A City in the City THE CITY OF HOPE Quarterly Newsletter THE CITY OF HOPE Quarterly Newsletter
March 2009 PO BOX 11474 Conway, Arkansas 72034 Phone: 501-499-1042 E-mail:
[email protected] Proclaiming the Glory of God in the city, that many would worship Him forever!
Berean Christian Ministry is dedicated to equipping and edifying believers and evangelizing those within the urban areas of the city in order that many would see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. It is our endeavor that God’s name be known to all as we proclaim the risen Savior and serve all He brings in our lives.
Volume 1, Issue 1
Renewing the Mind
Blogs of Interest: •
Christ Glory Alone
•
Woman on The Vine
Welcome to the newsletter of THE City of Hope (COH). This quarterly publication is meant to inform our families, friends and fellow laborers as to what the Lord is doing in Conway, Arkansas. In each quarterly issue, we will look at Oakwood where the Lord has built a small gathering of people to know His name. We will profile believers who are serving in Oakwood, testimonies of those who have come to faith and whatever else is happening in Oakwood.
Poetheology is COH attempt to spread the name of Jesus Christ through the arts and provide redeemable images of arts to the city of Conway. In summary, we desire that this newsletter would inform you to the great work God is doing through His people. It will also serve as a tool to assist you in praying for us as we proclaim Jesus Christ in our city. Jesus Christ stated we should be a city on a hill, a light to those around us. COH is endeavoring to be that small city in the city of Conway, Arkansas where families and individual believers live lives reflecting the work of God in Christ. Phillip and Nicolle Fletcher
Secondly, you will gather some great insight from Wives in Touch, a prayer ministry for women to pray for their husbands.
Wives in Touch (cont’) and read scriptures in accordance. (cont back page)
We use the four steps of prayer method. The first being Praise, we praise God for who He is. The specific attribute helps define our time of praise. The next is Confession. This time can be silent or open. Then we honor the Lord with Thanksgiving. We remember the prayers answer and that builds our faith in the True and Living God. We know that He hears and He answer the cry of our heart. And finally we make request or supplication unto the Lord. The four steps are Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.
It is a wonderful and sweet time of prayer. For the wife, submission does not come easy. I have learned and understand that sacrificial servant leadership does not come easy to our husbands either. So as help meets created by God, we need help our husbands in prayer.
4
"I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God; first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”
Michael Oh
Inside this issue: City of Hope
2
Wives in Touch
2
Poetheology
2
About us
3
Lastly, you will learn about an exciting ministry where believers are given the opportunity to express their gifts in the arts.
Upcoming serving opportunities •
Saturday March 7, 2009 Poetheology at the Faulkner County Library, 6:30 pm
•
Sunday April 5, 2009 Medical Outreach in Oakwood, 2:00pm
•
Sunday April 26, 2009 Spring BBQ Outreach in Oakwood, 1:00pm
Page 2
A City in the City
SNAPSHOTS OF GOD’S WORK:
City of Hope The “City of Hope” is the best way in which to describe the ministry that occurs on a weekly basis in Oakwood. The community of Oakwood is located in the older section of Conway, Arkansas literally on the other side of the tracks. Here at the City of Hope we seek to not only bring the Gospel of Christ in word and deed but also equip believers to minister to the least of our city. We have partnered with two college ministries CHI ALPHA and Elevation, as well as Conway Celebration Church, affectionately called
Wives in Touch
the Barn. Working alongside these believers has not only strengthened our relationship with believers throughout our city but provides the people of Oakwood with Christian examples in their lives. So what happens in Oakwood? On Sundays we gather to preach the Word of God, sing songs, pray and love on the people of the community. The first Sunday of each month is dedicated to meeting the people of Oakwood in their homes, praying with them and building relationships. Tuesdays, Nicolle and older women
meet with women in the community for prayer, Bible Study and fellowship. Finally, we have started to meet with the kids on the first Saturday of each month to play games and look for mentoring opportunities. Lord willing this summer the City of Hope will begin a tutoring program for kids in grades K-12 and also start a mentoring program for young adults and married couples. All of these are meant to be avenues to share the Gospel and have a sustainable presence of Christ in the community.
by Nicolle Fletcher
Wives In Touch is a ministry developed out of the need for women to earnestly seek God on behalf of their husband. As a believing wife and mother heavily involved in ministry, I found myself doing “drive by” prayers for my husband. The term “drive by prayer” is simply what it sounds like. The prayer that takes place while washing dishes, “Lord, bless my hus-
band at work” the end. That is a drive by prayer. I realized that as women we are willing to pray for everyone and everything all the while failing to pray earnestly for our husbands. If the husband is sick or something is wrong then prayer is easy because we need God to do something, NOW! Wives
In
Touch
is
about
women in touch with the need to seek Christ for their husbands walk with Christ, daily strength, encouragement, leadership, parenting, and marriage. We want to be proactive, laying our husbands at the feet of Christ. We meet in homes once per week and pray for one hour. In our prayer time we focus on one attribute of God, define it
POETHEOLOGY BCM had its first session of POETHEOLOGY during the month of February. Believers gathered at the Faulkner County Library and were treated to poetry, dance and painting by believers living in Conway. Poetheology is a ministry dedicated to presenting redeemable images of the literary,
2
performance and creative arts to the city of Conway, Arkansas. It is our hope, that believers in Jesus Christ will have the opportunity to express the glory of God through their gifts and at the same time interact with others in the context of the art culture. In each of the successive newsletters, we will profile believers
who have a gift in relations to the arts. Our hope is that as you would hear the hearts of these people that we all would enjoy Christ more in how He uses men and women through the arts to declare His name. If you are interested in participating or serving please contact us.
3