May 2005 Newsletter
The Final 4
By Steve Cohen
Many people are surprised to find out that by nature. I am an introvert. I would prefer to shun crowds in order to find peace and quiet. But my calling as a front line missionary demands that I go against my nature in order to serve the Lord and reach out to those who are lost.
So when I heard a last year that St. Louis was to be the venue for the NCAA basketball tournament finals, I made plans to be in town that weekend rather than travel as I normally do to speak in churches.
The games were held at The Edward Jones Dome. I have been inside for many events so I know that the seating enables 40,000+ to gather for given events. (When the Pope was here, they had over 100,000 inside).
The games were held on Saturday and Monday. Most Missourians were favoring the Fighting Illini from Champagne, Illinois. Jan and I were too, as that is where our sons Seth and Noah are in their freshman year.
I wrote two broadsides for this event, and we printed them for distribution...
NYC Update
By Gary Timm
In the February newsletter, I was excited to tell you about Jan, the Jewish young man who informed me that he now believes in Y’shua as Messiah. Now he needs your prayers even more!
Do You Know The Lord?
By Alan Butterworth
In 1970, I was asked “Do you know the Lord?” My response was, “No. Who is the Lord?” Do you know someone who does not know the Lord? Does your heart ache for them?
My congregation in St. Louis has been studying the Hebrew Scriptures (the “Old” Testament) this year. Recently, as we read 1 Samuel 3, my own story came to mind as I read about the Lord calling out to Samuel. The Bible says Samuel did not understand when the Lord called him because, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord: the word of God had not yet been revealed to him.”
Before I “knew” the Lord, my heart was hard. Like Samuel, this did not mean the Lord was not there. It simply meant that I could not hear or see Him.
Recently, I was talking with Richard, a Jewish believer, about our summer Outreach. When he was an ultra-Orthodox Jew,
he said he, and many others, saw Jesus often. Perhaps this does not seem strange. Pictures of Jesus are everywhere. But Richard meant he saw Jesus in the Hebrew Scriptures!
We covet your prayers:
For Alan’s trip to Israel to be fruitful
For Alexey’s growing ministry in Russia
For Jill, a friend who is going through some personal stress
For Jan Cohen’s battle with Huntington’s Disease
Thanksgiving for Josh Butterworth’s safe return from Army service in Iraq
For Kevin as he seeks direction from the Lord
For Jay in Houston as he seeks direction for ministry
Thanksgiving for our volunteers who assist in great ways
For Gary as he will be working with Alan in our Outreach this summer
For our upcoming board meeting on May 26h