Saturday, February 23, 2013

Greetings From the Mission Field 2-23-2013

From The Field
The Firehouse World Expo is finished and Holly and I are doing a little site seeing. It is always fun to explore new areas of the country with Holly. San Diego is a wonderfull place and God has given us two sunny warm days to hang out together. The fire show went very well and we were able to talk to many people. God is working on me during this time of transition for me. I want to be able to clearly tell people what we do and how we minister to first responders. It is becoming clear to me that we need to be a ministry that helps first responders know God better. I pray that we would be the type of ministry that focuses on the Bible. I want us to give out Bibles and help firefighters to understand God's Word. That means we have to get to work on creating more Bible studies for first responders. Currently we have three. The latest, The Ephesians Project, is starting to get great reviews. I would like to get this resource in the hands of many firefighters. Keith and Wayne are working on a discipleship program. I can't wait to see what God gives them. All of us on the board feel like it will be a good tool to help first responders to know the Bible better. Pray with us that God would raise up more workers for us to create Bible studies and to be willing to disciple young firefighters. We need to be able to reach the younger generation with the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ, equipping them to take our place as we grow older. We have not even scratched the surface of firefighters. I believe that the fields are ready for harvest, we need more Godly folks to help us effectively reach firefighters. As Holly and I were talking about next years show in San Diego, we have a lot of ideas to reach some of those folks. Please pray that FCFInternational would be able to financially support those ideas. Also, pray for us as we get ready for the FDIC show in Indianapolis in April. There will be a lot of work for us to do, as this is our biggest show. Pray that we would begin to build relationships with key folks in the fire service.

Prayer
  • God would be glorified in the fire service
  • A revival would sweep through the fire service
  • Wisdom for Keith and Wayne as they develop our discipleship program
  • God would give us 25 members to participate in the Command Staff Program
  • God would continue to provide for our financial needs
  • Land would be given to FCFInternational in order to house the International Office
  • Holly and I would remain faithful to God

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Greetings From the Missions Field 2-20-2013

From the Field
Greetings from San Diego, California. Holly and I are blessed to be at the Firehouse World Expo at the convention center. The set up went well yesterday and we are thankful that everything arrived well. The set up was easy and we had expected many chiefs for the special opening last night. We were dissapointed that not many chiefs were present for the event. The ones that did come were more interested in the free beer than the free Bibles we were handing out. I praise God that we could at least be there to plant some seeds, even though they were small. California has a lot of first responders and I am praying that God would do a great work here. The fields are definately ripe for the harvest, pray for God to give us laboreres to help. I am praying that God would establish some local chapters in California so we can minister to first responders and challenge them to have an active relationship with God.

The web site is now active. What a blessing to be able to forth the Word of God, worldwide. Now I am praying that we would get more people involved in writing Bible studies and resources for first responders. Please pray that we would be able to get our paypal put back on the site. People will be able to donate if they want to help with the ministry. One thing I am learning is that it takes money in order to make resources available. I am thankful to God that he has always been faithful in providing for this ministry. I look forward to how He will answer prayers in that area.

Please pray for the rest of the convention here in California. I am praying that God would open doors for us to be able to build relationships with first responders. We want to be obedient to Matthew 28 and disciple folks in the fire service. We have two days left and I trust that God would send folks to our booth who need to hear of God's amazing grace.

Prayer Requests
  • Revival in the Fire Service
  • Holly and I would be a blessing to first responders in California
  • New First Responder Bible studies by our members
  • God would supply for the ministries needs
  • God would raise up young leaders in our ministry

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Greetings From the Mission Field 2-13-2013

From the Field
Well I am excited about the new web site. God has provided us with a new web site that is interactive and is capable of posting videos. My prayer is that God will use this site to reach young first responders world wide. Scott Nasby, who has done a remarkable job on the website, decided to resign about a month or so ago. I was saddened as Scott has been such a blessing to the ministry by designing and maintaining this site. When I started looking for a new host a guy at work showed me our unions web site. He explained how easy it was for folks to maintain it. The web site also had a lot of really cool features. The web site was a little pricey, but I thought it was well worth the money; approximately $1,600.00 for the first year and $500.00 every year. After praying about the matter I contacted Mike from Union Centrics and was blessed beyond measure. Mike told me how he to is a believer and was willing to set up the site for free and we would only pay $12.00 a month for maintenance fee. What a blessing, only God can do things like that.

Holly and I are preparing for our next show which is in California. Our prayer is that we would be able to share the gospel with firefighters and minister to some. Please pray with us that God would allow us to minister to first responders in California more. God has been answering prayer for our ministry and I am so thankful for His leading in my life. Holly and I are excited that we have three people signed up for our Command Staff position. Our goal is to have 25 go through the program. This program is for those in the fire service who are serious about serving God. Command Staff folks commit to reading their Bible everyday, praying an hour a day, memorizing a Bible verse a week, mentoring one person a year, and sharing their faith once a month. Please pray that God would give us 25 faithful firefighters.

We continue to meet with our board once a month. What a blessing to meet through GoToMeeting and share what is on our hearts for the ministry. Please continue to pray that God would continue to work on the hearts and minds of our board members. They do a lot for the ministry and I am thankful for each one. What a blessing to get to know each one and how God is working on their lives.

I am thankful for each of our local chapters. I have included some pictures of the Pennsylvania chapter that I went to the other day. What a blessing that they are trying to minister to firefighters. There were some who were not believers, but came for the breakfast. I praise God for their ministry. Let's pray together that God would save firefighters in that department.

Family
The family is doing well. It is exciting to watch Holly get more and more interested in helping out. We will be able to accomplish so much more together than I could by myself. We are planning on retiring next year and together working God's ministry to first responders. Please pray for Seth as he is getting frustrated with the search for an assistant Pastors position. It is tough on young folks who want to serve but are unable to find a ministry. Most say he does not have enough experience. I know God has something special for him and he will do great. Seth has a good heart for the ministry. Andrew is going to begin working nights. He is not looking forward to that, but praise God he does have a job. Christopher and Justin have part time jobs and I have been praying that they will find a career that they love.

Prayer Requests
  • God would start a revival among firefighters.
  • Ken Henry who's wife recently went home to be with the Lord.
  • Several of our members have been sick during this flu season.
  • God would provide land for an International Office and potentially a conference center. I have been praying that God would provide a church camp that nobody wants anymore.
  • That FCFInternational would fill vacancies in ministry areas (see web site for details on vacancies)
  • God would provide a Regional Director for every state in the union.