Joel is flying to Ecuador tomorrow morning to have meetings and begin process of creating materials that we will be utilizing to promote our non-profit organization. Please pray for him and the gentlemen traveling with him Jeremy Bustos, Scott Hallam and Dennis Michaelis as they travel, have meetings and create videos and photos. They fly out tomorrow morning, Monday, April 14th and will return Friday night, April 19th.
Off to Ecuador
Categories: Ministry, Travel
Tags: Ecuador Info, Evangelical Covenant Church, IPEE, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Sharing our story at Trinity UMC
We will be sharing our story and ministry in Ecuador at Trinity United Methodist Church (303 North Walnut Street) in Hartford City, IN on Sunday. Their service starts at 10:15 a.m. Here’s the website for the church: http://trinityumchc.com/
If you are in the area and would like to come out, we would love to see you. You prayers are appreciated for our time of sharing this Sunday.
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
Tags: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Updated Ministry Calendar
- April 14: Trinity United Methodist Church, Hartford City, IN
- April 15 – 19: Joel on trip to Ecuador
- April 21: Church of the Good Shepherd, Crest Hill, IL
- April 27, 28: Coshocton Christian Tabernacle, Coshocton, OH
- May 5: Hilltop Community Church, Mansfield, OH
- May 12: Riverside Covenant Church, West Lafayette, IN
- May 19: First Covenant Church, Willmar, MN & Winthrop Covenant Church, Winthrop, MN
- May 26: Dawson Covenant Church, Dawson, MN
- June 26-30: Evangelical Covenant Church Annual Meeting for Commissioning and Ordination, Detroit, MI
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Ministry, Travel, Trips, Updates
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Preaching at Trinity UMC
For any of you in the area of Marion, IN, Joel will be preaching at Trinity United Methodist Church (303 North Walnut Street) in Hartford City on Sunday. Their service starts at 10:15 a.m. Here’s the website for the church: http://trinityumchc.com/
If you are in the area and would like to come out, we would love to see you. If you can’t make it this Sunday, we will be back again next Sunday and this time we will be presenting our story and mission.
You prayers are appreciated for this Sunday’s message.
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
Tags: Home Assignment, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Travel, Trips, Updates
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An example to follow
On Maunday Thursday of this year, the newly elected pope broke out of the tradition of popes before him to wash the feet, not of fellow priests, but of 12 young offenders from a detention center. This has been fairly controversial in the Catholic Church, but as soon as I heard this, I was so impressed! Finally, someone in the spotlight who ‘gets it’. Those whose feet were washed were not priests, they weren’t considered holy by religious standards, however, the disciples at that time probably weren’t either. A tax collector, a doubter, and even a betrayer. Yes, Jesus even washed Judas’ feet. The pope washed the feet of 2 girls, 2 Muslims and all those who he washed were from different nationalities. The pope said during a speech that day, ““We need to go out, then, in order to experience our own anointing (as priests)… to the outskirts where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight”. Sound familiar? Sounds kind of like what Christ tells us to do huh?! So, why aren’t we?
In this time, sandals were primarily the only shoes people wore and imagine walking in dirt with sandals how dirty your feet would be. This act of footwashing was usually set aside only for the servant of the house, not for the guest of honor and certianly NOT for Jesus. He flew in the face of tradition, taking on the heart and act of a servant to be an example to his disciples and to us that THIS is the heart we should have-one of service and humility.
In John 13 it reads…
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
I find it interesting also that in the same chapter, Jesus talks about a NEW COMMAND. This new command?
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
I would much rather be known as a Chrisitian because of my love for others instead of other reasons. How about you?
As Christians, as sinners, were we not once as dirty as feet in sandals walking in the dirt. We are no better than the tax collector, betrayer or delinquent. We should be living as those who have been washed by the blood of Jesus! AMEN?
So, instead of being frustrated or angry or indifferent to ‘traditions’ being broken, lets embrace it! He himself says he has set an example and we SHOULD do as He has done.
Happy Easter-Goshen Style
Happy Easter from Goshen, IN. We celebrated together with the Delp’s (Joel’s parents) on Saturday and Sunday by coloring eggs, church, Simeon’s first annual Easter egg scavenger hunt, yummy food, and time together celebrating Christ’s resurrection. We had a great time and it was nice being together. Simeon caught on very quickly to the Easter egg scavenger hunt and had a great time with daddy and all of us watching him hunt the eggs and find his ‘presents’.We do miss our Ecuador family as well and wish we could be celebrating with them as well. We know God has given us this time together with family in the States and we cherish it so much. Enjoy picutres from our Easter festivities…
1st clue for the Easter egg scavenger hunt
Headed to the 2nd clue
Finding a well-hidden egg
I think Simeon likes the egg hunt
A family affair (3 generations)
Say ‘cheese’
Coloring eggs together
Fun times
Family times
Happy Easter!
Happy Easter to you all! We trust that the joy and celebration of the resurrected Jesus gives you hope and excitement for this season and the future. May you celebrate together with family and friends in knowing the Good News that He arose!
Joel will be speaking at Northwest Covenant Church in Mt. Prospect on Saturday for their Annual Men’s Lenten Breakfast. Your prayers are appreciated!
Finally, have you read Kim’s personal blog recently. There are some great posts there: http://joelnkim.blogspot.com/
Categories: Ministry, Travel
Tags: Blog, Ministry, Northwest Covenant Church, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
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Updated Calendar
- March 30: Northwest Covenant Church for Men’s Lenten Breakfast, Mt. Prospect, IL
- April 7: Trinity United Methodist Church, Hartford City, IN
- April 14: Trinity United Methodist Church, Hartford City, IN
- April 15 – 19: Joel on trip to Ecuador
- April 21: Church of the Good Shepherd, Crest Hill, IL
- April 27, 28: Coshocton Christian Tabernacle, Coshocton, OH
- May 5: Hilltop Community Church, Mansfield, OH
- May 19: First Covenant Church, Willmar, MN & Winthrop Covenant Church, Winthrop, MN
- June 26-30: Evangelical Covenant Church Annual Meeting for Commissioning and Ordination, Detroit, MI
Categories: Home Assignment, Ministry, Travel, Updates
Tags: Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Home Assignment, Prayer Requests, Travel, Trips, Updates
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The prayers were felt and answered!
Yesterday, prayers were lifted up for us around the world!!! Many of you received our email earlier in the week and prayed for us. Our friends in Ecuador received and got word about our final interviews and were praying for us. Here’s the God thing that happened yesterday. The Covenant Church has a missionary prayer calendar in which two missionaries/missionary families are prayed for every day. Well, it just happened to work out that our day on the calendar came up yesterday so we had people all around the world who pray for Covenant missionaries praying for us yesterday.
Well, we felt the prayers! Yesterday, we felt surrounded and were bathed in prayer. The prayers paid off. We were both approved for recommendation to be commissioned as Long-term Missionaries, for Kim to receive the ministerial license of a Consecrated Missionary and for Joel to be ordained. The reason that we are “recommended” at this point is because the Annual Meeting (which will occur in Detroit at the end of June this year) is the supreme, governing body of the Evangelical Covenant Church and is the highest authority for deciding on these things. In the end, the vote at the Annual Meeting is more of a formality but an exciting one in that we will be approved by all of the churches in the U.S. and Canada to be missionaries of the church. Pretty exciting, huh?
Special Prayer Request
We would like to share a Special Prayer Request. This Friday, March 15th, Kim and I will be having our Final Interviews in the process of being commissioned as Long-term Missionaries. These interviews are the final “test” in our process of seeking ordination (Joel) and consecration (Kim). We will need to still be voted on by the assembly of the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church in June and as long as that goes successfully, we will be Commissioned as Long-term Missionaries, Kim will be licensed as a Consecrated Missionary and Joel will be ordained. So you can start calling him “Reverend” after that!
These are our final interviews in a long process. If you remember, we had two interviews right after we returned from Ecuador in October (see 1 Down… and What we’ve been up to… to refresh your memory). We also had a three day psychological evaluation as well as we had to write numerous very long papers about our theology and such. Well, the interviews on Friday are the last “test” so to speak as the Annual Meeting vote is more of a formality.
On Friday, the 15th, we will be interviewed individually once again at the Evangelical Covenant Church offices in Chicago. Kim’s interview is 8:30 a.m. CST and Joel’s is at 2:00 p.m. CST. Your prayers for these interviews and at these times specifically are greatly, greatly, greatly appreciated!!! We’ve felt that it has been by the grace of God that we have gotten this far so we just need a little more grace to push us through!!!
Categories: Ministry, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
Tags: Answered prayers, Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Travel, Updates
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