Missions Newsletter Fall 2006

“I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (Acts 26: 17 – 18)

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The mission statement of North Shore Community Church is “to know Christ and make Him known.” We trust our mission will be evident to you as you read the pages of this newsletter. The promises of God are true. He has restored our relationship with Himself through His Son’s life, death and resurrection. This relationship brings abundant life to us! We “go into all the world” to share this message. Ros Weiss placed a sign on the inside of the door at church. It reads: “You are now entering the mission field.” It is true. It is everywhere. So please keep reading and enter…you will see.

Our International Missions Banquet was Saturday, October 28. We feasted on cuisines of the world (Each family brought their favorite ethnic dish!) We heard missionary Jeff Singerman from Benin and 2 church planters here on Long Island.

Benin Mission Trip - - Answered Prayer and Open Doors

 Last February, North Shore Community Church sent a team to Benin, West Africa on a missions trip with The Jesus Film Project. Benin is a small country nestled between Togo and Nigeria. It is the birthplace of voodoo, was at the center of the slave trade, and still is a country where over 50% of the people, of all classes, are ensnared in the voodoo religion. Pastor John Yenchko, John Morken and Christy Maasbach, along with three representatives from The Jesus Film, accompanied Campus for Christ representatives in showing The Jesus Film at various locations to the Ayizo tribes people.

Prior to going, our church prayed that we would have opportunities to share the good news, that God would open doors, and that hearts might be changed. We prayed for invitations to speak with people of all classes and positions. We prayed that we would have opportunities to meet and encourage both missionaries and local church leaders. Our prayers were answered beyond all expectations.

Two (among many) stories illustrate how God answered prayers and opened doors. Devoukanmey is a small Ayizo village an hour or so from the city of Cotonou. Baptist missionary Jeff Singerman and a local Baptist pastor had been allowed to build a small church in Devoukanmey. Built of mud in a clearing near a dirt road, on our last Sunday John Morken had the privilege of preaching in this church.

That night The Jesus Film was scheduled to be shown in the clearing in front of the church, under the stars. John, David Livingston, from The Jesus Film Project, and a translator, Christopher, had spent the better part of the afternoon visiting members of the Ayizo tribe who live a short walking distance from the church. Returning to the area where the film would be shown, John and David were looking forward to talking with people as they arrived. Instead, they were asked by members of Campus for Christ to go with them to see the head chief, who lived a mile or so away.

Walking down a dirt road, we passed a large group of Ayizo getting ready for a funeral. We then walked past an empty "medical clinic." We learned that the buildings had been erected with American funds, but there were no matching funds from the country of Benin itself, which were to have been used to purchase medical equipment and to hire doctors and nurses. The closest medical facility of any kind is an hour's drive. Further down, we cut off the dirt road on a small path and came to an Ayizo village.

As we entered it, Christopher pointed out on one side where there was a rounded hut, used for voodoo worship. He also pointed out several "shrines" along the path, which he said were “voodoo.” When we arrived, we were met by the old village chief himself. He was furious! No one had bothered to ask him permission to show The Jesus Film, so he strictly forbad it.

For the next thirty minutes the members of Campus attempted to persuade the chief to allow the film to proceed. They apologized for failing to come to him, and suggested that only one reel be shown that night and the remaining reels would be shown the following night, with flyers to go out in the meantime advertising it, and indicating that the chief had given permission. The chief still refused. At that point, David turned to me and said, “John, what are we going to do?” I replied, “Pray!”

A few minutes later, David suddenly stood up and asked Christopher to translate for him. David bowed to the chief very low, and expressed our deep regret for failing to come to him for permission. David assured the chief that it would never happen again. He commended him for his leadership in the community. David then asked the chief whether he could pray. The chief said, “Yes.” David proceeded to pray mightily, but not that God would persuade the chief to allow us to show the film. He did not even mention the film. Instead he thanked God the Father, creator of all the universe, for His many blessings, and in particular for blessing this community with wise and strong leaders, such as the chief.

When he finished, the chief, with a big smile, told David that we could proceed with the film that night, as well as the next night. He then turned and walked down to where I was, placed his hands on both my shoulders, with his face inches away from mine, and asked, “When are you going to come and visit me?” I told him that I was sorry, that I had to leave in a couple of days to go back to America, but I promised that would return the following year and would come to visit him and his village. The chief then said his goodbyes, jumped on a motorbike, and went off to the voodoo funeral we had passed on the road.

The Jesus Film did show that night, the Spirit moved, and dozens of people responded. The following day was our last in Benin. Up until then each day was spent with the Ayizo, who are farmers. North Shore is also sponsoring the translation of the Jesus Film into the Gen Gbe language, which is the language spoken by the Mina people, a tribe which lives along the shore in Benin and Togo, and are fishermen. We wanted to spend at least part of the day visiting some of the Mina people, praying for them and for the making of the film. Parfait, Director of Campus for Christ in Benin, missionaries Jeff and Barbara Singerman, and members of our team took two vehicles and drove west along the coast towards Togo.

Turning off on a dirt road, we eventually came within walking distance of a Mina Village along the shores of Lake Aheme. We walked through the village, greeting people as we went. When we came to the lake, we stood in a circle. Soon we were surrounded by Mina villagers. Pastor John suggested that we sing, and we sang several rousing choruses. John then asked if they had any prayer requests. There were several. One elderly woman said that the fishing had been bad, and she asked that we pray for “good fishing.” We did; we prayed, going around the circle in English and in Fon.

When we had finished praying, one young man spoke up: “Would you please come back here and start a church? We need a church.” Others joined in this request. We responded with a loud, “Yes!” That is what we wanted to hear more than Soon we were surrounded by Mina villagers. Pastor John suggested that we sing, and we sang several rousing choruses. John then asked the Mina present if they had any prayer requests. There were several. One elderly woman said that the fishing had been anything else, an invitation to come with the Gospel and to start a church, indeed, many churches, among the Mina people. God is working!

Almenara Baseball Camp, Brazil

Dec-Jan 2006 I teamed up with Addison Quale to assist him with starting a baseball camp for young boys and girls at Almenara, Brazil. We trained coaches (high school aged girls and boys) on the basics of baseball for a week. Addison started the day with scripture and prayer. I taught baseball skills with hard practice sessions everyday. We finished the day with prayer.

We made a strong effort to show the young teens the importance of scripture and prayer. Baseball was used as tool to help the teens learn and practice what we read in scriptures. We wanted them to models for the young children who they were going to lead and coach. There were 8 teams of children- 4 teams for boys and 4 teams for girls. There were 12 children on each team. We had over 100 children show up. The ages were approximately 9 to 13. I learned much about the culture of Almenara and a few words in Portuguese! The love we demonstrated came from God and He was indeed glorified during our stay in Brazil.

Dennis Gagnon

Prayer needs in Benin include:

(1) For the church in Benin generally

(2) For the follow-up work to Operation Jericho, a large scale outreach in Cotonou held in August, sponsored by Campus Crusade (Campus for Christ) from several western African countries (our Church helped sponsor this outreach financially)

(3) That the Ayizo people may become a Christian tribe, which can be a light to the rest of the country

(4) Translation of the Jesus Film into the Gen Gbe language, and for dissemination of The Jesus Film throughout Benin

(5) Follow-up work in areas where The Jesus Film has been shown, so that people who had heard the gospel may be discipled and can grow spiritually

(6) Training of pastors, so that the huge needs of the churches for leadership and spiritual direction will be met through pastors’ conferences and Bible school, and in particular, for the preparation of a pastor’s conference in which we will participate by sending Pastor John Yenchko

(7) For the country itself, which has been so crippled by idolatry and corruption; and

(8) For our church's next mission trip to Benin.

Overseas and mission outreach in Uganda, Sudan and Brazil

Besides our focus on Benin, North Shore is also supporting missions work in Uganda, Sudan and Brazil.

In Uganda, Dr. Pamela Brown-Peterside, PhD, serves with World Harvest Mission in the remote area of Bundibugyo. Dr. Peterside, a well-known public health expert from New York City, assists in administering the Kwejuni Project, a program to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies.

This prayer request comes from Dr. Peterside in her recent news/prayer letter:

"Please PRAY for all those who have HIV/AIDS in Bundibugyo, including the newborns and infants of our mothers, that we would be able to identify them, follow them up, and get them into care, if they need it. Also PRAY for a steady supply of ARV drugs to come here and for people living with AIDS to be treated with love and dignity & PRAY that they would come to know the hope that there is in Jesus."

"Whatever you do for the least of these my little ones, you have done for me."

Southern Sudan

Dennis and Diane Bennett of Stony Brook, Long Island head up Servant's Heart. In this very troubled area of the world, Servant's Heart has been a ray of hope, providing extensive aid to the people of southern Nile and eastern upper Nile of South Sudan. Aid has included emergency food relief, seed and agricultural tools, clothing and blankets, water wells, assistance with schools and medical care, as well as pastor training and church support.

Church Plants

The North Shore Community Church is excited to support two mission churches launched this year -- one in Southampton and the other in Forest Hills, Queens. John Yenchko serves as a coach to both church planters and we have committed $25,000 to each church over the next few years.

Southampton church planter Mark Middlekauf writes: The Spirit of God is Stirring in the Hamptons! Followers of Christ in the Hamptons are extremely excited about Christ Church Southampton - our new church plant. Why are they excited? They have experienced the life-transforming power of the gospel of grace, and they desire to see an awakening take place among the 48,000 year-round members of this community - an awakening that will reach back into the city of New York and then the world. Already we have two community groups that meet at members' houses during the week for Bible study, encouragement, prayer and evangelism. The Spirit of God is actively moving within our groups. We are growing in love for God and neighbor.

Do you know someone who lives in the Hamptons? Please refer them to us, or better yet, e-mail us their contact information and we will let them know we are here. Do you know someone who might like to support us? Please send us an e-mail by going to our "E-mail" page at http://www.christchurchsouthampton.org. We hope that you will consider joining our group in one way or another.

Forest Hills Church planter Michael Kytka writes: Reaching central Queens with the gospel of Jesus Christ will have an impact on New York City and, consequently the United States and the world. The cultural center of central Queens is Forest Hills, a community only 20 minutes away from Manhattan by subway or car. It is a thriving neighborhood with approximately 70,000 persons in central Queens. Located north of Forest Park and southwest of Flushing Meadows -- Corona Park, the site of the 1939 and 1964 world fairs and the annual U.S. Open tennis tournament it is the "Civic Center" of Queens.

Queens could be the most diverse place in the world. The nations are in Queens, and in a very real sense, if we can reach Queens we are reaching the world. Its inhabitants represent 117 nationalities and speaks scores of languages. Like Paul and other missionaries, we are seeking to be "Center" and commissioned by Christians outside the target area. Therefore we invite you to join our network with like-minded believers to support us in this work here. Check us out at http://www.ascensionforesthills.org.

Missions in the U.S.

North Shore's missions' outreach begins at home, here on Long Island, New York, and in the northeast. The outreach includes Nina Yenchko serving on the staff of Long Island Youth for Christ, and John Morken serving on YFC's board. It also includes financial support for LIYFC, with a focus on the campus of the Syosset High School and development of a Bible Club there.

We also support, through prayer, finances and otherwise, two church plants, one in Queens and one on the east end of Long Island, and also Ali White and Marcia Buchanan, with Disciple Makers, a university campus Christian outreach program in Pennsylvania.

A letter from Ali White and Marsha Buchanan: DiscipleMakers

Dear NSCC friends,

October marks one year that we’ve lived in PA. In 2006, we finished raising support and began our full-time work with DiscipleMakers. At the headquarters, while streamlining old projects and getting new projects off the ground, we’ve learned much about servanthood – going to unreasonable lengths to show others the same love and grace that Christ shows us. We’ve also started our campus training at Penn State University, doing outreach, leading evangelistic Bible studies and meeting with students for regular, one-on-one discipleship. The Savior Reigns... and it's NOT me! 

If I had to sum up what I’ve learned this year, it would be that the Savior’s name is Jesus, not Ali! Through relationships, conflict, and persistent failure, God has faithfully reminded me that I’m not perfect and I can’t make things perfect. All in all, I’ve wanted to be the Savior - the one on the throne. Thankfully, Christ is seated there and is helping sinners like me to trust in Him to do the fixing.

As He frees me to look to Christ (and not myself) for salvation, God is also graciously using me to help others do the same! I’ve had the privilege of starting an evangelistic Bible study with Kristin, a freshman from NJ. God has blessed our efforts as we study Romans, discovering His true gospel of righteousness through Christ. Intelligent, sweet, and propelled by a passion to serve God at PSU, Kristin has joined me in reaching out to her hallmates, and has been meeting with me weekly to study and apply the Word. It’s a delight to invest in someone so committed to growing as a disciple of Christ!

God is also growing me through my work at the DM office where I help to organize staff and student conferences and do other strategic planning. I’m thrilled to serve behind the scenes to advance the ministry as a whole! God has used my failures to deepen my dependence on Him and my desire for unity with my teammates. I’ve learned that “feedback” and “draft” are NOT bad words, but are incredibly helpful and necessary for growth! I am in awe of the opportunities the Lord gives me to labor for Him. From neighbors to students to churches, God is making Himself known, and I am thankful to be part of it!

A Light in the Darkness  by Marsha Buchanan

It’s a “haughty cesspool of every foul thing!” Though used to describe the city of Rome during the time that Paul wrote Romans, the above quote from Henry H. Halley can also accurately describe the campus at Penn State University. Full of “every foul thing”, Penn State is a collection of overconfident men and women who are lost in more ways than just getting to class. Sadly, the college campus is full of “the acts of the sinful nature”: sexual immorality, lust, idolatry, envy, greed, jealousy, hatred, fits of rage, selfish ambition, drunkenness and filthy language. The list goes on.

Sound familiar? But there is hope. Paul had a vision for reaching the church in Rome, in the hopes that it would partner with him in taking the gospel to the world. Similarly, it is my hope and prayer that God would use me to reach many women at PSU who will take the gospel to the world. One such student, Katie, was one student I had hoped to invest in this semester. Discovering that she was transferring to Messiah College, I was disappointed but knew that God was still in control. The next day, I received an email from her...“Wrong Katie. I didn’t transfer!” Katie was excited to meet with me and, on her own accord, even suggested that we do some one-on-one Bible study together!

Praise God for the ways that He works beyond our expectations! God is preparing me through much intense Bible study with other staff. This semester, students in Penn State’s Christian Fellowship are doing an in-depth study of Romans, during weekly meetings and evangelistic Bible studies. Together we hope to gain a better grasp of the Gospel – that righteousness for sinners comes from Christ alone.

Serving the Lord with you, Marsha & Ali