for July 2004

Chris and Kim Foreman will be on mission to Africa. We are leaving on July 20th and will return on August 7th. We will be in Rwanda one week, in Burundi one week, and in Uganda one week. Each of us will be proclaiming the Gospel in classrooms, in auditoriums, in stadiums, and door-to-door. The Spirit of God is moving mightily in this corner of Africa. We are able to witness and preach openly to any and all that will hear our message. And thousands are listening to the Good News of Jesus Christ. This is the leading area for the growth of Christianity in all the world.

We covet your prayers. Of course we want you to pray for our safety and well-being. We do want to return safely to our Liberty ministry in San Francisco. More than this though, pray that God will prepare an open door for our message and pray that we will have the boldness to walk through the open door. Pray for us in the same way that the Apostle Paul asked for personal prayer: “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. [Ephesians 6:19-20]” Amen, Brother Paul!

“I don’t what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future”

This is one of my favorite sayings that is not from the Bible. I like this statement because it speaks to me of my own limitations and ignorance, while at the same time affirming my trust in the omnipotent God.

In regard to my ministry: I don’t know what the future holds for Liberty. I can’t even look ahead one measly second in time. We may grow; we may maintain; or we may disappear. Whatever happens, I do know that my Heavenly Father holds the future in His hands. Jesus reminds us in Matthew, Chapter 10, that His eyes are on the sparrow and surely He will look after his own children. God holds the future of our Liberty Christian Fellowship in His own hands.

Mother Theresa once said, “God has not called us to be successful, but to be faithful”. Our job is to remain faithful to that which God has called us to do.

Pulling together on the oars

We are going to embark upon an experiment. We are going to see what God can do if we all pull together in unison. Do you know that over 70 different people have attended a Liberty service since the beginning of this year? Yet our maximum for a single service is only 25 people. It seems like one week I am pulling hard, the next week you are pulling hard, then the next week some one else is pulling. I have a mental image of a crew team all pulling on their oars. Yet they are rowing out of sync. One person is pulling on one side while another is resting on the other. The result is erratic movement, going forward by fits and starts. What can God do if we all get in synchronization and pull together?

Renew, Rehearse, Revive, and Recalibrate

Our upcoming experiment in church growth is mentioned in John 12:23. Jesus tells us “And I, if I be lifted up, I will draw all people unto myself”. That’s what I am asking all of you to do over the next five months. We will lift together in unity. We will see what God can do. We will witness Jesus Christ drawing His own people to Himself.

Plans of this sort are often set out in phrases and REmembered by REiterating syllables (like RE). So here’s the plan for the next five months:

Phase 1 is REnewal – from now until September 19th. There are vacations, missions, relaxations, and back-to-school. Let us renew ourselves and pledge to “pull together on the oars” when summer is over. We have a retreat and baptism service scheduled for September 18th. That will invigorate us to move ahead.

By the way, if you are interested in being baptized by emersion, please talk with me. It looks like we have three people willing to take the plunge for Jesus.

Phase 2 is REhearsal – from September 20th to October 23rd. We will spend about one month trying out different styles and formats. What can we do better to lift Jesus up? Do you have any suggestions? Whatever it is, I’m listening.

Phase 3 is REvival – from October 24th to January 1st. That’s ten Sundays of focus. These ten Sundays begin with the first anniversary of this “English Ministry”. Can you believe that October 19th will mark one year?

Revival is a time when we really need to pull together on our oars. Can each of us pledge to be present for each of these ten weeks? Can each of us invite at least one person to a service?

I am encouraged. God is doing marvelous things in our midst. To be honest, this is turning out to be a different congregation than I expected, but I am confident that this is the congregation that God expected all along. Each of you reading this newsletter is critical to our success as a ministry that pleases God.

Phase 4 is REcalibration – As 2005 arrives, we will recalibrate to figure out what God wants us to do. I believe that if we are truly faithful to God’s word and if we demonstrate true love toward our neighbors, then Liberty will be unable to keep crowds of people away.

Phase 5 is REward – Well, actually, this phase takes place hereafter when you hear God say to you “'Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness”. Hey, I’m looking forward to that day. Aren’t you?

Oh yeah, we also have a motto. “God alive in oh-five”.