Finances

Somebody asked how we are doing financially and after I composed an email, I realized I should post it. See below:

Metro has supported us corporately with $600/month since April, to be revised after December 2007.

We haven't really asked people directly to support us, as much as presented the opportunity to support us and asked God for the resources. There have been about 5 families/individuals that have supported us regularly. 10 all together (including one-time contributions). We may average about $1500/month over July-September, which covers rent.

Jehovah Jira = God Provides

We have been called to serve this church family in Alva. They sold a Manse a few years ago and are 'spending the family silver' to pay us the minimum stipend available to a minister in the Scottish Baptist Union.

Sounds good but taxed 25% off the top and then 17% in value added (sales) tax makes the cost of living pretty high here. So, the exchange rate is $1= £0.50 but the expenses aren't much lower. Example: Gas is over $8 a gallon; the psychological price of $9.95 in the US for a shirt or something is £8.99 in the UK not £4.99. Milk and meat are pretty subsidized. Health care is free (paid by payroll deductions actually, but cheaper than US).

Our budget was for about 2,500 pounds/month and we are at about 1,500. Not the high life and not saving for retirement right now, so that’s not good (should the Lord tarry). We spent about $15,000 of our saved money to move over here and make it through to August when a paycheck kicked in.

But it’s all God’s money anyway. And we did get to sell a home in LA and move out of market! We may be able to flip from our 2 bed condo to a 3 bedroom house with a garage and small yard. No complaints there.

Of course, we did have to become Baptists. ;)
(Which, in Scotland, is not very different from Calvary; we are loving it and Jesus hasn't changed)

Really, we just answered the call to be a pastor somewhere else that happens to be a foreign country, for a church that couldn’t afford a minister. They got a guy with great heart and some experience and we got a chance to make a difference. AND be closer to family that we enjoy. It will all work out. I don’t know how, but it will.

God is good! (We are not poor in His economy)

Our family at Metro has seen us off with a gift and encouraged us, as we answer God's call. We are blessed and pray that God richly bless you!

God is providing from His resources and we have learned from this experience that it is He who provides, not our institutions or networks. No one man can boast in how He has provided for us.

Alleluia, Jehovah Jira!

(If you want to be part of how God helps, see "Partners" on the right margin.)

Prayer Requests

Please join Alva Baptist Church in prayer for the opportunity to serve God by ministering in our community.

· I will meet on Friday 4 November at 10am (GMT) with the Scripture Union area worker to discuss a youth club in the local secondary school (High School).

· Also, I have just learned that there is an opportunity to be part of a Chaplaincy team at the local secondary school.

· I have been invited to be a part of a Baptist Ministers’ Prayer Luncheon; and a more informal gathering of Evangelical Ministers for prayer; as well as praying weekly with some charismatic saints of God who take a stand, interceding for our churches, our towns, our county and the nation of Scotland.

· We have an ongoing weekly Prayer meeting for the church; and a weekly Bible study where we are working through the Gospel of Mark.

· We will see our first monthly Men’s Breakfast in November

· The church continues to grow. We have had another baptism. This Sunday we will welcome three more families into membership of the church.

· Two nice older ladies want to join and inquired about accepting their christening as a baptism because they don’t want to have their heads under water. But the church constitution (written in 1882) states explicitly that the only requirements for membership are faith in Jesus Christ and baptism “by full immersion”.

I am not bound by any belief that the manner ‘does’ anything, but symbolically, one wants to see someone reckon themselves dead and buried and resurrected in Christ than to have Jesus ‘sprinkled’ into their lives. The other side is: why hinder people who repent of their sin and call Jesus their Lord from entering the greater fellowship due to a water aversion.

Pray for wisdom. There must be a way. A 'sprinkled' disciple is better than a 'dunked' bystander.

Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock

This is a great punk rock song about how a store in your local shopping mall Hot Topic © uses contrived identification with youth sub-cultures

Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock

So, why mention it?

We are really learning a lot about Christian culture.

As in: “What is Christian?” and “What is culture?”; What is a Baptist? What is an Evangelical? What is Liberal/Conservative? What is Religious/Spirit-filled? Ask yourself what does Christianity look like? You may be surprised at how subject to culture our Christianity can be.

There are actually business models for church. Lots of consultants that want to ‘help’ me along (for a fee). There are political lobbying groups that want to suggest what issues the church must throw it's weight behind . There are plenty of books, sold alongside scripture picture frames with leaping dolphins (Apparently, after mankind, God’s favorite mammal). But where is the evidence of changed lives? The global impact that Christianity aspires toward? Is it found in China? North Korea? Iraq? Los Angeles? Alva?!!! We don't want to be merely trying to 'look like' church.

May I be so bold as to say: Jesus is Punk Rock!
The truth expressed to the common man irrespective of institutional church culture.

Church looks like people following Jesus. In the past it was achieved one way or another. Today may call for a change to achieve, once more, that same sincere expression.

Leaving me asking: "if not 'manager', 'marketer' or 'cheerleader', what is my job description?”
As is the case for most sincere searches, the answers can be found in Scripture:

1 Timmothy 4:12-16
…in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. ~ my job description

~~~

We have a Vision and mission statement
(not too original, but reliable):

Vision: Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Mission: Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

~~~

My interpolation of something Steve Snook, my Pastor at Metro Calvary Chapel once said:

“Instead of looking to fall back on a 1^st century model for the Church we are striving forward toward a 21^st century expression of the Body of Christ”

Please don't stop praying for us!
Light and Life!!!

Love, David Elizabeth, Daniel & Josiah
We would love to hear from you. (even if you just comment on this blog below)

'nuff said

Ministry Photos

Sunday Morning

Sunday Evening


Kids Club




Baptisms

The Church

Someone asked me the other day: "what kind of staff do you work with?" Smile. We have no staff.
;)
The church is blessed to have a building!

We have a Deacon Board of five people who handle the finance, meeting minutes, church calendar, flowers, communion, collecting the offering, etc.
All the rest of us are getting the work done.Hospital visits, communion for the home-bound, the tiny ad in the local paper about our service times, and tea after the service. We are blessed to see that the people who come, do participate in ministry.

Its different here.

Each day I find myself meeting with someone who doesn't exactly know Jesus. We are ministering to a post-Christian nation who still calls themselves Christian. I am reminded "Thou shall not take the Lord's name in vain"

It is idyllic on one hand and very dark on the other.
The Freemason lodge sits on the headwaters of the village.
There are more pubs than churches.
Kids do not know what happens in churches.
We are planting a church within an older, out of touch church
with the help of some folks here that get it.

At the end of the day it is the Lord's work.
It is pretty cool to be living within a miracle.

The Fraser boys are growing as Autumn falls! (watch these trees!)