Dear Friends,
As another summer draws to a close we reflect back on an exciting and eventful few months. Saiyeh finished 1st grade and her Spanish is coming along well. Melanie had a graduation ceremony as she concluded pre-kindergarten and is excited to start at Saiyeh’s school in September. Emma is trying to understand why she can’t be in charge of the house. It seems all our girls have gone through this at the same age.
We held a couple of larger events just before the summer the first being an outreach to the police officers in the districts around us. Over 50 officers including captains, inspectors and the police commissioner came out for a banquet in their honor. A good friend, Bill Paige, who was a New York police officer, came and shared the Gospel with them. The officers endure so much in our community, and though I am not a fan of their tactics, I feel for them. They rarely see anything positive and are almost never thanked. This night they arrived stony faced and cold. The change when they left was small, but noticeable. Many brought their families and proudly showed off their certificates and medals of appreciation. Pastor Lou conducts a regular Bible study for officers and also does a small devotional each week at roll call. We have a few officers and their families coming to church now also.
Next was a small training conference we put on, “Responding to Islam”. With the help of some other churches and supporters we brought in experts in the field of Muslim outreach to teach on ways to reach the Muslim community. All reported an informative and encouraging time. For me the highlight was when I heard that one of our team shared the Gospel with a Muslim friend later that evening, and the young man accepted Christ. It has been a difficult time for him since then, and we would appreciate your prayers for him (we refrain from printing names in these circumstances).
We were blessed with three outside groups coming to help. Central Wesleyan in Holland Michigan sent their youth to run a day camp which went well. Josh and Kate Cowen led the team and were so encouraging. Next we had a group from the Chinese Church in Maryland. They helped with our VBS program. These students always amaze me, giving up a part of their holidays to come and serve God in our community, loving the people we love. Finally, we had a group of men from Watermark church in Grand Haven Michigan. These men worked hard on the church building, installing new floors, and then ran a football camp in the evenings. Their fellowship alone was so valuable, not to mention the ministry they did. All in all we worked with over 100 children and youth, many accepting Christ and coming to church. One of the exciting things is seeing some of these kids come out to church and begin relationships with member of our team.
Perhaps the highlight for us over these months has come from Bobbi Jo Torres. I briefly mentioned Bobbi Jo when writing to you about the ramp we built. Bobbi Jo has been in a wheelchair for the past 11 years. She used to come to church at Bethel before falling away from the Lord. Pursued by Pastor Lou, she started coming to church at Wyoming late last year and has been a faithful servant. Bobbi Jo’s condition was permanent and untreatable. As such she had worked hard developing her skills in the chair, lifting weights and playing competitive basketball. Though many of us have prayed for Bobbi Jo in many ways, none of us can ever recall praying for healing. A few months ago Bobbi shared she had regained feeling in her legs. One morning as she was getting out of bed her feet brushed the floor and she thought how cold it felt. Then she began to wonder how she could tell the floor was cold. The doctors were equally baffled. They had never recommended any therapy and they told her that if she were to stand her bones would just break. Then came a Sunday and Bobbi Jo was asked to come up front to share her testimony. Instead of rolling up in her chair, everyone was stunned to watch her get up and walk unaided to the front. The place erupted into cheering. God has shown us many miraculous things and I ponder why I have so little faith in Him in some areas. It is a good thing that His will doesn’t depend upon me and my faith. Bobbi Jo’s healing has come at a time when we needed to bring the congregation together. Having so many new people and being so ethnically diverse, there are many reasons for us to be divided.
The groups, outreaches, events, fellowships and miracles are drawing us together.
The time has not been without its challenges. Conflict within the church often goes unresolved and people seem to not understand how to love one another through differences. There is much teaching to be done in areas like stopping gossip and especially in understanding our identity is not in what we do but in who we are. I do get frustrated at how people treat each other and avoid speaking truth into each others lives. But then I see a Bobbi Jo, an Eppy, a Maher, a Walt, a George (we have half a dozen of these, so I see them often), a Tommy or any one of many that I have been privileged to watch grow. It is an exciting place to be, where you can see God at work.
Financially we have seen answered prayers for the church and funds coming in for projects and events. Personally our support has been lower than we would like the last 3 months. We are about $1000 behind each month. Though being short on financial support gets to me at times, who can complain when we are blessed in so many ways. If you have a chance to come visit we would love to have you.
Monday, 15 August 2005
Thursday, 28 April 2005
April Newsletter
Dear Friends and Family,
Many would counsel that there is a danger in writing a newsletter at 3 am in the morning. The fact that I wrote both “3 am” and “in the morning” would give some the impression that I may not be functioning at full capacity. Others may think that we must be so overwhelmed that this is the only time we have to write. Few would think that it could be due to the fact that today, or really yesterday, was “hug an Australian day” here in the US, and though I am not really complaining, I received very few hugs. I could argue that it is really the prime time of the day in Australia to be writing newsletters and though my body resides in Philly, the rest of me is still in Oz and I would be crazy to try and write this at any other time. I will leave you to muse over this, and also to ponder why you didn’t seek out more Aussies today.
I would like to thank all of you for the support that has been pouring in, both in prayer, in help, and in finances. For those of you who could follow our budget we sent out last time, you saw how we lowered our financial goals, despite increased expenses. I was tired of feeling like we were failing in this. Well, go figure, not only are we on track to meet the new goal, we are actually surpassing the previous higher goals. I am tempted to lower it even further to see if it is just a fluke (this sentence is a joke). I am a little nervous writing this, wondering if it may make people think twice about support, but we have always been honest with you, and so we want you to share in this joy.
In the same vein, the other areas of ministry are overflowing. We have told you of the church growth, from 40 on a Sunday to 120 plus now. Easter Sunday we had 220 people (including children) and 20 or so people accepting Christ over the weekend. To what do we attribute this growth? God, your prayers, and faithful people. With growth happening much more rapidly than we expected we are faced with many good challenges. Now I am not just saying good challenges because I am supposed to, you know me better than that. There are bad challenges and good challenges. Going from our Emma as the only child in the nursery, to 12 in the nursery is great, but a challenge. People are coming in hurting. The hurting is a problem, the fact they are coming is good. Where better to go if you are in pain than to the Healer?
We have challenges not only in the new people but in those there when we arrived. I don’t want to say these are the bad challenges, but they are tougher. Really tough. Some deep issues exist. Layers must be peeled back to expose the heart. It is a sad reality that the longer someone has been in the church, the better they are at hiding their issues. I struggle with how the church in general functions, not just our church. I wonder why people come sometimes. I read Acts 2 and ask what happened to take us from there to here. This probably isn’t the right place for my thoughts on that, but I could send you a piece I wrote on that recently or you could check our website.
Joyce and I were privileged to attend a marriage conference recently and it has helped us a lot in growing together. The hardest part was admitting that I was there to work on our issues, not to “check it out for the ministry”. We spend so much time dealing with other people’s problems that it can be hard to work on our own. I think we have, and have had, an amazing marriage, but we have issues, struggles, yes even fights.
March was a birthday month for us. Saiyeh turned 7 at the beginning of the month and Melanie turned 5 at the end of the month. Emma kept waiting for it to be her birthday and it seems as if she also turned another year old as she amazes us at her growth. When making the invitation list we were struck by the blessing of being surrounded by so many friends. Our girls are blessed by having lots of adults who love them and want to be a part of their lives. As parents this means a lot to us and we value these relationships that have been built over the years.
I will leave you with a story of a young man I recently met. He seemed like a good kid (all relative I know). His mum had just starting coming out, and was excited. He was acting up one Sunday and I had to speak to him about not respecting the teachers. The following week things got worse and his youth leader asked me if I could deal with the situation. We spoke to his mum who then rebuked him. He sat outside the Sanctuary and I could see such deep pain in him. I sat beside him and began to talk gently to him (yes, I can be gentle, on occasion). The more I talked, the more pain I saw. A tear ran down his cheek. Then I saw the anger. I backed my chair up, knowing the anger was not at me, but that I was the one there. In an instant he exploded. I stood, unsure if he would try and hit me. He picked up a chair and we just looked at each other. At this point others left the room. The young man threw the chair across the room and ran out. I went and got his mum and we found him. The next day I took him out to eat, went to a store, just hung out. We talked about cars and bike, building and food. He told me he liked mathematics at school. I came to learn later that he cannot read or write, at 14. He has no father around but has had many father figures in and out of his life. Though he is a real person, his story could be that of many of the new people coming. He needs real counseling. He needs education. He needs a father. More than anything else he needs to know there is a God, and He loves him. I’m not sure why I am telling you this, maybe just to release some of my own pain and feelings of helplessness. As in so much of what we have been called to do, I have no answers, but we are here. Our church is neither the answer nor the destination. It is merely the compass pointing the way.
In His Service,
Coz, for the family
Many would counsel that there is a danger in writing a newsletter at 3 am in the morning. The fact that I wrote both “3 am” and “in the morning” would give some the impression that I may not be functioning at full capacity. Others may think that we must be so overwhelmed that this is the only time we have to write. Few would think that it could be due to the fact that today, or really yesterday, was “hug an Australian day” here in the US, and though I am not really complaining, I received very few hugs. I could argue that it is really the prime time of the day in Australia to be writing newsletters and though my body resides in Philly, the rest of me is still in Oz and I would be crazy to try and write this at any other time. I will leave you to muse over this, and also to ponder why you didn’t seek out more Aussies today.
I would like to thank all of you for the support that has been pouring in, both in prayer, in help, and in finances. For those of you who could follow our budget we sent out last time, you saw how we lowered our financial goals, despite increased expenses. I was tired of feeling like we were failing in this. Well, go figure, not only are we on track to meet the new goal, we are actually surpassing the previous higher goals. I am tempted to lower it even further to see if it is just a fluke (this sentence is a joke). I am a little nervous writing this, wondering if it may make people think twice about support, but we have always been honest with you, and so we want you to share in this joy.
In the same vein, the other areas of ministry are overflowing. We have told you of the church growth, from 40 on a Sunday to 120 plus now. Easter Sunday we had 220 people (including children) and 20 or so people accepting Christ over the weekend. To what do we attribute this growth? God, your prayers, and faithful people. With growth happening much more rapidly than we expected we are faced with many good challenges. Now I am not just saying good challenges because I am supposed to, you know me better than that. There are bad challenges and good challenges. Going from our Emma as the only child in the nursery, to 12 in the nursery is great, but a challenge. People are coming in hurting. The hurting is a problem, the fact they are coming is good. Where better to go if you are in pain than to the Healer?
We have challenges not only in the new people but in those there when we arrived. I don’t want to say these are the bad challenges, but they are tougher. Really tough. Some deep issues exist. Layers must be peeled back to expose the heart. It is a sad reality that the longer someone has been in the church, the better they are at hiding their issues. I struggle with how the church in general functions, not just our church. I wonder why people come sometimes. I read Acts 2 and ask what happened to take us from there to here. This probably isn’t the right place for my thoughts on that, but I could send you a piece I wrote on that recently or you could check our website.
Joyce and I were privileged to attend a marriage conference recently and it has helped us a lot in growing together. The hardest part was admitting that I was there to work on our issues, not to “check it out for the ministry”. We spend so much time dealing with other people’s problems that it can be hard to work on our own. I think we have, and have had, an amazing marriage, but we have issues, struggles, yes even fights.
March was a birthday month for us. Saiyeh turned 7 at the beginning of the month and Melanie turned 5 at the end of the month. Emma kept waiting for it to be her birthday and it seems as if she also turned another year old as she amazes us at her growth. When making the invitation list we were struck by the blessing of being surrounded by so many friends. Our girls are blessed by having lots of adults who love them and want to be a part of their lives. As parents this means a lot to us and we value these relationships that have been built over the years.
I will leave you with a story of a young man I recently met. He seemed like a good kid (all relative I know). His mum had just starting coming out, and was excited. He was acting up one Sunday and I had to speak to him about not respecting the teachers. The following week things got worse and his youth leader asked me if I could deal with the situation. We spoke to his mum who then rebuked him. He sat outside the Sanctuary and I could see such deep pain in him. I sat beside him and began to talk gently to him (yes, I can be gentle, on occasion). The more I talked, the more pain I saw. A tear ran down his cheek. Then I saw the anger. I backed my chair up, knowing the anger was not at me, but that I was the one there. In an instant he exploded. I stood, unsure if he would try and hit me. He picked up a chair and we just looked at each other. At this point others left the room. The young man threw the chair across the room and ran out. I went and got his mum and we found him. The next day I took him out to eat, went to a store, just hung out. We talked about cars and bike, building and food. He told me he liked mathematics at school. I came to learn later that he cannot read or write, at 14. He has no father around but has had many father figures in and out of his life. Though he is a real person, his story could be that of many of the new people coming. He needs real counseling. He needs education. He needs a father. More than anything else he needs to know there is a God, and He loves him. I’m not sure why I am telling you this, maybe just to release some of my own pain and feelings of helplessness. As in so much of what we have been called to do, I have no answers, but we are here. Our church is neither the answer nor the destination. It is merely the compass pointing the way.
In His Service,
Coz, for the family
Monday, 7 February 2005
February Newsletter
Dear Friends and Family,
We all know church is not about numbers, yet most of us when asked about a “successful” church would think of the churches that are large in number. We would say that a single person accepting Christ makes an event worthwhile, yet if 50 people did we may think it more successful. We are raised to judge success in terms of bigger is better. Though we may deny this, you never see “Forbes list of 100 most average businesses” or come out for the parade when your team finishes 15th in the competition. Though Scripture teaches success in such a different way, the meek will inherit the earth; we are fighting a culture that is opposite. All this is to say that we are not driven by numbers here, but use them in some areas as a guide to see if we are meeting goals. I could write about every individual and tell you their growth, or failures, but it would be a long letter.
Having said all that, we are consistently seeing over 120 people at church each Sunday. Many of the new people are coming as they have heard about a church that is open in their community. The “closed door mentality” that first greeted us is changing. People are beginning to see the needs of the community and responding. Over the next few weeks we will be starting ESL (English as a second language) classes for members of the Muslim and Buddhist community. These will also serve as an opportunity to share Christ with the students. We will also be holding training for other churches dealing with the Muslim influence in the Latino community and expanding some of our other programs.
Joyce coordinated our first Christmas Toy Sale at Wyoming and it was great. We served roughly 35 families (100 children) from our community. The reason we sell the toys (brand new at 80% or more off) is to give the parents a sense of ownership. They shop for their own children and pay for the toys. We found there were many places giving toys to kids, but few seeking to empower the parents and minister to them. The money from the sale will go towards setting things up again next year. Thank you to everyone who helped out so much!
We had many things going on over Christmas though the highlight for me was the children’s choir. Perhaps it was seeing my daughters up there in robes singing away. Or maybe it was the joy on the children’s faces. Or it could have been we had more children upfront singing than the size of the entire congregation when we first arrived. Or could it be the simplicity of little children singing love songs to God?
On January 22, yes, the day of the snowstorm, 38 faithful women came to a conference to hear Sylane Mack of Transformed by Grace Ministries speak. This was Joyce’s first “non children’s ministry” event and it went really well. Many women were challenged and encouraged and we are looking into how best to follow up with the woman who attended this conference.
Thanks to much outside help, especially from some men from Snyder County, Michigan and the awesome duo of Jerry and Scott, we completed our handicap access ramp. I must admit, because unfortunately there were witnesses, that I was brought to tears watching Buddy come into church, followed by Bobbi Jo. Buddy is a 75 year old man wheelchair bound for as long as anyone can remember. Each Sunday he would arrive outside in his power wheelchair where 2 people would lift him into a regular wheelchair and carry him up the stairs. He would then be pushed around where he needed to go. As I heard his horn outside and the door was opened his face was alight.
Because of his illness his speech is slurred almost beyond recognition but his laughter is clear. He began, for the first time in over 30 years, moving about the church on his own. He did laps around the tables, went up and down the halls and finally arrived in the Sanctuary on his own. Hundreds of man hours, a battle with the city, thousands of dollars in donations so one man could get into church on his own. Yeah, and it was all worth it. Besides, Buddy and Bobby-Jo (more on her another time) being able to get inside without being carried it will allow us to do more in the disabled community as we know of no other accessible church in the area.
So, how do we measure success in ministry? After twelve years doing this I can happily say I have no idea. Sometimes I look at the pews filling up and think we are reaching the unreached. Other times it is in seeing someone overcome years of the same struggle. At times it is all in a smile. It has not all been perfect here but the struggles are for another letter. For today it is about the joy.
In His Service,
Coz, for the family
PS
For those of you would like more detailed financial information than what is enclosed please call or write.
Please note this change….For those who support us financially or those who would like to, checks should now be made out to Wyoming Ave Baptist Church, attention Coz and Joyce. If you do not need a tax receipt, they can be made out directly to us. All checks should be sent to our home address at 1320 Arrott St, Philadelphia, PA 19124.
Bethel Temple will no longer be handling our payroll after December 31st, so checks sent there will be returned.
We all know church is not about numbers, yet most of us when asked about a “successful” church would think of the churches that are large in number. We would say that a single person accepting Christ makes an event worthwhile, yet if 50 people did we may think it more successful. We are raised to judge success in terms of bigger is better. Though we may deny this, you never see “Forbes list of 100 most average businesses” or come out for the parade when your team finishes 15th in the competition. Though Scripture teaches success in such a different way, the meek will inherit the earth; we are fighting a culture that is opposite. All this is to say that we are not driven by numbers here, but use them in some areas as a guide to see if we are meeting goals. I could write about every individual and tell you their growth, or failures, but it would be a long letter.
Having said all that, we are consistently seeing over 120 people at church each Sunday. Many of the new people are coming as they have heard about a church that is open in their community. The “closed door mentality” that first greeted us is changing. People are beginning to see the needs of the community and responding. Over the next few weeks we will be starting ESL (English as a second language) classes for members of the Muslim and Buddhist community. These will also serve as an opportunity to share Christ with the students. We will also be holding training for other churches dealing with the Muslim influence in the Latino community and expanding some of our other programs.
Joyce coordinated our first Christmas Toy Sale at Wyoming and it was great. We served roughly 35 families (100 children) from our community. The reason we sell the toys (brand new at 80% or more off) is to give the parents a sense of ownership. They shop for their own children and pay for the toys. We found there were many places giving toys to kids, but few seeking to empower the parents and minister to them. The money from the sale will go towards setting things up again next year. Thank you to everyone who helped out so much!
We had many things going on over Christmas though the highlight for me was the children’s choir. Perhaps it was seeing my daughters up there in robes singing away. Or maybe it was the joy on the children’s faces. Or it could have been we had more children upfront singing than the size of the entire congregation when we first arrived. Or could it be the simplicity of little children singing love songs to God?On January 22, yes, the day of the snowstorm, 38 faithful women came to a conference to hear Sylane Mack of Transformed by Grace Ministries speak. This was Joyce’s first “non children’s ministry” event and it went really well. Many women were challenged and encouraged and we are looking into how best to follow up with the woman who attended this conference.
Thanks to much outside help, especially from some men from Snyder County, Michigan and the awesome duo of Jerry and Scott, we completed our handicap access ramp. I must admit, because unfortunately there were witnesses, that I was brought to tears watching Buddy come into church, followed by Bobbi Jo. Buddy is a 75 year old man wheelchair bound for as long as anyone can remember. Each Sunday he would arrive outside in his power wheelchair where 2 people would lift him into a regular wheelchair and carry him up the stairs. He would then be pushed around where he needed to go. As I heard his horn outside and the door was opened his face was alight.
Because of his illness his speech is slurred almost beyond recognition but his laughter is clear. He began, for the first time in over 30 years, moving about the church on his own. He did laps around the tables, went up and down the halls and finally arrived in the Sanctuary on his own. Hundreds of man hours, a battle with the city, thousands of dollars in donations so one man could get into church on his own. Yeah, and it was all worth it. Besides, Buddy and Bobby-Jo (more on her another time) being able to get inside without being carried it will allow us to do more in the disabled community as we know of no other accessible church in the area.So, how do we measure success in ministry? After twelve years doing this I can happily say I have no idea. Sometimes I look at the pews filling up and think we are reaching the unreached. Other times it is in seeing someone overcome years of the same struggle. At times it is all in a smile. It has not all been perfect here but the struggles are for another letter. For today it is about the joy.
In His Service,
Coz, for the family
PS
For those of you would like more detailed financial information than what is enclosed please call or write.
Please note this change….For those who support us financially or those who would like to, checks should now be made out to Wyoming Ave Baptist Church, attention Coz and Joyce. If you do not need a tax receipt, they can be made out directly to us. All checks should be sent to our home address at 1320 Arrott St, Philadelphia, PA 19124.
Bethel Temple will no longer be handling our payroll after December 31st, so checks sent there will be returned.
Tuesday, 21 December 2004
December 2004 News
Dear Family and Friends,
How quickly time flies! Joyce pointed out to me yesterday how long it has been since our last newsletter went out. I am sitting here trying to think of a creative opening to this letter, but nothing is coming out, so let me just tell you some of the things going on.
Lets start at home… After almost 11 months without being able to contact Aniah, an email arrived with a photo of her, sent by her stepmother. It was an emotional time for all of us. I don’t know if we will be able to see her again, but her stepmother asked us to forgive them for what they have done. Joyce will send this letter and photo to those who have email. Saiyeh is doing well at school. She is home today after falling on the way to school, but I think she will enjoy the day at home. It seems that there has been some confusion with what we wrote before about her adoption. Joyce and I now have legal custody but the adoption has not gone through, and it may be 3 or 4 months till that happens. The lawyer assures us that everything is going well, but we are both still nervous. A court paternity search showed two different men on record as potential biological fathers, which caused us some anxiety, though again the lawyer has told us that is actually a good thing. Melanie is enjoying preschool. The school is only half a day and is made up of a real diverse mix of kids (Melanie is the only Australian and Caucasian). Emma is at the stage where she thinks we all live to serve her. She loves to climb and is putting sentences together.
I was just looking over the last newsletter and thinking how much the last months have highlighted ministry in our community. Of the men I wrote about, 1 is now in jail for stabbing someone whilst robbing them, one is awaiting trial for a DUI and the third I haven’t seen in a few weeks. If all we were about was results we can see, then we have really failed. However, we must keep our eyes focused on the Lord and trust him.
We have run a few larger events and seen many come into the church. A Halloween alternative night saw 300 plus people come through the doors from the community, and we fed over 100 people on Thanksgiving (quite a few of them guests from Michigan). It is the smaller things that really stand out to me though. Our youth team of Emma and Maher took three
youth to a weekend camp and have begun running a Sunday morning youth group.
A father and son pulled together the Thanksgiving meal and did a great job. It was their passion to provide a meal for those without a place to go that really stood out to me. These men, though “around” church most of their lives, had not been “in” church for many years. They, like others we are seeing, seem to have an enthusiasm to serve. We have been able to encourage people to try new things, to not be afraid to reach out. We know it is not about works, but we also know that it is not about sitting in a pew once a week either.
Most of the members of the church know that change is needed. Knowing and doing are two very different things, as I have learnt this last month. I have had some “hard” conversations, not helped at all by my abrasiveness, but have seen change. Thanks to some amazing friends who have come in to serve, the members are realizing (I hope) that we are here to help them. After a day spent mixing concrete for a handicap ramp I had to lead a meeting with the deacons and bring up some tough issues. It seemed that it was easier for them to trust me, knowing I had been out there the previous day working on a project they really want. The challenge ahead lies in convincing people that have been going to church for 20, 30 or 70 years to really trust God in all areas of their lives. Many have created a comfort spot, shielded from the changing world around them. The community has changed, and God has called them to respond. Please be praying that we can use the right words.
Joyce has been helping with the children’s ministry. It has grown from 5 or 6 kids to 30 or 40 kids some weeks. Last Sunday we had about 10 kids waiting outside for the church to open. Debby, who leads the children’s ministry, has them preparing a Christmas musical. Joyce is also beginning work with some ladies in the church. So often when we have men connected with the drug trade, the men get most of the attention. We hope to develop a better support structure for their wives/girlfriends.
I’ll end with a story to illustrate the battle before the church. A young man left his pew one Sunday to go forward to accept Christ. His grandmother sitting next to him tugged at his shirt, not wanting him to go forward. She seemed embarrassed that he was going forward, almost as if it was a smear on her that her grandson, who had been in church many years, wasn’t already a Christian. He went forward anyway, for God cannot be stopped when He moves. It turns out this young man had been in the church’s preschool program (the same one Melanie is in). The preschool teachers are twins in their seventies, raised in the church and, I must say, intimidating. Rarely do they smile in church and they are not happy about any “change”. I had found myself questioning what they were really about. Well, as this young man returned to his seat they came and embraced him, their smiles were like sunshine. They proudly stated they had been his teachers and were joyous at him giving his life to Christ.
We knew well that we were coming into a tough situation. It seems that is where God keeps calling us to. We have some rough roads ahead but that is why we are here. If it was going to be easy, well, it just wouldn’t feel right. The joys will continue to out way the sorrows whilst we keep our eyes on Him who called us by name.
A final thank you to the families at Grace Countryside Church who came to serve us, the men from Richfield Mennonite and Chapman’s Chapel who worked on our ramp, the Home schooling group who loved the unlovable at the Thanksgiving dinner and all those who support us through prayer and gifts each month.
In His embrace
Coz , for the family
We hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Please note this change….For those who support us financially or those who would like to, checks should now be made out to Wyoming Ave Baptist Church, attention Coz and Joyce. If you do not need a tax receipt, they can be made out directly to us. All checks should be sent to our home address at 1320 Arrott St, Philadelphia, PA 19124.
Bethel Temple will no longer be handling our payroll after December 31st, so checks sent there will be returned.
How quickly time flies! Joyce pointed out to me yesterday how long it has been since our last newsletter went out. I am sitting here trying to think of a creative opening to this letter, but nothing is coming out, so let me just tell you some of the things going on.
Lets start at home… After almost 11 months without being able to contact Aniah, an email arrived with a photo of her, sent by her stepmother. It was an emotional time for all of us. I don’t know if we will be able to see her again, but her stepmother asked us to forgive them for what they have done. Joyce will send this letter and photo to those who have email. Saiyeh is doing well at school. She is home today after falling on the way to school, but I think she will enjoy the day at home. It seems that there has been some confusion with what we wrote before about her adoption. Joyce and I now have legal custody but the adoption has not gone through, and it may be 3 or 4 months till that happens. The lawyer assures us that everything is going well, but we are both still nervous. A court paternity search showed two different men on record as potential biological fathers, which caused us some anxiety, though again the lawyer has told us that is actually a good thing. Melanie is enjoying preschool. The school is only half a day and is made up of a real diverse mix of kids (Melanie is the only Australian and Caucasian). Emma is at the stage where she thinks we all live to serve her. She loves to climb and is putting sentences together.
I was just looking over the last newsletter and thinking how much the last months have highlighted ministry in our community. Of the men I wrote about, 1 is now in jail for stabbing someone whilst robbing them, one is awaiting trial for a DUI and the third I haven’t seen in a few weeks. If all we were about was results we can see, then we have really failed. However, we must keep our eyes focused on the Lord and trust him.
We have run a few larger events and seen many come into the church. A Halloween alternative night saw 300 plus people come through the doors from the community, and we fed over 100 people on Thanksgiving (quite a few of them guests from Michigan). It is the smaller things that really stand out to me though. Our youth team of Emma and Maher took three
youth to a weekend camp and have begun running a Sunday morning youth group.
A father and son pulled together the Thanksgiving meal and did a great job. It was their passion to provide a meal for those without a place to go that really stood out to me. These men, though “around” church most of their lives, had not been “in” church for many years. They, like others we are seeing, seem to have an enthusiasm to serve. We have been able to encourage people to try new things, to not be afraid to reach out. We know it is not about works, but we also know that it is not about sitting in a pew once a week either.
Most of the members of the church know that change is needed. Knowing and doing are two very different things, as I have learnt this last month. I have had some “hard” conversations, not helped at all by my abrasiveness, but have seen change. Thanks to some amazing friends who have come in to serve, the members are realizing (I hope) that we are here to help them. After a day spent mixing concrete for a handicap ramp I had to lead a meeting with the deacons and bring up some tough issues. It seemed that it was easier for them to trust me, knowing I had been out there the previous day working on a project they really want. The challenge ahead lies in convincing people that have been going to church for 20, 30 or 70 years to really trust God in all areas of their lives. Many have created a comfort spot, shielded from the changing world around them. The community has changed, and God has called them to respond. Please be praying that we can use the right words.
Joyce has been helping with the children’s ministry. It has grown from 5 or 6 kids to 30 or 40 kids some weeks. Last Sunday we had about 10 kids waiting outside for the church to open. Debby, who leads the children’s ministry, has them preparing a Christmas musical. Joyce is also beginning work with some ladies in the church. So often when we have men connected with the drug trade, the men get most of the attention. We hope to develop a better support structure for their wives/girlfriends.
I’ll end with a story to illustrate the battle before the church. A young man left his pew one Sunday to go forward to accept Christ. His grandmother sitting next to him tugged at his shirt, not wanting him to go forward. She seemed embarrassed that he was going forward, almost as if it was a smear on her that her grandson, who had been in church many years, wasn’t already a Christian. He went forward anyway, for God cannot be stopped when He moves. It turns out this young man had been in the church’s preschool program (the same one Melanie is in). The preschool teachers are twins in their seventies, raised in the church and, I must say, intimidating. Rarely do they smile in church and they are not happy about any “change”. I had found myself questioning what they were really about. Well, as this young man returned to his seat they came and embraced him, their smiles were like sunshine. They proudly stated they had been his teachers and were joyous at him giving his life to Christ.
We knew well that we were coming into a tough situation. It seems that is where God keeps calling us to. We have some rough roads ahead but that is why we are here. If it was going to be easy, well, it just wouldn’t feel right. The joys will continue to out way the sorrows whilst we keep our eyes on Him who called us by name.
A final thank you to the families at Grace Countryside Church who came to serve us, the men from Richfield Mennonite and Chapman’s Chapel who worked on our ramp, the Home schooling group who loved the unlovable at the Thanksgiving dinner and all those who support us through prayer and gifts each month.
In His embrace
Coz , for the family
We hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Please note this change….For those who support us financially or those who would like to, checks should now be made out to Wyoming Ave Baptist Church, attention Coz and Joyce. If you do not need a tax receipt, they can be made out directly to us. All checks should be sent to our home address at 1320 Arrott St, Philadelphia, PA 19124.
Bethel Temple will no longer be handling our payroll after December 31st, so checks sent there will be returned.
Tuesday, 15 June 2004
June 2004
Dear Friends and Family,
Thought I’d take a few minutes to let you know what is going on here with the family and the ministry. We are in the midst of one of our busiest summers ever. I don’t know how many times I have said I would never do back to back youth work groups and this summer we scheduled three in a row. They are wonderful to work with, but it does get draining. Our schedule each day is Coz beginning at 7:30 am and working with the group on manual labor projects till noon. At 1pm Joyce takes over with the day camps (VBS) whilst Coz has Emma, then we switch again at 5pm. Depending on the day and the group, Coz finishes between 7pm and 11pm.
So far we have had groups from Central Wesleyan Church in Holland, Michigan, the Chinese Church of Maryland, First Baptist Church of Newtown, PA and Grantham Brethren in Christ, PA. We have run 5 day camps with over 200 kids, built walls, painted anything standing still, cleaned vacant lots, taken part in open air evangelism and worked at a Mosque. This final piece (the Mosque) is part of our outreach into the Muslim community around Feltonville, our new ministry site. Our ministry transition has been smooth. As I write this we are finishing our last week at Bethel and will be commissioned by Bethel this Sunday evening. We have already started at the new ministry, Wyoming Ave Baptist Church (WABC) and so trying to work at two places at once has kept us all on a hectic pace. Most Sundays we end up at both churches and the girls have been quite confused.
On the financial front, Bethel has graciously agreed to handle all our incoming support until the end of the year, so those who send support please keep sending it as before. These past two weeks we received over $7000 from three supporters to go towards our legal fees for Saiyeh’s adoption. This should cover all the fees. The paper work has already begun, and a change in the law should mean things will move quickly. As many of you know it has been six years in the process. This brings us to our sad news. We have decided to postpone our trip to Australia for the time being. With our support down we felt it was our number one priority to have the adoption handled. We will be putting any extra monies aside for the trip and will go as soon as we have enough money ($12,000).
Our roles in the new ministry are beginning to be defined. I (Coz) have realized that before I can begin working towards my goal of developing young leadership I must first begin developing the older leadership. Working with the over 60 crowd has been a new thing for me and I am so out of my comfort zone. Rev. Fred Estrada, Bethel’s new senior pastor has been invaluable in his advice and mentoring. Each week he teaches me a new lesson on how to minister to the people at WABC. At the same time as working with the existing members we are seeing new people arriving. From 40 people at church on a Sunday when we began we are now seeing twice that number, including a Father’s day high of over 100. That day was very special to me because of the people who came out. Let me tell you one of the stories.
About two months ago I ran into a guy I knew, Luis. It was really late at night, and he was high on a mixture of drugs. As I stopped him to talk it took a moment for him to remember me.
I knew I wouldn’t get through to him then, so I asked for his number. After about 6 tries I finally thought I had the right number and off I went. The next day I did the first thing I usually do in these situations, pray. Then I went to step two, call Pastor Lou. More and more in our new work I find myself in situations so far out of my league these are my two steps. Pastor Lou spent 2 or 3 weeks trying to track Luis down (the number wasn’t right). Finally one Sunday morning Luis comes into church. He sat when we stood, and stood when we sat. He was coming off a high, but he was there. Just the week before, I had preached for the first time at WABC and had spoken on loving the unlovely, those who may come in high, drunk, smelly etc. Well, he was loved. A few weeks later he brought his girlfriend, Nelly. A couple of weeks after that she told me she was frustrated with the church. You see we only had 3 things a week she could come to, and she wanted something every day. Then on Father’s day I witnessed one of those moments. I don’t think I can describe the feelings, so let me just tell you the facts. Luis came into church and I told him that someone he knew was already here, Eddie. Eddie had just been released from prison, and Joyce had called and asked him to bring his son to church for Father’s day. Eddie came, along with his whole extended family (10 or so). Luis came into church and gave Eddie this big hug. What is so special about that, you wonder? Well some years back Eddie had robbed Luis’s drug gang at gun point. Luis’s gang had put out a contract on Eddie’s life which they later lifted after I met with the gang leader. To see two former enemies hugging in church, well, that is a moment. Eddie is back getting high, but Luis and Nelly are faithfully coming out to church and attending a weekly Bible study, along with 5 others who are all leaving either a drug or gang situation. Please be praying for them and the thousands of others in our new community. After 3 weeks of work we saw our first Vietnamese family come out to day camp and VBS. We have begun working more with some Muslim families and Joyce attended a dinner on Sunday with two families. A recent full page article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the ministry to the Muslims resulted in a few tense weeks. The heading “He tries to convert Muslims” in reference to Pastor Lou, wasn’t the publicity we were looking for, but things have settled down. We are in the process of looking at some ideas to set up a safe house to move any Muslims who convert to Christianity. We will keep you posted on that.
We would like to send out a special thanks to the Overbeek family this month. We often have people come in to look at the ministry and to do short term projects. We don’t often have people come here on their family holidays (vacation). “Let’s see kids, should we go to Disney, the Grand Canyon, or North Philly?” The Overbeeks decided to take some of their vacation in North Philly. Jerry had been a couple of times to help out with building projects and wanted his family to see why he took days off work and drove 12 hours to serve. It was such a joy and encouragement to have them here. (I should mention that the Peerbolts and Meezaks have also vacationed here in years past, both also from Michigan).
Till next time, thank you all so much for everything you do. If you would like to begin financially supporting us, please use the enclosed envelope. We are still about $800 per month shy of our goal.
In Him,
Joyce, Coz, Saiyeh, Melanie, Emma and Samson
Thought I’d take a few minutes to let you know what is going on here with the family and the ministry. We are in the midst of one of our busiest summers ever. I don’t know how many times I have said I would never do back to back youth work groups and this summer we scheduled three in a row. They are wonderful to work with, but it does get draining. Our schedule each day is Coz beginning at 7:30 am and working with the group on manual labor projects till noon. At 1pm Joyce takes over with the day camps (VBS) whilst Coz has Emma, then we switch again at 5pm. Depending on the day and the group, Coz finishes between 7pm and 11pm.
So far we have had groups from Central Wesleyan Church in Holland, Michigan, the Chinese Church of Maryland, First Baptist Church of Newtown, PA and Grantham Brethren in Christ, PA. We have run 5 day camps with over 200 kids, built walls, painted anything standing still, cleaned vacant lots, taken part in open air evangelism and worked at a Mosque. This final piece (the Mosque) is part of our outreach into the Muslim community around Feltonville, our new ministry site. Our ministry transition has been smooth. As I write this we are finishing our last week at Bethel and will be commissioned by Bethel this Sunday evening. We have already started at the new ministry, Wyoming Ave Baptist Church (WABC) and so trying to work at two places at once has kept us all on a hectic pace. Most Sundays we end up at both churches and the girls have been quite confused.
On the financial front, Bethel has graciously agreed to handle all our incoming support until the end of the year, so those who send support please keep sending it as before. These past two weeks we received over $7000 from three supporters to go towards our legal fees for Saiyeh’s adoption. This should cover all the fees. The paper work has already begun, and a change in the law should mean things will move quickly. As many of you know it has been six years in the process. This brings us to our sad news. We have decided to postpone our trip to Australia for the time being. With our support down we felt it was our number one priority to have the adoption handled. We will be putting any extra monies aside for the trip and will go as soon as we have enough money ($12,000).
Our roles in the new ministry are beginning to be defined. I (Coz) have realized that before I can begin working towards my goal of developing young leadership I must first begin developing the older leadership. Working with the over 60 crowd has been a new thing for me and I am so out of my comfort zone. Rev. Fred Estrada, Bethel’s new senior pastor has been invaluable in his advice and mentoring. Each week he teaches me a new lesson on how to minister to the people at WABC. At the same time as working with the existing members we are seeing new people arriving. From 40 people at church on a Sunday when we began we are now seeing twice that number, including a Father’s day high of over 100. That day was very special to me because of the people who came out. Let me tell you one of the stories.
About two months ago I ran into a guy I knew, Luis. It was really late at night, and he was high on a mixture of drugs. As I stopped him to talk it took a moment for him to remember me.
I knew I wouldn’t get through to him then, so I asked for his number. After about 6 tries I finally thought I had the right number and off I went. The next day I did the first thing I usually do in these situations, pray. Then I went to step two, call Pastor Lou. More and more in our new work I find myself in situations so far out of my league these are my two steps. Pastor Lou spent 2 or 3 weeks trying to track Luis down (the number wasn’t right). Finally one Sunday morning Luis comes into church. He sat when we stood, and stood when we sat. He was coming off a high, but he was there. Just the week before, I had preached for the first time at WABC and had spoken on loving the unlovely, those who may come in high, drunk, smelly etc. Well, he was loved. A few weeks later he brought his girlfriend, Nelly. A couple of weeks after that she told me she was frustrated with the church. You see we only had 3 things a week she could come to, and she wanted something every day. Then on Father’s day I witnessed one of those moments. I don’t think I can describe the feelings, so let me just tell you the facts. Luis came into church and I told him that someone he knew was already here, Eddie. Eddie had just been released from prison, and Joyce had called and asked him to bring his son to church for Father’s day. Eddie came, along with his whole extended family (10 or so). Luis came into church and gave Eddie this big hug. What is so special about that, you wonder? Well some years back Eddie had robbed Luis’s drug gang at gun point. Luis’s gang had put out a contract on Eddie’s life which they later lifted after I met with the gang leader. To see two former enemies hugging in church, well, that is a moment. Eddie is back getting high, but Luis and Nelly are faithfully coming out to church and attending a weekly Bible study, along with 5 others who are all leaving either a drug or gang situation. Please be praying for them and the thousands of others in our new community. After 3 weeks of work we saw our first Vietnamese family come out to day camp and VBS. We have begun working more with some Muslim families and Joyce attended a dinner on Sunday with two families. A recent full page article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the ministry to the Muslims resulted in a few tense weeks. The heading “He tries to convert Muslims” in reference to Pastor Lou, wasn’t the publicity we were looking for, but things have settled down. We are in the process of looking at some ideas to set up a safe house to move any Muslims who convert to Christianity. We will keep you posted on that.
We would like to send out a special thanks to the Overbeek family this month. We often have people come in to look at the ministry and to do short term projects. We don’t often have people come here on their family holidays (vacation). “Let’s see kids, should we go to Disney, the Grand Canyon, or North Philly?” The Overbeeks decided to take some of their vacation in North Philly. Jerry had been a couple of times to help out with building projects and wanted his family to see why he took days off work and drove 12 hours to serve. It was such a joy and encouragement to have them here. (I should mention that the Peerbolts and Meezaks have also vacationed here in years past, both also from Michigan).
Till next time, thank you all so much for everything you do. If you would like to begin financially supporting us, please use the enclosed envelope. We are still about $800 per month shy of our goal.
In Him,
Joyce, Coz, Saiyeh, Melanie, Emma and Samson
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