WITNESS: November 1, 2010

W itness

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VOL. XXI, NO. 4 • PARK CITIES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (Presbyterian Church in America) • NOVEMBER 2010

”And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

—Philippians 1:6

Following in the disciples’ footsteps

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Art delivery day initiates Festival

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Three amigos turn to teaching ESL

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Comfort and joy served up

Putting zest in the quest for worship

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Women hear message of hope at CJ’s Café

Middle school leaders consider servanthood

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Footsteps directed by God prove timely

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Stitching together offers fun and unity

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Packs are packed up for Providence

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Class of 2010 finds challenge and reward

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Millions of lights, souls to reach in China 11 Giving a face to the body of Christ

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Taking the spiritual battle to India

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Bringing resurrection power to marriage

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Café servers surround speaker Nancy Guthrie (center): (l to r) Ruth Meek, Kari Stainback, Mary Flo Ridley, Phyliss Mabus, Lori Turpin, and Patty Smith (complete with 50s hairdo).

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Before anyone

As women “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope : shadowed the came, the Because of the Lord’s great l o v e we are not consumed, doors of Feljoy of the for His compassi ons never fail. They are new every morning; lowship Hall Lord overon October 7 great is Your f ai t hf ul ne ss . I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my por ti on ; flowed therefore I will wait for Him.’ The Lord is g ood to those and 8, it was into brimming Fellowwhose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; with the aroship Hall. it is good to wait quietly for the sal v a ti on of the Lord.” ma of comfort Women —Lamentations 3:21-26 and joy from the homebrought friends and fambrewing coffee on Friday. style cooking that remindily, neighbors and new acComfort food set the tone for quaintances to hear about ed us of grandmother’s what we all prayed would be the hope that is offered to home or our favorite diner. a time of sweet encourageFried green tomatoes, us lavishly in Christ. Our ment and come-as-you-are macaroni and cheese, and speaker, Nancy Guthrie, fellowship for PCPC women chicken fried steak sliddrew a mixed crowd of and friends. It is always ers lingered through the those who had either been beautiful to watch the Lord church on Thursday—only deeply encouraged by provide abundantly more to be rivaled by fresh bisher ministry or who were than you ask or imagine. cuits with jam, bacon, and continued on page 2

simply curious to hear what she had to say. Regardless of prior knowledge, every woman walked away with a renewed sense of the Lord’s masterful provision through hope.

As Nancy shared vignettes of personal stories from her testimony, she invited women to see that holding onto hope in Christ would provide life, comfort, and joy even in the midst of trial. “Holding onto hope,” Nancy encouraged, “is believing that God loves me and that He will use

the worst thing I can imagine for my ultimate good.” As we listened to Nancy’s testimony of the Lord’s faithful work in her own life, we were pointed to the most dramatic demonstration of the Father’s love—Christ on the cross. The cross makes sense of my suffering. For surely, if God can use the heinousness of the cross to accomplish something spectacular in our salvation, there is great hope.

Grace in great tragedy Interwoven in Nancy’s story was a strand of sustaining grace that comforted those hurting and gave

hope to all. Her testimony pointed to such tragedy (the death of two children) that led many to wonder how she could have such hope and strength. She reminded us that strength does not come from standing alone, but from being tethered to Someone who is much stronger. Holding onto hope is about holding onto the person of Jesus Christ. His great love causes us not to be consumed by the hardships and difficulties that are inevitable this side of glory.

Through Christ, we are buoyed up and enabled to stand on the heights.

Our God is a mighty fortress who provides a sure shelter unrivaled by our houses made of glass, which are so easily destroyed by a storm.

His mercies are fresh every morning and His compassions never fail.

the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). Yet this I call to mind and therefore, I have great hope: Jesus is Lord. Soli Deo Gloria!

—Ann Higginbottom Above, comfort food was served under the café’s striped awning.

Inset top: Debbie Malloy Below; Susan White, Amber Shockey, and Danielle Pinkston

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though

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Disciples still gather to learn about prayer “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘ Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’” —Luke 11:1 Have you ever wondered what it looked like when Jesus prayed? Where was this “certain place” that He went to pray? How often did He go? What did He pray? How did Jesus look when He finished praying?

The disciples regularly witnessed Jesus retreating for prayer. Eventually one of His disciples asked Him for a lesson: “Lord teach us to pray.” From this request, we understand that prayer is something we must learn. John’s disciples were taught how to pray. Jesus disciples wanted to learn to pray, and Jesus taught them.

Earlier this fall, over 200 men started on a journey of prayer with this simple request— “Lord, teach us to pray.” Each Tuesday morning men gather around tables at 6:30 am for a 25minute lesson on prayer taught by Pete Deison or myself. Immediately after this lesson, men gather in small groups seated throughout the church, and begin to pray together. The scene is powerful and quite beautiful—hundreds of men bowing their heads and praying. What are we praying?

Using scripture as our anchor, we pray through a passage, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate the text so that we might know how to pray.

Scripture helps all of us to pray. This is true for the beginner, as well as the man who has developed a more mature prayer life.

In the first few weeks we have focused on the basics—who are we praying to? Father, Friend, Lover—words God uses to describe Himself.

We have also focused on the importance of establishing a time, a place, and a plan. The plan is given in the form of a weekly handout

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(available at www.pcpcmen.org) that helps guide us in prayer through the week. This helpful guide includes passages of scripture and some prompting questions to lead us into prayer. So far, we have used Psalm 119 and Psalm 92.

Over the next several months we will be learning about many topics, among them these:        

Worship-based prayer Intercessory prayer Prayers of confession Meditation Praying with our spouse Dealing with noise and distractions Journaling our prayers Prayer retreats

If you have not yet joined us, it’s never too late. New men have come each week. If you are uncomfortable praying out loud in a group, that’s okay; you are not alone. Come anyway and pray silently.

If you are unable to come because of a schedule conflict, you may go to www. pcpcmen.org and hear the lesson as well as print the prayer handout for each week.

A meaningful statement by H. MacGregor speaks to Pete’s and my desire: ”I would rather train twenty men to pray, than a thousand to preach; a minister’s highest mission ought to be to teach his people to pray. ” Prayer is powerful. Prayer is something we must learn. We have a great teacher—His name is Jesus. “Lord teach us to pray.”

—Mark Davis

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Festival celebrates the manger, magi, and magesty

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‘Tis the season for inspiration! At least it is for the artists who entered this year’s PCPC Arts Festival. Over 135 artists from PCPC as well as surrounding churches delivered paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, and short films to Fellowship Hall on October 8 to be entered in this year’s festival, with the themes of the Manger, the Magi, and the Majesty. The works of art will be juried and narrowed down to just 100 artists to be displayed in the annual fine art show starting November 13 in Fellowship Hall.

she had written to accompany her painting, entitled “The Promise.” Others, such as Oscar Duran, included a Bible verse: “He made the earth by His power; He founded the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding” (Jeremiah 51:15).

PCPC invites you and your guests to attend the grand opening awards reception, Saturday, November 13, 10:00 am–2:00 pm.

THE MANGER

Most of the pieces will be for sale, with something for all levels of art collectors— prices range from $100 to $8,500, with an average sale price of $1,099. In all, $150,000 worth of artwork was received!

With titles like “Lion of Judah,” “Celestial Rejoicing,” and “Promises Delivered,” these works are expressions of the glory of God as interpreted by each artist. Each individual also drafted a short statement describing his or her piece. One such artist, Barbara Moody, chose to include an original poem

Left, for the fourth year, the Canvas by Canvas group brought its entry. Nine women paint independent canvases and then put them together to make a whole.

Below, Judy Franklin, PCPC member and medal winner in the 2009 festival, led a prefestival class for three Sunday mornings in October. Fifteen young people worked together to make a crown mosaic to be presented November 7 in worship as part 2010 of the festival.

A rts Festival

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THE MAGI

THE MAJESTY

You’ll be able to meet the jurors and the artists, view the art, purchase the art, and vote in the People’s Choice Competition.

You can also visit www.pcpcartsfestival. org and link up to the PCPC Arts Festival facebook page.

—Andrea Reich Fender

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Teaching in PCPCs English as a Second Language program is a joy for many reasons, but one of the best is seeing a tangible impact in the lives of students by helping them in a very practical way. Over the course of the year, we see students coming to the program who can barely utter a sentence in English as simple as, ”What is your name?” By the end of the year, many of them are able to hold a conversation in English. To see the before-and-after is very gratifying, and for the class to be offered as a free service to those who are interested is an incredible opportunity to meet those in our community where they are in terms of their needs.

Most of the students in ESL are from Mexico. Some have been in America as little as one year; others as many as 15 years. To help our students speak English is to help them in so many aspects of their lives, whether it be in their ability to find a new job or to relate to their children, who often are better English speakers than their parents.

Jesus taught us to give to those in need, with specific reference to the poor. He wants us to teach them about Him, and one of the key ways we demonstrate His love is by tending to their practical needs. The ESL program is a way to minister in a very particular way to the practical needs of those who live right here in Dallas.

If you are interested in helping with the ESL program, the main qualification is that you speak English. If you have that taken care of, then we can use you! Small group instruction is extremely beneficial to the students, but with so many students in the program, that is hard to accomplish. The more volunteers we have in the classroom, the better the experience is for the students.

—Will Schoellkopf

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Three amigos teach ESL ...here’s why

When I was in high school, Tim Tinsley took our youth group to a little town in the Yucatan to build a school.

When I wasn’t contributing to one of the most poorly constructed buildings in history, I stayed with a local family. Their house had two rooms—one for me, and one for them—all seven of them. When my old friend Will Schoellkopf, who was on that trip with me almost 15 years ago, asked me to help him teach an ESL class at church, I thought of that family’s generosity, and I thought of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:35-36 about feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.

The beginning level, which we teach, is full of the people Jesus was talking about. Many of the students show up as families, so we will have a mother, father, and child all learning together.

One grandmother brings four of her grandchildren, perhaps because the parents are working, or perhaps because they have been sent back to Mexico and the grandmother is now the caretaker. The point is, learning English is a way to keep the families together and solidify their tenuous foothold in the United States. The ESL Ministry is so important because it is the church responding to people in need.

—John Maberry Jeff Sears visits with an ESL student.

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I teach ESL for three reasons: 1) my wife Murphey has been an excellent influence on me and my volunteering; 2) I was looking for an opportunity to serve God and a church through community service; and 3) I am friends with Will Schoellkopf. After watching my sweet wife participate in various charitable organizations in addition to working full-time for a non-profit organization, I quickly learned that I needed to step it up. After I explained this to my childhood friend Will last year, he invited me to join him in teaching the weekly class.

In all candor, I was mostly looking for a way to volunteer for a worthy cause, but I’ve also enjoyed the classes and spending time with my friends, and the students are exceptionally dedicated and engaged in the learning.

However, the gravity of what we had been doing for the last year did not really hit me until about two weeks ago when I received the prayer requests from our students. After seeing prayer after prayer for the students’ families in Mexico—that some of their spouses and kids could be granted immigration rights, for help in battles with depression, for childcare, or just a ride to the church so they can learn English—it really hit home how much we take for granted living in our native country. These men and women live hard lives, but they also work very hard. They are an impressive group, and the PCPC classes have a very positive impact on the students and their families.

—Jeff Sears PCPC PCPCWITNESS WITNESS

GOT your ZQ? What are kids learning as they worship?

Every Sunday morning before the sermon, helpers pass out Zest Quests to children. Although the ZQ might attract all ages, the purpose is to engage young minds, helping them focus their attention on the sermon. Here are some samples of what our children are learning in worship.

The ZQ has been a wonderful worship tool! My daughter eagerly anticipates each edition, knowing she will have a fun activity to complete during church. It has ignited her interest in “big church” and helped us avoid the endless barrage of “Mom, is it over yet?” I love the incentive it gives her to look up the scriptures from the morning’s sermon to answer the ZQ quizzes and how it encourages her to listen for key phrases in Mark’s sermon. Thank you, ZQ, for feeding my child God’s Word and making worship a happy time for our family.

—Nancy Chandler West PCPC PCPC WITNESS WITNESS

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MIDDLE SCHOOL MINISTRY

Young Bondservants for Christ

PCPC youth leaders have developed a new leadership team that has changed the way we do ministry. They are known as DOULOS, which means bondservant in Greek. Our students found themselves filling out an optional application regarding their desire to serve and to grow in their relationship with the Lord. The simple act of applying sent them on a July trip to Galveston, Texas, where we brought our hearts and ideas together.

We asked ourselves hard questions about what motivates us to do what we do, and even dissected the events and programs our youth group did as a whole.

Overall, it was a great success—not to mention the entertainment on the side (beaching and sightseeing)!

Upon returning, the leadership team decided to meet once a month to continue training in leadership and thinking creatively about our youth group. Granted, our training in leadership follows the example of Jesus Christ—who led through service and humility. Each student who is a part of DOULOS understands the

counter-culture approach that Christ exemplified, and our hope is that they would be compelled to live it out well past their middle school years.

This group is a foundation for our future ministry, and we have been so encouraged by their desire to come together. It should be noted that it is continually open for new students to join, and more have been added since our trip to Galveston! Please continue to pray for us as we follow the example of Christ!

—Mary Haberkorn

Left, (l to r) Grace Dillahunty, Jackie Joyner, Elise Wilson, Ben Leonard, Andrew Nace, Hudson Bercier, Corey McQuilkin, Daniel Lafayette, Joel Truelson

The Doulos team in Galveston

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A story of rescue on the mountain PCPC family encounters lost hikers We talk often at PCPC about our stories of rescue, and we are usually thinking of stories about our spiritual rescue from eternal death by our loving, electing, heavenly Father. But such stories might just be about a different, yet equally life-saving act on His part. Here is one from a PCPC staff member:

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Recently, while on a vacation in Red River, New Mexico, with my parents, my father and I decided to hike one of our favorite trails that goes up the side of a mountain to Middle Fork Lake. My mother wanted to go with us since she had not hiked this trail for many years, and she wanted to see if she could do it. We planned to go as far as the big waterfall and turn around, since it was still early in the week, and we were all still acclimating to the altitude. So the three of us drove to the trail head and started out on a hike that was supposed to be only a few hours long.

The scenery was spectacular, and before long we arrived at the big waterfall about a mile from the lake. We stopped for a snack and drink and were about to start back down when my mom spoke up: ”I think I want to try to go all the way to the lake if you guys want to do it.”

wife, who was 65, stumbled out of the wooded area near us. They looked very tired, desperate for help, and very happy to see us.

We found out very quickly that they started out on a trail on the other side of the mountain, had gotten off the trail and lost, and had somehow run into us. They had started a hike at 6:45 am that was only supposed to last a few hours. She had twisted her leg. He had fallen twice. They had no water, one power bar between them, and had no other clothes. They drank four bottles of our water and ate some snacks we gave them.

We then had to get them off the mountain. They moved very slowly down the trail due to her twisted leg.

The sun was beginning to set and the temperature was falling. The man was starting to speak non-sensibly, and when I saw him fall again, something told me that I needed to hike ahead and call for help. My parents agreed,

and I ran as fast as I could down the trail while they stayed with the couple.

Exhausted, and totally out of breath, I made it to my car and quickly drove back to our cabin to use the phone, since my cell phone still had no signal.

I called the local emergency station, explained what was going on, then raced back to the trail head in my car and started back up the trail. After awhile, I met my parents and the couple, who were in bad shape, but still walking. It was nearly dark by then and chilly, if not cold. By the time we made it to the trail head, the rescue team was there. They treated the couple and had already made plans to get them to their car, which was parked on the other side of the mountain, more than an hour away by car. With tears in their eyes, the couple thanked us profusely and then left with the rescue department, finally safe.

Steps directed by the Lord

In retrospect, I realized that there was not one other person at Middle Fork Lake when we were there, and we met no one on the way down the trail.

Had we tried that trail another day or time, had my mom not wanted to try the rest of the trail, had we not lingered at the lake a moment—this couple most likely would have wandered around the mountain until after dark.

They would have suffered from exposure, dehydration, and could have even perished. The temperature in the mountains was in the low 30s or even the 20s that night.

“The mind of man plans his way, but The Lord directs his steps.”

—Proverbs 16:9

Dad and I were more than willing to go, so we set out to finish the last mile—the hardest part of the trail, with many steep switchbacks.

We went slowly, took a lot of breaks, and made it to Middle Fork Lake. We did not linger long because it was getting late in the afternoon, and we knew we had to start back down. As we rose to leave, we heard someone shouting, ”Help!” We called back, they called out, and we called out again. Soon, a 72-year-old man and his PCPC WITNESS

The timing of the Lord is just incredible, isn’t it? We have no doubt that God purposed us to take every step we took so that we could help these people, who were believers themselves (and Texans!).

God is so good. As believers, we must be ready to be used for someone else’s good if He calls us to do so. Praise the Lord!

—Phil Vandermeer Right, (l to r) Virginia, Nathan, and Phil Vandermeer

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Through the generosity of PCPC members and their donations of fabric, batting, and machines, students at Voice of Hope (VOH) have learned a new skill—how to sew. Students, both male and female, learned how to sew bags that they made from scratch.

They chose their fabric, cut their pattern, and pieced their bags together.

They loved making one for themselves or for a family member. They enjoyed the opportunity to use their imagination as they created something useful.

“The sewing classes were well received by VOH families. Sometimes students asked if they could skip lunch or stay late at the end of the day sewing their crafts” said Debbie Solis, VOH Director of Family and Community Services.

The classes were taught by Maria Gonzalez, a Voice of Hope volunteer and member of Bill Harrod Baptist Church. Maria is a member of the Irving Quilter’s Guild and founded a guild at her home church in West Dallas.

Even parents got involved. A VOH parent asked her company to donate material samples for the classes, which allowed the students to choose from a wide array of fabrics.

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Piecing together the gospel story After being asked by several students to continue the classes, Maria and Debbie decided to offer them to a small group this semester. Six girls in Saturday class are creating a quilt depicting the manger scene. The girls plan to enter it in the PCPC Arts Festival.

Mrs. Barron, the mother of one of the girls, said, “My daughter loves coming to Voice of Hope and using her imagination to visualize the night that Jesus was born.” My daughter wants to come every day and is very excited about Christmas this year.

Debbie Solis said, “The parents are very proud of their children, and the girls are getting closer to God through quilting. Come rain or shine they walk to Voice of Hope to take their quilting classes.” We decided when we started the class that the girls would work on a quilt for the art contest together but would also have the opportunity to make a quilt to enjoy at their home with their families.”

of them were apprehensive about teaching because they primarily spoke Spanish, and several of their students only spoke English, but they quickly discovered that they could overcome the language barriers.

Debbie said, “Allowing the parents to teach art and dance classes has brought unity among the children and parents even if they speak different languages. These programs have been a blessing to our community.“ —Laura A. Cadena

In addition to sewing classes, VOH offers crochet, dance, and knitting.

Some of the classes are taught by VOH parents. In the beginning some

”If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

—James 2:15-17

Providence packs packed up

Elementary children stuffed the remaining backpacks on Sunday, October 9, to complete our goal for Providence Packs. It was a joy to be used by God to fulfill a need for 235 Laotian children attending Providence School in Vientiene, Laos. We met our goal with 240 filled backpacks which included toiletries, school supplies, some clothing, and a toy. Backpacks will be shipped later this month and a team of PCPC members led by David Franklin will travel to Laos in early 2011 to check on the progress of those who received the backpacks.

—Darian Reichert NOVEMBER 2010

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The Class of 2010 PCPC’s short-term mission team leaders

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I praise God for the people you see on this page! The faces you see here are the faces of those God called to lead a short-term mission team somewhere in the world in 2010. The story of their sacrifice is largely unknown— until now!

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Team leaders are required to undergo training and to become familiar with a short-term mission team leader’s manual. That is never fun. After helping recruit a team, they dive into six mandatory, two-hour, team meetings, made up many times of people who don’t know each other.

We figure that if a choir needs to practice before a performance, shortterm mission teams should practice before embarking on their ministry overseas. Then there is the mundane task of hounding team members about paperwork, passports, and 6

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At the risk of making it hard to recruit in 2011, let me briefly paint a picture of what it means to lead a short-term mission team for the purpose of celebrating the work these servants of God did in 2010.

immunizations.

Oh yeah, let’s not forget about planning ministry activities in a foreign country.

Have I mentioned the common occurrence of spiritual warfare and the need to pray with and counsel struggling team members?

All of this before the team even departs. I don’t have space to discuss the wisdom it takes to navigate a team of sinful people, um, I mean saints (sorry Mark), doing ministry in what is typically an exhausting crosscultural context. All the while, their jobs, families, and everyday struggles don’t go on sabbatical.

Flexibility required!

Here are some examples of isses that team leaders navigated this summer: Curt Dobbs discovered just a week or so before his departure that our ministry partners had managed to open

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a few doors, and instead of planning outreach to 300 or so Thai children, he would need to plan for 3,000. That’s 3,000!

Laurie Butterfield and Lee Jagers were informed two days before leaving for Indonesia that they would be rerouted to a different city than they had planned on for months. Local authorities were cracking down on our partners there, and it was evident that our presence would be dangerous to their work. Did they still go? What did they do? Where did they stay? If you see them in the hall, ask them how things turned out. You may be surprised.

Michelle Bridgeman and Michelle and Mark Scudder were gearing up to lead teams to Mexico before we decided to cancel because of rising violence. What a bummer for them. And they had already suffered through the training with me.

When you see these faithful brothers and sisters in the hall at PCPC, thank them for their service to our great King. Ask them about the ministry they saw happen. They made real and tangible sacrifices to make the name of Jesus known in places where He is little known. Here’s to the 2010 class of PCPC short-term team leaders!

One last thing, please pray that after seeing this article, people will still consider being team leaders. We need them in 2011!

—Jerry Gibson Director of World Missions Japan: 1. Andrew Key 2. Jeff Williams Hong Kong: 3. Amy Westervelt 4. Brittany Howard 5. Carrie Jussely 6. Ready Bateman 7. John Bateman 8. John Melson 9. Ann Higginbottom 10. Robby Higginbottom 11. Sara Moore 12. Mary Grace Jarrett

India 13. Ricardo Pellafone Indonesia 14. Laurie Butterfield 15. Lee Jagers Not pictured: Laos/Thailand: Curt Dobbs Philippines: Reginald Combs Hong Kong: Haley Morgan Bryan Newman Jess Newman Cameron Sparks NOVEMBER 2010

So far, so good

Americans travel so far, and God is so good PCPC sent 21 high school students and 21 adults to Hong Kong July 15-August 1 on a mission trip that bore great fruit. Here’s a report from a PCPC youth staff leader: Blog entry: ”It is 1:00 am here in Hong Kong.

Out my window of dorm room 406B at the City University of Hong Kate Arvesen Kong, is a small (yet still vast) part of the skyline of the city. It has been a long day. My energy is fading. My feet are aching. My roommate is peacefully sleeping. My rain jacket is hanging to dry from hours of rain today. My photos are uploading. My wallet is emptying. And my heart is bursting with love—not only for this great city and its people—but also for the great God who created it all. ”A couple of nights ago, after spending the day with our family groups preparing teaching materials for the coming two weeks, our team took a journey up to Victoria Peak—one of the highest points in Hong Kong.

From the observation deck, the panoramic view of the city of Hong Kong is unlike anything else I have ever seen. From as far as you can see on your right to as far as you can see on your left, there are only buildings— thousands of buildings with millions and millions of little lights from homes, offices, or cars that belong to millions and millions of people. They are people who NOVEMBER 2010

are image-bearers of a loving God who has created each of them and knows every single one by name.

They are broken and hurting and lost—no matter how successful or beautiful or confident they may seem.

They need a Savior. ”We are two days into the SEA (Summer English Adventure) program now. Each morning we wake up early, meet our family groups, and travel to seven different churches spread all over the city. English camp begins with singing and announcements followed by three hours of class. Each day of class has a cultural section (“Christmas in America” or “How we celebrate birthdays in America”), a Bible story section (reading from an English Bible and discussing), and a grammar section (adjectives, learning to express feelings, etc.). Our teams return to the dorms around dinner time and spend the evening winding down from a crazy day, preparing to teach classes for the following day or in team meetings and worship together.”

In the middle of our trip we and 300 Chinese friends went to Lingnan University for gospel camp. The churches in Hong Kong declared the theme of camp to be So Far, So Good, because “the Americans have travelled so far, and God is so good.” Our time at gospel camp showed relationships that had begun in the classroom develop into dear and heartfelt friendships.

We played many impossible-tounderstand Chinese games, had a talent show, and on the last night, we had the honor of sitting beside our new Chinese friends as they heard the gospel message given in Cantonese. ”The gospel presentation was a wonderful thing to witness,” said

Bryan Newman, ‘It was a little bit shocking to Yates Bateman and a friend witness the way the Hong Kong pastors shared the gospel, but also quite refreshing. Instead of beating around the bush and being careful not to step on anyone’s toes, they were direct, convicting, and at the same time loving.’ That night we saw many of our friends come to know Christ. Of the 30 children who came to the church where I was serving, 17 of them came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Through tearful goodbyes we left Hong Kong with a great sense of peace, knowing that in Christ there are no real goodbyes. God will continue and complete the work in Hong Kong in the lives of our Chinese friends and in our own lives. He will continue to sustain and grow His church through the believers in Hong Kong and through the work of His Holy Spirit, which is with us always.

Final thoughts from my blog entry: It is amazing to watch these high school students step to the front of a classroom. They are not only wonderful English teachers, but they are ambassadors of the gospel as well.

They have been frustrated by language barriers, stomached some very peculiar foods, and been exhausted beyond belief; yet, through it all, they are still excited to wake up tomorrow morning and do it all over again—all for the sake of making the name of our Savior known to the people of Hong Kong.

—Carrie Jussely

Ann Ray with friend Bonnie

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Tiny team tackles tall task

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Being the (adaptable) body and bride of Christ

When I was asked to consider joining the small group that went to Thailand this past summer, I was very excited.

I love traveling overseas and working among believers in other cultures, seeing it as an opportunity to get a glimpse of heaven. Scripture tells us that one day every tribe, tongue, and nation will join together to worship our Holy God. In Thailand believers from different nations and tongues came together, worshipping our God in song, prayer, and deed.

trusting in God to bring glory to the situation and knowing that He cares for me and all of those hundreds of kids who were sitting right in front of me. In fact, God chose to show us His favor. We heard from many members of the nearby church that our time at the schools in their town had created quite a bit of conversation. We had helped give a face to the body of Christ for that Thai community.

Anxieties met with His sufficiency

In reflection, I think the ultimate purpose of our trip to Thailand and Laos this past July was to represent our King of Kings, Jesus Christ. This was only possible as we sought to obey Jesus’ commandment in John 13:35: “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” I knew that our effectiveness as witnesses to the hope of the gospel rested heavily on our ability to love one another, and I knew that this was a matter that would be greatly strengthened by prayer. Through the prayers of many, the PCPC team, along with many from the Gennesaret church and other Christians living in the area, truly did love each other well, and hopefully pleased our Savior as we worked as one body, the beautiful bride of Christ.

—Melissa Tanous

At the end of the trip, our group spent two days Our tiny but diverse team in Vientiane visiting the of eight had the privilege Christian school that our of working closely with Providence Packs will be several members of the going to this year. What a Gennesaret Church in delightful time! We sang Nong Khai, a border city and played games with in northeast Thailand. We joyful, eager students. did start with a plan about The girls loved asking us how we could serve the questions about our favorchurch in Thailand and ite things, and the boys reach those who don’t were very competitive, know Christ; however, I eagerly showing off their believe that our main purmath and English skills in pose was to be a small a game Ruth and I made picture of what is really up on the spot. I was most so indescribable that the impressed with the joy I Bible has to resort to saw in the faces of these Most of the team: imagery to give us a picchildren, along with their Front row (l to r), Melissa Tanous, Thanin Phommavong ture. We were the body openness to trusting and Back row (from left): Touch Khloy, Kirsten Phommavong, of Christ, each bringing showing love to strangAmanda Ridout, Alex Whitsell Gonzales our unique gifts, cultures, ers from a strange land. and personalities together These are obviously wellto advance the gospel loved children, despite among literally thousands of Thai school kids. We were the their difficult circumstances. Even from the other side of bride of Christ, submitting ourselves to one another in love, the globe, I can imagine the laughter and excitement when in order to present a beautiful picture of God’s Kingdom to these little ones receive their backpacks, lovingly filled with teachers and administrators. supplies from PCPC members.

Before going on this trip, I was skeptical that anything worthwhile could come from this small group—what we were asked to do seemed impossible with the numbers we had! My role was to lead English classes with my new friend, (and trip roommate) Ruth. It took me less than 24 hours to realize that I wasn’t up to the task and had little to offer. Hundreds of kids in one class? Not my natural giftedness at all! None of the lessons that I had spent hours preparing from the comfort of an air-conditioned room in Dallas would be helpful here. I was reminded of 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will raise you up in due time. Cast all of your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” As my anxiety mounted, the only thing I could do was to cast my anxieties on Him, PCPC WITNESS

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The best description I’ve ever heard of India is “sensory overload.” Trash, cows, and people fill the streets. The smell of curry lingers, and the honks of auto-rickshaws are constant.

Legal eagles land in India Teaching tools for the battle against exploitation Surprisingly refreshed and renewed

A team of four PCPC attorneys traveled to this other world in July for a week to teach negotiation skills training to attorneys with the International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM advocates in India work to stop sex trafficking, underage and forced prostitution, and bonded slavery.

One eye-opening experience was visiting the red-light district of Mumbai, an area just like any other in the city but for the prostitutes crowding the streets in every direction.

In the bowels of these unsuspecting buildings, young girls are kept, many kidnapped and living in brothels without running water. AIDS is pervasive, and many young girls will be expected to eventually get sick.

Before we ever left, God began showing us that He was in control. We experienced a major delay in the processing of our visas and were blessed by the president of a major international corporation calling on our behalf to try to expedite the process. Our visas came the day we were to leave with one missing, PCPC deacon Bryce Benson’s.

Bryce showed so much character in the way he encouraged us to go, even if he could not join us. He became a prayer warrior and example for our team. As we did not know until the day of the trip if our visas would arrive, we ultimately turned over the reins of our control to God and realized that He was to direct us rather than our own agendas.

After a long 18-hour flight to Mumbai, we spent most of our first day in the “Slumdog Millionaire” area of Dharavi, known as the largest slum in Asia. We had a guide from Dharavi who guided us through the homes with open sewage lines and an eventful game of cricket. It was an awesome experience to see the poorest of the poor in India who managed to have so much joy in relationships rather than belongings.

This was also, surprisingly, the only area we visited where no one asked us for money.

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The IJM advocates who work to stop both sexual exploitation and forced slavery are tireless, enthusiastic, and so persistent in their faith. We were so impressed by the organization in India and are hoping to find future opportunities to partner again.

We spent the week teaching day-long courses to attorneys in both Mumbai and the eastern city of Chennai. While we were the teachers, at the end of most days we felt we had learned more than our students. It was a joy to hear from IJM attorneys about their work and the progress they are having rescuing those who need help so desperately. The love they had for their clients was a great thing to witness.

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Our close-knit team survived sensory overload and was, in the process, so refreshed and renewed. Our eyes were especially opened to the hundreds of people we saw sleeping on the streets every night. Although chaos is pervasive, God is there, and He is working through special people and partnerships. Thank you, PCPC, for giving us this glimpse of God’s overwhelming love.

—Lindsay Stengle Top, Lindsay Stengle gets a photo of a group of children.

Below: Leah Boyd with two new friends (Darren Harrington and Ricardo Pellafone, not pictured, also represented PCPC. PCPC WITNESS

The intimate mysteries of marriage

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“We’re doing well enough to be blinded to the things we aren’t doing well at all,” is the dangerous diagnosis of most marriages today that are not obviously crumbling, according to Dan Allender. We bring to marriage all the idolatrous commitments we have developed to make our world work, whether they call for peace at all costs or contemptuous confrontation on every issue. At the Intimate Marriage conference at PCPC on September 10-11, Allender addressed the assault on marriage today in passionate, frank, and humorous teaching that laid bare the sin that brings everything from boredom to contempt to dismissal to the relationships of husbands and wives.

For the several hundred in attendance, Allender named two issues that are core to the problem: 1) the struggle with lust, which is desire gone idolatrous, a consumerism that becomes such a hunger for more that when we don’t get what we want, we will make someone pay. Such lust he calls murder­—it kills the one who is made to pay and kills any intimacy in a relationship. And 2) the depth of our illusions, which will never bring joy and will destroy relationships, because intimacy can thrive only in the soil of truth.

The evil one delights at the destruction of a marriage or even its assessment as “it is what it is.” Such hopelessness denies the essense of the gospel of Jesus Christ—His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. Settling for detachment, disassociation, distance, or tuning out is the evil one’s goal­—taking away your life while letting you live.

Allender asserts that the goal of marriage is the glory of one’s spouse. He challenged listeners to ask themselves if they were more committed to their marriage, the institution and it’s survival, or one’s actual spouse. Fear for the survival of one’s marriage becomes the ground for the evil one to work. And he dismissed the notion that marriage is all about compromise. It is about glory—about opening the door for spouses to be more like Jesus—about their beauty and substance. Seeking such glory means asking the hard questions, uncovering the heartache, hearing the pain, and offering Spiritled responses that bring healing.

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It’s all about glory

Bringing glory to the everyday So what does such a marriage look like in practical terms? Allender advises couples to assess three areas of life together: calendars, checkbooks, and words. The average family dinner 90 years ago took 90 minutes. Today the average is 8 minutes. Sacred appointments of time together on the calendar are a must. How is money spent? For diversions, antidotes to boredom, escapes, or opportunities for intimacy and shared goals? How are words used? With contempt? Where there is contempt, there is death in a relationship. The evil one is the accuser, and contempt is his tool of destruction, be it an eye roll, sneer, or open attack.

“Sex is about God,” Allender asserted to a startled audience. “Food and sex are all about God and redemption.”

The Bible is all about celebration, and the evil one would ruin it all. Evil strikes anyone who would be used by God. Allender believes no one escapes sexual harm in this culture, and shame brings death to true intimacy in many relationships. Yet the kindness of God is most evident to us in our deepest brokenness, and it leads to repentance. Jesus invites us to rest in His heart in safety and commitment.

Such kindness to each other brings questions of real care and allows that rest, safety, and commitment in marriage.

God’s intention is for sex not to work in marriage unless it is characterized by sacrifice and blessing.

The curse of Genesis 3:16 following the fall of Adam and Eve is the starting point for demystifying the struggle for oneness in marriage. Allender explained that the curse of pain in childbirth for women can be seen as a curse on all relationships she gives birth to. They will all be broken, and a man cannot meet her need for relationship, thus the result for women is the great pain of loneliness. She often fills her need with busyness—from overparenting to shopping to redecorating—since her man can’t handle her and illusions of joy must be found elsewhere.

Man’s curse is sweat and thorns as he digs to produce his “fruit.” But his fruit is never enough, and it never lasts. Futility rules his heart, and his response to feeling he is never enough is to seek control of his world through wealth and power. Enough money or power means he can

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contract out whatever he doesn’t want to do and avoid the world’s thorns, yet his money cannot fix a fallen world or insulate him from it. Then he may ask, “Why bother?” and turn to a life of indulgence, diversion, illusion, and waste.

Practicing the reality and applying the hope of the resurrection Becoming one in marriage means facing the cause of the chasm between spouses, embracing the curse and its consequences, then finding redemption together in prayer and confession—not just confession of sin, but of desires, dreams, and life stories that bring truth, raw and unvarnished, to a relationship. Any other kind of relationship denies the cross and resurrection of Christ. It denies death and the hope we have because of Christ’s death and resurrection. Allender challenged his audience with the question, “What are you doing because of the resurrection?” Where does such hope drive you beyond despair, illusions, idol worship, and saying, “It is what it is?” Confession is more than “I sinned.” It is “I want more because of the resurrection.”

Confession and prayer together leads to godly sorrow, where our failures and the failures of others bring us in desperation to need and know the kindness of God and His delight in us. Allender used the parable of the prodigal son to illustrate God’s delight in His children. The prodigal’s father waited on his son’s return, anticipating it with hope. He ran to his son on seeing him in the distance, tucking his robe into his belt, not caring such behavior was demeaning in that culture. He wept as he embraced his

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son, not accusing him by asking what in the world he had been thinking to leave in the first place. Then the father partied! He rejoiced and invited the neighborhood. God waits on us.

He runs to embrace us and weeps at our return. Then He invites us to a party. Allender asked, “Have you ever felt the arms of God around you as He weeps for joy over you?” What in particular does He delight in over you?

Becoming one also requires forgiveness, which can’t be given unless it is

already received. Offering the character of God to one another means cancelling all debts, as Christ has done for us, and doing good by conquering evil. Love is warfare! Loving one’s spouse means doing battle with evil wherever it is in residence—in the culture, the family, or one’s own heart.

Fight evil for each other.

Allender knows we all have stories; some relate great harm in the past.

But stories of harm, exposed to the kindness of God, become redemptive stories of hope. Believing in the resurrection gives birth to our callings on earth, and knowing that calling brings blessing on the harm brought to us.

God uses the brokenness of our past to bless the world today. Evil is defeated. Life has been brought from death. The gospel of Jesus Christ makes us true men and women, and no place is a more fertile ground for such transformation than marriage. Is your marriage blessing the world as it transforms you into the likeness of Christ?

If you would like to know more about topics covered in the conference or find help for your marriage, contact Betty, betty.montague@pcpc. org or 214-224-2683.

—Terri Speicher Dan Allender