Submitted by Pastor Frank on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 10:05.
Thanks for being patient as I get this blog out. I want to continue talking about my trip to Africa. My first trip to South Africa was in 1997. I was invited by a church to speak and did not know quite what to expect. I had been to Africa before, but South Africa and apartheid were fresh on my mind. The election of President Mandela had just occurred and I knew things would be very different from the painful past of racial hatred. I was not disappointed. The people were kind and loving and I felt instantly welcomed. I have been going ever since. I think this is my tenth or eleventh trip. I have built relationships and friendships that truly matter to me. I have learned some things about the culture and the varieties of people. They have really received my ministry. I have received more and more invitations and the Lord has opened the door for me to preach all over.
Many of my friends in Africa encourage me to do more to get the message that God has given me out. They say that my message is unique, powerful, penetrating, and above all, true. I want to show you a video of Mr. Carl Brattle who gave a moving testimony to my ministry there. I show you this not to exalt myself in any way, but to give you a sense of how the ministry of MBCC is reaching and touching lives in Africa. It is not that I go to Africa and leave the church at home. The ministry of MBCC goes to Africa. Whenever I travel, people want to know about MBCC; they promise that when they come to the United States, they are going to come to MBCC and they do. For too long, I have not shared with you how much of an impact our ministry at MBCC is having in Africa. I want you to watch the testimony of Mr. Carl Brattle.
Then, I want you to watch the testimony my host, Rev. Carl Hendricks, who was our guest preacher at MBCC on Sunday, December 14, 2008. I have preached at his “Under African Skies Conference” for the last four years. He is thanking MBCC for releasing me to come.
I want to thank you for your support. I have a heart for the world. I have a heart for reaching the world with the gospel. This is my calling and this is what I give my life to – spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in creative and relevant sermonic forms.
Let me know what you think!
Submitted by Pastor Frank on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 10:05.
Pastor Thomas,I see you are very involved with Africa, mainly South Africa. I agree, Africa is a beautiful continent. I hope to visit as we are in the process of adopting an orphan from Ethiopia. I commented a few months ago regarding my desire to participate in an orphan mission in Addis Ababa., but I believe my comment was not posted somehow. I was encouraged to seek support from the church by the organizers of this mission trip. I asked for prayer, nothing monetary regarding this trip and our plans to adopt from leaders I've run across in the community. Honestly, I've heard somewhat discouraging remarks from these leaders regarding international adoption of children and adoption in general. I would hope your ministry in Africa also includes reaching out to the very poor and needy. Please share with the congregation that even though we are in an economic decline, children are still facing death due to starvation and no medical care. We don't have a lot of assets as a couple. Our children are in college and we're still a young couple compared to many with children in college. We could spend the rest of our lives traveling, saving money, decorating , buying cars and pretending these conditions don't exist in other parts of the world. I also have a desire to advance myself by attending law school if God's willing, but He has given us the heart to parent a child who would probably otherwise die from a preventable illness by American standards or hunger if not adopted. Ethiopian children are beautiful. They are scientifically linked to descendants of Aaron. However, there will be 12 million orphans in the country the size of Texas by 2012 due to death from diseases and health conditions, some are other than HIV. Children diagnosed with HIV are in separate orphanages are not up for adoption internationally unless the adoptive parent seeks to do so. Many churches have started Orphan Ministries to address the need for families for domestic and international adoption. I would hope MBCC would join in. The bible says, religion pure and simple is to care for the widowed and the orphan. A fellow perspective adoptive parent told me everyone is not called to adopt, but as Christians we are commanded to help through prayer or financial support. I am very disappointed in the reactions I've received from our desire to adopt especially from an African nation by church leaders. It doesn't represent Christ and I've wondered if these people are really called by God to minister. I'm just being honest. There are many Christian organizations that will assist in starting orphan ministries in churches. We as black people need open our hearts to more than shallowness. I'm embarrassed by the black church and their impact in international mission especially pertaining to orphans and adoption. We are always 10 steps behind in our charity, but we find ways to build new buildings and buy new cars. Now church leaders are building mansions in excess of what's neccessary to house their families. God cannot truly prosper those who don't have the heart and compassion to care for His most vulnerable. Prospering is not only monetary, but health, peace, happiness and unity of generations is also included. Satan is deceiving many to believe it's not our duty to care for the oprhan and widow as Christians. I decided to stop listening to reports on the economy. God never told me His blessings are on hold awaiting the outcome of our recession. I remember you asking how many people were laid off from their job, no one raised their hands for several weeks while local companies were laying off. God doesn't operate according to worldy systems. We can't use the bad economy when it's convenient to be selfish. He always blesses those to do his will. The church is not a building we sit in on Sunday to hear a word from man. There are church buildings on every corner in our community, and it has to be bigger than that. The church is us individiually coming together collectively to do his will. The building doesn't matter. God's children are everywhere and they are everyone in the church's responsibility.
Hello, dear colleagues. you is nice a forum www.theblvdblog.org very much class and is stylishly made! It seems to me here there is no section clever councils.
Yours faithfully, Anastasija.
Pastor Frank,Thanks for sharing your experience on your Africa trip. I am definitely glad you are sharing MBCC's ministry with those across the world and you're helping us by sharing how others worship and praise in distant lands. Your friends gave great testament to how you are affecting their lives and ministry. That is something for you to cherish and be proud of in your own personal ministry.I also thought your experience of blessing your daughter to be an international child. Your actions and experiences are quite moving and helpful to me as I raise a teenage daughter. Until last Sunday, I had not even thought about blessing my daughter in a similar way.Again, thank you and be blessed.Stephen
Comments
Pastor Thomas,I see you are very involved with Africa, mainly South Africa. I agree, Africa is a beautiful continent. I hope to visit as we are in the process of adopting an orphan from Ethiopia. I commented a few months ago regarding my desire to participate in an orphan mission in Addis Ababa., but I believe my comment was not posted somehow. I was encouraged to seek support from the church by the organizers of this mission trip. I asked for prayer, nothing monetary regarding this trip and our plans to adopt from leaders I've run across in the community. Honestly, I've heard somewhat discouraging remarks from these leaders regarding international adoption of children and adoption in general. I would hope your ministry in Africa also includes reaching out to the very poor and needy. Please share with the congregation that even though we are in an economic decline, children are still facing death due to starvation and no medical care. We don't have a lot of assets as a couple. Our children are in college and we're still a young couple compared to many with children in college. We could spend the rest of our lives traveling, saving money, decorating , buying cars and pretending these conditions don't exist in other parts of the world. I also have a desire to advance myself by attending law school if God's willing, but He has given us the heart to parent a child who would probably otherwise die from a preventable illness by American standards or hunger if not adopted. Ethiopian children are beautiful. They are scientifically linked to descendants of Aaron. However, there will be 12 million orphans in the country the size of Texas by 2012 due to death from diseases and health conditions, some are other than HIV. Children diagnosed with HIV are in separate orphanages are not up for adoption internationally unless the adoptive parent seeks to do so. Many churches have started Orphan Ministries to address the need for families for domestic and international adoption. I would hope MBCC would join in. The bible says, religion pure and simple is to care for the widowed and the orphan. A fellow perspective adoptive parent told me everyone is not called to adopt, but as Christians we are commanded to help through prayer or financial support. I am very disappointed in the reactions I've received from our desire to adopt especially from an African nation by church leaders. It doesn't represent Christ and I've wondered if these people are really called by God to minister. I'm just being honest. There are many Christian organizations that will assist in starting orphan ministries in churches. We as black people need open our hearts to more than shallowness. I'm embarrassed by the black church and their impact in international mission especially pertaining to orphans and adoption. We are always 10 steps behind in our charity, but we find ways to build new buildings and buy new cars. Now church leaders are building mansions in excess of what's neccessary to house their families. God cannot truly prosper those who don't have the heart and compassion to care for His most vulnerable. Prospering is not only monetary, but health, peace, happiness and unity of generations is also included. Satan is deceiving many to believe it's not our duty to care for the oprhan and widow as Christians. I decided to stop listening to reports on the economy. God never told me His blessings are on hold awaiting the outcome of our recession. I remember you asking how many people were laid off from their job, no one raised their hands for several weeks while local companies were laying off. God doesn't operate according to worldy systems. We can't use the bad economy when it's convenient to be selfish. He always blesses those to do his will. The church is not a building we sit in on Sunday to hear a word from man. There are church buildings on every corner in our community, and it has to be bigger than that. The church is us individiually coming together collectively to do his will. The building doesn't matter. God's children are everywhere and they are everyone in the church's responsibility.
Hello, dear colleagues. you is nice a forum www.theblvdblog.org very much class and is stylishly made! It seems to me here there is no section clever councils.
Yours faithfully, Anastasija.
Pastor Frank,Thanks for sharing your experience on your Africa trip. I am definitely glad you are sharing MBCC's ministry with those across the world and you're helping us by sharing how others worship and praise in distant lands. Your friends gave great testament to how you are affecting their lives and ministry. That is something for you to cherish and be proud of in your own personal ministry.I also thought your experience of blessing your daughter to be an international child. Your actions and experiences are quite moving and helpful to me as I raise a teenage daughter. Until last Sunday, I had not even thought about blessing my daughter in a similar way.Again, thank you and be blessed.Stephen