Adonirim, Missionaries and Our Kids
Adonirim Judson believed God was calling him to spend his life spreading the gospel among people who had never heard it. He met Ann and fell in love with her, but he needed to ask Ann’s father for permission to marry her. So Judson wrote him this letter: “I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?” Now, because my wife has a problem with things not running according to the plan she has laid out in her head I have never asked someone to marry me. But, I am pretty sure my technique would in no way have resembled Judson’s. Of course I doubt my father-in-law would have approved no matter what I said or how much I paid him. The driving ambition behind Judson’s appeal to his potential father-in-law was the prospect of God being glorified in other nations. His father-in-law approved, and in the end it did cost his daughter her life. During thirty-eight years overseas Adonirim Judson would lose two wives and seven children to premature death. Yet today there are nearly four thousand churches with over a half million followers of Christ in the heart of Buddhist Burma or Myanmar No matter how extreme you think the circumstances of Ann’s father giving permission for her to marry Judson, he felt the sacrifice of his daughter in spreading the gospel was acceptable. . Adonirim and Ann Judson believed the worship of God was worth their lives. Likewise our heavenly Father believed that you were worthy of the atoning sacrifice of his son. Jesus would leave his heavenly home to glorify his father and while his ministry would be spent preparing 11 Jewish men to spread the gospel throughout the world, his life would be poured out on the cross to free you from your sins so that you could spend eternity in that place he would prepare for you. It is sad to know Adonirim, Ann and their children’s story and then to observe where we are today. At one point in America’s history we sent the most missionaries into the world of any nation. The books are full of stories of the sacrifice, suffering, success and even martyr like deaths of incredible missionaries. The names J. Hudson Taylor, Samuel Zwemer, John Nevius, Charlotte (Lottie) Moon, Amy Carmichael, and Jim Elliot are an honor roll of individuals who devoted their lives to spreading the Gospel. Sadly, while the U.S. continues to send missionaries to the world, America itself is now the receiver of the greatest number of missionaries from other parts of the world. In other words, the rest of the Christian world considers the United States the largest and most unchurched mission field in the world. It has been exciting to see our youth set off on a mission trip and see them return with a different outlook, not just on how they view the world, but also how they view their own lives. The next generation of missionaries like those listed above will come from the ranks of our youth programs today. I think that is the challenge of the church; to raise these kids in the church but also to provide them with the foundation necessary to enable them to change the world. –Matt Bishop, Pastor
2016 BLFC Youth Mission Trip
Greetings Friends, What an exciting and fruitful week we had in Martin, South Dakota! Our group, consisting of adult leaders, Chris Evertsen, Breanne Butler, Leah Higgins, and youth, Mollee Patten, Jade Hammers, Brayden Evertsen, Waylen Butler, Kellen Bishop, Kael Carr, and Sawyer Higgason, left BLFC at 6:30 AM Sunday July 24th to begin our adventure. With a few pit stops and one scenic tour through Bison country we made our destination in one piece. A special thank you goes out to Quakerdale for letting us use a 12 passenger van to make the voyage; “Judy” as the kids named it, did a great job. This year we used Youthworks as our mission trip provider, we were split into 2 groups out of a possible 5. The “Sassy Sheep” worked on service projects for the week and the “Happy Horses” worked with local kids at the kids club. We have a lot to be proud of when it comes to our youth at BLFC. Their work ethic and willingness to help is second to none. Anytime a task was presented they were quick to volunteer and do their best to complete it. A brief history of the area - Martin, South Dakota is surrounded by the Pine Ridge Reservation. Martin itself was formed in 1911 when the US Government took the land to form the town. There are still some barriers between the Native Americans and others to this day. The town itself is approximately 1,200 people, split 50/50 between Natives and Caucasian. The local tribe is the Oglala “Lakota” Sioux. The service project team worked on two buildings close to the school we stayed at. The one story building was being retrofitted so a paraplegic Native American could use it for housing. In this building the kids painted the interior walls, moved furniture, removed flooring from the bathroom, painted and hung new fascia. The other building was to be used for people coming out of rehab as a low income apartment. In this building we organized the interior, built shelving, scraped the exterior, painted the exterior, and a small group of talented kids painted a beautiful mural of a horse running through the Badlands. Kids Club was a chance for local youth to come together in the afternoon, to play, and do crafts with the kids from the mission trip. This was a great opportunity for our kids to get a firsthand look at a completely different culture and upbringing. At the start of the week the local kids presented a big challenge with their behavior and attitudes, but by the end of the week there were great bonds made and you could see a noticeable change in their attitudes and the attitudes of our youth. I had to check the van twice to make sure we didn’t bring any of them home with us, there were a few our kids fell in love with. When they weren’t at Kids Club this group helped with small projects in the community, helping clean at a nursing home, and hospital. There was time for fun activities and a few great opportunities for learning about the Oglala culture. Monday night our group got a chance to go bowling; needless to say the ladies proved they were the best. Tuesday we had the pleasure of traveling out to the Reservation to tour the Pow-Wow grounds, and a beautiful landscape with quite an uphill and downhill climb. Wednesday a local group put on a demonstration of Pow Wow dancing, the kids were able to join in and learn a few steps. Thursday was the BBQ we cooked for the community and mission workers. Over 400 hamburgers and 200 hotdogs were served, after a few trips to the store. Friday we packed up and headed home. We took a different route home so we could see some different scenery; you can only take so much of Nebraska hay fields. The kids were definitely impacted by the things they saw and heard. They will never forget some of the people they met, or their stories. As adult leaders we saw a change that could only come from the love our kids have in the Lord. There were many God-sightings during the week. I encourage you to reach out to one of the kids or adult leaders to learn more about the trip, far too many stories to include in one printing. We could not have made the trip if it weren’t for our Church family, who helped us both financially and spiritually. We can’t thank you enough! -Chris Evertsen
Mission Sunday/Monthly Potluck On Sunday, August 21st, Ryan Keller from Quakerdale will be sharing about their program, “Hope for Healing,” during the Sunday School hour beginning at 9:30. A light breakfast will be provided. Our monthly potluck will take place after Worship on the 21st. Committee #4 will host. The social committees have been reorganized but that information has not been made available yet so we will go with the old committee for this month.
1st Year Celebration! Saturday, August 27th at 5:00 p.m. Mesquakie Friends and Mac and Berny McDonald will be celebrating their first year of service. Phil and Pam Morgan will be special guests for an evening of worship through music and testimony. The celebration is being held on the 4th Saturday of the month so all are welcome to join them for their monthly potluck meal after the service.
Kick Off - DEEPER Fall/Sunday School A kick off for DEEPER classes and our fall Sunday School program will take place Wednesday evening, September 7 at the church. (More information coming soon.) Weekly meals and new DEEPER classes for all ages will begin Wednesday, September 14th. All are welcome and encouraged to participate in all these activities.
Summer DEEPER Summer DEEPER on Wednesday evenings will continue thru August 31st. We have enjoyed our time of fellowship together and look forward to having more join us when Fall DEEPER begins in September 7th! Thank you to all who have participated and provided leadership and meals!!
Save the Date! On Saturday, October 1st, 2016, Bangor Liberty Friends Church will have a Celebration for the 100th Anniversary of our church building! Come join us as we celebrate the place where we gather, worship, love, and impact others! We’ll also be celebrating the improvements made over the past few months to our building. The celebration will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a barbecue dinner and a time for visiting. At 7:00 p.m. the “Press On” quartet from the Marshalltown area will be sharing their musical talents with us. Mark the date and time on your calendars and plan to join us for our celebration!
Run for the House 5K Walk/Run & 10K Run (non-timed event) September 17, 2016 - 8:00 a.m. start time After a one year hiatus, The Run for the House is back in 2016! We would like you to be part of this 10K/5K run that symbolizes and supports the work of the House of Compassion. So far in 2016, over 1000 families have received assistance at the House through our household supply closet, our evening soup kitchen meals, our overnight emergency shelter, and our client assistance program. While they may not all “run” for the house, they come knowing their matter to us and will be met if at all possible. As a helping agency not funded by state, federal, or local tax dollars, we depend on community donations of time, treasures, and talents to assist our neighbors with basic, daily needs. We are in need of monetary donations to cover raced costs, volunteers to help plan the race, race day volunteers, publicity and runners! Two special events have been added to this year’s race – Kid’s Run which is free for kids 8 and under, and a Faster Pastor Race which is not timed; the first clergy member who crosses the 5K finish line will be awarded the “Faster Pastor” traveling trophy to display until our next race! To volunteer to help with the special event, contact Karen Frohwein at 641-752-5999 or Andi Walker at andicwalker@gmail.com. Registration forms are available in the church entryway.
VOLUNTEERS – Thank you! August DEEPER Meals A sign-up sheet is available in the church foyer to volunteer to serve Wed. night meals. Please plan to make them easy meals during the summer! Check it out when you are at church.
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