Mission21

Link: http://www.metroministries.org

The Big Apple. The City that Never Sleeps. Every typical nickname for New York City popped into my head as soon as I arrived for the annual EVUSA/Metro Ministries tour in October.

I went to work, sightsee, and shop. I ended up seeing things that I never knew existed in America and hearing stories that broke my heart. After seeing everything from graffiti memorials for the murdered to utter disdain for parental responsibility, my shock eventually turned into numbness.

People from all over the world give up their own plans to live in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Brooklyn, NY (good luck finding a taxi that will drive you to the entrance of Metro Christian Center). Most of them are young adults. They spend their days ministering through Sidewalk Sunday School and doing home visits. Each week, they visit every one of the 23,000 children who attend Sidewalk Sunday School. Why? Because every child matters. Because that visit can mean the difference between life and death for that child.

After Sidewalk, they rewarded the children with candy. When one of the children saw his father approach, he ran to him squealing, “Daddy! Look what I got!” His father harshly replied, “Give it here, you ain’t gettin’ no candy. It’s mine!” I couldn’t believe it.

Our bus driver, Irene, was from Belarus. We asked her how she was able to continue living there when she saw so much poverty, abuse and violence on a daily basis.

"The deciding factor for most people in staying or going is when they go to their first kid’s funeral,” she said.“I decided that for every funeral I went to, perhaps 10 other kids would be spared that fate if I stuck around”.

This month, we all focus on gratitude. The EVUSA staff and the families in Brooklyn are grateful for Bill Wilson, the interns, and volunteers at Metro Ministries. And you should be too. To find out more, please visit the Metro Ministries website.

- by Jessica Parker, EVUSA

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!

This year, Youth Quest hosted a special prayer service on Thursday morning. Led by iWin Director Terry Fowler and other youth pastors, the Orison prayer service helped teens learn how to pray for their friends, schoolmates, and communities.   iWin is encouraging youth pastors to "pick up the mantle" and host prayer services in your local church. 

Below is the prayer focus used at Youth Quest.  Youth pastors and leaders, feel free to adapt this information for use with your group.  We recommend using The Message version of the Bible for this activity. 

Prayer Focus Used at Youth Quest 2008

Hurting Teens
Place a cube of ice in each of their hands explaining that even as this ice gradually becomes unbearable and they switch hands or shake their hands to ease the pain, many teens are hurting and can’t shake the pain. Pray for teens that are overwhelmed by their life circumstances and feel like they are drowning beneath the pressures of family, school, health or emotional issues.
            Romans 8:35, 37, Psalm 3:1-4, Matthew 10:1
 
Hunger for Significance
Give each teen a lifesaver asking them to hold it in their mouths without chewing it and pray as it dissolves for teens and for themselves as they hunger for a life that matters, searching for the significance of their lives.
            Hebrews 13:21, Eph. 6:6, Jer. 29: 11-13
 
Harvest
Have photos of the various youth and groups of youth posted on the walls or hanging from a line. Ask the teens to pray over the lost – the Harvest – as they look at the photos of groups who represent youth from across the US and around the world. Offer themselves as laborers for the Harvest, asking God to equip them for the work, help them recognize opportunities to witness to the lost and boldness to speak up and share the gospel and to demonstrate the love of Jesus.
            Job 22:30, Mt. 9:37-38, Acts 1:8b
 
Holy Spirit Baptism
Distribute to each teen a bottle or cup of water. The water represents the Holy Spirit, His ability to refresh, renew and to rescue from drowning those who surrender to Him. Pray to receive the refreshing Holy Spirit or for teens who are not already filled with the Spirit, to receive the baptism in the Spirit. As they drink the water, they are symbolically receiving the Spirit. John 14:26, 1 Cor. 1:18, Acts 1:8a
 
After the prayer service, teens ministered to the local community by handing out bottles of water to beachgoers and inviting them to the Thursday evening service.  Two groups participated in a "superservant" project; they went to two local fast food restaurants and volunteered to clean restrooms, assist diners, wipe down tables, etc. 
 
The Orison service and community outreach project were great examples of faith in action. 
Encourage your youth group to get involved by hosting a combination prayer/community service program at your local church.  See what a difference you can make in your community!

There he stood, waiting even though his body was weak and sore. Bill is a Viet Nam Combat Veteran fighting Agent Orange. Sores, much like pimples, pop up all over the body and then the flesh is eaten out, much like a brown recluse spider bite. He had just been released from the VA hospital because he tried to take his own life. He wasn’t depressed or angry: he was in pain. Real, physical, agonizing pain.

The Mission: M25 team was in Jackson, MS during a stop on Run For The Wall in 2006. Billy Woods, Mission:M25 Pointman for Southern California, had given us all a medallion to give to someone. Bill had been chosen to receive the medal but wanted me to put it on him. I did and we both shed tears together as we hugged each other.

Two weeks later Bill re-dedicated his life to the Lord. But the pain continued and health seemed to be something far away. Bill chose to send me his medal from Viet Nam that showed he was a Corporal when he was released. I wear it on my vest in honor of this hero that few people know. We have been blessed to be in touch by phone a few times.

We had talked that we would see each other again in 2008 as Run For The Wall came through Jackson, MS. We made the plans but when I called the day before, Bill was very weak and had been running a fever. To my amazement his wife, Diane, had driven him the one hour and forty minutes, one way, to “hook up with me”. It was a special time for us both. During our short visit Bill again blessed me when he gave me his Good Conduct Medal. It was an emotional moment as he told me he wanted to “ride with me” wherever I went. It is an extreme honor to wear these two medals on my vest.

A few days later I received an email saying Bill was on a ventilator and was very weak. It did not look like his life here on earth was going to last much longer. On Wednesday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. Bill’s son Mike emailed us. He said they did not think Bill would come off the ventilator. Our hearts were broken, but we all prayed for the Lord’s will to be done.

At 5:00 p.m. the family was called back to the room in ICU. They found Bill sitting up without the ventilator and greeting them! He said he had been with Jesus and that Jesus was not through with his life here on earth. This is truly a miracle without explanation; the doctors, nurses, and even Bill’s family can’t explain his sudden recovery. His story reminds us that we serve a wonderful God who is looking for us to simply trust and obey!

- By Rev. Gary Burd, Mission: M25 Director

Please pray we will have food in our home when I get there.

Pray my Dad and Mom can get through this divorce.

Pray for my Mom, she is working so hard trying to provide. What about your Dad? Oh...he is in jail.

This type of prayer request energizes the Free Camp staff. This is what has kept us going for the past 18 years.

Free Camp is an extreme measure of evangelism that takes on the extreme problem in our nation. The camp is hosted by Christian Heritage Church in Amarillo, Texas. Free Camp seeks to break racial, social and economic barriers by offering a summer camp experience to children ages 8-12. There is no cost for any child to attend.

The children are with us for four days and three nights so we can keep them out of the ugliness of their home environments and build a relationship with them. We don’t “perform” for them; we build a relationship with them. It is a time of serving the least of these for the Kingdom of God. It is our prayer that the seed of love and Word of God will survive the hardships they face when they return home.

Literally hundreds of children came to Free Camp to get a break from the hellholes they call home. One little girl was homesick because she had never been away from home this long. She called her family, who told her stay at camp because there was no room for her at home. She lives with ten other people in a small two-bedroom house.

Volunteers scurried to find clothing, bedding and toiletries for children who came with little or no provisions. One girl arrived with the clothes on her back and one towel. A volunteer went home and got clothing and bedding for her. Another leader gave nearly all of his bedding to boys who came with no pillows, blankets or sheets.

373 people were present from all social, economical and racial classes. It was a power packed, busy, fun, and spiritually empowered experience! God truly moved through all of the workers. We had volunteers from:
• Amarillo, TX
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Dumas, TX
• Greenwood, SC
• Franklin Springs, GA
• Albuquerque, NM
• Petersburg, VA.

Children “walked on water” after hearing the story of Jesus and Peter walking on water; experienced worship led by teenagers with a full powered smoke and light show; swam at a high end swimming pool; saw two Christian motorcycle stunt riders shows; and spent quality time around the altar seeking God. Our campers were built up through ACE Awards, lessons that told them they were special; and they were exposed to a Global vision by praying over and signing soccer balls to be used in evangelism throughout the world.

We would like to thank CEM and Rev. Talmadge Gardner for making it possible for the National Royal Ranger leader, David Moore and his three sons and the National Youth Pastor, Rev. Charles Boyd, to be present for their contribution to the camp.

Pastor Scott Brown, South Greenwood IPHC, SC brought a team of ten to assist in the camp and Pastor Kevin McBride, Crossroads Ministries, Petersburg, VA sent two of his children’s pastors, Amber and Stephanie, to assist and help prepare them for the upcoming Free Camp in Petersburg, VA. Rev. Marcus Brown, Sr. Pastor and church planter in Albuquerque, NM brought a team of six and ministered in two services.

Free Camp, in its 18th year, is becoming an option for young people who want to do a missions trip and not leave the country. We believe that in the future we will see them across the country where young people raised in church will be able to do an evangelistic camp to reach out to children that cannot afford to attend camp.

- by Rev. Gary Burd, Mission M25 Director