VOLUME 1
SUMMER 2 021
MOMENTS No Greater Love
OUR VISION 2021 - 2022
THE WORLD NEEDS JESUS Did you know that our church is on the frontlines of sharing the hope of Christ with the world? This is not the work of a single person or preacher, but rather the coming together of MANY people. We are the body of Christ and He uses each and every one of us to redeem those who are lost, bringing light to the darkness. The stories in the following pages have been curated from a few of our supported missionaries from around the globe to give you a powerful glimpse into their lives and how they are sharing Jesus with their communities. You’ll discover how an Egyptian widow struggled to find faith, how a simple prayer changed a bitter heart, and how God equips ordinary people for mission work. Learn how to discern if God is calling you to missions as the following real-life examples ignite your faith with compelling stories that will linger in your heart for years to come. With your support, we are equipping ministries and missionaries
around the world to serve and save lives. Thank you for being a vital part of what God is doing around the world.
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Can you remember the first time you truly and
No Greater Love. It’s an invitation to live in the
fully encountered the love of Jesus?
same way Jesus did: sacrificially, unconditionally, and abundantly.
Maybe you were young, grew up in a church, and finally made your own decision. Perhaps you
When we accept His invitation, we joyfully accept
were older, barely knowing the name of Jesus
the cost of laying down our own lives for the sake
before His love changed your life.
of others. This is the heart of our Global Outreach initiative at Peoples Church, and we participate by praying for God to be glorified, giving above
Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than
and beyond our tithes, and going to the ends of
this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
the earth, so that all might know the good news
—John 15:12-13
of Jesus. KARISSA LIEBE
Discipleship & Outreach Pastor
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DECLARE HIS GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS, HIS MARVELOUS WORKS AMONG ALL PEOPLES. —Psalm 96:3
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SERVING CHANGES US by Bissie DenHartog
O
ne of my New Year’s resolutions for 2020 was to start volunteering at church by March. While I didn’t
know what it would look like, I knew the Holy Spirit was moving in my heart. My goal was for March because I thought, “That’ll give me a couple of months to figure out my schedule and what I can commit to.” Little did I know how much my schedule would change that month because of COVID-19’s impact, providing more time than I anticipated. There were countless life-changing experiences through serving with I Love My City and The Chase. May my reflection on the three main reasons why I chose to serve encourage you to find ways to share God’s love with our community.
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3 REASONS TO SERVE
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GOD TELLS ME TO.
Throughout His Word, God commands us to serve and love others, and He blesses our obedience. Just a few of the blessings I received are: •
forming new friendships with children who love to play and learn;
•
hearing the gratitude of people coming through our meal handouts, thankful not to worry about food for that night;
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witnessing the relief of people as we loaded their trunks with groceries and household supplies.
A significant moment was when a woman who was crying received a big box of groceries. She testified, “I can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit right here, in the Peoples Church parking lot.” Serving reminds us that God is faithful and good!
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IT GETS MY FOCUS OFF ME.
I coach high school athletes, and they typically struggle with how to deal with frustration. It’s easy for them to get caught up in themselves and their performance. I instruct them to invest outward and focus on encouraging their teammates. This takes the spotlight off them and helps the team succeed. In a similar way, I serve others because it moves my focus outward instead of dwelling on my internal frustrations. Last spring, when my students were no longer in my classroom, I felt angry, sad, and helpless. There was so much outside of my control. I needed to trust God, and sitting idly at home was an easy target for the enemy trying to divert my emotions toward frustration. When Peoples Church started the I Love My City meal outreach, I finally had something better to focus on: a tangible way to help others. It helped me to be a part of making a difference and positively impacting lives.
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IT’S FUN!
This is the benefit I least expected. I didn’t anticipate that serving others, especially in 100+ degrees, masked and gloved, would be enjoyable. I simply knew it was the right thing to do. I was nervous when I went to hand out hot dogs last year. I didn’t know anyone. Those hesistancies were quickly assuaged by the friendliness of those around me. God renewed in me a servant’s heart, and I loved every opportunity I got to serve that summer!
GOD CHANGES THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO ARE GIVING AND RECEIVING! MAY THESE REASONS ENCOURAGE YOU TO ACT ON GOD’S COMMAND TO SERVE AND LOVE OTHERS. HE DOES INCREDIBLE THINGS WHEN WE RESPOND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT’S PROMPTINGS. I HOPE WE GET THE CHANCE TO SERVE TOGETHER BECAUSE I WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORY AND SEE YOUR LIFE TRANSFORMED TOO. 5
GLOBAL PARTNERS
JASON & BRITTNEY CURTIS Eurasia AMERYN MICKLEY Eurasia GEORGE W. & DEBBIE FLATTERY France
TODD & AMY CHURCHILL DR Congo
MIKE & KARI NESS Cameroon
STEVE & GLENDA EVANS South Africa
MARK & HOLLY BRANTLEY Istanbul
JULIA LOWENBERG Africa
CHILDHOPE Colombia
RYAN MOORE Africa
MARK & JEAN DEVINE Colombia
MARK RENFROE North Africa
DAVID & AMY CARTWRIGHT Costa Rica
SCOTT & KAREN HANSON Africa
PETER & VLASTA KUZMIC Croatia
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY Sudan
DON & JACQUIE CARTLEDGE Cuba
JHAN & IRIS HURST Fiji
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (2) India
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY China
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (4) Egypt
TIM & KARYN MANN Austria
BOB & CELIA BUENO El Savador
GIL & CHANNEL WILLIAMS Austria
BILL & KY PREVETTE England
JACOB & JOY BERLIN Bangladesh
CAROLYN FORD Ethiopia
MICAH & KARISSA ADAMS Bolivia
YOHANNES & CARA YADAGENE Ethiopia
SOPHEAK & AMY KHENG Cambodian Church Planting
ELSA ASRAT Ethiopia
NICOLE HERRERO France KAFA LINGUISTICS Global MISSIONARY KIDS MINISTRY Global RYAN & LAUREN PLUTE Global Initiative/International Ministries/AGWM PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (4) India PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (1) India PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (3) India CHRIS & KARRIE DUNCAN Indonesia STEVEN ARNOLD Intercultural Ministries/AG JOHN BAYATI Intercultural Missions/AG KEVIN & KYANNE WEAVER International JASON & HOLLIE MCCLAFLIN Israel and Palestine PROTECTED FOR SAFTEY (2) Japan
The names of some of our Global Outreach Partners have been protected for safety as they minister in regions that persecute Christians.
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PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (2) Japan
JOHN KOEHLER Mongolia
STEVE KRAMER US Missions
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (2) Japan
FAR EAST BROADCAST Mongolia
SHELLEY ASHDOWN USA
KEVIN & MIRIAM SMITH Kenya
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY North Africa
SAM & LISA PARIS Vanuatu
DOUG & CORRINE LOWENBERG Kenya
FORREST SPEARS Mongolia
NATHAN & JENNIFER THOMAS Vanuatu
JASON & CINDEE FRENN Cuba
BOB & HAZEL HOSKINS One Hope/AGWM
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (1) Vietnam
HERMANO PABLO MINISTRIES Latin America/International
KIRK & YVONNE JONES Panama
BRYAN & MISTY ELLIOTT Wales
BRENT & RENEA LIEBE Malta
DALE & LURDES CHAPPELL Portugal
RANDY & BECKY TARR Sengal
LARRY & MELODEE GRUETZMACHER Mexico
BRIAN & RENEE ALEX Sicily
JOE & JUDI PORTALE YWAM/U of N Kona
JERRY & VIRLA BROWNELL Singapore
EVANGELISM EXPLOSION INTERNATIONAL
REHGERT & VANESSA VANZYL South Africa
HAGGAI INTERNATIONAL
EVA VALDEZ Mexico SEAN & TRISHA CATES Mexico/YUGO MARDY & BRENDA BARNES Mexico/Yugo Ministries NARCIS & SARA DRAGOMIR Mexico/Yugo Ministries PROTECTED FOR SAFETY Middle East PROTECTED FOR SAFETY Middle East PROTECTED FOR SAFETY Middle East IVAN & INA VDOVICENCO Moldova
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY (2) Southeat Asia
ALBERT & SARA KWOK MEDICAL MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
RYAN & CHRISTY THOMAS Spain DAN KLEPEL Thailand MARK & SUNNY RODLI Thailand LAUREN BECKER Thailand MATT & SHELLEY ACTIS Uganda
ANNUAL GLOBAL PARTNER SUPPORT: $182,000 7
LOCAL PARTNERS KINGDOM MINISTRIES Central Valley
PREGNANCY CARE CENTER Fresno
RESCUE THE CHILDREN Central Valley
MITCH REDONDO Fresno
TEEN CHALLENGE Central Valley
VALLEY DREAM CENTER Fresno
VALLEY MISSIONS JAIL MINISTRY Central Valley
FRESNO POLICE CHAPLAINCY Fresno County
YOUNG LIFE SANGER Central Valley SINGLETON, CAITLIN Circuit Riders WORLD IMPACT Domestic ESA/LOVE INC. Fresno EVANGEL HOME Fresno EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP Fresno FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES Fresno LINK CARE FOUNDATION Fresno
YOUTH FOR CHRIST Fresno/Madera REFINERY CHURCH/CITY SERVE Kingsburg BUI, WINSTON Sacramento. CRU ALAN & AUDREY DIANICH Sacramento. CRU JACQUE MORTON US-Evangelism Explosion JOE & NANCY SAGGIO US, American Indian College CARE FRESNO CENTRAL VALLEY JUSTICE COALITION CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE, BILL GLASS BEHIND THE WALLS
NEW CREATION MINISTRY Fresno
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NEW PARTNERSHIPS PROTECTED FOR SAFETY India
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY Egypt
GIL & CHANNEL WILLIAMS Austria
NICOLE HERRERO France
MICAH & KARISSA ADAMS Bolivia
CAITLIN SINGLETON Circuit Riders USA
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY North Africa
PROTECTED FOR SAFETY India
*grew up in Peoples Church
A LASTING LEGACY by Renea Liebe in Malta
I was called into missions at a young age. Sitting in Sunday school as a child, my teacher said, “Renea, you could be a missionary.” It was a seed planted in my mind that grew as I did. When missionaries came to our church, sharing their stories of how God used them, my heart beat faster with excitement. When I graduated from high school, I wondered what to do with my life and if the mission field was part of what God had for me. Struggling with the question, I asked God to make it clear. After praying for His guidance, I opened my Bible to Acts and felt led to read Acts 20:24: “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” At that moment I realized that my life is worth nothing unless I’m telling others about Jesus. This was the confirmation I needed to move forward with missions, and I’ve never looked back!
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MY LIFE IS WORTH NOTHING UNLESS I’M TELLING OTHERS ABOUT JESUS.WITH SCRIPTURE.
CIRCUIT RIDERS is a part of Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and is focused on reaching high school and university students through evangelism and discipleship. It is committed to saving the lost and reviving the saved.
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IT STARTS AS A SPARK IN YOUR SOUL by Caitlin Singleton
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I prayed, asking God to open up the doors if this was something He wanted me to do. Seven months later, an organization affiliated with Circuit Riders came back to Awakening. During worship, a woman asked to pray with me and began to speak encouragement into areas of my life that I had been deeply insecure about (without me saying a word about them), prophesying over me about the calling on my life. It was so surreal!
have spent my entire life at Peoples Church. Dedicated as a kid by Pastor Johnson, I went through every class, starting in the nursery, all the way to Awakening Young Adults. Every step of the way, my family, mentors, and leaders pointed me in the right direction. My faith wasn’t serious to me until my eighthgrade year. I was baptized in the ocean and felt the Spirit leading each moment of that day. I knew no matter what I faced in life, I would NOT lose my faith.
I was undone. What was a tiny spark was now a flame burning in my heart....I received the clear confirmation I prayed for: The calling was evident! I applied and was accepted in December 2020. Soon, I too will be impacting the world for Jesus through the talents God has blessed me with. God has been with me every step of the way. I never thought I would do anything like this, and now I want to encourage you to submit your future to God. He has a better plan, beyond our imaginations, and it is so satisfying to the soul!
Years later, a rough personal experience led me to leave Central Unified and switch to online schooling. I felt vulnerable, and God began healing my life and speaking to me about my calling to full-time ministry. At the time I didn’t know what that meant, but God continuously revealed more. After I began serving as a worship leader at our church, He made it clear that I was given a voice for a specific reason.
PRAY FOR THE HEARTS OF
In fall 2019, a group called Circuit Riders came to visit Awakening. I spoke to a few of them and heard their hearts for the Great Commission. It was an eye-opening encounter and sparked a small flame in my heart. I was inspired by how this group of individuals loved God’s people. Witnessing their passionate worship and zeal to proclaim the gospel, I wanted to do the same. But was it possible I could have just been having a mountain-top experience?
STUDENTS TO BE SOFTENED TO RECEIVE THE GOSPEL AND FOR GOD TO RADICALLY MOVE THROUGH CAITLIN.
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TRULY I TELL YOU, WHATEVER YOU DID FOR ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF MINE, YOU DID FOR ME. —Matthew 25:40
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GLOBAL OUTREACH We have global outreach partners all around the world. This map highlights the countries and states where they serve.
COUNTRIES/STATES REGIONS UNREACHED BY PEOPLES CHURCH
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THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF OBEDIENCE by Global Outreach Partner*
Little did I know how a simple invitation would impact my life forever. During my senior year of
high school, my family hosted a global worker from Southern Asia for dinner. Sitting around the table over steaming plates of lasagna, she shared story after story and then casually invited me and my sister to come visit. I was 17, about to graduate, and thought a trip abroad might be fun. Those two weeks in Asia changed everything. In the years that followed, the Lord spoke to me over a long period of time about full-time ministry to the nations. I wish I could say that I gave Him a hearty “YES!” right away. But the truth is, I was overwhelmed and a little terrified
M
at the prospect. But how sweet Jesus is: When He calls, He also equips. Jesus patiently walked
y earliest understanding of missions
me through my doubts and fears, changing my
came as a child growing up in church
heart and helping me develop deeper levels of
as I heard sermons and stories. They
trust in Him. Finally, I was ready to step out into
were exciting but felt somewhat removed, like
the unknown.
a calling reserved for those who were “extra” spiritual or brave. I never considered missions for myself.
*name protected for safety reasons
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It has been almost 13 years since I said “YES” to Jesus and followed Him to the mission field. It’s been an amazing journey full of unexpected opportunities: serving young girls and women recovering from highly traumatic experiences and partnering with the local church in ministry throughout the city. A surprising
joy has been coming alongside hundreds of others on a journey similar to mine: navigating the path from considering missions for the first time to moving out into the places God is calling them to be. He is so faithful, using our experiences to help and equip others!
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JESUS PATIENTLY WALKED ME THROUGH MY DOUBTS AND FEARS, CHANGING MY HEART AND HELPING ME DEVELOP DEEPER LEVELS OF TRUST IN HIM.
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E GY P T
START BELIEVING by Global Outreach Partner*
S
he knelt at the side of the bed in the overcrowded hospital room. Her three daughters were held by her mother and her late-husband’s family. Three thin hospital curtains divided the
stuffy room from the others, each makeshift space filled with family members crowding around their loved one’s bed. None of this kept her from wailing, moaning, and groaning loudly because of the tragic loss of her husband. As she cried out unashamedly among all those friends, family, and strangers, she wondered for the first time, “Can there really be a good god who would allow this?” Two years later, she and her three daughters lived with her mother in a one-bedroom apartment, where she and her girls shared the bedroom while her mother slept on the pull-out couch. Completely forgotten by her late-husband’s family, she struggled to provide for her own family as an uneducated widow in Egypt. As a cleaner at a hospital, she worked long and difficult hours. When she caught a short break from the endless mopping and collecting of rubbish from the patients’ rooms, she used her beat-up, six-year-old Nokia smartphone to log in to Facebook. *name protected for safety reasons
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This question launched our team into a threemonth journey of seeing this sweet widow
She couldn’t get the question out of her mind: “Can there really be a good god who would allow this?” Five times a day, the blaring call to prayer,
come into faith in Jesus Christ! Little by little we
humming from millions of minarets throughout
pointed her to the Word of God and the answers
Cairo, reminded her that the question was
God gave us there. She was encouraged daily with
blasphemous. If she dared to bring these thoughts
Scripture and stories that she took home to her
to her family or religious community, she could be
daughters and mother. Eventually she led two of
severely shunned or even physically punished.
her three daughters to faith in Christ as well! And the amazing thing is that all our communication
Logging in to Facebook was her one chance to
with her happened through texting and voice
ask questions, seek answers, and feel free. She
messaging on Facebook Messenger!
searched “who God is” and “why God allows bad things to happen.” The Islamic pages she found
This woman is currently engaging with our team
discouraged her questions: “To question Allah
through a weekly phone call for discipleship,
and his plan is to turn away from Islam; Allah only
during which we are equipping her to lead her two
desires unquestioning obedience.”
daughters in their new faith, evangelize her third daughter who has yet to accept Christ and reach
She continued to search and was on the brink of
out to her community in wise ways, sharing the
giving up. Upon returning to her Facebook profile
truth about who Jesus is. There are plans to begin
news feed, she saw an advertisement surface.
meeting with her face-to-face once COVID-19
“The girl was not dead, but asleep” the words
restrictions have slowed down in Cairo. This is just
proclaimed over a picture of a little girl covered in
ONE story of MANY who are actively engaging
linen cloth. The title of the ad caught her attention:
with our evangelistic media pages each day.
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“The Miracles of the Messiah.” She had heard of a messiah figure in Islam, but not of the miracles he performed. She clicked on the ad and it brought her to our evangelistic Facebook page and community. She began reading about the many miracles Jesus performed and His compassion on the masses. This was of huge interest to her, especially the accounts
LITTLE BY LITTLE WE
of Jesus healing the sick and raising the dead.
POINTED HER TO THE
She followed our page for a few months, liking
WORD OF GOD AND THE
the graphics and videos we posted, sometimes commenting with a small phrase such as “yes!”
ANSWERS GOD GAVE
or “agreed!” We noticed her small contributions and the amount of our media she engaged with.
US THERE. SHE WAS
We reached out to her via Facebook Messenger.
ENCOURAGED DAILY
While she didn’t respond at first, afraid that it was a trick to catch Muslims questioning their faith, we
WITH SCRIPTURE.
waited. After some time, she responded with the question burning in her heart for so long, “Why would a good god allow bad things to happen?”
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BUT YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES ON YOU; AND YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES IN JERUSALEM, AND IN ALL JUDEA AND SAMARIA, AND TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. —Acts 1:8
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THE POWER OF PRAYER by Global Outreach Partner*
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had many opportunities to minister in my home state of Tennessee, but eventually I came to a place where I felt defeated
and heartbroken. As a pastor, the weight of complaints and internal bickering slowly stole my joy, love, and compassion for people. After six hard months, I prayed for God to restore my compassion. I prayed Psalm 2:8, “Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” The Lord answered my prayer! He rekindled the fire He had placed in me years before. My heart broke for those who did not know Jesus, especially for the unreached Arab Muslims.
A good missionary friend of mine spoke at our church. She looked in my eyes and told me she saw the fire, passion, and zeal the Holy Spirit had birthed inside me. She prophesied over me that
When I married, my wife was a missionary, and it
God would do something amazing with me on
fit perfectly with what God was doing in my life
the mission field one day. I didn’t know how or
at the time. But because I’d witnessed too many
when, but I knew it was true: One day I would
marriages fail from couples not taking the initial
pack my bags to go to the mission field.
years to learn and build a strong foundation, I asked God for a year so I could focus on getting to know my wife before we focused on ministry.
*name protected for safety reasons
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When the Lord impressed on me that 2013 would be a year of change in my life, He also stirred my pastor to determine if it was time for my wife and me to begin the mission process. Over dinner with him, we committed to praying. I secluded myself in a bedroom and surrendered my path to God. As I did, He reminded me of the promise and request I had made for a year to focus on our marriage. It was time. I was terrified of leaving our comfortable life. In the following two days, God graciously sent four more confirmations that it was time to begin the biggest journey of our lives. We raised support and moved to Oman (next door to Saudi Arabia and Yemen) in 2015. After our official Arabic language learning and training term was complete, we moved to Egypt in 2019 to join the church-planting team where we currently serve and minister to our Egyptian Muslim friends. Our ministry uses social media to discover those seeking God in our city, and we run a business-as-mission platform. We spend time building relationships with our local Muslim friends in the community and constantly pray for opportunities to share Christ with them. We go to great lengths to use social media with gospel-
centered ads to draw them to our website, where we clearly present the gospel of Jesus Christ, answer the common Islamic objections to Christianity, and invite them to study the Bible with us through carefully crafted courses.
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ASK ME, AND I WILL MAKE THE NATIONS YOUR INHERITANCE, THE ENDS OF THE EARTH YOUR POSSESSION.
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THERE ARE 3 POWERFUL WAYS FOR YOU TO GET INVOLVED TODAY. With your support, we equip ministries and missionaries around the world to serve and save lives.
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PRAY DAILY FOR OUR GLOBAL OUTREACH PARTNERS AND THEIR FAMILIES: FOR BREAKTHROUGHS IN THEIR MINISTRIES AND RELATIONSHIPS.
GIVE GENEROUSLY TO SUPPORT WHAT GOD IS DOING IN THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD, EVEN ABOVE THE TITHE. AS YOU PRAY AND GIVE, GOD WILL DIRECT YOU TO SPECIFIC PEOPLE AND PLACES.
GO ON ONE OF OUR SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIPS. GOD MAY EVEN BE CALLING YOU TO A LIFETIME OF SERVING IN MISSIONS. 25 25
Click here to fill out a faith promise commitment card. We want to pray for you.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
GREATER LOVE HAS NO ONE THAN THIS: TO LAY DOWN ONE’S LIFE FOR ONE’S FRIENDS. You are my friends if you do what I command.
—JOHN 15:12-14, NIV
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