Ministries & Evangelism

Evangelism: Loren Phippen
Thursday, January 1, 2009

Set Free Ministry

Please continue praying for the Set Free house and for the ministry. Many of our local churches have "work days" at the house. In fact, we had a mission team from Arkansas work there. The work is coming along but there is still a lot left to do. Please contact Bart Buresh at 316-619-8648 if you are interested in taking a work group to Set Free. We will soon be starting on the drywall and finish work. Also, as we get closer to completion on the house we will need to have property outside of Wichita for a "ranch". The Set Free ministry takes people out of the downtown area and disciples them at a "ranch" away from the detractors that were in their life. They usually stay for 60 days or more until then are ready to go back into society. If you know someone who has some property we might be able to use please contact Loren Phippen or Mark Jackson.

Celebrate Recovery

Midway Baptist Church has recently started a Celebrate Recovery Ministry. They are having a great response and are seeing fruit from this ministry. This is a great outreach ministry tool to our community. Tom and Marilynn Melton are leading the ministry and God is using them in a mighty way. Many participants are now members and/or regular attendees at Midway Baptist Church. If you know someone that would benefit from this ministry, or you would like more information on starting this ministry at your church, please contact Tom Melton or Loren Phippen for more information.

Disaster Relief

On the first Saturday of November we had over 40 volunteers for our first chain saw trailer training. We are continuing to outfit the trailer with shelving and equipment. The chain saw trailer should be ready to deploy within the next few months. If you are interested in training for the chain saw team or any other disaster relief training please let us know. You can contact Bill Riley, Elmo Brawley or Loren Phippen if you have any questions about this ministry.

Good Neighbor Centers

Our Good Neighbor Centers continue to minister to the needy providing food, clothing, and most of all, the Gospel. They can always use food and clothing for the 250 plus people ministered to each week. The dollars you give to the centers are stretched greatly due to the ability to purchase food for 16 cents per pound. As the economy worsens we see more and more needs for volunteers at our centers, to help with distribution and to share the Gospel. If you are a handy man, we have many work projects to be done. Youth groups are extremely valuable in reaching the youth and canvassing the neighborhoods. Please pray as to how you can be used in this important and exciting ministry. The West Side Good Neighbor Center is in desperate need for volunteers from 9am till noon on Wednesdays and Fridays. Please contact me or any of the centers if you would like to get involved.

Evangelism Missions Trips

We will be returning from the Rose Bowl Parade mission trip to Pasadena, California on January 2nd. Last year, three of us from our association went to share the Gospel. This year there were 17 people that went to share the love of Christ with the lost. Please pray for the lives that we had the opportunity to touch.

There is still room for you to go on the evangelistic trip to New Orleans. We will be leaving on Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 8 am from the Associational office and we are planning to return late in the afternoon on February 22nd. In past years, we have had groups of seven or so. This year, we are praying for at least 12 people that will fill two vans. This evangelistic mission trip is not like any other that I have been a part of. The drunkenness and decadence that takes place at Mardis Gras is rapidly spreading across our country and we need to be at New Orleans to share the light of Jesus in this dark place. Please pray about joining with us.

River Fest

The River Festival runs from May 8th-16th. Our events will be from Thursday, May 14th to Saturday, May 16th. We will have a Team Impact type of event on Saturday. Street evangelists from around the country will be helping us all weekend during the River Festival. The mandate we have this year is to have one of our church members along side the evangelists every day. What an opportunity to get evangelism training by these seasoned street evangelists. So start praying about when you would be available to work the streets and learn a very productive way to share the Gospel. We need at least 10 people on Thursday and Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and all day Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thousands of lost people are at the River Festival every year and we need to reach out to them. We will need volunteers to help with music, the snack food station, and also to supervise the inflatables. Let's make this the most productive festival for reaching the lost and dying in Wichita.