Exciting day

Well, I'm a little disappointed that I did not get any reactions to either of my previous 2 posts. I really expected that someone(s) would have something to say about those topics. But be that as it may, I will move on to something else....

BW and I participated in the worship with a local congregation yesterday, where we had been invited to present the ministry of Voice of the Martyrs. It was an excellent experience. About 125 or more people attended the worship service. The worship team was composed entirely of teens, playing guitars and singing. They did an outstanding job--mixing praise choruses and hymns (albeit, very up-tempo). And the congregation joined in enthusiastically.

The pastor and his wife are on a short-term mission trip to Peru (where he had a heart attack, but is stabilized and doing well). So he had scheduled a number of guests to participate in the worship service. One man ministered with Native American style flutes, and that ministered to us very well. Then another man gave his testimony. He had been an alcoholic for many years, went through detox 8 times he said, and finally met Jesus and really got turned around.

Finally, it was my turn to talk about the persecuted church. The congregation was so responsive and attentive that I really got into it. The Holy Spirit guided my words, so that the whole thing went very smoothly. They laughed at the appropriate times and got somber at the right times too. My latest version of the powerpoint closes with a series of slides that shows the growth of God's church in "closed" countries where followers of Christ are persecuted and even killed. This way of closing the presentation resulted in leaving the audience on an encouraging note. Afterward, people crowded around our resource/display table. For donations they could get various books, videos and merchandise--which they readily snatched up. Plus we have free, sample copies of newsletters/magazines published by Voice of the Martyrs and we gave out many of those as well.

I have a couple reasons for talking about this: First, if the Lord lays it on your heart to pray for this ministry, we would greatly appreciate it. I have a relatively small list of people who have committed to pray regularly for this ministry. And I email them separately about upcoming events. They partner with us in this effort by praying for us and for the speaking opportunities. So if you would like to be included in this prayer team (if you will commit to praying regularly for us and the events), please send me a separate email requesting to be included and I will add your name to future email on that topic.

The second reason is this: If you or someone you know is looking for an avenue of ministry, I encourage you to consider this organization. Any denominational affiliation is welcome--or non-denominational, as long as you are active in a local fellowship of believers. You may not feel comfortable speaking to an entire congregation. That is fine. Most of our "area representatives" (volunteers) do not speak in worship services. Each finds his/her own avenue of sharing--small home study groups, Sunday School classes, manning a table at a conference, or many other contexts. Church services happens to be the area in which I feel most comfortable. But most find other avenues. So I you or someone you know feels God drawing you in this direction, just go to http://www.persecution.com/. On the home page, you will see a place that refers to volunteering. Look for the connection to "Voice Volunteer Network" or "VVR." You can make contact there and they will follow-up with you to guide you through the training process.

Thank you for reading!