All about your ministry... What is happening in your ministry? And, where do you see it going? Do share!

[Johnny Berguson]

What is happening in your ministry?
It is so encouraging to hear what is happening! Please share!

Where do you see your ministry/service going?
Jesus said that he who would be greatest would be the servant of all.

If we are deliberate about increasing our skills - Proverbs says that he who is skilled in his work will stand before Kings!

What do you need to go to the next level?
We have hurdles we need to overcome?
Do I need to adjust my priorities?
Do I have roadblocks I need to overcome?
Maybe I just can’t see far enough down the road – do I need to be able to see the road better?

Here is the "Map" to even higher levels of service:

[Juanita]

My ministry is to help people 'link' to build the Kingdom. It isn't so much about what I do, but to see people combine their efforts and multiply their impact.

I need to learn how to be more effective. I only have so many minutes in the day & don't ever have enough time to do it all. So, concentrating on learning to make the most of my time is really important. I have learned a lot, but I have lots more to learn. I have thought about offering some coaching sessions on maximum kingdom impact. :-)

[Evangelist Doug Wood]

The Church of Hope Ministries, started in the year of our Lord, Jan. 2000
God had spoken to me and said , to start a church, but not a church that has walls.
God said to me that it shall be a church without walls, a church that has no end.
A church that will minister to all people, and serve all people, and give hope to all people.
A church that will go where no other church will go.

The Church of Hope Ministries, is in three other countries, and soon will be world wide.
We take the church to those who can not get to church.
We preach what God tells us to preach, and not what man says to preach.

We preach in homes, churches, under an Oak tree, and in the streets.

We are free to go to any church that calls us, and wants to hear the TRUE Word of God.

Three years ago, God gave the Church of Hope Ministries another mission, and that mission
is to bring the church back to where God said for it to be.

If you would like for me to come to your church, and preach you may Email me at [e-mail]

We preach for free, even though we do take donations, we believe that our price has been paid by Jesus Christ.

[Mary]

Wow! My heart is in so many places …all at once.

I’d have to say that my main focus in life is to reach out and touch the lives of those in need.

Whether it be through prayers, kind words, kind gestures, volunteering my time, through donations, etc., I always want to help others and I know the Lord knows this because He always uses me to be precisely where I am needed. Amen!

My calling, however, is with “Women in Prison”. As many of you know, I did advocacy work for women in prison during six years. I had to stop due to health reasons, but this is something I definitely want to do again, in the not too distant future. This experience was very rewarding and I am one to believe that people can change, if they have a genuine desire to do so. Through my work, I’d help in excess of 50 women and their families at any given time and while there were some women who didn’t seem to want to change their ways, I found the vast majority were successful in turning their lives around and are currently serving the Lord. As the saying goes, “when you hit rock bottom, there’s no where to go but up,” and the love and appreciation these women express to me through their actions, the changes I’ve witnessed in them, the letters, cards, I receive are overwhelming and I feel very blessed to have been used to help them find a renewed sense of hope, love and faith ...in their lives.

[Juanita]

Mary said:

Wow! My heart is in so many places …all at once.

I’d have to say that my main focus in life is to reach out and touch the lives of those in need.

Whether it be through prayers, kind words, kind gestures, volunteering my time, through donations, etc., I always want to help others and I know the Lord knows this because He always uses me to be precisely where I am needed. Amen!

My calling, however, is with “Women in Prison”. As many of you know, I did advocacy work for women in prison during six years. I had to stop due to health reasons, but this is something I definitely want to do again, in the not too distant future. This experience was very rewarding and I am one to believe that people can change, if they have a genuine desire to do so. Through my work, I’d help in excess of 50 women and their families at any given time and while there were some women who didn’t seem to want to change their ways, I found the vast majority were successful in turning their lives around and currently serve the Lord. As the saying goes, “when you hit rock bottom, there’s no where to go but up,” and the love and appreciation these women express to me through their actions, the changes I’ve witnessed in them, the letters, cards, I receive are overwhelming and I feel very blessed to have been used to help them find a renewed sense of hope, love and faith ...in their lives.

Wow -- this is so encouaging. We have many women in prison in our area. I know there are some people who stop and have bible studies with them - sounds like you even went above and beyond. Neat!

[Paige]

What is happening in your ministry?

*** Well to start..it's not mine, it's all His. But clearly God is using me right now, to teach and raise up children and youth(mostly teaching relationship, prayer, and how to recognise His voice)...He is amazing, and He is allowing me build solid foundations under kids..and I also get to mentor some teenage girls one on one.

The thing I am most excited about....is an upcoming children's conference in June. The reason I am excited is because the youth and adults usually have conferences to learn and be re-freshed....but there is never anything for kids. It is called "The Princess and The Squire Conference"....and the kids will be learning integrity, character, purity, and manners...all while having fun.

Where do you see your ministry/service going?

***** Eventually I would see someone else doing what I am now doing. My goal is to reproduce, and then go where the pillar of smoke is. In the future I see God using "The Elijah House" a little house on our churches property--that God furnished for prayer ministry....Like in the book of Kings...where life entered and the boy was restored...this house would be a place for restorative prayer ministry...and I am hoping God might use me. God surely has taken me through some hard training ground to prepare me...even some time wandering in the desert. But I do sense that God is always about His kingdom business...so, I think when God is ready, I will be too.

What do you need to go to the next level?
**** Really just God, I am fully reliant on Him...I have nothing to offer or do, but with Him AMAZING THINGS are possible.
We have hurdles we need to overcome?
**** Religon, judgemental attitudes...BUT when I overcome, and Jesus does say I am an overcomer...He comes and pours out an oil. Woowho!
Do I need to adjust my priorities?
**** Totaly! Absolutely...and I need to constantly adjust my eyesight, to meet with His eyesight....constantly adjust my plans to meet with His plans.
Do I have roadblocks I need to overcome?
****No doubt...I have found that breakthrough and advancement in the kingdom comes with a price...and that to get to the promise land I will surely meet all sorts of mountains that need to be overcome.

[Joe Inman]

Our church has just started the video ministry about 7 months ago. We put our videos on our web site for all to see at www.gallowayfullgospel.com We also put our devotionals on there and as well as youtube.com and tangle.com

We have had people watch the devotionals and sermons from all around the world. We are getting ready to go onto the local cable station here in Springfield.

Some Links http://www.youtube.com/user/yojoe38
mequam.com/Joseph
gallowayfullgospel.com
tangle.com/5Inmans

Our Goal with this is that people will see that there is a loving Saviour out there and for them to have the understanding that we will not be saved through politics and through our own abilities. We also want the christian to realize that we have a responsibility has Christians to share the gospel with all that they meet and that our time here on earth as we know it is short.

Here soon we will be putting peoples testimonies on the site as well.

God has blessed our ministry in great ways and we are expecting to see some great things in the near future.

[David Patrick]

I am inspired to hear what everyone is doing.

My ministry is to advance to the Kingdom through Audio/Visual and Media. My home church here in Atlanta just recently entered into a radio contract with 3 major radio stations in the area. 1 Christian station and the other 2 are secular stations. This is really effective because you capture an audience that would never go to church. Our pastor's Higher Living Minutes sermonetts play over 20 times a week on each station. It has really been a tool to reach people. We also have a full 30 minute sermon that is aired on Saturday's. This is a project that I am responsible for on a weekly basis. We also utulize 2 TV stations in our area. 1 is a christian station and the other is an NBC affiliate which also reaches a lot of people that may not watch religious programing. God has blessed our efforts and we have seen many people come to Christ on a weekly basis.

One other thing that has been effective for us as far as outreach is to use the power of audio/visual in the local shopping malls. We set up a stage and utilize our music ministry and youth ministry and start singing christian music in the mall. We have developed relationships with the mall administration and staff, so there is a real open door for us.

One other avenue I will share with everyone is we utilize a local bowling alley and rent out the entire facility for a weekend and offer the experience to the youth in the area. We bring in projection screens, video cameras, a portable sound system and create an audio/visual experience that really attracts the youth. Our pastor comes and speaks to the kids as well as parents about community security and developing a safe environment for our children. This also opens up a door for the gospel to be preached in an area and to people who are not going to come to church.

[Juanita]

David Patrick said:

I am inspired to hear what everyone is doing.

My ministry is to advance to the Kingdom through Audio/Visual and Media. My home church here in Atlanta just recently entered into a radio contract with 3 major radio stations in the area. 1 Christian station and the other 2 are secular stations. This is really effective because you capture an audience that would never go to church. Our pastor's Higher Living Minutes sermonetts play over 20 times a week on each station. It has really been a tool to reach people. We also have a full 30 minute sermon that is aired on Saturday's. This is a project that I am responsible for on a weekly basis. We also utulize 2 TV stations in our area. 1 is a christian station and the other is an NBC affiliate which also reaches a lot of people that may not watch religious programing. God has blessed our efforts and we have seen many people come to Christ on a weekly basis.

One other thing that has been effective for us as far as outreach is to use the power of audio/visual in the local shopping malls. We set up a stage and utilize our music ministry and youth ministry and start singing christian music in the mall. We have developed relationships with the mall administration and staff, so there is a real open door for us.

One other avenue I will share with everyone is we utilize a local bowling alley and rent out the entire facility for a weekend and offer the experience to the youth in the area. We bring in projection screens, video cameras, a portable sound system and create an audio/visual experience that really attracts the youth. Our pastor comes and speaks to the kids as well as parents about community security and developing a safe environment for our children. This also opens up a door for the gospel to be preached in an area and to people who are not going to come to church.

David - you are such a blessing to the body of Christ! Thanks for all you do!

[Gary Ernsthausen]

Hi, Juanita asked me more than two weeks ago to explain my ministry. First, I must say it is not my ministry, I just believe it is the true way to serve God! I am not a minister, I should confess that I am a sinner just struggling to please God and so thankful for Jesus and the hope thru his life and death.

When a person in our faith wants to be a minister, they contact those who have been a minister for some time to see if they really understand the commitment to the faith. If they do understand and are accepted as a person who honestly wants to give their life as Jesus taught, they disperse of all items of value other than what they need for everyday life. It will all fit in a small closet! They are single, usually healthy, like no diabetes, heart problems, or any other natural problems, if after this step is taken and a health issue would arise they are still in the ministry unless they cannot continue with their treatments. So I will try to speed this story up.
Ministers go by faith and are supported by the members. I would be considered a member, if I would be in contact with a person in my life who would want to learn more about this faith, I can direct you to a minister that would be the closest to you to learn more. We meet in homes on Sunday and not more than 20 people usually, if there are more members than that another meeting is started. Each member has a part in the service each Sunday wether there is a minister there or not. An elder is selected and that meeting is at his home. Our ministers have Gospel meetings to draw interested people who may not be in contact with another member. This faith is all over the world and as an example, two weeks ago a lady who is from China as a language teacher here and became a member in China was baptised here before going back to China for the summer. There is much more I could say but I am not a good book writer!

[Jack Frost]

I'm a Connector.

My wife and I have been involved in lives of folks all around this nation and in several others as well. We have been firm believers and practitioners of small church and home church and 'un-church'- since the late 1970's. Our life has been one of movement and transition. Some folks say we are chasing rainbows, but I do believe that this is what God has put within our hearts to do.

Often we find ourselves in new relationships, bringing a sense of newness and a perspective to a situation that has not been seen or considered prior to that moment. We are often able to see cause and effect; need and supply; question and answer. We don't have the answers. We are not the solution. But we are frequently able to put one with the other.

We began a life of frequent travel in late December of '05. We sold our home in Mesa,AZ at the end of the realestate bubble, and moved out in what we believed God was speaking to our hearts. The past three and a half years have been spent living in five states and becoming very involved with the lives of folks in at least six states, and building lasting relationships with a wide variety of home churches and small groups as well. We have been blessed to see people come to a real relationship with God, and to come out from under the condemnation that has been set upon them by tradition and rules.

Jesus came that we might have life, and that- more abundantly. There is a freedom and rest that come from true relationship with God, with our Father and our Brother. We are given the freedom to live a Godly life without the confines of the rules that are laid upon people like burdens. There is no place for the man-made rules and regulations that are so often a part of our church today.

It is our hope to see the 'Church Universal' be set free to reach its true potential. It is not constrained by buildings or names or titles. It is not required to have "The Five-Fold Ministry" within four walls. It is not defined by title of gift being given as if it were a first name. These things all bring division. The mere act of calling another brother or sister by the title of their gift divides. We are not to seek the 'spirit of unity' but rather live in the unity of the Spirit. This is the message we bring and the message we live.

[Juanita]

Jack - you and Debbie have been a blessing to me and many! We appreciate your connective ministry!!!

Electrician Jack Frost said:

I'm a Connector.

My wife and I have been involved in lives of folks all around this nation and in several others as well. We have been firm believers and practitioners of small church and home church and 'un-church'- since the late 1970's. Our life has been one of movement and transition. Some folks say we are chasing rainbows, but I do believe that this is what God has put within our hearts to do.

Often we find ourselves in new relationships, bringing a sense of newness and a perspective to a situation that has not been seen or considered prior to that moment. We are often able to see cause and effect; need and supply; question and answer. We don't have the answers. We are not the solution. But we are frequently able to put one with the other.

We began a life of frequent travel in late December of '05. We sold our home in Mesa,AZ at the end of the realestate bubble, and moved out in what we believed God was speaking to our hearts. The past three and a half years have been spent living in five states and becoming very involved with the lives of folks in at least six states, and building lasting relationships with a wide variety of home churches and small groups as well. We have been blessed to see people come to a real relationship with God, and to come out from under the condemnation that has been set upon them by tradition and rules.

Jesus came that we might have life, and that- more abundantly. There is a freedom and rest that come from true relationship with God, with our Father and our Brother. We are given the freedom to live a Godly life without the confines of the rules that are laid upon people like burdens. There is no place for the man-made rules and regulations that are so often a part of our church today.

It is our hope to see the 'Church Universal' be set free to reach its true potential. It is not constrained by buildings or names or titles. It is not required to have "The Five-Fold Ministry" within four walls. It is not defined by title of gift being given as if it were a first name. These things all bring division. The mere act of calling another brother or sister by the title of their gift divides. We are not to seek the 'spirit of unity' but rather live in the unity of the Spirit. This is the message we bring and the message we live.

[Joseph DiBari]

I guess I find myself caught between two thoughts about churches and ministry. Is it the "tickle-me feel good" type message that grows a church or ministry? Or is it the power of God released through believing His Word on purpose. Which thought leads a person want to be a part of something bigger then themselves? People, it is about people, it always has been and it always will be.