Outreach
SHCC Supports The Following Missions
Please pray for these missions. SHCC financially supports these missions through our church budget. So every time you give a tithe or offering, YOU are helping to share Christ with others. THANK YOU!
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Community Youth - Ex. Vacation Bible School
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Food Pantry
Crossroads Missions
Missions Update
The Mission held it's Christmas dinner on December 19th. Over 120 people came for food bags, loaves of love, stockings filled with candy, a hot ham meal, toys and Bibles. Each person received something to take home. Your gifts of food, finances and faithful servants* helped us to give to the elderly, young, abused and homeless. Thank you!
*Faithful servants - Gloria and Jim Small, Karla Cafarelli and Rory George.
Matt & Holly Melton - ASU Campus
Missions Update
We are excited to share a major milestone:
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Disciple to Disciplemaker has been successfully translated into Spanish and is already bearing fruit on the mission field. Members of our church translated and edited the book so that Matt could format it and send it to print. Our church purchased 250 copies to take to Costa Rica to train the congregation at Calvary Chapel Palabra Viva.
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With a vision to multiply and plant 20 new churches, Calvary Chapel Palabra Viva recognized a critical need for intentional discipleship training, and we are honored to partner with them in this mission. We ask for your continued prayers that God will use this newly translated resource to equip and multiply disciple-makers throughout the global Spanish-speaking community.
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Personal Update :
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As summer comes to a close, our family is shifting gears back into school and ministry routines, and we would love your prayers during this season of transition!
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Please pray for Matt to have wisdom and clear priorities as he dives back into his website projects following his sabbatical. For Holly, please pray for a smooth transition from Phoenix Seminary to Talbot, and for patience as she waits for clarity on her next steps. We'd also appreciate prayers for the kids: for Carter as he navigates the added responsibilities and homework of middle school, and for Briella, that she would find genuine joy in learning (even though her favorite subject right now is socializing!).
Thank you for your prayers and financial support over the summer. We are continually humbled by the Lord’s faithful provision as we trust and serve Him.
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From Erik & Terri Powell - Scriptures in Use
Missions Update
Fruitfulness
Lately, I have been thinking about this statement, "'God doesn't give you an assignment so you can perform it for the world. God gives you an assignment so you can steward it with devotion...whether the world notices it or not. Assignment can be lonely...especially in the early stages when the fruit isn't visible yet and nobody around you fully understands why you're building the way you are building. But...let me remind you...over time...the fruit tells
the truth." (Matt Gottesman)
Last Tuesday night, I completed my sixth year of ministry working for ELLA (English Language Learning for Adults) as their Bible storyteller and curriculum writer. My life has been so blessed by the 90+ women coming from 18 countries who have passed through our program over these years. As I sat at our closing ceremony squished between my two Iraqi friends on one side and my dear Somali friend on the other, I couldn't help but smile at what God has done in all our lives to bring us to this place of trust and deep friendship.
During the ceremony, Lubna, an Iragi woman shared with the audience that her favorite Bible story to memorize had been the story of A Tree and It's Fruit' from Luke 6:43-45
NIRV...
A good tree doesn't produce bad fruit. And a bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. You can tell each tree by the kind of fruit it produces. People do not pick figs from thorns. And they
don't pick grapes from bushes. A good man says good things. These come from the good that is stored up in his heart. An evil man says evil things. These come from the evil that is stored up in his heart. A person's mouth says everything that is in their heart.
Interestingly, on the day told this story in class one of the quieter Syrian ladies shouted out, "I love this story. It is so true. It's such a good story."
have thought a lot about this story in past weeks. As followers of Jesus our words and actions matter immensely...especially for those who have never been exposed to the Word of God. We need to pay attention... unbelievers are watching how we live. They are watching how we love. How we pray. How we deal with anxiety, stress and frustration. The words we say and those we don't say. How we respond when it's inconvenient. They are watching how we treat people, even those who can offer nothing in return. Anyone can quote wisdom but not everyone lives from it. My students are watching, your children are watching, the world is watching, but most importantly the Lord is watching. May the Holy Spirit's work in us bear much fruit so the harvest will be great.
Blessings, Teri and Erik
Elise Burk - Ethnos 360
Missions Update
Dear Sonoita Hills Community Church,
Thank you so much for joining my support team! You are such a blessing to me. I enjoyed being able to share with and interact with y'all, and I'm so glad God has led you to partner with me as he works to reach the unreached people on His heart. May you be deeply and richly blessed!
~ Elise Burk
Global Training Network - Ron & Shar Rushing.
Missions Update
Greetings in the Name of Jesus,
In July, we had a family picture taken by a professional photographer. Our last one was taken before Ciara (the youngest grandchild) was born. So we wanted to make sure all family members were included in our family picture. We went to a local park, on a hot and humid afternoon, and took a bunch of pictures. We wanted to share our family with you. It is such a blessing to have our children and their families living in the area around us. We have the opportunity to see them and have input into their lives, as well as their input into our lives. We give thanks to God constantly for this blessing.
Two days after the picture was taken, my sister Donna went to be with Jesus. We know where she is! And we rejoice that she is no longer in any pain and enjoying the fruit of her faith. Our hearts were saddened. I have had 3 sisters and one brother proceed us in death, as well as both parents. It makes me realize that life on earth is short but that eternity is forever. It keeps me focused on finishing well - being steadfast in the Lord, knowing that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. I remember learning very early in my Christian growth that only two things in this life last forever - the Word of God and the souls of men. So, I choose to focus on those things as long as God allows me to continue in this life.
School started for the grandkids. We have a 11th grader, 6th grader, 3rd grader, and 2nd grader. All are at Cornerstone Christian School here in Bellevue. Shar and I volunteer one day a week at school to help with lunch duty as well as helping drive classes to different events. I am scheduled to speak in elementary chapel this semester. Shar helps Stephanie with preparing materials to be used in class.
Ministry continues onward. I just finished teaching Introduction to Bible Study in Yangon at Myanmar Bible College. They have asked me to teach more classes next semester but only have 3 in each of those classes. I am still willing to help regardless of class size. I had a few people volunteer to teach at Faith Theological College and Seminary (FTCS). I am still working on filling out the teacher list for the remainder of the school year. Please continue praying for this. But it has been a bit more encouraging. I am also finishing up preparations to teach Homiletics in Pakistan starting in September. Additionally, a local mission organization has asked for my advice in developing worldwide staff training. They want to do more training with their staff from their Omaha office. They feel that I may be able to help them because of my experience teaching via zoom. I am scheduled to do some initial consultation next week.
I have also tried sending funds through various means to meet the needs of those in Myanmar. But Satan or spiritual warfare (using the USPS) appears to be hindering this. I send a check by Priority Mail to a contact in Denver so that they could send to Myanmar. It took 10 days for the contact to receive the mail by priority mail from Omaha (a 2 day trip at most). A few days after I sent the first Priority mail, I sent another one to Dallas (again a two day event normally). After 3 weeks, it still had not arrived. I made numerous calls to the Post Office on both the Priority Mails and visits to the Post Office. Post office personnel said the second one must have been put in a box “out of the way” in Iowa somewhere. This concerns me GREATLY that the USPS can’t seem to deliver Priority Mail in a timely manner, and even lose it!!!! When a check is that late, I put a stop payment on it because I assume it is lost or stolen. I have had to put three stop payments on checks over the past 3 months and resend them. All of this has caused me great concern and has greatly hindered getting aid to people in need. It took a month but I finally got another check delivered to Dallas just yesterday. Please be in prayer that God will pave the way for funds to be delivered to His children in need.
Praises: 1. Our garden has done very well and we have seen an abundance of produce (beans, peas, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes). Really a blessing to have and eat home grown veggies!!! 2. Stephanie and I have built a “tree” house for the grandkids (see partially finished tree house above). 3. We have the joy of living in an air conditioned home in the midst of hot, humid summers. 4. Our salvation is secure in Jesus and we know we are forgiven and eternally His. 5. More teachers have volunteered to help in Myitkyina (but keep praying)
Prayer Requests: 1. Our grandson Liam is in the bottom 2% in height of his age group. Please pray for health providers and family as we incorporate interventions that will facilitate his growth to a normal height and good health. 2. Shar’s blood pressure has been up but medication has it under better control. She is seeing a cardiologist and undergoing various tests. 3. Please pray for more teachers at Faith Theological College and Seminary. 4. Pray for funds that I send overseas to be able to get there in a timely fashion.
Our prayers continue with you ALWAYS!!!
In Christ,
Ron and Shar