Blog

When a fellow church member asked me several years ago to volunteer at Care Net Pregnancy Center as a counselor, my first response was “No … I can’t possibly counsel a pregnant teen … I have never even been pregnant … How can I possibly help?” 

My hesitance was reversed when I learned that Care Net provided training for volunteers.  I realized that if Care Net was willing to take a chance on me, I would be willing to serve.

You see, my serving through Care Net has brought me full circle. I can look back now and see how God has transformed me throughout my walk with Him. How God used my past experiences to shape how I now serve Him.

When I was 17, with no gospel foundation, I took a friend for a pregnancy test.  She was not in a stable relationship, she was young, and she was afraid. But after she tested positive, I, in all my youthful wisdom, I “counseled” my friend to have an abortion. 

By God’s grace, she absolutely could not.  And now, 37 years later, I’ve witnessed my friend’s devotion as a single parent and I am blessed to know her beautiful daughter, who is happily married with 3 young daughters of her own. I stand in awe of God’s plan for my friend and for me, knowing this could have been a very different story. 

Care Net has thousands of stories about women, men, and children whom they have loved, served, counseled and stood alongside. Stories like Ricardo’s:

"My fiancé and I had our first baby; I was excited and nervous because we had little income and I didn’t have a stable job.  She had heard about Care Net’s services and we went to check it out.  We were glad to hear about the Earn While You Learn program, where you can spend as little as 30 minutes to an hour or 2, learning about pregnancy, birthing, and parenting, while earning money to buy (very inexpensive) diapers, clothes, and baby supplies.  My fiancé “ran away”, leaving me with our 2 month old son.  I love my son, and want the best for him, and so I continue to take classes and have fellowship with Care Net.  They have helped me so much to care for and raise my son."

I have now volunteered at Care Net for 5 years. I have witnessed many couples with happy stories; they are glad to be pregnant and receive our services.  I have also witnessed not-so-happy stories…women of all ages experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, not sure of their future, but through God’s grace, relentlessly pursue having a child and, either being a single parent, or releasing them for adoption, they choose LIFE as God intended. 

My story is full circle.  From a naïve 17-year-old, full of false wisdom, to a dedicated servant of the Lord, assisting young women and men to make Godly decisions in the place I was least prepared to. How has God used YOU where you least expected it? 

Click here for more information about Care Net and volunteer opportunities or contact JoAnn. 

“... I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  ~Mt. 16:18

“... the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

                                              ~ Lk. 17:21

Christ came into the world to re-establish His kingdom. Although His kingdom is “not of this world”, yet He came into the world to do His kingdom work here. He is reclaiming what is His ... and transforming lives in the process. He works in human hearts, families, communities, and particularly through His Church. 

What a privilege to be a part of that work!  We have seen Him changing lives in 2018! Let’s rejoice, in the ways that He has been willing to use us. Let’s celebrate, as He works in our going out, our bringing in, and in our building up.

Here are a few of the highlights from this year:

Shine Partnership

As we continue to be drawn into deeper relationships with teachers and families at A. Montoya through our Shine school partnership we have had the privilege of praying teachers, parents and kids through hard times, getting food into the hands of kids in food-unstable homes, and even providing assistance to a teacher in need of running water. We have learned so much from our hard-working teachers and parents. We have watched children share the good news of the gospel with one another in the library. Throughout the year, God has provided the means with which to bless teachers with needed supplies, a child with glasses he required, tons of kids with books, and some families with necessities. 

God has often given us the opportunity to encourage and speak truth into people’s lives because they are now our friends.  He has blessed us as well, through the encouragement they have given us, and through the investment of their friendship.  Our hearts are being continually woven closer together, all to God’s glory.

The Villa Santa Maria

The Lord has really flung open the doors to our relationship with the Villa Santa Maria.  The Villa is a residential treatment community for children, located right here in Cedar Crest.  While we have had the privilege of being asked to meet with individual residents there for Bible study over the years, the end of 2017 and this year saw the doors open for us to meet with as many as 5 boys and 4 girls in two groups!  We are also getting to better know and encourage the staff.  They are sharing prayer requests with us and inviting us to take part in celebrations, mediations, and conversations!  One child from the Villa was baptized in conjunction with her parents’ visit over the summer.  And we have met with staff to ask about how to better lead Bible study and discussions with this audience.  We learn so much from this community, and are humbled by the care-givers (some believers and some not) who invest so much of themselves.  While transformation tends to come slowly, the whole community has allowed us to take a little part in it, and we see God regularly at work in them and in us. 

Our hearts are being continually woven closer together, all to God’s glory.

Missions

In 2015, we originally sent two MCC elders to Ethiopia to train pastors and evangelists with Training Leaders International.  The training was received with joy and enthusiasm, as church leaders there learned to more capably handle God’s Word, and how to study it for themselves.  And as these Elders worked with the African leaders who so love the Lord, they were blessed by their infectious spirit.  Though these interactions, the Lord opened the door for us to partner with local missionaries to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to unreached people groups in southern Ethiopia.  The MCC Missions Team investigated the opportunity, and we supported one national missionary in 2017.  This year, we began to support four local missionaries in this work of taking Christ where His name is not known.

A third elder, Vince, has connections and has served the Lord in well-drilling and evangelism in the jungles of Peru.  These, too, are opportunities to work with unchurched tribes.  In the past year, this work has expanded to include our support of a traveling evangelist.  He continually returns to visit the areas where wells have been gifted, and furthers the gospel ministry there.  Many of these areas can be reached only by float plane, and represent some very hard-to-reach places.

All of this broadens our appreciation for common grace, and grows our own hearts for God’s special grace to be known by everyone we meet!

Our real introduction to “mutual transformation” ministry came through Food for the Hungry, and our relationship with Sucre, Bolivia.  Last Spring we continued to deepen our impact and deepen our own understanding, as we sent another team to the second community that we’ve partnered with there, in Villa Margarita.  Not only do our teams get to bless and love the children and families in the community, but they are a strategic and life-giving support to the national FH staff! 

In turn, our teams are humbled by the love and joy that shower them on each visit.  Through this relationship, the Lord opened the door for us to learn about Sutisana - a ministry to women in the red-light district in La Paz.  Marvin has begun to consult with the ministry there, to assist them as they endeavor to build life-sustaining businesses for these women.  As they learn to walk in the light and grace of Christ, they are also getting skills for rebuilding their world.  This year we also helped to fund this business-as-mission endeavor for the first time, coming alongside their national leaders with love to help them make this God-sized dream a reality.

Gideons - Helps Ministry - Wood Ministry - Shield

We prayed for the Gideon’s International Scripture “Blitz” in September.  Mike Brazie reported that the combined efforts of Gideons from here and other states, helped to give away 40,000 Scriptures.  He personally heard stories of 6 people who made decisions for Christ during those days. 

The Wood Ministry has hosted several work days this fall, already involving families from the community in not only procuring wood for themselves, but in strengthening their relationships.  The Helps ministry leaders assisted a woman who needed help with her water heater. 

And the Shield ministry has raised up intercessors for our own MCC first-responders and their families.  At appreciation dinners, testimonies were shared about answered prayer and God’s presence with these men and their families as they go about their work. Along the way, in all of this, we have gotten to make wonderful new friends, and learn from the lives of others.  All of this broadens our appreciation for common grace, and grows our own hearts for God’s special grace to be known by everyone we meet!

Join us in gifting thanks for all the ways God has used MCC Ministries in 2018 and check back on Monday for Part II in this series, "God's Grace in 2018 - Bringing In."

There are a host of behind the scenes ministries that happen weekly within any church across America. These aren’t the ministries you hear much talk about, they aren’t the ones everyone is lining up to serve with, but they keep the church running, they welcome the lost and encourage the lonely.  Today’s ministry highlight is one of those behind the scenes ministries you may have never given any thought to but God has used mightily: The Attendance Ministry.

How did you get called into you’re the Attendance Ministry?

I’ve always been active in the church and I think I slide into this one by helping Adele.

How have you seen God work in you through your ministry?

I’ve seen people join the church because they felt so welcomed. It really makes me feel like God is truly using me.

What has been the hardest aspect of serving and how did God us that to grow you?

I do not feel like there is a hard part to this ministry. I feel like God opens my heart more as I met new people. They become part of “my” family.

What are you most thankful for in the ministry?

The blessing of so many hugs each week. I grew up in a family that didn’t hug, maybe that’s why God put me here.

“I feel like I am giving blessings and also receiving them. I rejuvenate every Sunday!”

What would you say to someone who doesn’t feel equipped to serve?

Step out. Let God lead you. Smile and be blessed.

Can you share a ministry success from 2018?

I don’t know that there is a “success.” I just know that some people wait for my hugs. We enjoy being family. Also, people like to know that someone missed them if they didn’t come for a week or two. And I worry if there aren’t at church for a while.  

How did you get called into Youth Ministry?

For me, serving in youth ministry at Mountain Christian was a really natural response to the effect that amazing youth leaders have had on my life. In my middle and high school years, my youth leaders were some of the biggest influencing voices in my life and walk with God. After high school God really gave me a heart for kids going through the vulnerable and confusing time that is the early teenage years. I jumped on board as a youth leader then, and fell completely in love with it.

How have you seen God work in you and your volunteers thru your ministry?

One of the most surprising things about youth ministry to me is that as much as you’re there to give time and love to the kids, you end up getting SO much in return. We have a really awesome team of young adults who are leading the middle school youth program right now, and one of the biggest blessings of this ministry is to get to work with them and see how God calls each of them deeper into relationship with Him, through their service at youth group. It’s clear in their lessons, in the love that pours out of them for the students, and in the way they build each other up and love each other as a team.

What has been the hardest aspect of serving and how did God use that to grow you?

For me, the very hardest thing about serving is giving everything you can give to a group of kids, and then seeing some of them fall away from their faith as they get older. I’m sure any parent can sympathize with this tenfold, it’s like seeing a part of your heart die. God used it to show me a tiny part of how He feels when we turn away from Him. He also taught me that loving with His love is incredibly painful sometimes. It makes me appreciate the lengths to which He went to have the chance to love us, even knowing some of us would never love Him back. It makes me more like Jesus to love like that. And also, the kids who end up being your success stories make it all worth it!

What are you most thankful for in the ministry?

It’s so hard to pick just one thing, so I’ll say 2! One is the intense fellowship with the youth leadership team. I’ve never been to war, but youth group feels like going into battle every week, fighting it out for young souls, and it’s like having family at my side. Two is the way God is able to use my past, including the (many!!) mistakes that I’ve made to speak into kids’ lives. God is so gracious, not only does He forgive my sins, He uses them to make me a better youth leader, teacher, and friend, to these kids. He’s called the redeemer for a reason.

What would you say to someone who doesn't feel equipped to serve?

I would say that I totally understand that. Every time I stand up to teach a lesson at youth group I have a moment where I’m just overwhelmed that God would choose to speak through ME. But I would say that your feelings are the least important part of the decision. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. I get that youth ministry is scary. There’s not a lot more intimidating than being watched by 15 judgy 11 year olds. But if there’s any part of you that feels that youth ministry may be something God is calling you to, obey. Trust God to work the rest out.

Why should people get involved in ministry?

Bob Goff has this really great quote. He says “We don't need to call it "ministry," just call it Tuesday”. For Christians, ministry is just how we live out our faith. God never called us to this attitude of consumerism that plagues the American church, causing people to show up on Sunday for what they can get out of it, and then leave. Why should you get involved in ministry? Because God commands you to. Because Jesus gave His life for us, and calls us to do the same for others, pouring out His love everywhere. It’s not a matter of “should I or shouldn’t I”, but of “where is God calling me?”

Can you share a ministry success from 2018:

I feel like every week we get through a youth group without serious injury is a ministry success! But one of my favorite nights so far this year was our parent meeting in September. We celebrated a year of Fire and Ice middle school youth group with pizza and a giant jumper. We also got to share our vision for the ministry as a leadership team with the parents. We’re a young group of leaders, so I felt like it was a success that we were able to communicate our passion for MCC’s young people to deepen their relationships with Christ, as well as lay out a practical plan for the upcoming year. We’re ready for God to rock MCC and the East mountains through this ministry in 2019.

What do you want your volunteers to know?

Youth ministry is more than a once a week volunteer opportunity. It’s grueling and inconvenient, and you’ll find youth kids taking over your heart and mind, and maybe even your couch. But for every drawback, there’s an opportunity to speak truth into a student’s life. God is at work here, and it’s an amazing thing to be a part of.

What would you say to someone who doesn’t feel equipped to serve?

I do not feel equipped to serve.  I am disorganized, anxious, and unwise.  But God’s glory, goodness, and grace shine through my weakness ALL THE TIME.  If I’ve learned anything about serving in ministry, it’s that it really isn’t about me, my skills, my preparedness, or my personality.  It’s ALL about God…His goodness, His grace, His mercy, and His love.  I’d say: “Say yes; and prepare to be humbled beyond your comfort level, and thrilled beyond your greatest expectations.”

Why should people get involved in ministry?

If it is true that God manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14), how can we possibly keep from wanting to carry His scent everywhere?  Additionally, we’ve been commissioned to go out into the world and make disciples.  Whether we counsel people, deliver meals, chop wood, preach, or volunteer in a classroom, God is able to manifest the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ through our actions in every place.  A fish can’t help but swim; a bird can’t help but fly; and a Christian can’t help but minister.  It’s what we were made to do.

Can you share a ministry success from 2018?

Liz teaches the class for non-verbal kids with special needs at A. Montoya.  I’ve helped in her classroom for a few years and come to know her well. Over the summer, Liz incurred massive flood damage to her home, and especially to her well.  She lived without water for months, trying to get her homeowners’ insurance, lawyers, and others to help with the cost.  In September, A. Montoya’s principal let me know that no help was coming for this young woman, and asked if we might be able to see about helping her.  Shine volunteers jumped at the chance and donated money toward the cost of fixing the well.  She couldn’t believe we were willing to help her.  She gathered quotes, did some of the work herself, and found a great contractor. The contractor did the work for a fraction of his normal cost, and Shine volunteers had amassed more than enough money to cover the bill. 

Liz and I got to have the sweetest conversation about God’s goodness and grace. She didn’t believe she deserved such a gift, and felt guilty receiving it.  We talked of grace through Christ, about how none of us are saved by works, about how this was all part of God’s plan to draw her to Himself.  Neither of us had dry eyes by the end of it.  What an incredible privilege it was to get a small glimpse into the big work that God is doing in her heart, and to be part of His demonstration of love for her!

What do you want your volunteers to know?

I’m so, so grateful for them. I began as the Shine coordinator for our church with one thought: “Even if no one else does this, I’m going to do it.”  What a sorry ministry it would have been indeed if it had just been me!  MCC’s Shine volunteers continue to go into the uncomfortable, the messy, the scary, and the unpredictable with open hearts and willing hands. I marvel as God puts them in places where the gifts He’s given them really shine, and truly are used of Him to minister to others. They continue to encourage me in countless ways; and their selfless, joyful service spurs me on. I tend to be a one-woman team in many areas of life, not wanting to trust or lean on anyone. God has used my Shine team to show me what joy and abundance is found in serving alongside my family in Christ, and how much I really do need them!

I hope they know how much their prayer, willingness to serve, encouraging words, and bold faith have impacted our community for the kingdom of God!

Click here to learn more about Shine and how you can serve through this amazing ministry!