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Our church building sits on a busy road with an elementary school just a block away on the same street. Daily, during the school year, I can watch hundreds of kids walking on the sidewalk to the school in the morning and back home again in the afternoon. Over a decade ago, I got the bright ideal to send some of our church staff over to the school to pass out Vacation Bible School fliers to the students on the sidewalks. Noticing our activities, the school administrators told us to vacate the sidewalk and not to bother the students with our invitations on their way home. The school felt the need to protect the students from any unwanted solicitation. We were disappointed and confused. We had not approached the school again to serve them until this school year.

Last year, our church involved itself in LifeWay’s Transformational Church survey and an action plan discovery process. We realized that while we had great fellowship within our church, we were not investing in our community very well. We were failing to be the body of Christ to our neighbors and therefore were not impacting our community so that it would reflect the Kingdom of God. Change was necessary!

Part of our action plan for transformation was to go back to the elementary school across from our church and ask the administrators if we could “adopt them,” meaning…

1. We would pray for the teachers by name every day.

2. We would survey the teachers to find out what kind of school supplies that they needed in their classrooms. We filled every “wish list” presented to us.

3. We would celebrate the teachers’ birthdays and have a teachers appreciation day once a month.

4. We would help them in any school events (we have already sponsored Car shows, Spring Carnivals, and field trips).

5. We would help families in need within the school with food and clothing.

6. We would host a Back-to-School carnival to provide school supplies to families.

7. We would serve as mentor/tutors to children who needed some extra help in the class rooms.

Our list continues to grow. The school, the students, and the parents have been amazed that we would care for them. Why should the world that God loves, be surprised and amazed that a church would love on them? Our school had every right to be amazed… we had ignored them for years.

The other day, I went by the school and saw a message on their outside sign that brought tears to my eyes. Without fanfare, the school posted that they were thankful for all that we do for them.

The believers at Lindsay Lane Baptist realize that in comparison to what our Savior has done for us, we have done so little. God is the giver of all things! I am so glad that our “adoption” went through! McCurdy Elementary is God’s gift to us that we might demonstrate the love of Christ!

When asked to write down phrases and words that come to mind when she heard or thought of FAITH Sis. Shirley Dowd of Friendship, Harviell wrote the following:

• All growth in our spiritual life depends on faith.
• Impossible to please or have any walk without faith.
• The shield of faith is as bias as God himself.
• Free grace, free pardon, change of heart, comfort poured in , satisfies our heart, great gain thru faith.
• With faith, we become well pleasing to God. Without faith we have NO fellowship.
• Everything of God hinges on faith.
• Faith supplies our greatest wants, delivers from our greatest danger and admits us to our greatest glory.
• A waiting faith is rare.
• If you are without faith, you are in a fearful state.
• To be nothing and let Him be everything.
• Weapon of prevalence, shield of safety, substance of hope, evidence of eternity, passport to glory.
• Sins are cleansed, carried away, drowned in the sea, blotted out behind God’s back.
• A precious promise as great as the demands of our sins.
• Thru faith, God is ALL sufficient!
• We are clothed and dressed in his righteousness, once aliens, now saints and will live in the household of God.
• Heirs of God, joint heirs of Jesus Christ, never taste death, just fall asleep.
• We have the harps of heaven, streets of glory, trees of paradise, river of life, eternal bliss.
• You are rich thru faith. What treasures, what a gold mine, what oceans of wealth. What mountains of sparkling treasure, all because of faith in God.
• Faith, first sure sign of a spiritual life. All JOY of a spiritual life depends on faith.
• When God comes, He will not look for riches, honors or abilities but he will look for our faith.

Will he find faith on earth at His return? He will search for even a mustard seed size of faith.It is necessary for us to believe MUCH or we will do LITTLE for God. I Corinthians 2:5, “Our faith should not stand in the wisdom of man but in the power of God.” Faith for me is the bliss of ever beholding the face of God. If the church ever has faith enough to expect great things, she will see great things.

submitted by Carolyn Meade

Evangelistic International Ministries will have their trailer at the BMA of America national meeting in Jackson, MS in April to pick up any Shepherd Bags you may have. This would be a good time for our Shepherd Bags drop off stations to bring any bags they have as well.

Shepherd Bags Update: We currently have 15,000 bags awaiting shipment to the Philippines. And we are currently working on our 2012 Honduras school campaign. We have over 2,000 bags already assembled so we’re well on our way for this year.

If you would like to get involved in this God blessed ministry of presenting the Gospel to children in the Honduras schools, we need your help. A 40 ft. container holds approximately 35,000
to 40,000 bags so we have quite a ways to go.

Please pray and get involved!

If you have questions, visit our website at www.eimworldwide.org or you can contact us here at EIM at 870-226-3626 or you can email fnorris@eimworldwide.org.

President – Terri Adams – Abundant Life in Christ, Charleston, MO
First Vice President – Sharon Lourance – Black River, Qulin, MO
Second Vice President – Juanita May – Ohlman, Bunker, MO
Secretary – Norma Womble – Zion, St. Louis, MO
Asst. Secretary – Becky Cate – Friendship, Harviell, MO
Treasurer – Cathy Fox – Mount Zion, Poplar Bluff, MO
Asst. Treasurer – Connie Reifsteck – Zion, St. Louis, MO
Literature, Bible & Tract – Vi Maclin – Emmanuel, Sikeston, MO
Historian – Tracy Goede – Zion, St. Louis, MO
Youth Promoter – Shelia Polk – First, Matthews, MO
Asst. Youth Promoter – Karen Magee – First, Matthews, MO