Welcome to another week! The men of Life Building Ministries visited Fallowfield United Methodist Church on Sunday, June 14. The late Reverend Andrew Hercula founded this ministry to meet the spiritual needs of troubled men.
A day at Life Building Ministries works like this. The men wake at 6 a.m. and do chores until 8:15 a.m., when they have morning devotionals together. After breakfast they have Bible class until lunchtime. Then they work outside for three hours.
Life Building Ministries owns more than five acres, and the men cut wood for the wood stove, rake leaves, mow grass, and maintain the grounds.
They eat dinner at 5 p.m., and then do homework to prepare for Bible class. They close their day with chapel from 7 to 8 p.m. All totaled, these men study the Bible for five hours a day, five days a week.
This is a life-changing program. God is transforming these men into evangelists, preachers, and missionaries.
Another life altering ministry in our community is Vacation Bible School. Vacation Bible School will be at Fallowfield United Methodist Church June 22 through 26 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. This year’s Bible School is science-themed.
I co-directed Bible School for five years. The majority of the kids seem to have a blast singing, playing games, making crafts, and learning about Jesus. But I have found that some of the children in the Atlantic community are a really difficult mission field. They've got chips on their shoulders and treat the Bible school volunteers with contempt. It's really hard to crack the armor they’ve built around their hearts in five nights.
I believe in Bible school. I know several children who have asked Jesus into their hearts at Fallowfield’s Bible School. Sometimes I wonder, though, if men from Life Building Ministries might be better witnesses than I am to children who have grown up in harsh environments and don’t see Jesus as a friend.
Wouldn’t it be a blessing if people from troubled backgrounds ministered to these children in the Atlantic community? Wouldn’t it be inspiring to watch Jesus work in their lives?
We always ask the kids to bring in their nickels and dimes to support a charity or needy organization. This year we are raising money to support Arun and Sobha Massey’s mission, Caring Hands. It is an orphanage for the daughters of devadasis, temple prostitutes in India.
The Masseys teach the girls about Jesus and run a school in the orphanage. They recently opened a home for the devadasis’ sons, too.
The Masseys are trying to raise money to buy the building that houses the orphanage. It was originally donated to the Masseys, but the donor now needs to sell the building.
This is where the kids’ nickels and dimes will go. Simply donating a handful of coins could help the Masseys buy their orphanage outright and transform more lives in India. If you’d like to read more about Caring Hands, visit HYPERLINK "http://www.caringhandsindia.com" www.caringhandsindia.com.
Please bring your children, grandchildren, or neighbors to Fallowfield’s Vacation Bible School. You can also register any night during VBS. Just come a few minutes early to fill out the paperwork.
The Atlantic Grange is sponsoring a blood drive on Wednesday, June 17, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the International Order of Odd Fellows Hall in Atlantic. You can preregister for an appointment time by calling Virginia Shields at (814) 382-8584. Donating blood saves lives.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!