Indy racer Clay Millican made his debut in the Hope4Sudan car last weekend.  Millican and his team originally planned to debut at the Mac Tools US Nationals over Labor Day weekend, but Kenny Koretsky of Nitrofish offered to sponsor the team to come back early. "We still had Hope4Sudan prominently displayed on the car and tail wing, but it was actually a Nitrofish car,"  said Lauren Pickens, who works with both Hope4Sudan and Clay Millican.   

Millican gave a spectacular debut, going all the way to the semifinals and racing against Tony Schumacher's US Army car.  Millican lost to Schumacher by two one-thousandths of a second!  The race got some coverage on ESPN2, and Lauren was able to give interviewer Dave Reef and the ESPN camera team Hope4Sudan brochures and bracelets!  The race announcer also publicized the event.  "Many other racers came by and showed interest in the project and people were asking for bracelets!" said Lauren. 

Look for Millican and the Hope4Sudan car in their second race of the season August 27-September 1.

Two buses pull up in front a first class facility at Redemption Ministries Conference, full of children from the inner city of Petersburg, VA. They are hardened by violence, drugs and the horrible clutches of poverty they face each week.  Impact is a ministry of CrossRoads that brings these precious little ones out of that for two hours to ‘impact’ their lives with a new destiny. Free Camp came to take the impact one step further – to isolate these children from the violence, drugs, and poverty for four days and three nights.

There was a large “army” of missionaries from First Church in Goldsboro, NC, a few soldiers from Christian Heritage Church of Amarillo, TX and a host of valiant warriors from CrossRoads church in Petersburg. We watched as God supernaturally moved in the hearts of these young special children to bring them hope. Here are their stories. 

Gary was a ten year-old deaf child who had never been asked about his relationship with God.  When Carolyn Burd, the camp director, learned there was a deaf child in the crowd, she backed up from the microphone and began to sign her directions as she led the camp.  This is the economy of our God – he brought a lady 1600 miles one way to reach one special child.  During the camp, Gary understood the Gospel for the first time and received Jesus as his savior and Lord.  On the last night, he took the microphone and “sang” for the first time from a heart filled with love by Jesus.  Tears ran down the cheeks of the adults all over the tent.

A new destiny was unveiled for an eleven year-old boy who had been identified as the next “Drug Lord” of his neighborhood.  The first night Pastor Amber in the message challenged children to lay something down that was controlling them. He wrote on his paper to stop fighting. He did well until the last night but when confronted he broke and wept, realizing he had failed and asking for forgiveness. The staff of Impact assured him of God’s grace and felt this was a miracle!

An entire group of children discovered a new destiny when Matt, a Free Camp volunteer, led each one of them to a commitment to Christ.  Matt is employed by Habitat for Humanity but stated that he received so much from this mission trip – touching the children directly.

A new destiny for Free Camp in Petersburg was secured when Camp Director, Carolyn Burd, passed the mantle to Pastor Kevin McBride the last afternoon. He led the camp as if he had been doing this type of thing all his life.

Pastor Bob Parada summed it up when he stated that working with these children for two hours a week is good but isolating them from the horror of their environment for this camp made the difference. Now they can nurture these tender hearts each week.

Free Camp wants to thank CEM for sending the IPHC’s National Children Pastor, Elaine Wood, to the camp. Elaine was a major contributor to the success of this camp.

Thanks to CrossRoads for taking the risk and the step of faith to bring these precious little ones to this camp. They carried the weight of the burden and met the challenge.

Redemption Ministries and their staff went above and beyond making us feel welcomed – thanks.  

Finally, thanks to the young people who gave in the Global Quest offering that assisted in this great effort.   You all had a part in this year’s Free Camp!

Church Education Ministries is excited to announce the first IPHC National Senior Adult Ministries Convention (NSAMC), which will take place November 18-21 in Branson, Missouri. 

All convention activities will be hosted at the Hilton Branson Convention Center. Lodging will be at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel and the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing (just across the street). The Branson Landing area, across the street from the Convention Center, has a mile and a half of shops and restaurants ranging from Belk Department Store to Bass Pro Shop, Joe’s Crab Shack to Famous Dave’s BBQ. On the other side of the convention center is the downtown area of Branson with quaint shops and eateries. This is all within walking distance. Go to http://www.bransonlanding.com/ for further information on the Branson Landing area.

 Cost

The Standard Registration Package includes 3 nights' lodging, 3 Rfull breakfasts, 3 full dinners, 2 shows, taxes and gratuities, and the registration fee. 

2 people to a room:  $439 per person
1 person to a room: $645 per person

RVers are welcome too!  The RV Package includes the registration fee, 2 shows, 3 full breakfasts, 3 full dinners, and taxes and gratuities.   The cost is $235 per person. All RVers should make camping reservations at the Branson Lakeside RV Park (phone: 417-334-2915). 

Registration Information

Attendees from the following conferences should register with their conference CEM Director:

All others should register directly with the General CEM Office in Oklahoma City. ALL REGISTRATIONS MUST BE POSTMARKED by September 22, 2008. Registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis because SPACE IS LIMITED!!

 For more information, visit CEM's Senior Adult Ministries webpage.

Liz Maschkywitz has been a part of Metro Ministries in Brooklyn, New York for nearly 10 years. Seven months ago, Liz and her husband, Simon, became the church's youth pastors. Metro Ministries is one of the most unique churches in the country.  The church has the largest Sunday School in the world, reaching over 23,000 inner city children each week. 

Liz and Simon recently took a group of teens to Youth Quest in Daytona Beach, Florida.  Four of the teens participated in the Fine Arts Festival.  "Youth Quest... helps us to let them see that there are people that have the same heart, same passion," said Simon.

Youth Quest is expensive, and many youth groups find creative ways to raise money.  But for Metro teens, raising the money to attend can seem like an insurmountable challenge. Most come from poverty-stricken homes.  "They don't come from families that can just give them [money]," said Liz.  To ask each teen to pay for the entire cost of the trip would have been impossible. Instead, each person was instructed to raise $250.  How did they do it?  A little creativity and a lot of hard work!

The youth group had several fundraisers.  Iwanza McMorris, a junior who won the Omega Female Vocal Solo division, paid her way selling lollipops.  The group also put on a bake sale.  Several of the girls got together and baked 10 cakes for the fundraiser. 

But it didn't stop there. They sold t-shirts. Their church took up an offering.  Their district took up an offering.  Some of the teens even took on last minute jobs to raise enough money to go to Florida.  "They really did work their hardest," said Liz.

For these teens, spending a week at the beach, interacting with teens from across the country, is a well-deserved reward.  Despite their inner-city upbringing, they are one of the best-behaved groups to attend. "It's exciting to be able to know that what they go through at home...99% of them didn't grow up in Christian families...[that]we can really trust these kids, and they really do try their best." 

Six-time world champion Clay Millican will be sporting a new car on the track this year. Millican will drive the new Hope4Sudan dragster to promote the nonprofit's mission. 

Millican will compete in the NHRA Mac Tools US Nationals, which will take place August 27- September 1 in Indianapolis.  This annual competition is drag racing's biggest event of the year and will air four time on ESPN2. 

Millican is a 6-time IHRA Top Fuel World Champion (2001-2006), as well as a “hometown” hero who cut his drag-racing teeth at Memphis Motorsports Park.  He will now bring his 330 mph dragster to the NHRA circuit, where he hopes to add several more championships to his collection. 

Millican's team owner is Tennessee-based MPE Motorsports. MPE is making a bold step to help bring public awareness for the plight of Sudan to the race fan community.

Hope4Sudan is a nonprofit organization that is working to provide humanitarian assistance to the millions of displaced people in Sudan.  They construct churches, schools, medical clinics,and deep water wells.  The organization also partners with other humanitarian relief organizations to offer feeding and educational assistance to Sudanese orphans.

To learn more about Hope4Sudan, visit their website or email info@hope4sudan.org.