A Ministry to Refugees in the Country of Georgia

Missionary John Doroshuk reports that Rusa has been in Cerovaniwhich, 20 kl from Tbilisi. They visited the place where new housing is being built for refugees from the Ckhinvali region.

The government is assisting for these people before winter sets in, to move them from tents to houses. However, the people do not have furnishings nor appliances. The ministry provided some small furniture -- tables, chairs, and beds.

Also, they visited a tent-town in Gori and distributed towels, sheets, pillows and other necessities. People are in mush distress. They are cold. They cannot send their children to school. And when the ministry brought them gifts, they took them quickly.

Additional needs were documented. Mostly they need cloth and hygiene supplied. All of them have physiological problems.

Thank you to everyone who has helped. If you feel impressed to help in some way, contact missionary John Doroshuk at mincoordinator@attglobal.net.

What Is The Best Method of Growing Your Church?

As far as I know, there isn't just one method that will make a church grow. Church growth is primarily a result of church health.

Another huge factor is your demographics. It is easier to grow churches in dense areas of population verses in areas with less people.

One of the best books ever written on church growth was The Purpose Driven Church by Pastor Rick Warren. It deals with all of the basic principles for growing a church. Here is a short summary of the book:

- First, you must turn your community into a crowd.
- Secondly, you must turn that crowd into a congregation. (Get them to visit a worship service.)
- Thirdly, turn the congregation into a committed group.
- And finally, turn the committed into a core group of volunteers and leaders.

On a different note, probably the two key departments in your church that effect growth is your music ministry and your children's ministry. Focus on both of these ministries for highest returns on your visitors.

Brian Cutshall has a seminar on DVD called "Structuring Your Church for Growth," that will give you more in depth details on this subject.

Here is the link in case you are interested: Structuring You Church for Growth

Cherokee Legend

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally , after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.