SPRING 2021 EDITION
LEADERSHIP
MICHEAL DICKENSON Network Pastor
MARCUS MCCLAIN Assistant Network Pastor
EXECUTIVE PRESBYTERS
REGION 1 Shawn Amburgey
REGION 2
AUSTIN POPER Student Ministries Director
Kent Barnard
REGION 3 David Iglesias
TED SCHMIDT Royal Rangers
AT-LARGE Dereck Owen LANESSA AMBURGEY Women’s Director
HONORARY PRESBYTER David Vistine
PRESBYTERS Brad Coates Ruben Guajardo Jr
Rudy Martinez
DERECK OWEN Men’s Director
Don’t look now, but NetCon21, our annual Network Conference, is just a few weeks away! Can you believe it? A year ago, most of us had never even heard of Coronavirus or COVID-19, but we’ve certainly lived it during these last twelve months. We’ve seen and experienced the pain and disappointments this season has brought our way. We’ve seen businesses that have been a part of our lives for decades go out of business. We’ve navigated isolation and uncertainty, fear and anxiety, leadership challenges like never before, and, most likely, been criticized and second-guessed on many occasions as together we’ve sought to lead and serve in God’s Church. As many have seen our economy rocked to the core and businesses disappear, they have wondered about the Church. God’s Church was not just built for good times, but for the storms as well. Today even as we continue to navigate all of the twists and turns related to this pandemic, the Church of Jesus Christ is alive and well! To God be the glory!
As I’ve done so many times throughout this last year, I want to commend every pastor and staff member who have served our churches during this season. You have been and continue to be in our prayers, and while this season certainly hasn’t been easy on any of us, you are our heroes! Your faithfulness and your steadfastness to the call of
God have perhaps never been more evident than during this time. You stood when you felt like falling; you stayed when you felt like quitting; you were patient when you didn’t understand; you led strong, even when you felt weak; and you were faithful, knowing that God is faithful and His Church was built “for such a time as this!” Now we’re in this brand new year 2021, with lots of questions about the future that is before us, but knowing that our future always has been and always will be in God’s hands! And you can rest assured, we can trust Him...regardless! So, back to NetCon21! The conference will be held on April 13-15 here in Albuquerque at Citizen Church (formerly CopperPointe). With most of our churches in New Mexico now open and moving forward, we are confident that (barring some unforeseen events) we will be able to utilize the wonderful facility at Citizen Church to host our event. I really hope that you can join us for these days! We will be honoring the current Health Orders during the conference even as you have been doing in your local church with a commitment to keeping everyone safe and comfortable. It was really great to see a large number of our ministers at our Leadership Tour in January but I still can’t hardly wait to see you at NetCon21!
We are so excited to have Pastor Scott Wilson back with us this year as our guest speaker. Scott and his wife, Jenni, led Oaks Church (just south of Dallas) for many years to become one of the great churches in America and in our Fellowship. Scott and Jenni transitioned their roles at the church this past year, and today, they serve as Global Pastors of the church while traveling and speaking across the nation and around the world. I promise you won’t want to miss one single moment of NetCon21 as we come together to worship and to hear from God through the anointing of His Holy Spirit. Everything will kick off on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 pm; our closing service will be on Thursday morning, wrapping up at noon. We’ll be sending more information soon including schedules but we wanted to get this information to you now. To register online, click HERE or go to www.nmministry.net. I encourage you to register now and make your hotel reservations early in order to take advantage of the early pricing. Please join us in prayer for this gathering even as we count down the days until NetCon21. I know that God has this event on His calendar, and I’m expecting Him to do great things! Don’t miss it! Living in Anticipation! Micheal Dickenson
BE PART OF GO 21
EVERY CHURCH Reach out in groups in the streets, parks, share the Gospel online or home-tohome, etc.
GO ONLINE
Visit our webpage to subscribe to the newsletter. Download resources and access training online. www.GlobalOutreach.world www.go21.world
EVERY BELIEVER Share the Gospel and your testimony with friends, neighbors, colleagues, and family members.
GO SHARE
Tell others about GO 21 and share your testimonies on social media with #go21
Global Outreach / GO 21 is a great way to encourage people to start sharing their faith!
Imagine the impact it can have on our world when every believer is a witness.
Steve Douglass, President Emeritus CRU
Werner Nachtigal, President Global Outreach
Global Outreach | info@go21.world | www.GlobalOutreach.world
PARTNERS
GO 21 is a collaborative effort supported by many partners
Taking A Day Off to Rest, Really? (And I am Not Talking About Sunday) Genesis 2:3 (NIV) “Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy: because on it he had rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” It is worth noting that only when God had finished his work, did he rest; or it could be said that he didn’t rest until he finished his work which makes perfect sense because the term Sabbath, or “Rest of God,” means perfect satisfaction in that which has been accomplished. Broken down for clarity: • It was a day of rest. Not because he was tired but because he was finished with his work. • It was a day of blessing. It had the delight and favor of God. • It was a separated day. He set it apart as His own possession. • It was a day of grace for mankind. God created Adam and Eve on the sixth day and the very first dawning of their life was to be on the Sabbath. God intends for us to enter into the enjoyment of His rest. It is also worth noting that when Adam and Eve rebelled and were expelled from the Garden, one of the consequences was that they no longer respected the principle of completion. They and their heirs must have been terrible time and project managers because God had to reinstate the Sabbath as part of The Law. The “Day of Rest” was no longer a day of grace but a day of law. But aren’t we glad that through Jesus Christ, another day of grace is proclaimed! “Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” As Adam came into God’s rest, we can come into the rest of God through Jesus. Hebrews 4:1 tells us that the promise of entering into His rest still stands. So, the benefit of a personal Sabbath, or a day to rest, happens not by accident but through intentionality. First, we need to stop working, then we need to put a designated day to rest on our calendar and, lastly, we should look forward for the delight of that day. And minister, Sunday is the first day of your work week not the last! Too many ministers are coming into Sunday exhausted because they did not set aside an appropriate day to recover, refresh and renew. Let me close my thoughts with this illustration. In the early part of the 20th century, when the coal mines of Pennsylvania were going full blast, a man made a trip to the area to see how the coal was mined. On the way to the mines, he noticed that the farm fields were full of mules grazing. When he was able to talk to someone about what he saw, he asked about the mules. The reply was not what he expected. You see, they used the mules to pack and pull out the coal from the mines. They found that if they worked the mules seven days straight that they would go blind. But if they would let them rest on the seventh day, they would not lose their sight and would perform better in the mines.
Fellow minister, if your spiritual sight has diminished and you are dying in the ministry mine, learn from the coal mine mules and take a day off! Marcus McClain
1 Yamaha M08 keyboard 2 Yamaha wedge monitors 1 PDP 4-piece drum set (does not include cymbals)
All in GOOD shape!
New Mexico Royal Rangers Royal Rangers is the most effective program to mentor and disciple boys with proven methods, activities, curriculum, and leadership development.
www.nmroyalrangers.org
If interested in this equipment, please call Calvary Assembly, Carlsbad (575) 885-9152 ask for Pastor Philip.
F R E E
The Link is a publication of the New Mexico Ministry Network.
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