Wheelchairs for Ukraine

I want to let you know about a project that Sonlight Home Church has taken on.

As you know we have been sending small teams from our church to Ukraine since 2005.  We have always worked with local churches in Bila Tserkov, Ukraine through two ministries, Arise! Ukraine headed by Paul Logan from Sioux Falls SD., and God’s Hidden Treasures headed by Nita Hansen from Thousand Oaks, CA. 

While Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union the Communist  did not want the handicap out in public.  It was to them a sign of weakness.  Since the fall of Communism in 1997 Nita Hansen, God’s Hidden Treasures, has been providing thousands of wheelchairs and other aids for disabled people of Ukraine. Nita now faces a severe shortage of wheelchairs.

Paul Logan, Ariae! Ukraine and Hope Haven Ministries of Rock Valley, Iowa are prepared to send a container of 200 wheelchairs to Ukraine this summer to be received by God’s Hidden Treasures.

Amount needed to ship 200 wheelchairs in 40 ft container to Ukraine:  $25,000
Amount subsidized by Hope Haven                              $12,500
Amount to be raised thru Arise! Ukraine                    $12,500
200 wheelchairs @ $62.50 each,                                   $12,500

With a donation of $62.50 we can change a persons life forever.  Many will get out of their house for the first time in six or seven years.  Many can become productive citizens helping a young struggling  democracy  grow rather than being a burden to it.

Our goal is to have the $12,500.00 raised by the first of May.   If this has touched your heart, email Rich Kraemer of Sonlight Home Church at richardkraemer@naksoftware.com or mail your check to Paul Logan Ministries, Box 812, Sioux Falls, SD 57101.  Write “Wheelchairs” in the memo.

East Valley Prayer Reminder

Wednesday April 1, 2009  7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
This event repeats every other week.
Meeting at Coffee Rush, Gilbert and Baseline

Every other Wednesday, get together with other house churches in the East Valley to pray. Call Larry at 602-524-9400 for more information and directions.

World Water Day

Wow! Today is World Water Day, and YouTube has chosen Charity:Water’s video on the C.A.R. as it’s top featured video! You can see it on the YouTube homepage, or see below. You can also check out the great article that Charity:Water did on their recent visit with ICDI in the Central African Republic by visiting their website, www.charitywater.org or here’s a direct link to just that story.  

House Church Leaders Meeting Saturday

This is just a friendly reminder of the meeting this Saturday morning, March 21, 9AM, at the Durango Grill, 3341 W. Durango, just west of I-17.   Call me at 602-524-9400 for directions if you need them.

John Rowden has arranged for one of his employees to be there to cook pancakes and bacon for those who come to the meeting hungry.   So, be sure to come hungry.    A suggested agenda would be to debrief on the park picnic and to talk about other ideas partnering with each other in the future.   

Now I’ll get on my soapbox for just a minute.  I listen to a lot of Christian music, mostly from K-Love Radio.  I really enjoy the uplifting lyrics in the songs.  I also like the contemporary style of today.  Many times a song will play that causes me to pause and take stock of how I’m living out my faith.

One song that has been getting a lot of airplay this week is one by Matthew West, “The Motions”.   In my online search for the lyrics Sunday, I found his website where he is challenging other Christians to make their New Years “Motions Resolution”.  In reading the lyrics, I was moved by the words, “What if had given everything? Instead of going through the motions”.  Personally, I find those words convicting.  

In light of the “light” house church attendance at the park, February 28, I wonder if many house church folks are just going through the motions of church and missing the opportunities that come along to reach out to their communities and city.  Maybe its being too busy or just not seeing the relevance of these things.   The folks that did come to the park were not just going through the motions.  Read the words below from his song.  Even better go to his website,  http://www.matthewwest.com/motions/ and hear the song.

This might hurt, its not safe, But I know that I’ve gotta make a change

I don’t care, if I break, at least I’ll be feeling something

Cause just ok, is not enough, help me fight the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions

I don’t wanna go one more day

Without your all consuming passion inside of me

I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking

What if I had given everything?

Instead of going through the motions.

Encanto Park Event Praise

What a day Saturday!  It was a hot and sunny day.  But the bands played to the Glory of God, the food and drink was given away to everyone who came by, and the Gospel was preached!  In case you don’t know, God has three new souls in His eternal Kingdom after Saturday.  We are working to get them connected with a group in town.

The bands were great.  I had never heard any of them play before but now I know that they are really good, both musically, and in their love for the Lord.  If you know of anyone looking for a contemporary worship band, I think we can certainly recommend all four of them. (“Consider This”, “Everlasting”, “The Chris Munger Band”, and “Soul Provider”)  I’ll have the contact information on the resources page of the website shortly.

With three new souls in Glory as a result of this day, God made it a great success.  But I just want to mention some of the key people that used their gifts to make it happen.   Tony and Eileen Mladenoff and Howie Kolb organized the bands and reserved the park area.  Rich and Becky Kraemer and others in Sonlight Home Church in Surprise were there to support the event.   John and Debbie Rowden brought the grill and Sue and Larry (me) Johnson from East Valley Grace helped out with the cooking and serving.   Steve Moser and Jason and Courtney Schuldt provided the equipment and sound system operation for the bands.  Steve did a great job of preaching the Gospel between bands.  Nate spent time and prayed with many of the non-church visitors.   We know the seeds were planted in everyone who came by.  Its all good!   Praise God!

Lets have another meeting to go over the events of Saturday and to talk about the next one; probably in the fall.   I hope we can get more of the house churches involved so that this can be even bigger the next time.  We will meet at John Rowden’s Durango Grill, Saturday 3/21, at 9AM.   Of course, we will have donuts and coffee.   The address is 3341 W. Durango, just west of I-17.  If you need directions, please feel free to call me at 602-524-9400.