Please pray for Pablo and Judi Perez

Pablo and Judi Perez

Pablo and Judi formerly served with Leadership Resources International in the discipleship and training of key pastors through a process called Training National Trainers. In 2013 they transitioned to working in Ecuador with United World Mission where they are involved in discipling, starting a new church in Quito, helping other missionaries and churches with their discipleship

and developing a network of churches with that same focus.

Rebuilding Hope Team

Several weeks ago, our family, alongside others from our church, was given opportunity to serve a local family with some home projects.  The tasks included several jobs that our children could be a part of as well and we were thrilled to be able to serve alongside one another as a family.  As the days drew closer, we wondered what exactly it would look like to enter someone else’s home with a willingness to help where needed. It wasn’t without some hesitancy, some hoping, trusting, praying, and questioning of what we would be doing and how exactly will this all go?! But God! God, who knows the beginning from the end, had gone before us and had chosen a group of willing workers to uniquely help and come alongside this family.  Even the children involved with this opportunity were uniquely picked by the Lord to come together to encourage this family and their own children. We were blessed to witness the Lord at work in His people over the next several days. We watched Him increase openness, transparency, our work capacities, and our efforts.  His increase brought His glory to the forefront!  The days were filled with home projects, cleaning, decluttering, yard work, flooring, conversations, meals together, a birthday celebration, rain and sunshine.  The days were filled with His purposes for a greater good for every single one of us involved!  

Our team was called Rebuilding Hope.  

Rebuild: (v) an action; build something again after it has been damaged or destroyed

to restore, to repair, to reassemble

Hope: (v) to desire with expectation of fulfillment

(n) a person or thing that may help or save someone; grounds for believing that something good may happen. 

I’d imagine this family was also met with some hesitancy, some questioning, some hoping that allowing our group into their home, into their lives, would be a good decision.  They willingly made the decision to say yes to the help they were offered, hoping it would lift some of the burden they were experiencing, but they didn’t know for sure. They were hoping!

As we were able to spend those three days together, working alongside one another, eating together, laughing together, praying together, sharing life together, the word hope moved from a verb to a noun.  The Lord graciously allowed the simple work we could do as a group together to fulfill the desire they had for their burden to be lifted.  He graciously allowed us to be a part of rebuilding their hope, and in so doing, He rebuilt ours as well. The Lord’s work, through our hands and feet, became the grounds on which they began to believe something good may happen.  The Lord allowed each of us to behold in new ways those few days, that opening ourselves up to the help of His body produces intangible rebuilding of the soul. The work we did was simply an external means of bringing some order to the chaos of this fallen world.  The Lord is so kind to allow us to be His hands and feet! He is so kind to bring His hands and feet to those who are hurting! Whether we are the ones serving or the ones receiving on any given day, in each situation He is graciously rebuilding hope into all of us.  He is graciously restoring a deeper sense, a great confidence in His promises as we witness Him making all things new around us. He is continually moving us from hoping as a verb to settling us on hope as a noun, the person of hope, Jesus Christ Himself! His redemptive purposes are all around us, what grace that He invites us to partake in His work for His glory and our goo
 
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.  And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1-2 

…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.   Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  Eph 3:17-21

Britt and Megan Steffen

Pray for the Borisuks

The Borisuks

Mark and Charity's goal is to strengthen the local church through Discipleship and Leadership Development. This is accomplished through home Bible studies, translating and publishing resources, and developing a training institute. They partner with the local church by providing training and Biblical resources to church leaders, and equipping them for effective study, righteous living, and accurate teaching of the Word of God. As servants of Christ, we labor humility and joy that the majesty of God may be made known in East Asia.

The Command of One-Anothering

Biblical Counseling, The outworking of the Command of One-Anothering
Much of life within the Body of Christ might be described as “one-anothering”. The New Testament repeatedly calls believers to live in harmony and community by speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), exhorting one another daily (Heb. 3:12-13), edifying one another (Eph. 4:29), and comforting one another (2Thess.4:18). These passages and countless others challenge us to pursue an intentional lifestyle of living like Christ and speaking of the Gospel of grace and truth. This is essentially what it means to be a disciple. This is what it means to be a biblical counselor.
 

Jesus demonstrated a life-style of a biblical counselor. Truly, He was the Wonderful Counselor (Is. 9:6), he lived the truth perfectly, (which is what speaking the truth in love actually means in Eph. 4:15), choosing to speak only His Father’s words (Jn. 8:28). Therefore, our goal is to encourage and equip his disciples to competently speak God’s truth with everyone, everywhere, everyday, all of the time (Lu.6:40). You may not consider yourself to be called or particularly gifted for a formal ministry in biblical counseling, but if you are saved by the work of Christ, if you are truly a follower of Christ, then you are called to “speak the truth in love” to everyone, everywhere, all of the time.


Christians are called, equipped and commanded to live lives of “One-anothering”. Biblical counseling training is one avenue available for you to learn how you can be more intentional in your efforts to fulfill the Great Commandment, i.e. to Love God and Love People, and the Great Commission, i.e. to make disciple-makers for the glory of God.
Please consider joining our adult Sunday School Class this fall and/or our Fall Weekend Discipleship and Biblical Counseling Classes for specific instruction and encouragement in this area of "One-Anothering".

Kent Kloter

Update on Rebuilding Hope Initiative

Amazing God….Amazing Works

BCC Family,

Where would any of us be without God’s gift of faith--a gift unmerited and undeserved? Scripture would tell us that faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17). I also believe faith can be bolstered by seeing God work. Recently a Rebuilding Hope Initiative team (2 families and 2 men) came together to serve and bless a local family that had some needs. Oh, how each of us, when reaching out to help others, enters into the same classroom as those we seek to serve! Amazing God, Amazing works! The following are few of God’s works I was able to observe:

• The family we served was a perfect fit for our team. We had children the same ages as their children. We had couples the same age as the couple. We had matching occupations. 
• Barriers were broken down between the team with the family allowing the team to enter their personal space. 
• Opportunity for discussion concerning the Gospel was opened!
• The team outreach expanded to include a set of grandparents who joined us for a couple of meals and devotional time.
• God moved in the hearts of the family we served to ask if they could have the team back for a cookout and some continued interaction.
• The children on the team were excited to be serving alongside their parents.  They were the natural barrier breakers!
• The son of the family we served had a birthday during our time with them. We were able to make his birthday memorable--singing happy birthday and having cupcakes together!
• Finally, I am thankful that God has given our church a desire to reach our surrounding communities with the Gospel through meeting some of the felt needs of our neighbors.

Make plans next year to join an RHI trip, join a Saturday team, and observe our amazing God perform amazing works and be strengthened in your faith.

With Praise,

Mark Herrmann/RHI team member

Pray for the Beakleys

The Beakleys

The Beakleys have been in South Africa since July 2002. David is the Principal and Academic Dean of Christ Seminary, where he teaches biblical languages, Bible study methods, preaching, and various books of the Bible. He also serves as an elder and pastor of Christ Baptist Church, where he shares in preaching, teaching, and discipling. Carol maintains the home and has many opportunities to teach and disciple women. She has a teen girl Bible study in the home, runs a ladies Bible study during the week, and also holds several discipleship groups involving both teens and married women.

Pray for the Hostetlers

Jill Hostetler

Jill has been working with CEF since 2001. CEF’s three-fold purpose is to Evangelize, Disciple, and Establish children into local Bible-believing churches. Jill’s role is to oversee the development of the Central Illinois chapter of CEF, which includes teaching and training, 5 Day Clubs in the summer, and Good News Clubs during the school year. Jill also helps with the ministries at Camp Good News. Please pray for Jill Hostetler and her family.