Five years ago Angel and Malia Hernandez, from our church family, were commissioned as missionaries by Grace Covenant, a mission sending agency.  At their commissioning there were other missionaries from the Grace Covenant family, including Pastor Oseme from Haiti.  He struck me as a very spiritual man who had a heart for his fellow Haitians and who was dedicated [...]]]> Dear Crosswalkers,

Five years ago Angel and Malia Hernandez, from our church family, were commissioned as missionaries by Grace Covenant, a mission sending agency.  At their commissioning there were other missionaries from the Grace Covenant family, including Pastor Oseme from Haiti.  He struck me as a very spiritual man who had a heart for his fellow Haitians and who was dedicated to hearing the Lord’s word and boldly yet humbly passing that word on to others.  He was unharmed by the earthquake, even though his neighbors on both sides lost their homes and their children. 

Today I received this word from Grace Covenant of an urgent prayer need.  I will print it in full:

Pastor Oseme of Haiti went into Port Au Prince (earlier today) to meet with the American Consulate.  While he was there he was kidnapped.  He is now being held for ransom.  Unless $1500 US is paid in ransom by tomorrow, Pastor Oseme will be killed.  It would appear that the logic here is that being Pastor Oseme went to the American Consulate that he has contacts in the US who would pay.  Otherwise, Haitians would not kidnap another Haitian.  Pastor Raquens and I agreed that right now we need to bathe the situation in prayer and pray for his release.  Remember Peter was released from prison by the power of prayer.  If the Lord shows us something else to do we will do it.  But for now we need to generate as much prayer toward Pastor Oseme, his captors and his family as possible.  We will give updates as we get them.  Please seriously pray and get the word out to other intercessors at this hour. 

As you get this email, please take a few moments and lift this brother in your prayers.  I remember full well when my family were missionaries to Ghana, Leanna and I signed a form saying we understand that no ransom will ever be paid for us in the event of our kidnapping.  This is standard operating procedure for most all mission agencies.  Obviously, the payment of any ransom would be self defeating as it would endanger missionaries around the globe.  Besides, the theological basis for mission life is this:  Jesus Christ has already given his life as a ransom for those who love him.  This is our faith, and we must live it out during these dark days.  Please pray for Pastor Oseme.  We are engaged in spiritual warfare and our missionaries are on the front lines. 

This Sunday we will look at Core Value #4 – VISIONARY LEADERSHIP.  God wants you to have a vision for your life, for your family, for your church, and for using your time, talents and treasures for his glory!  Please plan to stay for lunch at noon, followed by our Annual Meeting. 

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

This is your fearless pastor reporting once again from his temporary outpost in hot and humid San Antonio , Paraguay . I’m pleased to report that this past week has been filled with blessed ministry opportunities. On Tuesday and Wednesday I was privileged to engage in 4 [...]]]> Dear Crosswalkers,

This is your fearless pastor reporting once again from his temporary outpost in hot and humid San Antonio , Paraguay . I’m pleased to report that this past week has been filled with blessed ministry opportunities. On Tuesday and Wednesday I was privileged to engage in 4 hours of teaching at the Tacumbu Prison in Ascuncion. Our missionary on the scene, Angel Hernandez, has a fantastic ministry to the inmates there with an organization called Remar International (Remar stands for “Rehabilitation to the Marginalized”). In two overcrowded cellblocks, there are 330 men who have accepted Christ and want to be trained in ministry to the rest of the prison population and to the world if or when they are released from the penitentiary. Angel’s strategy is to intensively train and mentor 20 of the top leaders so they can in turn train others. This biblical strategy has proven effective for many generations (see 2 Timothy 2:2). We had powerful teaching sessions, with the men making new commitments to serve Christ and share Christ. Some of them shared their testimonies. What a joy to see for myself the work God is doing in the hearts and minds of these incarcerated men, and how they want to be God’s instruments even in a very difficult environment. It is appropriate for me to THANK YOU for participating in our Faith Promise missions giving which supports the gospel boldly moving forward to the least, the last, and the lost!

Lord willing, Leanna and I will return home on Friday! I’m very much looking forward to our Christmas sermon series that will begin this Sunday. It is an exciting study from Gospel of John’s version of the Christmas story entitled, “From Eternity to Here!” In addition, we will have missionary Marty Hooper visiting us, fresh from his evangelistic ministry in India . Marty will sing and share, the “Mystery of Christmas” will be revealed, and God’s grace will fill our worship time! This would be a perfect day to invite friends and family to come and experience for themselves the deepest meaning of Christmas!!

Amor en JesuCristo,

Pastor Juan

Dear Crosswalkers,

Well, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! This Sunday the worship center is decorated, we are featuring an outreach event we’re calling the Christmas Boutique, we will receive nine new members, and we’ll conclude the sermon series “Three Powerful Blessings” by looking at the power of [...]]]>                            

Dear Crosswalkers,

Well, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! This Sunday the worship center is decorated, we are featuring an outreach event we’re calling the Christmas Boutique, we will receive nine new members, and we’ll conclude the sermon series “Three Powerful Blessings” by looking at the power of the gift! It will be a great weekend at Crosswalk!

Of course, I am writing from our mission station in the heart of South America, Paraguay, and so I will be preaching at Quatro Mojones. Later this week, I will join our missionary Angel Hernandez and teach at the prison. This will be my first time in the Big House preaching, and will appreciate you remembering our ministry in prayer. Last week, Angel was at the prison ministering when there was an “incident” and several prisoners were beaten with billy clubs in front of him!

This trip is reminding me of the precious importance of family, and also of the great need in the world for the message of Christmas. Can we agree together to leverage the Christmas season for the Kingdom of God? By this I mean that Christmas is a wonderful time to intentionally share our faith and focus on our spiritual values. Perhaps you’ve heard the story of a meeting in hell where three demons bring to Satan a plan for deceiving the human race. The devil carefully pondered the suggestions. The first demon said, “Let’s convince the humans there is no heaven.” But Satan said, “No, God has written eternity in every human heart, they will never believe it.” The second demon came up with a brilliant plan, “Let’s convince the humans there is no hell.” The devil, thinking carefully, said, “No, there is so much pain and suffering on earth, that some people are already expereincing the pangs of hell.” And the second suggestion was therefore rejected. The third demon said, “Let’s convince the humans there is no hurry.” A wry smile came over the devil’s face. “Ahh yes, that will work! That is the strategy we will use.”

The Bible says, “Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 10:2). Now is always the best time to share good news with family and friends. Why not invite someone to come to church with you this Sunday?

May the Lord richly bless all your endeavors to shine with the light of Jesus!

Affectionately in Christ,

Pastor John