Estes Echo

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Goal Setting

Each January the Estes elders have a one day retreat at Chickasaw State Park. We spend the day talking about the Lord’s work at Estes. We finalize the budget for the coming year, talk about possible sermon topics, discuss the spiritual and physical needs of our congregation and in general try to find ways to push forward the cause of Christ. Toward the end of our day we set concrete goals for our work as elders of this wonderful congregation of believers.

Below are the goals we have set for ourselves for 2015.

Short Term Goals

  1. Continue to strengthen programs such as Connections, 6:2 Ministry, and Visitation Program to build stronger relationships and promote spiritual growth among members and non-members.
  2. Explore opportunities to reach the Hispanic community.
  3. Better utilize our present building in order to add classroom space.
  4. Evaluate each mission point for which we are the sponsoring congregation.
  5. Have at least one congregational meeting.
  6. Have at least two meetings with the deacons.
  7. Explore new stateside mission.

Long Term Goals

  1. Develop a long range plan for our physical plant.
  2. Have every household visited by one or more elders within the next two years.

–Allen Walker

Is Sponsorship for You?

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Roberta Edwards works tirelessly to help children in Haiti. Through her work she helps to feed children in the Santo Nutrition Center. Those children receive two hot meals a day, five days a week. Those same children are sponsored through the Education Program to have their school tuition, books, and uniform paid for as well. It is vitally important that we continue to find sponsors who will commit to monthly donations to support these programs. Without monthly sponsorships, these children would not be able to continue to go to school or receive the much needed food.

As we are getting into a new year, maybe it is time for you to consider taking on a monthly sponsorship. Our current greatest need is the Education Program. You can sponsor a child’s educational expenses for $35 a month. Those donations can be mailed monthly to the Estes church of Christ or you can set up a recurring automatic donation through our website by clicking here. One time yearly donations are also great. If you are interested or have any questions about sponsorships, please email haitimissions@esteschurch.com and we will be glad to help you get started.

This month we would like to spotlight one of the children who is in the nutrition and education program. Her story is below. If you’d like to make a difference to a child like this, please consider a monthly sponsorship so that this good work can continue for many years to come, and no child will have to be turned away.

From Roberta:

LeeAnn Stuart of Kennett, MO was a part of our Estes medical team last year. She saw one of the children in our nutrition center named Kerlineda Domec. She is 13 years old and had a serious heart defect. Lee Ann left Haiti and never forgot this little girl. She worked and notified the Haiti Cardiac Alliance, which works with the Caridiac Team from Health City in the Caymen Islands.  

One of the hardest problems is the logistics of followup with heart patients and getting them to appointments after identifying the patient’s needs. We were able to help facilitate communication with the medical personnel and Kerlineda and her mom. In October last year, Kerlineda was flown by private plane to the Caymen Islands, where she had a heart catheterization to correct moderate to severe pulmonic stenosis.

After her three week stay in the Caymen Islands, Kerlineda is back in Santo and going to school. She is happy, healthy and so thankful to God for her recovery. Thank you LeeAnn for your love, care and tenacity to make this happen!

 
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Photo of Kerlineda’s mom and Kerlineda after surgery

Estes Echo

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FHU’s Annual Bible Lectureship

Give Us a King: Faith Failure, and Forgiveness in Samuel

One of the greatest marks of the divine inspiration of the Bible is the fact that thousands of years after it was produced it continues to be so applicable to “what’s happening now.” The focus of this year’s FHU Bible lectureship is testimony to that. Note the following quote from the Lectureship brochure:

“The books of Samuel challenge us to live faithfully in the midst of cultural confusion, generational change, and personal failure. These books present a God who reacts decisively to sin, but who stands ever ready to forgive. We observe both the tragic results of an unexamined life and the spiritual victories of those who learn from failure.”

“Cultural confusion, generational change, personal failure.” Does any of that sound relevant to today’s concerns? Indeed, the scriptures speak to what we are called to deal with in our personal lives and in our relationships.

On February 1-5, the FHU Bible Lectureship will bring hundreds of people to Henderson for a rich study of the books of Samuel. It is a great opportunity for us to join them in an examination of the scriptures as we seek to grow in our faith. Feel free to pick up a brochure at the welcome center in the lobby here at Estes and find some of the sessions to attend. See you there!

–Mark Blackwelder

Estes Echo

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Visit to the Bible Lands

This is a brief summary of the recent trip made by a group of 20 pilgrims to Greece and Israel, led by our capable guides Mark and Dana Blackwelder.

In Athens we visited the Acropolis, a high rocky hill upon which the remains of several ancient structures stand, including the Parthenon – the old temple of the city’s patron goddess Athena. When the apostle Paul was in Athens over 19 centuries earlier, “his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols” (Acts 17:16). From atop the Acropolis, viewing the city’s myriad (tightly compacted) buildings and houses, it’s hard not to share the apostle’s deep concern for these precious souls. On the northwest side of the Acropolis, we climbed to the top of the Areopagus (“Rock of Ares”) or Mars Hill, where Paul had delivered his passionate speech about “the unknown God,” pleading for all to repent in view of the coming judgment (Acts 17:19-31). Read more

Estes Echo

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New Members’ Recognition Dinner

newmembersIn Luke 19:10 Jesus reveals His main purpose for coming to this earth: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” He has always been concerned for the lost and he stresses how urgent the harvest continues to be. Jesus says again in John 4:35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!” Before ascending back up to heaven, he gave His disciples that same mission recorded for us in Mt 28:19-20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Jesus was all about saving people and wants His church to be dedicated to that mission as well.

Even though we can always do better and never want to become complacent in our service, it can be very beneficial to reflect how well we performed throughout the past year. We had a wonderful year at Estes in 2014! With 17 new members baptized into Christ and added to His church and 36 new members coming our way, the Lord added a total of 53 new members to the church at Estes just in 2014!

But with success comes a new problem. It’s hard to know who is new and who isn’t! So… the elders have asked the Connections team to coordinate a new members’ dinner to take place after evening services on the 25th. We will take this time to re-introduce ALL of the new members that came our way in 2014. We are asking the entire congregation to support this event and bring potluck dishes, except our new members of course. Just bring yourself and be ready for a fun-filled evening of food, fellowship and introductions.

–The Estes elders

Estes Echo

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Looking Ahead to 2015

If you want to make 2015 a great year, here are a few suggestions.

Do everything with a higher purpose in mind. Be intentional and make decisions with a purpose in mind. Think about the consequences of your actions, and choose wisely before you act. Make a point to make sure your compass is guiding your day, not just the clock. Adopt a “do it now” attitude toward those things that are important but keep getting pushed back. Let the two greatest commandments–love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself–become central to your purpose. Read more

Estes Echo

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Daily Bible Readings for 2015

Why read your Bible every day?

  • To know God better
  • To get wisdom
  • For spiritual nourishment
  • For deeper understanding
  • For instruction
  • For encouragement
  • To endure
  • For hope

Read more

Estes Echo

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A Heavenly Focus amid Holiday Distractions

“All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3)
Well, it is almost here! The day that our children have been anticipating with visions of sugar plums and video games dancing in their heads. The day that has moms frazzled and worn. The day that has dads road-weary and bleary-eyed. Even though the holiday season is a wonderful time for us to be with our families and to share what we have with others, too often we become so wrapped up in the speed and frenzy of getting everything ready, getting everything just right, and purchasing just the right gift, that we forget to keep our focus on spiritual things. Read more

Estes Echo

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What Grief Is

Grief is the normal and natural reaction to loss of any kind.
Grief is the conflicting feelings caused by a change or an end in a familiar pattern of behavior.
Grief is emotional, not intellectual.
Grief is individual, and relates directly to the uniqueness of all human relationships. No two relationships are the same.
Grief is a crisis, and in a crisis we tend to go back to our oldest, longest-held beliefs that relate to dealing with loss of all kinds.
Grief affects each person differently, therefore the application of ideas about grief is different. Read more

Christmas Gifts for Haiti

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In 1998, Roberta started the children’s home when she took in two orphaned boys to live with her.  It has grown over the years and she now has 22 children.   When asked, Roberta strongly proclaims that she does not have an orphanage.
“Our home is a place of love, security and spiritual growth.  We work together to maintain, manage and protect our home.  The older children look out for the younger children.  Everyone has chores and by the time a young person leaves our home, we hope that he/she has life skills and core values necessary to be a successful, productive Christian in today’s world.  We participate in family Bible studies twice a day.  In the mornings we read a chapter in the book of Proverbs and then everyone has to discuss a verse or verses that are particularly important to them.  The evening Bible studies are led by the young men in our home and vary in topic and variety.
The children are home schooled using a popular curriculum from the states.  The children are then tutored in French and Spanish languages.  When a child leaves here, they are exposed to four languages.  Not all children go to college but we do try to help those that want to to go to trade school.
The older children take turns managing the nutrition center for several months at a time.  We have one daughter that does the purchasing of fresh food weekly while another child actually divides and provides necessary items for the cooking in the nutrition center daily.
The children work together to manage our tilapia farm, chicken project where we provide eggs for small business owners and  a needed protein source for the children’s home and the nutrition center.  We have just begun a rabbit project that after 1 year has finally begun to show some promise.  Our rabbits have produced 22 babies in the last three weeks.  We hope to fill yet another protein source for the children’s home and nutrition center.”
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This Christmas you can help support Roberta’s work in Haiti where, among other things, she manages the Children’s Home and the Nutrition Center.  At the Nutrition Center children are fed hot meals everyday when many children in Haiti may only eat a couple of times a week if they are lucky.  These children that come to the nutrition center are also sponsored through the Education Program so they can go to school as well.  Roberta’s work is so important.  You can be a part of this work by choosing from the gifts below.  When you give one of these gifts, you can honor a friend or loved one for Christmas.  They will receive a card detailing the gift you have given in their name.  All you need to do is to include this information when you complete your purchase.  This year, give a gift that matters and will make a difference to a child in need.

$25 – One pair of tennis shoes for a child in the children’s home

$25 – School books for one child      

$25- Eggs for the children’s home for one month                 

$50 – 5 days of milk for all the children at the children’s home                                       

$50 – One 50lb. bag of beans for the nutrition center

$50 – 5 Bibles

$50- 5 Laying hens for the egg selling project

 

When you click below you will be able to complete your purchase.  Include in the notes the specific gift you are choosing, your name/address and the honoree’s name/address.  If you’d like to have the card sent directly to you so that you can present it as a gift, just specify that as well.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email – haitimissions@esteschurch.com or call the Estes Church at 731-989-7990.