This Sunday , after the late service, Bethany Alexandria had another voters meeting. We elected a new slate of officers and took care of several items of business.

There were two items that touched on outreach and the Ablaze! movement in the place where God has planted us.

The first item was a proposal to form and sponsor a cub scout den. During our walks in the community one of the most often expressed things that people said the Church could do to help in the neighborhood was to provide an alternative to gangs, or some kind of activity for the neighborhood youth.

The other item was that our Pastor opened up the beginning of the official public discussion of what Ablaze! might look like at Bethany. More to come as it developes.

This Saturday several members of the African Immigrant Ministry (AIM) at Bethany in Alexandria took a training class in Door-to-Door Evangelism. A couple of these members, Minister Joseph Davis, and Edward Gray, have been long term participants in our outreach program already…, but this class further increased their understanding of why we do things the way we do. It was a good session with a lot of discussion and positive interaction. I pray that the Lord uses what we learned to grow His Kingdom.

Come Join Bethany Lutheran Church

For a Series of Classes on U.S. Immigration Law!

Classes Taught by William J. Kovatch, Jr., a Specialist in International Law.

Five Different Classes Will Be Offered

On Saturday Afternoons in July and August, Starting at 12:30.

Each Class Addresses a Different Topic:

July 19 The Rights and Responsibilities of Permanent Residents

July 26 Family Immigration

August 2 Asylum, TPS and Other Humanitarian Programs

August 9 The Removal Process (Deportation)

August 16 The Basics of Employment Visas

Each Class Will Start With a Presentation, Followed by a Question and Answer Session.

No Registration Is Required. No Attendance Will Be Taken.

You Can Come to All, or Pick and Choose to Come to Those that Most Interest You.

Classes Are Free of Charge. However, You Will Have a Chance to Make a Free Will Offering to Bethany’s African Immigrant Ministry.

Coffee and Light Refreshments to Be Provided.

2501 Beacon Hill Road, Alexandria, VA 22306

For More Information Contact the Office(703) 765-8255,

Or Visit the Website: www.bethany-lcms.org

__________________________________________________________

Ven a Bethany Lutheran Church

Para una serie de clases sobre

Las leyes de inmigración en Los EE.UU.

Las clases están enseñados por William J. Kovatch, un especialista en la ley internacional

Se ofrecen 5 clases diferentes

Los sábados por la tarde en julio y augusto – empiezan a las 12:30

Cada clase se enfoca en un tema diferente:

19 de julio: Los derechos y responsabilidades de los residentes permanentes

26 de julio: La inmigración familiar

2 de agosto: Asilo, TPS (Servicios de Protección Temporales) y otros programas humanitarios

9 de agosto: El proceso de desplazamiento

16 de agosto: Los básicos del empleo de Visa

Cada clase empieza con una presentación, y sigue con una sesión de preguntas y respuestas. La presentación y la sesión de preguntas y respuestas serán en inglés.

No se requiere matricularse. No mantienen datos de asistencia.

Uds. pueden asistir todas las clases, o escoger las que les interesan más.

Las clases son gratis. Sin embargo, tendrán la oportunidad de hacer una donación.

Se provee café y otras bebidas.

2501 Beacon Hill Road, Alexandria, VA 22306

Para más información, llame la oficina (703) 765-8255.

www.bethany-lcms.org

While at Camp Restore with the St. John’s team, Jon Falck and Rodney Smith went prayer walking with Clara, a volunteer from St. Louis , and Seth, a staff member from Wisconsin the afternoon of May 1^st, 2008 in Holy Cross, a section of the 9^th Ward where one of the levees actually broke.

Prayer walking consists of walking through the affected community and praying for needs observed or provided by the residents when talking to them on the street. Seth would ask them how they were doing and if there was anything we could pray for. Then, if they were willing, we would join hands and pray for them. Stanley, who was wearing a UCONN t-shirt because his son went there, was working on a home and was happy to join us in prayer. He also appreciated us being there and supporting them, a common theme among those we spoke with. The Waschall family, prayed with us before going to the funeral of the matron’s granddaughter who had died in a car accident. Cynthia and her daughter, Bernadette, prayed with us and then walked down to the levee with us. Cynthia shared that she was hopeloss for the first two years after Katrina but for the last six months had regained hope seeing the volunteers come to help and the improvement in the community. She also realized how much her home and community had meant to her and was looking forward to getting her house restored. Their community association meets weekly to inspire improvements and their community signs were all over to help inspire the residents to keep restoring. Our last stop was with Hazzart and Rita Gillette, originally from Belize, though having lived in their house since 1965. They rode out the storm in their home with water up to their chests at one point. There were 3 dogs on the limbs of a tree in their yard 8 feet up including a pit bull, a Doberman pincher trying to survive. A man of strong faith, Hazzart, led us in a wonderful prayer and blessed us with his words. He said he stood on God’s promise to Noah to never destroy the world again by flood in staying in his home. He spoke of how Job was twice blessed after his trials and compared himself to Job. Their home church started having worship again soon after the waters receded in a tent. He and his son paddled a canoe up their street to the levee and saw the level of the river was10 feet love r than the level in their street.

Adam Dancy and Rodney Smith went prayer walking with Seth the next afternoon to another affected area just east of the French Quarter with more renters and fewer homeowners. There appeared to be more restored houses than the other areas we had been through. Charles prayed with them and shared a need for a tux to wear to his grandmother’s funeral. Miguel prayed together for success in his job as a security guard starting next Monday and shared his struggle for survival after Katrina and then got his life straight after some jail time and smoking pot. Dolly agreed to pray without a specific request but appeared to be struggling with tears going down her cheeks. Eddie was using oxygen on his porch and we prayed for his health together. Only one person we met did not seem comfortable in praying and declined. Corinne who had a lovely yard and home said she didn’t need to pray together as she did it enough on her own. Several others joined us in general prayer, Kelly, Brenda, Jasmine, Jermaine, Little Jermaine, Isaac and Anne. We saw groups of members of Better Homes and Gardens volunteering through Habitat for Humanity working on houses.

Like Hazzart and Job, we were twice blessed having touched and being touched by these faithful souls who had been through so much.

Proposed Schedule for Urban Church Planting Training: Outreach Component

Conducted in Southeastern District, LCMS

May 20-22, 2008

Rev. Dr. Mark G. Press, facilitator

Urban Mission Planters - The third session of the Urban Mission Planters Institute will be held at the SED office on May 20-22, 2008. This session will focus on Evangelism. Rev. Mark Press of the Oswald Hoffmann School of Christian Outreach will be the primary presenter. The cost for this event is $300.00. Contact Lloyd Gaines for information.

Purpose: During this training, each learner will be equipped for outreach leadership in church planting through 1) increased understanding of strategic models and approaches to outreach, 2) personal experience with several models of witness and outreach, 3) willingness to put outreach into practice personally, and 4) commitment to train others who will themselves become outreach leaders in the church.

Tuesday, May 20 2008

1. 12:00 - 1:00 LUNCH - And Beginning
2. 1:00 - 3:00 Biblical and Confessional Foundations for Outreach
3. 3:00 - 5:00 Styles of Outreach: The Importance of Story vs Dogma
4. 5:00 - 6:30 DINNER
5. 6:30 - 8:00 Mall Witnessing
6. 8:00 - 9:00 Reporting
7. 9:00 Dismissal

Wednesday, May 21 2008

1. 8:00 - 10:00 Introduction to Cultural Issues In Outreach - Onion Diagram etc.
2. 10:00 - 12:00 Bridges and Barriers to Outreach: Where Do We Find Connections with Other People? Creative Reading of Demographics.
3. 12:00 - 1:00 LUNCH
4. 1:00 - 3:00 Church Growth, Natural Church Development, and Other Strategic Views of New Church Development
5. 3:00 - 5:00 Practice in Connecting Your Story with that of Others.
6. 5:00 - 6:30 DINNER
7. 6:30 - 8:00 Community Canvass with Community Church(es)

1. 8:00 - 9:00 Report
2. 9:00 Dismissal

Thursday, May 22 2008

1. 8:00 - 10:00 Promoting a Culture of Outreach Within a Congregation
2. 10:00 - 12:00 Putting it Together With Other Sessions (Leadership - Church Planting)
3. 12:00 - 1:00 LUNCH - And Ending

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A very good session.  Here is ta picture of the group preparing to go Door  to Door.

(Posted for Sally Hiller, SED Mission and Ministry Executive)

This shows what I learned as I went through each District’s web site, to check on resources that are available.05.05.08. The following Districts have posted Ablaze! material that you may find helpful.

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FL-GA: district Goals, resources (selc), outreach resources email, faith sharing button takes you back to synod site.
Iowa West: 50 Days Ablaze, grant application, promotional items.
Kansas: Kansas Ablaze, resources, many are national links, have a Kansas Idea book.
Michigan: Ablaze Torch Relay, from Hell to Paradise, Personal challenge – worth looking at – not appealing, but interesting idea.
Mid-South: A brief history of Ablaze in mid-south district, synodical links
Minnesota North: Conference (Minnesotas) Anticipating 2,000, synodical link
Minnesota South: conference and synodical link
New England: 2006 outreach celebration on home page of website, synodical link
Northern Illinois: People Ablaze “inviting everyone to know Christ, inviting believers to share Christ, good site, resource rich
Northwest: (Tracking the Spirit – Ablaze Partner Form, story telling on this site
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Hearts Ablaze, combined with FIF campaign, synodical link
Rocky Mountain: “A Culture of Personal Evangelism”, conversations of grace in action, 6 bible studies
SELC: six Bible study series for Groups Ablaze: motivation, prayer, natural
evangelism, ablaze living, seeker series, coaching toolkit
Southeastern: resources, goals
Texas: Lighting the fires blog/jotting, story sharing through zoomerang

Central Illinois: synodical link & Evangelism section
Missouri: synodical link & Evangelism section
North Dakota: synodical link & statement on outreach

Atlantic: Fan Into Flame

The World Population estimate of the U.S. Census Bureau is expected to pass 6,666,666,666 today, according to an article in Slashdot today from ScuttleMonkey. If you were wondering what to do after we meet our Ablaze! goal of reaching 100,000,000 with the Gospel, don’t worry… that was the warm - up :-).

Because if some troubles at Yahoo I had to re-host this blog. There are still a few things that need to be done (rebuilding the links, etc… ) but the main posts and pages are back and users should be able to register again (see the Welcome page)

Blog on!

Today at our Bi-Weekly Men’s Bible Breakfast the group leader challenged the people around the table to lead by example and to have this small group do outreach. They promised to pray and consider if and in what form that outreach would be done. As we were closing the session a representative of the Washington area Gleaners organization (who were having their meeting at another table in the same buffet) came to our table and asked us to consider helping his organization. Coincidence??

I have promised to post at least weekly and have gotten a little behind… Last Saturday I went out into the neighborhood with my one other member of the Bethany Evangelism committee and knocked on doors in the first building of an apartment complex off to the right of the Beacon Mall, which is where Beacon Hill Road ends in Route 1.

We knocked on 28 apartment doors in the building and got to share the Gospel 3 times. At 13 apartments no one came to the door (there is never a “good time” to call on people). At 6 apartments people were busy, but said please come back another time. At 3 apartments we were told that people already belonged to a church and were asked politely not to come back. One individual did the interview, was Christian, and the Gospel was not presented. At two apartments we needed interpreters (one Spanish and the other Urdu) so we were unable to communicate. Praise God for opening doors!