Population:

771,000

Religion:

Islam (96.48%)

What are their beliefs?

Gujjars are mostly Hindus in India, though in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh they are mostly Sunni Muslims. Muslim Gujjars are also present in Uttaranchal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in small numbers while in East Punjab they are Sikhs too. The nomadic Gujjars are almost all Sunni Muslims. Gujjars believe in their customary laws regarding their social life amongst themselves.

What are their needs?

They need education and to shun their out dated rituals such as child marriages etc. They need to be uplifted from their backwardness by incorporating policies such as of reservation for them in jobs and by teaching them the latest techniques in animal husbandry and agriculture. Efforts should be made to inspire them to leave their pastoral nomadic life by lending them material support they require.

Prayer Points:

Ask the Lord to call people who are willing to go to India and share Christ with the Gujjar.

Ask God to use the few Gujjar believers to share Christ with their own people.

Ask the Lord to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through intercession.

Pray that God will open the hearts of India’s governmental and religious leaders to the Gospel.

For more information, check out:

>> Joshua Project

It has been a long slow process, that’s how God works a lot of the time, Pastor Ken Whitten has had a burden to plant a church in North America for a while. There were a lot of questions to be answered, our pastor knew God’s will but he didn’t have God’s answer on how the plan would be implemented, it would take a while to know who would lead this effort and where it would be located.

As God’s will became known for the church plant, Pastor Ken felt that Buff & Cissy McNickle are the couple that God wants to use to lead this project, but what would they feel about God’s will for their lives? Pastor Ken approached Buff & Cissy to ask them to pray about God’s will in planting a church somewhere in North America.

I was humbled and excited all at the same time. Humbled that Pastor Ken would have that much confidence in me. We are excited about the opportunity to share the Gospel and impact the lostness in North America.

At first they didn’t know for sure what to do. Could God be asking to leave their ministry that was safe and ask them to make a bold move out into the unknown? Could God be asking them to leave their family and friends behind? They were completely open to what the Lord wants to do in their lives and so they began to pray diligently for the Lord to show them his will.

Pastor Ray Sanabria and Pastor Ken asked them to go to a “Send North America” conference in Atlanta last July. The North America Mission Board was hosting this conference to introduce the “SEND” strategy for North America and the need for churches to plant churches.

Cissy and I participated in every workshop and breakout session that they had during the two days. The worship and preaching was challenging and inspiring. It was at the conclusion of the event that Cissy and I were talking and sharing with each other what God was saying to each of us individually. We both said that we went from thinking it “would be great” to plant a church to “we must” plant a church. The need is great, we have a church that is ready to be a part of it and they want to send us – how can we not go?

God’s will was becoming more clear, it began with Pastor Ken and then that clarity spread to Buff and Cissy, now they needed to know God’s will about where this church would be planted. Eventually Atlantic City came on the radar and we began pursuing it in December of last year.

God’s will for a church plant has been revealed to the leaders of Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church, he has revealed who should go and he has shown them where they are to go, there is one more question about God’s will that hasn’t been answered yet.

What is God’s will for you?

God’s people are supposed to be people of action, the work of God’s kingdom isn’t reserved for those in the ministry, we have all been told to GO and PRAY and to GIVE, and doing nothing is not an option. Is God calling you to help Grace Falls Church? Check out some of the ways that you can help:

GO

Can you make a one year commitment to join the church plant team? We have several people that are partnering with us by committing to work in Atlantic City with us for 12 months.

We have several short term mission trips planned this year from Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church. The youth and the singles ministry have trips planned and there is a trip that is open to everyone. More information about these trips is on the way.

Send Buff an email and let him know you are willing to help and see what God does with your availability.

» COME AND WORK WITH US.

PRAY

God has called us to pray for his power to work through his people. Unless people like you commit to pray for Grace Falls Church we will never experience the fullness of his power in this ministry. Church plants are very difficult to do and we need your help in prayer.

Signup for an email newsletter from Buff to help you keep up with their prayer needs.

» SIGNUP TO RECEIVE UPDATES.

GIVE

Funding is always a challenge, especially in the current economy, there are a lot of needs that must be met for this ministry to thrive. Can you help with the financial resources are critical for the success of any new church plant?

You can give online to Grace Falls Church or give to a specific member of the transplant team.

» DONATE ONLINE.

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We are excited to see what God is going to do in Atlantic City through Grace Falls Church and you!

Our Cuba team had a great trip April 6-13 working with the people of Guanajay, Cuba. Take a look at what the Lord is doing through our Idlewild on Mission team and our church partner in Cuba:

The work included tearing down an old church building that they outgrew so that they can continue expanding their new church building. The construction of the new church building has been a part of our work since 2008. Slowly they have been expanding the size of their auditorium which does not have a back wall in it right now as they are waiting for the Lord to provide the final expansion of this building after the old building has been completely removed.

While the men were working on the building the ladies were ministering through a ladies prayer group, meal preparation, home visits and getting ready for Vacation Bible School.

After a full day of work there wasn’t any time to rest. Each evening the team led in revival services and Vacation Bible School for the children. Dana Hardee and Joe Craighead preached to a crowd of  sixty to a hundred adults while the Vacation Bible School grew from 12 kids to 31 by the end of the trip.

Our team delivered Spanish children’s Bibles that were donated by the Idlewild’s Worship Quest children’s choirs. Our kids had signed inside the covers of the Bibles and also made personalized bookmarks for the Guanajay children. We gave the Bibles and bookmarks to the children each night in VBS for answering Bible questions correctly and for quoting scripture.

Here are some testimonies from the team:

Mollie Scroggs:

The women had amazing trips to the outside with the Pastors wife to minister and pray with sick women. Our women’s prayer group at the church from 2pm-4pm grew every day due to God touching peoples hearts. Our children’s group for VBS also grew from 12 kids to 31. Every time I stepped in the sanctuary I felt Gods presence. I was forced outside my comfort zone but with Gods strength and the support of my team members, I was able to persevere.

Leta Juckette:

I had the privilege of going on home visitations with Pastor Ramon Interian’s wife, Eunice several times. She faithfully visits the sick church members and shares the gospel with unsaved family members in the homes before leaving.  I watched her share the gospel with a caregiver of an elderly home bound church member. The caregiver was Catholic, but when Eunice finished sharing the Gospel with her, the girl prayed to receive Christ and we were able to give her a Spanish Gospel of John.

Eunice is currently traveling to Havana (an hour away) several times a week to care for her 90+ year old father, who is home-bound.  Trying to care for her Dad and actively evangelize Guanajay, which is her heartbeat, has caused her some frustration. I identified with her situation, as I am in the same season of life caring for my parents. Eunice is an awesome pastor’s wife and a wonderful role model for the young wives in the church.

The new building is so beautiful and Idlewild has had a huge part in the building of it over the past few years. It still needs to be finished and will seat twice as many people when it is done.  They are already filling it with people and need more space soon.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done in Cuba. Will you help by being a part of the team that is going this fall?

Trip Dates: October 5-12, 2013
Trip Cost: IBC Members: $900.00 and Non-Members: $1,800.00
Price includes: transportation, lodging, food
More info: e-mail missions@idlewild.org or call 813-264-8727

Costa Rica is a beautiful country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, it is a tropical paradise with beautiful beaches, rainforest and friendly people that are open to the gospel.

Idlewild On Mission teams have worked with our Church Plant partner, Pastor Jaime Fuentes, in many ways to reach the community including Vacation Bible School, Bible distribution, door to door evangelism, as well as men’s and ladies Bible studies.

I asked trip leader David Strelser a few questions about his experience from the six trips that he has made:

Share a success story from a past trip:

Several years ago I was witnessing door to door with our ministry partner Pastor Jaime Fuentes. He asked me to stop at this house and spend a few minutes to demonstrate the “Evange-cube” with a friend of his. Because of the differences in language and using a translator I was under the assumption that the man was a member of his church and the purposes of the visit was strictly a teaching experience. Half way through the presentation I realized that his friend “Alexander” was very lost.

After spending over 45 minutes with Alexander his wife came out of the house and reminded him of a previous commitment and that they needed to go. As we walked from the house Pastor Jaime explained to me that this was a very good friend of his that would take him out fishing from time to time. I could tell that Jaime was sad and we stopped and prayed for salvation to come to Alexander’s house. Jaime explained that Alexander although a very humble and common man was held in high esteem amongst the other professional fisherman of the community. Jaime felt if Alexander could come to know Christ others might as well.

Several months later I received an e-mail telling me that Alexander had come to church and received Christ, what a praise. The next year that I returned I didn’t hardly recognize Alexander, not his physical aspect, but rather his continence, his joy, and his new found faith that brought Romans 12:2 to life.

Alexander has become the “Peter” of that community, (by accounts of the Bible they resemble one another- large burly man, not over educated but touched by the Holy Spirit to be able to fully communicate God’s word). This has truly been an inspiration to me.

What have you accomplished on your past trips that can only be a God thing?

Seeing Alexander and his entire household come to Christ. Having a bus driver that stayed with us for the entire week, get saved on a Sunday morning, get baptized three hours later, and actually witnessing to people two days later. It was a complete God thing!

Can we donate financially for your trip?

We have been so blessed by the benevolence of friends and family that have responded to support letters and from our Bible Fellowship classes that have also donated. My prayer would be for those that are reading this article would pray about possibly sending support to “Idlewild on Mission” to help other teams. Your support helps the church members of Idlewild to be able to afford to go to these partnership countries and continue to spread the Gospel.

The mission field is ready to harvest in Costa Rica and there is a need to disciple those that have already been reached. Pray for the church in Tarcoles, Costa Rica, pray for continued evangelism and for the discipleship process which is hampered by the transient nature of the community that is predominately fisherman.

There is a new missions opportunity calling, it is a call that you may want to answer, this opportunity will allow you to be a part of doing missions without leaving your house. This exciting new evangelism tool is a great way to share over the phone with people that are really interested in knowing more about the gospel.

The Evangelism Response Center (ERC) is a ministry of the North American Mission Board that equips you to offer prayer and spiritual counseling using the telephone and internet. Calls come in from advertising that the ERC has on various forms of media. This is an opportunity to talk to people that are seeking spiritual guidance and are open to the gospel.

Become an ERC Telephone Encourager. There are two training opportunities to choose from on Thursday, April 25, in Student Hall 1 at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. A meal will also be offered at both sessions.

To register and make meal reservations, go online, e-mail acosgrove@idlewild.org, or call 264-8779 by April 23.

Idlewild On Mission has a lot of destinations for you to consider, our church is spanning the globe to disciple the nations, the newest destination that you may not know about is Thailand.

Thailand is in Southeast Asia, located just 15 degrees north of the equator, it is a beautiful place with spectacular mountains, lush valleys and a tropical climate. The official religion is Buddhism so you will see Buddhist temples throughout the land.

Buddhism is a compassionate and tolerant religion, as a result the Thai people are friendly and are very respectful of the religious beliefs of others and are very open toward discussing their Buddhist values with visitors. The Buddhist does not believe in a personal God, their religious view is more of a moral philosophy, they are trying to be good enough to reach Nirvana.

Our team will work with our ministry partners in Thailand and assist them in their work through: Vacation Bible School, Training Pastors, Community Evangelism Outreach, visit a boys refugee center; evening workshop and through interaction with local monks.

Come experience the Orient and share the love of Christ with people that don’t know that they can have a personal relationship with their creator that is based on grace.

Population: 67,448,120 Ethnic Groups: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11% Religion: Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%

Our country was originally settled in the Northeast with deep roots in Christianity, it is difficult to deny the influence that Christianity had in the foundation of our country, but sometime between the Second Great Awakening and today the Northeast has turned its back on it’s origins. It has become one of the most secular areas of our country, instead of the influence of Christianity the culture is being impacted by universalism, liberalism, and postmodernism.

The United States has become one of the largest mission fields in the world and the Northeast is a large piece of that mission field with 20 percent of the total U.S. population. Millions of people live, work and visit the Northeast, the area is so dense with people yet it is less Christian than some third world countries.

Millions have never heard the gospel, it’s not that they heard and rejected it, they haven’t had a chance to. It is difficult for us to understand that they are just as unaware of who Jesus is as the people are in some of the areas around the world that Idlewild sends teams to.

Less than 4% of Southern Baptist churches are planting churches, our church has a heart for starting new churches and restarting old ones, we are blessed to be a part of a church that loves missions. The lack of evangelical churches in the Northeast has been a burden on the hearts of our pastors as they have prayed and sought God’s will for planting a new church.

God has provided the location and he has provided the ministry team to do his work, Buff and Cissy McNickle are stepping out of their comfort zone to be obedient to God’s call, let’s partner with them in this new mission endeavor and support their work.

How can I help?

• Give to the Atlantic City Church Plant: all donations should be designated and directed to the Idlewild On Mission Fund
• Make a 1 year commitment to join the Church Plant Core Team in 2013 by volunteering to go to Atlantic City for a term of 1 year or more. To help with the church plant in any capacity. You will need to raise all of your financial support.
• Be a member of an Atlantic City mission trip in October of 2013 (Details to come soon).
• Pray for Buff and Cissy and for everyone that they will work with and the people that they will minister to.

If you would like to help in any way contact Buff and Cissy at bmcnickle@idlewild.org or call (813) 264-8752.

Take a good look around you and think about how much of what you see will last for eternity. Now think about how much you are busy doing that won’t matter one second after you leave this world and step into eternity. The Bible tells us that there are only a few things that will last forever, the word of God, people and love.

Put those three all together and we ought to come to realize that we should have a love for God’s Word and love people, in fact that is our task while Jesus is away, he expects us to be sharing His love to the world around us. Our focus should be away from ourselves and our needs and desires as we focus on the lost-ness of the world around us.

1 Corinthians 15:58  So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Will you go to the streets of Tampa with enthusiasm? “Love Loud” needs to be more than just a catchy slogan, it is up to us to put it into action, we need to take it out of the pews and into the streets. We need to learn to love the way that Jesus loves so that people will take notice and ask us what our motivation is.

Every believer is invited to find a way to build a relationship that will develop into a discipleship opportunity. Consider how you can be an Ambassador in your neighborhood, school, workplace, or to a neighbor, senior adult, or the underprivileged. Ambassador Teams are available to help you, your family, or your Bible Fellowship classes to find ways to build relationships.

>> Love Loud information

“We love because he first loved us.”

Are you ready to Love Loud? That’s your mission if you choose to accept it. It is time for the church to go outside of it’s wall and show the city how much we care. Our world is hurting and in need of hope and it is our job to show them the living hope that we have in Jesus. (1 Peter 1:3)

Details for March 24th:

One combined church service at 10 am
Service should end around 11 am
After the service, the entire congregation will go out into the community of Tampa and Lutz to serve

How to get involved:

ABF classes are encouraged to serve together with their class
ABF leadership should pick a project for March 24th that is loving, relational, intentional, and fruitful

If your class is having a difficult time coming up with ideas, please visit the Love Loud tables in the Gatheria, they have a flyer for each area of ministry, underprivileged, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, visitors, seniors

Prayerfully pick a project and ask your serve coordinator to communicate it to your class. When you and your class decide on a project, please send an email with the details to the missions department by email to loveloud@idlewild.org Please reply with a decision within the next 2 weeks.

Another option is for your ABF class to “Adopt a Block” by praying for the residents and handing out personalized contact cards for our Easter service. Please email loveloud@idlewild.org for more information.

So you say you don’t have an ABF?

Maybe it’s time to connect! Visit the Welcome Center inside our two main entrances or you can visit our website here. We can help connect you with a class that’s right for you.

You say you don’t know what to wear?

We have that problem solved for you! Get a “Love Loud” T-shirt. We will help you look good, get the message out about what you are doing and you will get to help inner city school children have new uniforms for school this fall.

We are excited!

Are you excited? We are so excited that you are joining us to go “Into the City” and show the love of Christ!  We hope that you and your class will be inspired and excited about this outreach opportunity!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at loveloud@idlewild.org or call the missions office at 813-865-9203.  Please contact us with your classes’ decisions about the Love Loud projects for March 24th as soon as possible.

The “More Than Words” Global Impact Conference is long enough that all of us have probably been a part of some aspect of it. We have learned about missions from many great teachers that work here in Tampa, across our nation and around the world.

Some highlights from this years Global Impact Conference include:

• Mark Cahill made it very clear how urgent it is for us to tell everyone around us about Jesus.
• David Nasser told us that we need to keep our mission in mind while we are busy doing ministry.
• Aaron Coe talked to us about defining moments when we realize that God has called us to do his work.
• Tal Davis gave us an idea of how diverse the world is in their beliefs about life after death and what they think about Jesus.
• Pastor Elmer Lessa challenged us to realize that we have been blessed so that we can be a blessing.
• Daniel and Lacy Tolar opened our eyes to the abuse that goes on around the world in human trafficking.

The mission conference is over, we know that we are told to take up our cross and follow, we know that we are supposed to go make disciples. Now what?

Pray about two things: Where to go? What to give?

Where to go?

We have seen a lot of opportunities from ministries that need our help, the information booths in the Gatheria have shown us a lot of opportunities at the local, national and international level. How does that affect you? Is there some place that God wants you to minister in a short term, long term or even a lifetime ministry opportunities?

With so many opportunities, we need to pray that God will impress upon our hearts a passion to work in a specific area, we need to be sure that we are serving where God wants us. Some of the opportunities that Idlewild has for us to consider include:

• National and international mission trips
• A new church plant in Atlantic City
• Love Loud projects
• Food Bank
• Just Love

This is just a sample of the many opportunities that are listed in the “Idlewild On Mission 2013 Mission Opportunities” booklet or you can see a list of short term trips here.

What to give?

One of the greatest acts of obedience is to return some of your financial blessing back to God to be used for his purposes. We need to pray that God will show us how he wants us to give to his work. Maybe God wants you to pay for your trip to the mission field, maybe he wants you to help pay for somebody else to go, he may tell you to help pay for a well in India or a stove in Guatemala.

Pastor Ken told us yesterday that our world has a heartache, it is hungry and it doesn’t even know what it needs, it is our job to go help by offering them the hope that is found in our Savior.

In order for this Global Impact Conference to be “More Than Words” we need to put what we have learned into action in our communities, workplace, our nation and around the world. We also need to ask God where he wants us to go and what he wants us to give.