February, 2010

Haiti Relief Update: January 27th

January 27, 2010 • By WebMaster

Dr. Doug Stringer, Founder/Director, of Somebody Cares America/International and Pastor Mike May, NEMA Council member, were recently in Haiti. The following is a report of their initial efforts to bring God’s compassion to the people of Haiti. “Compassion is a proven activity that opens men’s hearts to the Gospel.”, stated Dr. Stringer. This initial trip was a fact-finding effort to give strategic information needed to plan the necessary efforts to assist in the efforts there. Somebody Cares will be sending teams into this earthquake torn nation. It is in times like these that a people will turn from their false gods and turn to the living God.

Several NEMA network churches have asked how they might assist in these efforts. There is a place on Somebody Cares’ website that you can locate. If you wish to send a team to Haiti you should call Somebody Cares’ office. Somebody Cares is a network/member of NEMA.

"Everyone has lost people dear to them in a tragic way. They're grieving and struggling to survive.", Jodie Chiricosta, Somebody Cares' Vice President shared with us from Haiti. It is difficult to describe the intensity of the sights, smells and hearts' cries, our team met as they arrived and began to minister in Haiti.

Often met with sleepless nights, our team consisting of Jodie Chiricosta, Pastor Mike May of Somebody Cares Humble, Pastor Tom Moffett and group from Scottsdale, Arizona, Lisa Stringer, along with other pastors and ministry leaders began to assess the needs.

On Monday the team visited several orphanages. One of those orphanages cares for 35 children and had barely enough food for a day. They had water and our team took them food, protein powder, vitamins - and soccer balls! An American woman who cares for HIV positive babies runs another orphanage. The babies sleep outside for fear the home could collapse. Our team hung a tarp for the caregivers as a covering, preferring to live life out in the open until they know it's safe.

A three-year old who was bedridden in a crib caught Lisa's attention. She was mute and didn't move her limbs. Lisa began to play "Mighty to Save" through her iPhone and sang to her. The little girl began to move her fingers and made efforts to roll her eyes towards her.

The team also visited a ministry where we can house future teams and through which we can also send medical teams. They lost 30 Second Year Bible School students as the building collapsed on them. Only15 survived.

Today our team meets with UN and US officials in charge of food. They are also working on obtaining food for local pastors to distribute through their churches.

Pastor Terry Crist of Scottsdale, AZ and the other pastors brought encouragement to 50 Haitian ministers who represent approximately 10,000 people. One pastor in particular lost his wife and members of his congregation. The local pastors are encouraging themselves in the Lord and plan to rebuild their community.

We've also heard of the miraculous hand of God protecting people. One pastor shared that when the earthquake hit, he raised his hand and began to pray. The roof fell but stopped just short of his hand! They had a very small opening to get people out of the building, and it is amazing that they were able to get through. Clearly the Lord led them to safety.

At home base in Houston, Texas, we continue networking with ministries across the U.S. and the Caribbean to provide more resources including manpower, medical supplies, and other goods. We are working with local churches to set up Somebody Cares Disaster Relief sites where goods can be donated. Please see our Current Needs List for locations and items posted at our website at www.somebodycares.org.

Somebody Cares is working towards the purchase of a vehicle in partnership with our on-ground partners in Haiti. This vehicle will be utilized for teams on an ongoing basis in transporting supplies in Haiti.

Please continue to pray for favor as the next teams prepare to go to Haiti. This will be an ongoing recovery and rebuilding process for not just months, but years.

Thank you for partnering with us as our help is essential at this time.

Help Haitians Survive by giving today! https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=scaintl&id=1DONATE SECURELY NOW!

Lisa Stringer Typical Damaged Building Pastor Mike w/Babies Orphaned Child

Successful Pro-Life Events In Houston/Update

The Second largest abortion clinic in the world is being built at this present moment in Houston, Texas. This six-story Planned Parenthood abortion “super center” is right in the middle of four (4) “super neighborhoods.” Three average to 85% Latino in population, and the other is 85% African American. Planned Parenthood is targeting these minority pro-family communities, both for their finances and the restriction of their populations. But, there is a voice rising out of Houston and out of Texas, declaring, “We don’t want this death camp specializing in late-term abortions in our neighborhoods!”

On Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, January 18th, 2010, thousands gathered to march against this Goliath and to pray, fast, and peacefully siege this massive injustice in the spirit of that great liberator Martin Luther King Jr. Key African American, Latino, and political leaders came to speak and hold a nationwide press conference challenging this “super center.” It was historic as Hispanic pro-LIFE people, Catholic, and Evangelical leaders raised their voices against abortion and for adoption. Public opinion over abortion is shifting radically in America to pro-LIFE at the same time this facility is exalting itself above the humble and oppressed.

Thousands gathered at Grace Community Church on Sunday evening. Hundreds of cars on the freeway were having difficulty getting to the church parking lot. It was reported that over 8000 people attended the prayer meeting that evening. Prayers and testimonies were heard through out the sanctuary. Baby Zoe May became the ‘poster child’ for the two-day events.

Zoe

The prayer vigil and the march on Monday drew unprecedented crowds. Conservative estimates gave 18,000 in attendance. The marchers had to be divided into groups of 3000 each because the march permit only allowed for 2300! The crowds astonished organizers. In fact, thousands were not allowed to continue on to the site of the death clinic because there simply wasn’t room to hold the numbers. A great number of the NEMA Network churches were well represented at these events.

As Martin Luther King Jr. would proclaim it – It is time to “subpoena the conscience” of the nation from the flashpoint of Houston, Texas. Maybe Houston could become the Birmingham of our day to let the unborn go free and spare the pregnant mother the agony of guilt. Maybe out of Houston a great demonstration of compassion could be launched through pregnant mother care with a mass movement of adoption. Martin Luther King Jr. cried, “I have a dream”. Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King Jr., has eloquently stated, “How can the dream live as long as we kill our children?” God has a dream. He has a dream for America, and He has a dream for every mother and every child, and a six-story massive abortion facility has never been a part of that dream. Lets end the nightmare, and let the dream live.

Many in the Houston area have desired to continue to stand against the proposed death clinic beyond these recent events. If you desire to do so, please contact Somebody Cares America or Pastor Mike May @ mike@pipelinechurch.com.

NEMA Network Luncheon Scheduled for February 11^th.

New Covenant Church will host our February 11^th NEMA Network Luncheon. Pastors Frank and Leah Mazzapica invite all NEMA network partners to attend. The church is located at 901 Wilson Road
Humble, TX 77338-5104, (281) 312-0139.

The Luncheon is open to Pastors, Ministry Leaders and Christian Businessmen and Women.

The Luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. for networking prior to the serving of the meal at 12 noon. The meeting will last approximately one hour and a half. For additional information please go to nemaonline.org.

NEMA network churches have been meeting in the greater Humble, Texas for over twenty years. There is no ‘official membership’ and membership is free. Check out nemaonline.org for additional information about this exciting fellowship.

NEMA’s February Prayer Meeting

The regular monthly prayer gathering will be at New Covenant Church (See above.), on Thursday, February 25^th. The regular monthly prayer gathering is always held at the location of our monthly network luncheon. The gathering is open to all pastors, ministry leaders and Christian businessmen and women. The meeting meets at noon and is concluded at 1 o’clock.

Spread The Word

NEMA is the ‘longest standing’, consecutive ministerial alliance in the greater North East Houston corridor. The power of uniting for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God is expressed through out Scripture. Jesus desired that His Body be one. This desire was proclaimed throughout His earthly life.

As a leader goes so does his followers. NEMA affords the opportunity for the great churches of this region to begin to come together and display to the world that we are one in Christ!

NEMA is merely one among the many spiritual leadership-gatherings in this area. If you are a part of NEMA, why not share the good news and encourage your friends to become a part. (See the website for meeting times and networking possibilities: nemaonline.org.

In heaven there will be no walls that separate, no super-stars, no place for differences, but a gathering of ONE; individuals too numerous to count from every tongue and tribe laying prostrate before King Jesus, praising Him for His everlasting forgiveness, love, and grace! Is any hindrance so important that His Church couldn’t begin to display this ONENESS now? Let the process begin in me!

NETANYAHU SAYS EZEKIEL 37 HAS COME TRUE

By Joel C. Rosenberg

(Washington, D.C., February 1, 2010) -- Thanks for your prayers. I just got home late last night from a month-long teaching tour around the world for The Joshua Fund. It's good to be home, but upon landing I learned that Ahmadinejad is threatening to unleash a "harsh blow" to the Judeo-Christian world on February 11th. No one's sure what he means exactly, but the U.S. is moving new naval forces and Patriot missile batteries into the Gulf region, just in case. A few highlights from the past few days:

* Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week traveled to Poland to commemorate the 65th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz. Speaking on the actual site of the Nazi death camp, the Prime Minister warned the world of new genocidal threats against the Jewish people and the importance of acting early enough to prevent such threats from coming to pass. In a stunning and remarkable moment, Netanyahu also declared to the people of Europe and the world that the prophecies of Ezekiel 37 have been fulfilled. The Holocaust, he said, represented the "dry bones" and "graves" of the Jewish people, and out of that horror the State of Israel was resurrected, just as the Lord said would happen through the Hebrew Prophet Ezekiel. Rarely has any world leader given a major address on an international stage declaring End Times prophecies from the Bible have come true. But that is exactly what Netanyahu did. [Details and the full speech on the weblog.]

* On Saturday, I addressed the Break Forth conference of evangelical Christians in Edmonton, Canada, following Robin Mark singing his powerful worship song about the "days of Elijah" and the "days of Ezekiel." Quoting from Netanyahu's speech, I asked, "If the prophecies of Ezekiel 37 have come true in our lifetime, isn't it remotely possible that the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and 39 about the coming War of Gog and Magog -- the anti-Israel alliance led by Russia and Iran -- could come true in our lifetime, as well?" Teaching the two chapters verse by verse, I asked Canadian believers to truly "get ready and be prepared" to live lives of holiness and impact for Christ in these traumatic last days, to intensify their efforts to show Israel unconditional love and unwavering support, and to consider coming alongside The Joshua Fund as we seek to bless Israel and her neighbors in real and practical ways.

* Over the weekend, Lynn and I also had the honor of a private lunch with Anne Graham-Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham. Joining us was Anne's daughter, Morrow, and our friends Tom and JoAnn Doyle. I've posted a few observations on the weblog, but let me just say Anne is a remarkable Bible teacher and passionate about preparing the Church for the return of Jesus Christ. She was born in May 1948, she told us, and is convinced that she is part of the "last generation" on earth, according to Matthew 24. We had a fascinating discussion about the state of the world at the moment, and the alarm bells that are going off indicating the return of Christ is drawing increasingly close.

NEMA/A CLOSING REFLECTION

Every generation has sensed an urgency concerning the return of Christ. There have always been false prophets that have misled God’s people to discount any and all of the eschatological prophecies concerning His imminent return. The Old Testament prophets and Jesus Christ warned that there would be a generation of believers who would see the Lord coming in all His glory.

It would seem that this generation has seen the fulfillment of Bible passages that no other generation has witnessed. Never before has it been possible to see just how the battle of Gog and Magog could be a reality. The anti-Israel alliances are being taunted by Russia and Iran. Even certain government leaders in America are shamefully distancing themselves from America’s long-standing support of the nation of Israel. The proliferation of atomic weaponry is ‘hanging’ over the whole of history. The sword of Damocles lives! The words of our Lord Jesus constantly ring out to His awaiting bride; “I will come as a thief in the night. Be ready. Be ready. Trim your lamps and occupy until I come.’

The value of NEMA must be understood in light of the times. Surely God desires His Church to come together for ‘such a time as this’. There will be an end-time harvest of souls like there has never been. People are realizing that their trust can’t be in a ‘national idealism’ or any temporal thing. Only the love of Christ will fulfill the longing in men’s hearts. Only He will give them the peace and security that they long to possess. We live in a time of opportunity for the Kingdom!

Let us pray and ask the Lord to reveal His strategy for the work that He has commissioned each of us individually and collectively (NEMA) to do. Let us pray and seek His guidance where NEMA fits into His grand scheme for the greater Humble area. Maranatha!

Barna On The Economic Impact Upon Churches

To view Part 2 of this series, click here

[January 11, 2010] The economic crisis of the last year foiled the plans of many businesses and hit millions of consumers hard. How has the downturn affected churches and congregations? A new Barna Group study, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2009 among a nationwide sample of 1,114 Protestant leaders, explores how the nation’s faith-driven organizations are faring in the new economy. 

The multi-part series on the economy and the church begins below. Watch for updates over the next month on additional topics.

Part 1 | Congregational Budgets (January 11, 2010)
Part 2 | How Churches Have Adapted (January 25, 2010)
Part 3 | Giving and Donations (February 8, 2010)

Financial Impact
Like many other sectors, pastors and church executives admit that churches are feeling the results of the economic pinch, though for most congregations have not been severe so far. Overall, 57% of pastors said the economy has negatively impacted their church over the last year. Still, only 8% of leaders said the effect was “very negative.” About one-third of leaders (35%) describe their churches as unaffected by the economy, while one of 11 churches (9%) defied the odds and described the last year as financially positive.

Across all Protestant churches, budgets are down about 7% from a year ago, though that indicator masks extremes. The typical “down” church has lost, on average, 14% of its budget. Among those churches with contracting income, smaller churches were the hardest hit: churches of 100 or fewer adults who had shrinking revenue had lost 16%; those with 100 to 250 adults were off by 13%; churches with 251-999 adults were down 11%; and churches of 1,000 or more adults were down 9%. 

Some churches have been even more significantly hurt by the economy than others: one out of every 11 churches (9%) has lost 20% or more of their budget from 12 months ago. Within that proportion are 2% of churches with incomes off by 35% or more. Among the rare churches that have grown financially, the average annual budget increase was 10%. 

Subgroup Patterns
Interestingly, large churches were more likely to report being under financial duress than were small churches, even though their budgets were not down as much percentage-wise. Among churches of 250-plus adult attendees, 71% of these leaders said the economy had affected them negatively, compared to 55% of smaller bodies. Perhaps clergy who work at larger churches feel the tightening more painfully because, in aggregate terms, their larger budgets account for a decrease in a greater number of total dollars.

The types of churches most likely to say their budget was down included charismatic denominations, black churches, Southern Baptists, congregations located in the Northeast, and those whose pastors earn less than $40,000. Among the most likely groups to report a “very negative” impact of the economy were multisite congregations (i.e., churches that meet in more than one location). Overall, 16% of these churches said the economy had been particularly harsh, compared with 6% of other large churches.

The churches that held their ground in the last year were most likely to be mainline congregations, those located in the Midwest, and those led by pastors earning between $40,000 and $60,000. Seminary graduates, younger pastors, and those in full-time ministry 10-19 years were among the church leaders most likely to experience favorable budget growth in the last year – though even among these groups financial improvement was not the norm.

Recent Stability

Perhaps the economic outlook for the nation’s congregations is stabilizing. When asked to describe the church’s finances over the last two months, nearly two out of three pastors (62%) said their organization’s financial picture had stayed about the same. Those who disagreed were split: 21% of pastors said it was getting better and 17% described it as worsening. 

The executive pastors interviewed for the research were more likely to paint a pessimistic view of recent finances than were senior pastors. Just 5% of executive leaders, who often serve in an administrative rather than teaching role, described the last two months as getting better – barely one-fifth the proportion of senior pastors who held that view. Perhaps the executives, typically serving in larger churches, have to worry about budgets and staff sizes of greater magnitude.

Want more info about the profile of today’s churches?
Contact Barna Group about how we can help.

About the Research

This report is based upon annual tracking surveys conducted via telephone by the Barna Group among representative random sample of Protestant churches (known as the PastorPoll^SM and ChurchPoll^SM). At each of the churches contacted, the senior pastor or executive pastor was interviewed.  The interviews were conducted in October through December, 2009. The sample was balanced according to the denominational distribution of Protestant churches in the 48 continental states. The sample size for the survey was 1,114 pastors and church leaders, using a mixed mode data collection of telephone and online interviews. The range of sampling error associated with the sample of pastors is between ±1.4 and ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. These allowances do not include other types of error (known as non-sampling error) that can occur in surveys, such as errors arising from question wording, question sequencing, and the inaccurate recording of responses.

The Barna Group (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.

© Barna Group, 2010.