14 Top Events from 2014
--in no particular order--
1. Praying:
A year ago a prayer dropped in my heart
for 20 baptisms in 2014 from CCF. On
December 14 we baptized 7 people bringing the total to 21 for the year.
2. Growing:
Mara Christian Church of America,
Baltimore, a Mara speaking Chin minority immigrant group from Myanmar
officially joined LMC and the Washington-Baltimore district bringing the total
to 7 churches in the district.
3. Ordaining:
I ordained Tilahun Beyene and Elita
Barnhart. The LMC credentialing
commission asked Tilahun why weren’t you here years ago? And said to Elita, the
interview with you was so refreshing and ministered to us. Thank-you God for such quality leaders rising
up in our district of churches.
4. Preparing:
Unity Church of Baltimore, a
Bhutenese Nepali refugee group despite key leaders moving to other places for
better work have several leaders meeting with me in a ESL tutorial preparing
for STEP pastoral training next fall.
5. Hosting:
CCF marvelously hosted an International
Missions Association (IMA) banquet exuding the international favor CCF is known
for; as a result IMA is known in our region and we raised close to $7,000 for
its mission of increasing capacity for cross cultural mission sending,
especially from developing world locations.
6. Training:
I was able to do mission training with
a Chinese Back to Jerusalem group and with Amor Viviente in Honduras.
7. Traveling:
International travel with others: Our
family led a group of 12, mostly from CCF, for an English Camp in China—The
Honduras travel team of 4 persons from 2 congregations included a rare chance
to travel with my pastor partner Caleb Kaye from CCF—and most of all traveled
to South Africa with the smoking hot hearted for God wife of mine for now 26
years to visit Noah & Tricia Kaye who are missionaries sent out from CCF.
8. Meeting:
There were several special supportive
and encouraging moments meeting with the pastors of the Washington – Baltimore
district. It is an honor to walk with
these men and women of God as their bishop.
9. Trusting:
I sense a new level of trust and
synergism growing among our CCF staff and thus able to delegate more knowing
that who God calls CCF to be will be carried forth and not sabotaged.
10. Leading:
June and I led the 8 week Marriage Course twice with another couple during CCF 1/2 Time! and found that
our own marriage improves as we track with other couples through The Marriage Course
(from Alpha).
11. Speaking:
Lia won a bronze prize in a Mandarin speech competition that wins her a tuition
paid semester at a University in China.
12. Mentoring:
Lia co-mentored the YES team living and ministering in Baltimore.
13. Connecting:
Austin in his senior year of high school was concurrently enrolled in a college
math class. Oh yeah, he got an A. But
what I liked most was the opportunity (due to numbers of cars and directions
our family travels in the morning) to drive with him some mornings to his
college class and then on to high school, some good conversations along the
way… after he woke up.
14. Grieving
and letting go: Topping the list in most poignant: I was present along with my
sister Joyce at the bedside of my Mother as she breathed her last and let go of
her tired worn out body and mind and was renewed in the arms of Jesus.
