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01
May '18
EPC asks churches, individuals to fast and pray May 5-6 ahead of Andrew Brunson trial resumption
01
May '18
This post is reposted from EPConnection.org.
The trial of Andrew Brunson, EPC Teaching Elder imprisoned in Turkey since October 2016, resumes on May 7. In an effort to stand with and pray for the entire Brunson family, the EPC is issuing a Call to Prayer and Fasting for the weekend of May 5-6.
Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk, suggests praying Scripture in four specific ways:
- That Andrew will be strengthened, emboldened, and released: Pray Isaiah 42:3 (A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. In faithfulness, He will establish justice.); Isaiah 40:31 (Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength); and Luke 4:18 (The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free).
- That Norine will not grow weary: Pray Exodus 17:12 (When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady until sunset.) and Isaiah 40:29 (He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak).
- That the Brunson’s children (Jordan, Jacqueline, and Blaise) would walk in the steadfast love of the Lord: Pray Lamentations 3:22-23 (Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness).
- That Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, would be directed by the Holy Spirit: Pray Proverbs 21:1 (The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases).
“Norine was blessed and encouraged by how many people participated in our call to prayer and fasting before the April 16 trial,” Jeremiah said. “On Thursday, April 26, she was able to pass this on to Andrew, with our plan to do it again before May 7. I hope every EPC church will continue to pray for Andrew, Norine, their family, and the rest of the trial as Andrew faces the judges again.”
Following opening arguments on April 16, Brunson was returned to prison. Prosecutors in the case have asked for a 35-year prison sentence on charges that Brunson helped terrorist organizations and worked to convert Turks to Christianity.
To help facilitate corporate prayer, a printable bulletin insert in pdf format with these prayer suggestions can be downloaded at www.epc.org/news/freepastorandrew. The bulletin insert is available in two sizes and is designed to be printed on standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper and cut in half (either horizontally or vertically).
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24
Apr '18
How To Support the Recovery Efforts Going Forward
24
Apr '18
According to a press release from Amherst County, 126 homes have minor damage, 25 are restricted use and 22 are destroyed. That means at least 47 families are displaced until their homes are repaired or rebuilt. The recovery needs for these families will be ongoing, long after this event moves out of the news cycle. And many of those in the path of the tornado, whether their home was destroyed or not, are dealing with wounds and hurts that go beyond physical. So what can we do to support our neighbors and friends in the weeks and months to come?
Pray
Make praying for those affected a regular part of your prayer routine. Include in your prayers the contractors and builders, insurance adjusters, police, fire and medical first responders who have and are continuing to step in to help these families rebuild their lives. Here are some practical steps and prayers in the weeks and months to come:
- Pray for healing. While certainly praying for physical healing, also pray for emotional and mental healing. Continue to praise God that no one lost their life, and ask Him to rest His hand of healing on those who need it. The emotional and mental scars can last far longer than the physical ones, which leads to…
- Pray for rest. This might sound trivial, but many of these people, particularly the children but also the adults, could well be having a hard time sleeping. Nightmares, stress, the internal need to keep working on cleanup, and especially post traumatic stress can negatively impact sleep. Pray for God’s peace to settle over those trying to piece their lives back together when they sleep.
- Pray for a smooth process. Working with insurance companies, contractors, government aid agencies is a difficult and time-consuming process. It can be its own layer of stress on top of an already stressful and traumatic event. Pray that God would smooth out the process and that there wouldn’t be any hiccups for these folks.
- Pray for moments of normalcy: In the midst of the aftermath of a traumatic event like this, it can feel as if “normal” is a word that will never be used again. Pray for moments of “normal” for these families and people, That might come in a meal taken as family at a restaurant, to even the regular routine of work and school, or maybe even just going to the store to buy groceries. A moment of “normal” can go a long way in helping the healing and recovery process.
- Set a reminder. Put a reminder in your phone to repeat once a week, and maybe another one in a month or two, to remind you to continuing praying for their recovery.
Give
Many have given sacrificially already, but there will continue to be ongoing needs for those affected in the weeks, and especially the months, to come. Many of them have no idea what they need at this time, so gift cards to grocery and home improvement stores can be very helpful, as they can make use of those as they figure things out. There are several GoFundMe donation pages set up for these families, if you would like to give directly to them. Here are some suggested links and ideas:
- GoFundMe: This link is a generic search for “Madison Heights, VA fundraisers,’ however at the time of posting (4/24/18), all but one result on the first page of results were for victims of the tornado (there’s another tornado victim fundraiser on the 2nd page of the results as well). If you would like to give aid directly to the families, this can be a good option.
- ElonStrong.com: Our friends at River Church have been actively involved in helping those affected from the first day. Donations made through ElongStrong.com and AmherstStrong.com are primarily going to families with no insurance.
- Gleaning For The World: GFTW has been partnering with local churches to minister to those displaced by these storms, particularly in providing emergency assistance to those are are victims of the tornado. They have been distributing food and materials directly to the families and victims.
- Through Northminster: Please put “Elon Strong” in the memo field of checks made out to Northminster, and we will direct those funds to those in need.
- Gift Cards: Purchasing gift cards to Food Lion, Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot and various places like that are very helpful. Many of these families have lost everything and don’t know what they need right now. A gift card can be very helpful in allowing them to purchase what they need, when they realize they need or are ready for it. Gift cards can be turned in to the Amherst County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center in Amherst, to the church office, or placed in the offering plate on Sunday mornings. Gift cards given to us will be passed along to Elon Presbyterian for them to give out directly to the community impacted.
- Set A Reminder: As with praying, set a reminder for a month or two, if not longer, from now. There is always a large influx of donations in the immediate aftermath of disasters like this, but the needs last for months.
Volunteer
If you are looking to volunteer, we encourage you to contact Gleaning for the World to see when and where they are distributing materials. Right now, we are not aware of other organizations that are actively looking for volunteers to help victims rebuild and repair. If you know families impacted, we encourage you to contact them directly to see how you might be of service. As we hear of opportunities, we will post them here and on our Facebook page.
Thank you for the wonderful ways you have already cared for our neighbors affected by the tornado, may God bless each of us as we seek to continue to be Christ’s hands and feet in caring for and loving them in the weeks and months to come.
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20
Apr '18
GFTW Seeking Volunteers for Monday, 4/23
20
Apr '18
Volunteers needed for Monday, April 23rd from 9 to 5 … Gleaning for the World plans to set up out of Elon Presbyterian’s parking lot again Monday to distribute supplies to those affected by the storm. We’re going to do things a bit differently this time around. We will send pickups and/or vans and SUVs – anything with substantial cargo space – along with two or three volunteers into the neighborhoods affected. The vehicles will be loaded with a good variety of the things we anticipate people may have need of. If we don’t have it, we’ll have it delivered later from the home base in the parking lot. We’ll need vehicles and/or volunteers in shifts more or less as follows: 9 – noon, noon – 2:30, 2:30 – 5. Please text or call David at 828.273.1003 to volunteer … or, just show up! Thanks in advance!
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18
Apr '18
Ways to Help With Tornado Cleanup
18
Apr '18
There are several ways to provide assistance and aid to those impacted by the tornado in Lynchburg and Elon.
If you would like to volunteer, please to go www.amherststrong.com. Volunteers must be 16 years or older, and will have to sign a liability waiver.
Amherst County Chamber of Commerce is accepting disaster relief donations for individuals and families affected by the tornado. You can find a list of what to donate and where to take it here: http://www.facebook.com/AmherstVAChamber/posts/10156431846504470.
Gleaning for the World is also actively involved in bringing aid to those affected. If you would like to donate to Gleaning, please see the following link: https://gftw.org/central-va-tornado/.
We will update this post as more opportunities become available.
Thank you for caring and supporting our community!
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07
Feb '18
YARD SALE TO SUPPORT Daystar Junior School- Sat., April 21
07
Feb '18
Last August on a missions Sunday, we heard Nyanzi Jude speak about his Christian school in Uganda, serving children ages 3- approximately 11. Although his school is growing, they still have many needs. Since last fall, the school has been building a larger structure with a new kitchen; however, they still have not finished.
On April 21 we will hold a yard sale to raise money to support Daystar Junior School. We are excited for the possibility of giving these young children a better, healthier environment in which to learn and grow in their Christian faith.
We welcome items for children such as toys, clothes, furniture, also books for all ages, and most household items. We have seen in the past that adult clothing does not sell well, so we will not be accepting clothes.
Watch our newsletter and website for more details as we get closer to April 21. Contact Vonnie Rucker or Maggie Brockman if you have questions.
Visit Daystar’s website to learn more about the work at Daystar Junior School Kirombe. http://www.daystar.ac.ug. Also friend Nyanzi Jude on his FaceBook page.
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01
Nov '17
Pastor’s Corner – November 2017
01
Nov '17
Envisioning The Future
As we mentioned in last month’s newsletter, there will be a Leadership Retreat the weekend of November 10-12. The Session and I are really excited about this opportunity, and want to share a bit more about it with you. While Friday night is particularly for staff and elders, we are encouraging anyone who is interested to join us Saturday (8:30am-4:00pm – lunch included!) as we explore how we can more effectively and intentionally live out The Great Commission at Northminster EPC and in Madison Heights and Amherst County. Dr. Ken Priddy from the EPC’s Go Center will be joining us for this weekend. In addition to the sessions Friday night and Saturday, Dr. Priddy will also be teaching Sunday school and preaching in worship on November 12.
Should You Come?
You might be wondering if you should plan to attend on Saturday. If you are wondering how God might be planning to work in and through Northminster in the years to come, then yes, you should come. If you want to be part of how God is going to work in and through Northminster in the years to come, then yes, you should come. If you have been actively involved in Northminster in the past and have been hoping and praying for her future, yes, you should come. I firmly believe that God has some amazing things in store for this congregation in the years to come, and I think we’ll start to get a glimpse of that over this weekend.
I know lives are busy, and only getting busier this time of year, but we think this is an important opportunity and hope you’ll carve some time out for it. After all, we’re providing lunch!
If you can’t make it Saturday, be sure to be here for Sunday school and worship on Sunday morning, November 12. It’ll be a great opportunity to get a taste of what we talked about on Sunday, as well as being encouraged in knowing that God is still at work in and through us.
Thank You, Once Again
Thank you all for the wonderful service and reception celebrating my installation as your pastor. My family and I continue to be overwhelmed by the warm and loving welcome you have extended to us. Special thanks go out to Anne Wilkins and all who helped coordinate and decorate the Fellowship Hall. It was an amazing evening!
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Sep '17
Pastor’s Corner – September 2017
01
Sep '17
Thank You!
My family and I would like to thank you all for the incredibly warm welcome you’ve extended to us. We are overwhelmed with the love and welcome gifts you’ve shared. Moving to a new community and church is always challenging, but you have made us feel at home. I wish we could give a personal thank you for every gift, but many of them didn’t say who they were from, so please accept this note, knowing that the sentiment behind it is far deeper than our words could ever convey.
Hurricanes, Floods, and What We Can Do
As I write this, the rain continues to fall on southeast Texas and the Gulf Coast. The quantities of rain are mind-boggling, and the images and videos are heartbreaking. With the water levels still rising, we don’t yet know how bad the damage will be or what relief efforts would look like. While we encourage you to be praying for those who need rescue as well as those doing the rescuing, we also want to be thinking about practical ways we can help. We have posted links to ministries and organizations we support that are already receiving donations to aid their efforts in recovery on our website (www.npcmh.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/npcmh).
What does the future hold?
Isn’t that what we all want to know? The truth is that, no matter how much we plan or prepare, no matter what we think the future will hold, ultimately only God knows the future. But I know this, I am very excited about what God has done over the past 59 years through Northminster, and I can’t wait to see what God has yet to do in and through us over the years to come. From the conversations I’ve had with many of you, I know you are as excited as I am. While I don’t know what the future holds, I know who holds the future. So I invite you to join me in setting our focus on Him, and Him alone.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2)
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