Ministry and Family Update, 8 Mar 06
The Alpha course we are leading in our church continues to go well and several folk are clearly being ‘loved on’ by the Holy Spirit. The numbers have reduced a little and last Sunday we combined into one group. It is interesting that although a church course, it is in effect, an A4M course with a difference. In addition to us and our role with A4M, all the other group leaders and organizers are either active duty military or their spouses. Interestingly none of the guests are!
The Life Worth Living course I am leading at Naval Air Station Oceana is now in week 5 of 9. It is going well and has increased in numbers from 10 to 12 each week. Again, the Holy Spirit is at work in people’s hearts. We have one active duty family taking part in the group and another lady is the youth director for the base, a key appointment, albeit secular in nature. The chaplain was re-assigned to a higher status and more influential post last Monday morning having received his orders in a phone call late last Friday afternoon. He was shocked, as he was not anticipating moving until June, and then to a completely different role. He will continue to take Sunday services until a new chaplain arrives. This large base now has no Protestant chaplain aboard (remember it is a Navy base on land, so we still use Navy-speak!). We are praying for a Godly person to come as the replacement, who will not seek to control everything nor dictate a program according to his or her personal desires. We need someone who will see where the Spirit is leading and working and give the volunteers and para-church military ministries working here under the authority of the chaplain-just-left the continued freedom do carry out their ministry unhindered.
My ministry with Freedom Fest 2006 (see www.hrfreedomfest.com) is very busy. It takes place on Sat 29 April. I almost wish I had not got involved in this a year ago. The work load is massive. I got involved because I felt the Lord say so, even though in my human spirit I knew what was going to happen! It is the most significant evangelistic outreach to the military community ever held in the Hampton Roads region and there is clearly great potential for the Alpha course being used as one of the follow up activities. Please pray for the success of this event; for strength and wisdom for the small band of people who are organizing it; for more volunteers to get on board; for sufficient finance. What is clear to me is that any success will be so clearly because the Lord has done the work, not us. We have been able to do so little compared to what needs to be done.
Please pray for Meryl’s mother, Beryl, in England. Her health and morale give great cause for concern and it is very painful and stressful for us all to see her rapid deterioration, especially for Meryl. Yet she hangs on to life, still has a good appetite and can crack a joke! Other than Meryl going back to England to literally sit with her mother to keep her company all day long, we can see nothing else we can do to help make the her quality of life any better. Even if Meryl, or both of us, went back there is no certainty that she/we could bring any improved quality of life to Beryl.
We rejoice that we are to become grandparents. Toby and JoAnn are expecting their first child towards the end of September this year. Praise God!
With Jesus love and blessings,
Noel
The Life Worth Living course I am leading at Naval Air Station Oceana is now in week 5 of 9. It is going well and has increased in numbers from 10 to 12 each week. Again, the Holy Spirit is at work in people’s hearts. We have one active duty family taking part in the group and another lady is the youth director for the base, a key appointment, albeit secular in nature. The chaplain was re-assigned to a higher status and more influential post last Monday morning having received his orders in a phone call late last Friday afternoon. He was shocked, as he was not anticipating moving until June, and then to a completely different role. He will continue to take Sunday services until a new chaplain arrives. This large base now has no Protestant chaplain aboard (remember it is a Navy base on land, so we still use Navy-speak!). We are praying for a Godly person to come as the replacement, who will not seek to control everything nor dictate a program according to his or her personal desires. We need someone who will see where the Spirit is leading and working and give the volunteers and para-church military ministries working here under the authority of the chaplain-just-left the continued freedom do carry out their ministry unhindered.
My ministry with Freedom Fest 2006 (see www.hrfreedomfest.com) is very busy. It takes place on Sat 29 April. I almost wish I had not got involved in this a year ago. The work load is massive. I got involved because I felt the Lord say so, even though in my human spirit I knew what was going to happen! It is the most significant evangelistic outreach to the military community ever held in the Hampton Roads region and there is clearly great potential for the Alpha course being used as one of the follow up activities. Please pray for the success of this event; for strength and wisdom for the small band of people who are organizing it; for more volunteers to get on board; for sufficient finance. What is clear to me is that any success will be so clearly because the Lord has done the work, not us. We have been able to do so little compared to what needs to be done.
Please pray for Meryl’s mother, Beryl, in England. Her health and morale give great cause for concern and it is very painful and stressful for us all to see her rapid deterioration, especially for Meryl. Yet she hangs on to life, still has a good appetite and can crack a joke! Other than Meryl going back to England to literally sit with her mother to keep her company all day long, we can see nothing else we can do to help make the her quality of life any better. Even if Meryl, or both of us, went back there is no certainty that she/we could bring any improved quality of life to Beryl.
We rejoice that we are to become grandparents. Toby and JoAnn are expecting their first child towards the end of September this year. Praise God!
With Jesus love and blessings,
Noel
posted by Noel Dawes | 6:25 PM
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