Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Greetings from the missions field 10-30-2012

From the Field
Greetings from the International Office where it has been a busy week. Our super storm, Sandy, has been the talk of the town for the past week. Yesterday the storm came ashore on the east coast and caused wide spread damage. The Maryland area was spared a lot of the destruction that they had predicted, but I am ok with that. The call volume here in the District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department was also lighter than expected. That wasn't the case for New Jersey and New York. Our members were pounded by Sandy and are currently cleaning up. One of our International Board members, Russ Stammer, told me he just had a break after 17 hours of constant calls. Please remember to pray for the victims of the storm. In New York City the 80 homes that burned last night were in an area where mostly firefighters and police officers live.

Our Bible study had to be moved to Thursday night. Please e-mail me if you need the links for "Fearless in the Fire Service". My e-mail address is firequacker621@aol.com I am loving the Bible studies. I feel that this is an opportunity to strengthen the knowledge of our members. Sometimes we are good at studying fire related stuff, but neglect a regular study of God's Word. I love the verse that says "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth." (II Timothy 2:15)

Our International Board members are making progress on improving the bylaws of the International and coming up with an Operational Plan. It is so important to have a vision and a plan for an organization. I am thankful to God for our previous Presidents/Missionaries and the vision that worked so hard to share with the fire service. Please pray for our meetings as we plan for the future of FCFInternational. We want to be well pleasing and faithful to God in our ministry to first responders.One thing I love about this ministry already is the relationships that are being forged with the board members. These folks are so dedicated and wise when it comes to the ministry. I look forward all to all of their input and ideas. I can hardly wait to start learning a lot about the Regional Directors that we have and how they are ministering to first responders.

The other area of the ministry I love is the local prayer breakfasts our groups have. I recently went to the Pierce Damewood chapter and had an awesome time. I have put some of the pictures up for you. Please pray for these members as they serve the Lord in Prince George County Maryland.

The Family
The family is doing fine. It was nice to watch the boys as they prepared for the storm. They love to help people out and always have extra generators to help save the day for some of our neighbors. It is quite the ministry that they have. Please continue to pray for Seth as he is seeking an assistant pastoral position. I think he will make a fine young pastor some where. He just wants to make sure that it is where God wants him to be.

Prayer Requests
- The storm victims
- FCFInternational would create a good Operational Plan
- That I would be able to be a good administrator of the ministry
- That our members would gain spiritual wisdom
- That God would open up doors for us to minister to first responders
- That God would provide 100 churches to sponsor our ministry







Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Greetings from the missions field 10-24-2012

From the Field
God is good all the time!! I hope you repeated back "all the time God is good" He really is. Even when things are not going are way or life seams to be getting us down, God is still on the throne and wants to do great things for us. I tend to get in His way. I pray that I will learn to be patient in tribulation and learn to wait upon Him. I haven't had a bad week or anything, I just want to learn humility and to be patient. I hope that doesn't mean I will have a bad week this week, that is usually how we learn those two characteristics. Psalm 37:7 encourages us to "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass."

This week has been an awesome week for me. I have been on vacation from work and have been traveling with my wife. We went to a wedding in North Carolina. While there I was able to talk with Marcus about our data base. Marcus was able to show me some simple things we can do to improve it, and promised to come by for dinner to show me more (praise God). After the wedding Holly and I went to West Virgina for their annual Fallen Firefighter Memorial service. What a blessing to see all of the FCFInternational members serving at this event. They all did a marvelous job and should be commended for all of their work. God is well pleased when we do "good works" for Him. Not that these good works will earn a spot in heaven, but they go a long way to showing the love of Jesus to a lost world. Thanks Chris and Scott (as well as others) who did so much that day, I was blessed.

Our board meetings are going well. Last night we had a small number of board members, but we were able to talk through a number of items. Please pray for our board members that they would constantly walk with God, and would be able to make Godly decisions. I am thankful for each board member who sacrifices time and effort for our organization (God's organization). Without our volunteers we would not be able to function. I am excited to see how God is going to use our members to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the fire service.

Our next Bible study is "Fearless in the Fire Service" if you would like to join in you can preregister at the following place:

Fearless in the Fire Service
Join us for a webinar on Nov 06, 2012 at 7:00 PM EST.
Register now!
Enjoy a Bible study designed specifically for first responders in the fire service. You will be encouraged to lead a life that is pleasing to God while you serve in your local department.

Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them: for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

On the Homefront
Thank you for all of your prayers for Christopher and his surgery. His ankle is healing and he is beginning to walk on it. Holly and I are thankful to God for his recovery. Seth did not get the Assistant Pastors position that he was candidating for. Please pray that God would provide a ministry for him to serve in. Holly is tired from all of our travel and I appreciate your prayers for her as she went back to work today. I can hardly wait for when she retires and we serve FCFInternational members together.

Prayer Requests
  • Revival in the Fire Service
  • New chapters to start in states that we are not repressented yet
  • Keiths Granddaughter who has a fever of 104
  • Ann Christmas who has an infection
  • Gay and Sue that their house would sell
  • The holiday Newsletter, that it would touch lives
  • My first Encourager (magazine) that I am putting together











Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Greetings from the Missions Field 10-16-2012

Frome the Field
Greetings from the International office in Arnold, Maryland. I would like to greet you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ who continues to supply all of our needs. This has truly been a busy but blessed week for me. I was blessed to be able to go to Conecticut to be with my dear friend Wayne Detzler and his wife. I had an awesome time just sitting around their lovely apartment in their daughters house brain storming about the future of FCFInternational. God has given Wayne a remarkable ability to minister to people and especially firefighters. The Detzlers have served God faithfully for many years. They have been missionaries in Germany and England. Wayne has served as a senior pastor in churches in England and the US. Wayne has served at various universities at various levels. He is even very "techy". So when Wayne has some ideas, I love to listen. It was Wayne who encouraged me to do the daily devotions on our facebook page (Fellowship of Christian Firefighters International). I get encouraged everytime someone writes and lets me know how God is speaking to them through the devotion. Wayne is also working on writing a history book for FCFInternational. This will be a good resource tool as we try and get churches to help support us prayerfully and financially. It will also be a blessing to our members. So pray for Wayne as he is working on this project. FCFInternational recently conducted our first online Bible study. What a blessing to be able to dive into God's Word the Bible and see how it applies to first responders. Our second one is set for November 6, 2012 at 1900 hours EST. Our subject will be "Fearless in the Fire Service". If you would like more information just email our International office at fcfihq@aol.com

The Family
I would like to thank all of you for your prayers for our family. This ministry is a little bit of a struggle with still being a full time firefighter but I praise God that I am able to make it work so far. Wayne and his wife have taught me to always look on the positive side of life, and I pray that I would be able to follow his example. I need to be content in every situation. Christopher is healing just fine from his foot surgery and is praying that he can start walking on it again this week. Seth is getting excited about his upcoming trip. Seth is canidating for an associate pastors position in Indiana. Our family appreciates your prayers for him and that God would be glorified.

Personal Life
I continue to read through the Bible. I am excited about finishing the entire Bible, and then I can start all over again. I love reading God's Word every day and seeing how he is going to challenge me. I am falling behind on my Bible memorization and I need to pick that up a bit. It is always good to memorize Scripture. We need to be ready in season and out of season to preach. God's Word is true, and I want to be faithful to His Word.

Prayer Requests
- We are looking for 100 churches to support us prayerfully and financially
- For new chapters to form
- The Bible studies would fill up and firefighters would study God's Word
- For a revival in the fire service
- The lines of communication would open up between members
- We would be prepared for the fire service shows, first one is in January
- The Regional events would have good participation
- First Responders would be encouraged

Until next week I ask that God would bless each reader of this blog as you walk with Him.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Greetings from the missions field 10-10-2013


From the Field

I bring you greeting from the International office in Arnold, Maryland. I have been working diligently at organizing the new office. I still feel like a duck out of water, oh sorry I didn’t mean to say that. It is taking me a while to get into a routine, but over time I am confident that I will be able to make it work. I am thankful to God and I want to be able to do the best job possible for Him. When I was at Gay and Sue’s house getting trained for the position they stressed to me the importance of getting requests out in a timely manner and making sure that everything is accurate. I agree with them that poor service would reflect poorly on the organization. That is so true of how we should be living the Christian life. So many Christians get saved and then go and do whatever they want because they know they are forgiven. The Bible encourages us to have a walk that is worthy of the high calling that we have been called to. So now I have to watch what I do for the name sake of FCFInternational but more important because I carry around the name of Jesus Christ. By God’s grace I will be able to do that.

 

I recently went out and bought the Apple desk top computer for the office. I praise God that He provided the funds to be able to do that. This past week I took a class and began to learn how to operate it. I have used windows my whole life, so it will definitely be an adjustment. Using the computer is a little out of my comfort zone, but once I learn how to work the computer it will be good for the office. Just like when God takes us out of our comfort zone he stretches us and makes us more useable for the kingdom. I was able to make my first publication with it. I quickly put together a packet for churches to be able to support FCFInternational. I will be taking it up to Wayne’s church to see if they will support us. My prayer is that we would find 100 churches in 2013 to support us with $1,600.00 yearly support. Please pray with me as I seek those churches that God would have for us.

  

Family Life

Thank you all for your prayers for Christopher as he had surgery on his foot. He came through the surgery fine and will begin rehab this week. Today he has a visit to the surgeon who will let him know the progress. Seth is flying out for an interview with a church for an assistant pastor’s position. I praise God how it all is fitting together in God’s perfect plan. Even if Seth doesn’t get the position he is gaining great experience. Andrew and Justin are doing fine; they have been working hard at their jobs. Holly is still working two jobs, and we have begun to discuss when a good time for her to retire is. It is hard to believe that retirement is so close. It seems like just yesterday we both started working. I am thankful to God that He has provided a ministry that Holly and I can work together.

 

Personal Life

I have recently finished with reading first and second Thessalonians and I started reading Hosea. How amazing God’s Word is to read. I am thankful that we are able to read God’s Word and learn how to walk in a worthy manner. My prayer is that first responders would have a desire to read the Bible on a daily basis and obey what they read. I still need to remind myself of this truth daily.

 

Prayer Requests

·         Revival in the fire service

·         International Board meeting in two weeks

·         First on-line Bible study in a week

·         First responders weekend retreat in March

 

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Mission Statement

Here is your chance to help the Fellowship of Christian Firefighters International. We are looking for your input. We want you to get involved and make a difference in First Responders Lives. The International Board is in the process of updating our Bylaws. Currently we are looking to update the Mission Statement of FCFInternational. Here is where you come in. I have three questions. Respond to this post by leaving a comment. When you do you will help to write the mission statement. We don't need anything lengthy because a mission statement should be short enough for us to memorize, articulated well enough in order communicate our mission, and inspire members to help accomplish our mission. So here you go, here are the questions:

1. What are the opportunities or needs of the fire service we need to address? (purpose of our ministry)

2. What is FCFInternational doing to address these needs? (The business of the organization)

3. What are the principles or beliefs that guide our work? (Values of the ministry)

Now I know that our organization does not typically respond back to things like this. I am praying that our ministry will begin to get involved in our organization by giving input when asked. I am thankful for the faithful who do help out, and I am praying that God will increase our faithful. Thank you so much for your input, it really matters.

Together let's take encouragement to the fire service!!

Craig Duck
President/Missionary Elect

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Greetings from the Missions Field 10-2-2012


From the field

Wow, what a busy week around the FCFInternational office. With the office now complete focus has now shifted to the ministry. Currently, Holly and I are working on the administrative portion of FCFInternational. Setting up the new bank accounts, changing the new member cards, imputing information in the data base, and listening to members has taken up a lot of our time. But we love it. Our prayer is that as we become more organized as a ministry and as we begin to open up lines of communications to board members, regional directors, local chapters, and members we will begin to see God open up new doors. Having an organized ministry will also help us to draw in new supporters of the ministry. I have been praying about how local churches can join in the ministry. Holly and I believe that a large group of praying saints from local churches will help bring revival to the fire service. We are praying about how FCFInternational can minister to the needs of first responders. When you look at the fire service you see families that are broken, marriages that need help, and first responders that need a relationship with Jesus Christ. So how can FCFInternational help. If you have any ideas please leave a comment on this blog I would love to hear from you. Here are some regional events that the international office is working on:

·         March 22-24, 2013 First Responder Retreat in Mercersburg, PA

·         May 1, 2013 International day of prayer for first responders at firehouses throughout the world

·         June 17-21, 2013 Family Camp in Black Mountain, NC

I look forward to meeting some of you at one of these events. The International office is also working on its first Bible study on the internet. The first 100 folks to sign up will enjoy a Bible study on the life of Joseph and how it relates to the fire service. The following is the information on how to sign up:

 

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6847472890053063680
Webinar ID: 139-180-195

Participants can use their computer's microphone and speakers (VoIP) or telephone.

United States
Toll: +1 (646) 307-1716
Access Code: 883-161-840
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the webinar

 

Family

The family is doing well. Christopher will be getting his ankle operated on tomorrow (Wednesday). He has had some problems from a broken foot he had years ago. This should get him back to normal. Seth has a job interview with a church in Indiana in a couple weeks. He is going for an assistant pastor’s position. Our family has been praying hard, and we thank you for your prayers.

 

Personal Life

I have started reading Daniel. What a fascinating story from such a Godly man. I have read this story many times and it always inspires me to want to be more faithful in praying. Recently we had some dear friends come and visit from Connecticut. What a man and woman of God. Their stories of how God has been using them in the ministry are also inspiring. Wayne’s prayer life is very similar to that of Daniels. I pray that one day I might have faith as they do and as Daniel did.

 

Prayer Requests

·         Holly and I would continue to organize FCFInternational office in a way that supports the mission and ministry of FCFInternational.

·         Holly and I would remain pure with our relationship and that we would find time to be together.

·         I would continue my daily Bible reading and devotions.

·         We would be able to design our first Encourager with the new computer we bought.

·         God would provide 50 chapters (1 for each State) for FCFInternational.

·         The regional events the International office is working on.

·         We would spend our funds wisely.

·         That God would show FCFInternational whether we should pursue a national office.