From the Midwest District Office
By Dave Miller
During the past few weeks the country’s
attention has been turned to the
national conventions of the Democratic
and Republican parties. The respective
nominees for the presidency
now begin the last stage of the campaign
process which will culminate in
the selection of a new president.
As the campaigns now move into
high gear, our lives will be inundated
with messages from both candidates
promising “CHANGE” when elected.
They want to convince us that they
alone can and will solve all of our
country’s problems, if only we will
give them that opportunity.
There is no doubt that there are things
in our country that need to change.
There are certainly significant issues
that need to be addressed by a newlyelected
president. Furthermore, our
country’s new president certainly can
and will have a great impact over the
direction and influence of our country.
However, as I was reading today
in Joel, I was reminded of a very important
principle—real change is not
primarily a political issue, it’s a spiritual
issue that begins in the heart and
works outward.
“ ‘Even now,’ declares the Lord,
‘return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and
mourning.’ Rend your heart and not
your garments. Return to the Lord
your God, for He is gracious and
compassionate, slow to anger and
abounding in love, and he relents
from sending calamity. Who knows?
He may turn and have pity and leave
behind a blessing…” (Joel 2:12-14)
Our nation desperately needs a spiritual
change of heart—beginning with
the Church! When God sends revival
and changes the hearts of His people,
their behaviors will change dramatically.
Those changes will become evident
to others and soon society will
begin to feel the effect. Our country
will experience true change when the
hearts of people change!
Let’s humbly PRAY that God will
begin that change process in our Midwest
District churches! (2 Chronicles
7:14 “If my people who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray
and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin and will heal
their land.”)
(By the way, God’s people also have a
responsibility to get involved in the elective
process by VOTING!)
News from the District
WEEPING WATER, NEBRASKA
On May 16th, John Moser resigned as pastor of Faith
Missionary Church in Weeping Water, NE. His last
Sunday with the church was June 29th. The Mosers are
temporarily continuing to live in the Weeping Water
area, but are very interested in the possibility of God
opening up doors for ministry in some urban area.
Since pastor Moser’s resignation took effect, a number
of men have traveled to Weeping Water each week to
fill the pulpit for the FMC Sunday worship services.
Pastor Andy Petro, the Nebraska Mission District
leader, has been working with the FMC board during
this transition time as they begin their search for a pastor.
Early on, the FMC board decided that the church could
benefit from the ministry of an interim pastor who
would serve for approximately 6-9 months. After much
prayerful consideration, it was unanimously decided to
ask Rev. Larry Secor to fill that
position. Pastor Larry has accepted
the call and will begin his
ministry in Weeping Water on
September 14th.
Pray much that God will bless
Pastor Secor’s ministry at Faith
Missionary Church, and that God
will ultimately provide a permanent
pastor for that congregation.
CHURCH PLANT IN LINCOLN
The congregation of Grace Missionary Church in Milford,
NE has been praying for some time about the possibility
of planting a church in Lincoln, NE. As the result
of their prayers, God has brought them in contact
with a man named Dave Cassner who also has a burden
for the city of Lincoln.
Since August 10th, Dave Cassner and some from Grace
Missionary Church have been meeting together on Sunday
nights in a group known as Still Waters Fellowship.
Their goal is to develop relationships in the multiethnic,
lower income neighborhoods of Lincoln which
will open doors to effectively share the love of Christ.
Pray for Dave Cassner and those involved in Still Waters
Fellowship. Pray that God will use them to effectively
make disciples and build the Kingdom of God!
PASTORS’ AND WIVES’ RETREAT
The annual Pastors’ and Wives’ Retreat will be held in
Clarinda, IA on October 14-16. The purpose of the retreat
is to provide a family reunion type of atmosphere
where our pastors and wives can relax and where relationships
between our district ministry team can be renewed
and strengthened.
It is expected that all pastors will attend this event
which, while social in nature and physically renewing,
also provides a time of spiritual refreshing and challenge.
The benefits are huge, and therefore churches
should strongly encourage their pastor(s) to attend and
see that their registration fee is paid.
The deadline to register is September 29th.
DISTRICT EXECUTIVE BOARD
At the August meeting of the Midwest District Executive
Board, it was decided that, while the Mission District
concept is good and something that we want to continually
develop, we still need someone to serve as District
Superintendent in the Midwest District. For that
reason, we will begin moving forward with the search
process.
The first step in the process will be to look at what roles
we believe a District Superintendent ought to play in
the district. A committee is working on a preliminary
job description which will be presented to the District
Executive Board at their October meeting. From there,
decisions will be made regarding whether this position
ought to be full time or part time. Once those decisions
are finalized, we will then begin prayerfully searching for
God’s man to fill that position.
Please pray with the District Executive Board in this important
process!
TIMBER LAKES RETREAT CENTER
In spite of the busyness of the summer camping season,
much progress has been made on the cabin upgrade project.
Now that fall is upon us, we are hoping that the project
can be completed so that the cabins will be ready in
plenty of time for the 2009 camping season.
Volunteers and financial gifts are always welcome to help
with the completion of this project.
Continue to pray
for the Lipsons
and the Crooks,
for the Camp
Management
Team, and for the
ministry of Timber
Lakes Retreat
Center.
THE “MORE”
On November 7—9, the youth of
our district will meet at Timber
Lakes Retreat Center for “The
MORE.”
Adam DeMike will be the retreat
speaker for the weekend. He will
be challenging teens to “Come...
Recharge...Grow...and Go.”
Nathan Ross will be leading
the worship for “The
MORE.”
We encourage teens from
across the district to be a
part of “The MORE.” However
we must warn those who attend that they may experience
extreme amounts of spiritual growth and all
around fun!
Cost for the retreat is
$110 if registrations
are postmarked by October
24th. Teens interested
in attending
should contact their
local Missionary
Church for information and registration forms.
Fall Bible Camp
“Seek His Face” is the name of a new Fall Bible Camp which will be held at Timber Lakes Retreat Center
from Monday, November 10th, through Wednesday, November 12th.
The primary speaker for this event will be Dr. Gerald MacDonald, former pastor
at Faith Missionary Church in Weeping Water, NE. He will be speaking on the
topic “End Time Biblical Prophecy for Today.”
Other speakers from the district will be sharing in the morning sessions. All services
will feature old fashioned camp meeting singing.
Housing
Motels:
- $63 per night for couples or families
- 2 individuals sharing a room - $38 each per night
- 3 individuals sharing a room - $30 each per night
- Cabins: (no private restrooms/showers or linens) - $45 per night
- 2 individuals sharing a cabin - $26 each per night
- RV hook-up - $20 per night
