Community of Servants

It has not been easy to mobilize immigrants to serve, but God has brought enough fruit to keep us from giving up. The volatility of peoples' lives and their everyday challenges make it difficult for them to be consistent with anything. However, we know that being a follower of Christ is not just about saying you believe and attending a church. It also includes laying down your life for others. Jesus told us that finding your life means losing it and that being his disciple means following him in carrying your own cross. That is why our mission includes the idea of mobilizing immigrants to serve, beyond serving them.

This Sunday we will hold the first monthly meeting of “Comunidad de Siervos” or “Community of Servants” before our worship service. Of the immigrants who have received Christ through Mission Adelante, there is a small core that has demonstrated a sense of ownership and commitment to the ministry and a growing faith in Christ. We have invited and challenged this group to step up and become “servant leaders” in our community. Some of them have already begun serving, and others have had good intentions, but we are praying that God would call them all to a new level of obedience and faith. Please pray with us for God to deepen their love for him and give them a passion to serve others in his name!

In other news:

• The upcoming Volunteer Team Meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, August 4, which is one week later than it was previously scheduled. This means we will have less than a week to prepare for the summer “graduation” party. Please mark your calendars now for the team meeting on August 4th at 6:30 pm and the Summer “graduation” party on SUNDAY, August 10th in the late afternoon!
• Two leaders and 7 middle-school age kids from the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, Kansas arrived this morning, and will be here until Friday afternoon. They'll be doing work projects each morning and spending the afternoons with neighborhood kids.
• A group of 15 people from Heartland Community Church, including their LTP summer interns, will be here all day Saturday for YES! Day. They are part of a larger group that has collected pledges to raise funds for the 2009 Leadership Training Program at Heartland and will serve together at various locations.

Prayer needs:

• Guadalupe and Alberto, two immigrants who have demonstrated commitment to our community of faith, have agreed to take on leadership roles in the new "Community of Servants." Ask the Lord to foster their commitment to this new opportunity, that they would be recognized and accepted by the rest of the community as leaders, and that they will become role-models that encourage others to serve with them.
• Megan McDermott has been pursuing friendships with kids in a particular family. The kids have come to Kids Adelante with friends in the past, and want to come back, but the parents have stopped allowing them to come, and have also started resisting Megan's effort to spend time with them. Please pray for Megan and Mission Adelante to find favor with the parents.
• Megan McDermott and Molly Merrick are working on reconnecting with the kids that became acquainted with Kids Adelante for the first time at the outreach soccer event a couple weeks ago. Please pray that the outreach left a lasting impression on them and that Megan and Molly would find them enthusiastic to become involved.

Current needs:

In order to stock our resource center and provide for families in need, we're requesting:

• baby formula
• school supplies and backpacks; please contact Seth Sears at (913) 568-9280 for specific school supply lists.

Important upcoming dates:

• Monday, August 4, 6:30 p.m. at the Mission: New date for Volunteer Team Meeting
• Sunday, August 10, late afternoon at the Bethany Community Center: Trimester-end party and graduation