Monday, June 25, 2007

Finally - A Madison Update

June 25, 2007

Hi all,
No good excuses for why I haven't written for a while. Just seems hard to sit down and write lately. Maybe because so much is going on and so little seems settled.

The question of whether or not we will be able to remain at God's House is truly in God's hands. The city zoning office is pestering us, but we know who our real enemy is.

The latest is that we've received a notice from the city stating that we must "Provide information substantiating that the Full Circle Ministries International and the God's House church operations located at the facility at 1103 Jenifer Street are legally incorporated as churches OR Vacate the premises." We are incorporated, but as a Christian mission organization, not as a church.

We are an arm of the church, so it remains to be seen how this will turn out. As for their requiring us to be incorporated as a church, churches are not required to be incorporated, so I don't see how that can hold up. However, I suppose we would have to go to court to prove them wrong. !!???!!

They have requested we meet with them tomorrow afternoon, Monday, June 25, at 4:00 in the City County Building. The head of the Zoning commission, the local police, our Alderperson, our landlord and, hopefully, the Pastor of God's House will be able to join us. Please pray that he'll have the childcare he needs to free him to be there.

Also please pray that I'll be at peace and able to speak as the Lord wills. Pray that this will all be resolved according to God's plans.

In the meantime we have begun a new work in an area of ministry that has been growing in my heart: healing the land. Richard volunteered to bring crews of volunteers under his direction to weed, trim and clean up a few city parks that the city cannot afford to care for. These parks are in our new Marquette neighborhood, mostly at the ends of streets along the lakeshore. They have already removed over 20 bags of weeds and debris from 2 parks and made them welcoming places again. We'll continue this through the summer. If any of you locals want to join in just call Richard at the office, 608-251-0555.

FULL CIRCLE ARTS COMMUNITY

I've shared with some of you that for quite a while now the Lord has been pressing me to get back into drawing and painting and other forms of art work. He has recently filled in the picture a bit more and is leading us to form a Christian Arts Community in Madison.

We are currently looking for inexpensive studio space either in the Willie Street area near our offices or on the south side near my home and on a bus line. Either location would make it easier for me to take time to see what God would have me do in the Arts. I have three others who are definitely interested and we will form a beginning core.

Please pray especially for an affordable studio space that we can quickly occupy as Cathy, one of our very gifted artist friends needs space for teaching portrait drawing asap. If you have leads for us or are interested in this ministry yourself, please email or give me a call at 608-577-3264. We are praying that the Lord will provide some patrons who will help fund at least the beginnings of this ministry.

At times I struggle with depression (it seems to be the malady of those in ministry in Madison), so please keep me in your prayers. I know that I am not adequate to lead this ministry and am amazed that God just keeps it going and even growing.

Oh, yeah, a big thanks to a couple of Sandi's who have really blessed us. The Lord sent us a librarian named Sandi who is cataloging our Christian lending library and getting it all in order. Another Sandi, all the way in Georgia, is working on getting our website up and going again. If you check it now you'll see info from 3-4 years ago, but the basic format is there and we'll be learning how to enter in the updated information and photos.

Roger and Richard are fine and we have several other volunteers who jump in on occasion to answer phone, help our visitors, fix computer problems, or bring in just what we need right when we need it.

Roger had a tough start to the day on Wednesday when our internet connection went down. With several waiting to use the internet he was eager to get it up and going again. The power source to our router was fried and not replaceable. We needed new equipment and, praise God, it was given to us that very afternoon! God sent us an "angel" with the answer to our prayer.


The Tuesday outreach on State Street goes on and is bigger than ever. Sure glad to have Lynn back cooking her popular taco salad. Have you ever made taco salad for 100? God bless you Lynn! Amy and Kelly and Dave and the rest of the crew, it is a blessing to work alongside you!

Thank you all for praying for us. So many of you have mentioned that you have been faithful to keep praying even when you didn't know what was happening. It is often when I don't communicate that your prayers are most needed. I am blessed by knowing each one of you and by your willingness to pray for us.

Love from all of us at Full Circle,
Sherry

Youth on Fire set sparks in India and Israel


Curtis will be bringing Emily, Jordan and Emma into India. This is the first team that Curtis has led to India and a first for Full Circle, having a team go without me!! Yeah!! It is far too limiting if teams can go only when I can go.

I'm so pleased that the Lord moved Curtis to take a team this summer and I'm looking forward to wonderful reports of all God is doing through them. Please keep them all in your prayers.

We are so blessed to have such a great team of firey young Christians with a heart and the courage to go where God leads. They know how to worship in the intimate places with their hearts open to God's love and they're learning how to pour that love into the lives of others.

The team will be presenting a Youth Conference, preaching, teaching, giving music and Christian dance lessons, praying, laying on hands for healing, and leading worship in several of Pastor Daniel's churches. They are also expecting to get their hands dirty joining in the construction work on the Agape Family house. They may get to meet our orphan children who are still living near the Bay of Bengal when they take a day at the beach.

The younger team members will be returning home to the USA in mid-July.

Curtis will remain in India and minister with some of our other pastors in other villages in Andhra Pradesh. Please pray especially for a translator to accompany him on his second leg of the journey and for his safety out in the wild National Forest areas.


TAKE NOTE:
Curtis and Emily are now in Jerusalem praying, worshiping and sharing Christ. They'll leave Israel in time to arrive in India on July 4th meeting the rest of the team, Jordan and Emma. Please pray for their safety in Israel, in travel and in India. Temps have been breaking records in Israel this week. Yesterday it was 115 F. Much of their time is to be spent out-of-doors.


Our Indian Christian friends help build the Agape Family House


Many of our brothers and sisters in the church have been helping with the heavy labor work of carrying all the sand, gravel, water, bricks, blocks, etc. Below you see the rock and water barrels and some of those who have been helping with the work. Everything is carried by hand.

You also get a glimpse of the street where the first Agape Family will live.

The house is located right behind Pastor Daniel's home. The back doors adjoin. It will be easy to help the new family adjust while living so close to those who will help them.

1st Agape Family Home reaches 2nd story


Lots of good news on the India front.

The building of our first home for orphans and widows, our Agape Family house is well under way.

Here the Lord will bring Christian widows to live in family as mothers to the tsunami orphans He has given us to care for.

The cement framework for the 1st floor is completed and the 2nd floor framework is near completion. This means that most of the cement is poured and stairs and main walls are all in place. I've included a couple of pictures here so you can see what I mean. It doesn't look like much yet as all the "forms" are still in place.

You can see in the picture at top right where the door from the house will open out onto the church roof. The whole church roof will be a play area for the children and roof garden.

Pastor Daniel is acting as the general contractor and overseer. It is not an easy job to keep the paid workers working in the heat. He said they tend to sit down as soon as no one is watching. Thank God we have several who help watch over the work with him.


Welcome First Nations Peoples!


We had the wonderful privilege of hosting Dr. Iglahliq Suukiina on Wednesday evening, May 9th. Suuqiina, as he is known, spoke on "Restoration of Honor with First Nations Peoples". His message of learning to honor one another and the customs of our cultures that give respect and honor to the leaders of the land is one that truly hit home for us at Full Circle in our new neighborhood.

It was easy to see that we have some of the problems we have because we did not get to know our neighbors and those on the Neighborhood Association before we decided to move in to God's House. It all seemed so simple and intuitive - we were looking for a place to minister and this neighborhood flies a banner that says "A Place for All People". It seemed such a wonderful fit for those of us who minister to people who often aren't accepted by society.

I see now that if we had known the need to be known and accepted by the leadership in this neighborhood before moving in, I think many misunderstandings and problems could have been avoided. I hope that perhaps the Lord will enable us to give honor where it is due even now. It is our hope along with the Marquette Neighborhood folks, that this place be a safe and welcoming place to live and grow.

Thank you, Dr. Suuqiina, for making this clear to us. It was truly a blessing to absorb your teaching. Our hearts are connected with you and you and your wife are in our prayers. We look forward to many more hands extended in brotherhood with our First Nations brothers and sisters around the world.

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