But there is good news, too. Half of the churches Herode works with were affected by the earthquake last January, when the city of Port-au-Prince was almost totally destroyed, and over 250,000 people were killed, but five collapsed churches have already been rebuilt with the help of short term missions trip volunteers. (Missions Door partnered with Delta Ministries International to mobilize and provide relief teams from North American churches, who helped in construction projects and assisted tent city families with medical and humanitarian help and shelter). There are now eleven active churches since the earthquake, and over 1000 people have accepted the Lord Jesus and become church members. 

Another ministry started in Victory Church is "We Care for Kids" where camp children get education (many of the poor families lost everything and cannot afford to pay the fees for their kids to attend school, so their kids live in the squalid camps without school and little or no supervision), but also they hear the Word of God. The first day there were about 50 kids, increasing day by day to about 150; twenty-one of them accepted Christ as Savior as of November. The kids also get a meal. After "school" the team prepared the church for painting - the last phase of church "rehab" which is ready to reopen. One volunteer team testified about their group who came to Haiti last June, that they were "humbled and encouraged to see all the ways God opened doors for their team to serve with computers, electrical repairs, medical clinics, rubble cleanup, children's ministry, prayer walking, sharing the Gospel....etc."  Herode asked us to continue to pray to keep advancing God's Kingdom and influencing Haiti for Christ. God has provided great opportunity!  

One added story that just occurred yesterday that I would like to share with you.  Ted, one of the men in our small group Bible study was laid off from his job a number of months back and is now working as a car salesman in a local dealership.  He is a young believer and he and I meet regularly for coffee and review Scripture verses together and just get to know each other better.  He asked our study group that we pray for him that he start selling more cars.  So we’ve been praying.  Just yesterday I attended a GEM office prayer meeting and while speaking to a close GEM colleague, Bryan.  I learned that he was desperate to buy a used car NOW!  I wrote down the name of the dealership and told Bryan, “Go here and ask for Ted.  He’s one of the most honest men on the lot and he’ll work for you!”  Last night Bryan phoned and he excitedly told me about the “sweet deal” he got on a great car and that Ted was awesome!  It was a win-win situation as a) Bryan bought a reliable car in record time, b) Ted can see God answering prayer in his life, and c) God arranged my encounter with Bryan at just the right moment.  I am encouraged to see how God answers prayers.  Keep praying for Ted too.

Thank you for your faithfulness and encouragement to us.  We are deeply honored to have you standing with us!

You are invited to join us as we celebrate “Christmas Is…” – a special event we will be holding here at Bridges. It’s going to be an incredible evening of delicious food, sparkling lights, fun music, and time with friends around the table. Over the course of the evening we’ll be looking at many of the things that make Christmas such a special time of year, including the simple message of the birth of Christ. This is a great opportunity to reach out to friends and family and co-workers. Tickets are $20 per person and are available on Sunday mornings in the lobby and through the church office during the week.

Friday, December 10, 7:00 pm

Saturday, December 11, 6:00 pm

FAQs

“Why is it costing $20 per person?”

Most of the $20 will go toward the meal itself. We are having an outside caterer prepare an incredible dinner for us. We promise you it will not be your typical “church dinner.”

“What will actually be happening during the evening?”

The dinner/program will last approximately 2 ½ hours. The evening will intersperse times of Christmas music with times for you to simply enjoy conversation around your table with your guests as you eat a delicious three course meal – salad, entrée, and dessert. The evening will end with a short, more focused time together as we sing Christmas carols and hear a simple message about the true meaning of Christmas.

“Why are we doing this type of program instead of a Christmas concert?”

Our goal for the Christmas Dinners is purely outreach. We want to provide the opportunity for the guests you bring to be exposed to three things:

• Christ – In a very nonthreatening way, we will present very clearly and simply that we believe Christ was God’s Son, sent to earth for us (that’s what Christmas is all about!) and they will be challenged to investigate further how Christ relates to their lives.
• Christians – (1) We want to provide an opportunity for you to build your relationship with your guests and especially to add or deepen the spiritual side of that relationship. And (2) we want them to see that Christians (us!) are great people – fun, pleasant, polite, talented, caring, etc.
• The Church – Even though a gym is not the ideal place to hold a really nice dinner, and it will be a lot of work getting the stage & lights & sound system set up, we will be having the dinners here so our guests can take that first step of simply walking onto our campus. Coming to the dinners will take away that first hurdle and help them see that it’s okay here – nothing scary or weird (we hope!).

“Should I really risk bringing guests to this?

Yes! We hope you will trust us when we say this is going to be a wonderful evening. It will be a lot of fun and we are working hard to make everything as excellent as possible. Those who come to this type of program for the first time come expecting some kind of church dinner, Christmas music, and a message of some kind from the pastor. We are working hard to exceed your expectations in all of those areas!

The Bengali ministry has seen a breakthrough; Nicholas has baptized some believers that surprised him with their bold step to Christ. One woman testified that she had stolen a Bible and thereby came to know Jesus. Her parents strongly objected, but she is standing firm. Others have torn down and disposed of their Hindu gods. A special prayer request: violence and labor unrest are worsening in this area, affecting the school built by the ministry, and many people were also impacted by a cyclone that destroyed their homes, and hail that destroyed crops.

From March to May more than 100 baptisms occurred in their Tea Plantation Ministry, and 100 more are awaiting baptism due to the efforts of pastors and evangelists in villages served by this ministry. On May 16, Nicholas Narjinary baptized 14 new believers himself and 50 more are getting ready for baptism.