th St. / Milwaukee
Call (414) 445-9490 to RSVP