The Journey Gets Harder, but the Ministry Continues to Grow
This is probably the hardest newsletter that I've had to put together since beginning in this ministry. I absolutely love what I get to do and the people that I am so blessed to get to work with every day. One of those many blessings came in the form of a great, great friend in our Disaster Relief ministry, John Browne. I worked very closely with John on the Sheds of Hope ministry and spent many hours and days working along side of him. His jovial spirit and eternal optimism always made him shine and stand out among those he worked along side. On February 4, 2020, John had a massive heart attack while working in our Dallas Depot and went to be with our Lord. Several of my friends from Evergreen Presbyterian had the opportunity to meet John and work alongside of him over the past year and I dare say John made quite the impression on them. His strong Irish brogue, love of God and skills as both a pastor and master craftsman all became apparent the moment you met him. More than that, he became an instant friend to everyone he met and had a heart for the ministry in which he selflessly served.
I will continue in this journey and serving in this wonderful ministry in honor of John and all of our other ministry volunteers who give endlessly and selflessly to move our Disaster Relief ministry forward!
P.S. There is a beautiful write up on Johns' life and ministry on the MNA website. Click the button provided in my newsletter to be directed there.
Every time I see a picture of John, I hear the words of Jesus Christ say 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
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Our Ministry Continues to Grow and Further Prepare.....
The good news is that with a fairly quiet storm season over this past year, we have been able to further focus on better preparing for the next storm and deployment needs!
One major improvement has involved the shrink wrapping of our stored Sheds of Hope (SOH) kits. This is a huge improvement that insures each SOH is kept water tight during storage and future deployment to the needed sites. This also makes transport of the SOH safer and easier on me! Below are several pictures of a special team of volunteers from my home church, Evergreen Presbyterian, that came down to our Rome warehouse and helped me develop a process to efficiently wrap each Shed of Hope there (all 24 of them!). Guys do love playing with fire!
Special thanks to Keiji Asano, Carl Burr, and Brian Wissel for all of their hard work.
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And Grow and Further Prepare.....
We also had quite a crew from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Orangeburg, SC come join us for our February work day at the Rome warehouse. These work days are held every 2nd Saturday in Rome, GA and are a great opportunity for you to come see what God is doing through us and what MNA Disaster Relief is all about. During the work days, we process supplies that periodically come into the warehouse, we perform needed maintenance and improvements on the warehouse, and we just have fun meeting and working with other volunteers that come from other locations to help out. A big 'thank you!' to all the volunteers from Trinity Presbyterian of Orangeburg. And, yes, that is their pastor John Mark Patrick on that ladder!
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And Respond to Disaster Needs Faster and More Effectively.....
We just responded to the call to send in relief supplies for the recent flooding occurring in the Jackson, MS area. We received the call on a Friday and had the trailer loaded and the supplies delivered the next day! Thank you to the huge crew gathered at Trinity Presbyterian in Jackson, MS to receive the supplies and coordinate our local response efforts.
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Continuing Prayers and Petitions for our Disaster Relief Ministry:
- Prayer and praise for the whole ministry team of MNA Disaster Relief.
- Relief leaders, site managers, and support specialists - for much needed rest, relaxation and for safety in all of our work.
- Pray that God will continue to move groups of volunteers to come join our efforts in whatever capacity they can. And that new site managers might be identified and trained in preparation for the next storm events.
- Pray for the people being helped and for those relationships to be strengthened every day - that those people may see and experience the Hope of Christ in a very real and powerful way.
- Praise for my continued physical healing and safety as I deliver needed supplies and equipment to the various locations.
And please consider financially partnering with me and supporting my efforts! Your one-time or monthly gift of $25, $50 or $100 goes a long way towards helping me be able to reach the full support level I need in order to continue serving in this exciting ministry journey.
For all of you who have already stepped up to partner with me, I sincerely thank you and praise God for each of you! I'm also trying to raise support directly through your local churches - any help in reaching out to your local church and/or missions committee would be greatly appreciated. I'm always available for informative ministry presentations to any interested group.
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MNA Announces New Financial Structure beginning 2021
Until now, our ministry has been very blessed to be exempt from any MNA administrative burden being placed on our support funds. But beginning January, 2021, all MNA support accounts will begin to be assessed a 10% administrative contribution to the MNA General Fund on all funds spent. This was approved at the most recent MNA Permanent Committee meeting this past September. This administrative fee is needed to help offset the true costs of MNA operations; the remaining costs of operations and MNA administrative overhead will continue to be covered by individual doners, churches, and presbyteries who are responsive to the PCA General Assembly's call for Askings, MNA's efforts in developing undesignated gifts, other income from investments, and fees generated by other services. The bottom line is that this 10% administrative fee will help ensure continued strength for MNA services in church planting, missional engagement, and church renewal.
I thank my God for each and every one of you. Also, for your prayers and your sacrificial financial support provided me through 2019 and going forward into 2020. Please continue to lift me up in prayer and financial partnership as we look ahead, knowing that it is 'God who is able to make ALL grace abound towards you; that you, always having ALL sufficiency in ALL things, may abound to every good work.' 2 Corinthians 9:8
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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING MINISTRY EVENTS
Disaster Relief Warehouse Work Days:
- Saturday, March 14th & April 11th, 2020
- Saturdays from 9:00 AM til 4:00 PM
- Meet at Rome, GA Disaster Relief warehouse (come visit and see what God has blessed us with!)
Upcoming Training Opportunities:
- Chainsaw training day in Rome, GA - April 25th, 2020
- Site Manager training weekend in Rome, GA - May 22-24, 2020 (Attendees must be pre-registered)
Ministry Needs:
- A couple of volunteer, part-time logistics drivers to assist with occasional equipment and trailer transports, especially during storm events when we need to move supplies quickly
- Help with maintenance and clean up of trailers at Rome, GA warehouse
Just contact me for more information on any of these events or ministry needs!
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