Mission & Mercy Ministry Update - 2024, Issue 8
Table of Contents
Prayer Focus: The Unreached People of the Philippines
Mercy Highlight: Sewing & Craft Ministry Blessing People Around the World
Spotlight: Pro-Life Ministry Showers Hope Rising with Encouragement Cards
Opportunity: Concert for Poverty at UBC Aids Bridges of Hope - August 2
Opportunity: Operations Christmas Child (OCC)
Upcoming UBC Mission Trips: Planning for 2025
Prayer Focus
The Unreached People of the Philippines
August!! Where is summer going? Our missional prayer focus for August will be for the unreached people groups (UPGs), specifically the Frontier people groups (FPGs), in the Philippines. (FPGs are a subset of the UPGs with 0.1% or fewer Christian Adherents that have no reported church movement within the group.) UBC financially and prayerfully support the W.’s who serve there with TEAM. This organization partners with the global church in sending disciples, who make disciples and establish missional churches.
The Philippines is 1 of 11 countries in SE Asia. It is made up of approximately 7,600 islands and is roughly twice the size of the state of Georgia. The population is estimated at 118,959,000 people. There are 33 UPGs, 9 of which are Frontier groups. These 9 are all indigenous and Islam is the major religion. The country as a whole is 78.8% Roman Catholic. Their constitution provides free exercise of religion and worship and prohibits the establishment of a state religion.
Let us intentionally pray for the Philippines this month. Below are suggested prayers.
Prayers
O Lord God! behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for you. Show your loving kindness to the frontier people groups in the Philippines. You are the mighty God; the Yahweh of Armies is your name. You are great in counsel, and mighty in work; let your eyes be open to all the ways of these peoples. (Jeremiah 32:17-19)
May the Frontiers be still and know that Yahweh is God. May He be exalted among them. The earth is the Lord’s with its fullness; the world and those who dwell therein. We give praise oh God, because you inherit all of the nations. (Psalms 46:10; 24:1; 82:8)
O Lord, the good news is veiled to these peoples in the Philippines who are perishing, in whom the god of this world has blinded their minds. Cause the unbelieving there to see the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. We pray they would see Christ Jesus as Lord. May your light shine out of darkness and into their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:3-6)
Personal Prayer/Praises from the W’s:
Please pray for church planter training online, and in person (in September). Especially pray that these workers will effectively apply training on Making and Maturing Disciples for Christ.
Praise the Lord for church planters who are applying (even in Taiwan) what they learn in church planting training.
Praise the Lord for each teen who trusted in Christ at Evangelism Camp.
Praise the Lord for providing funds for two chapels, and for the Malasiqui church land (this has been a prayer request for two years!)
Mercy Highlight
Sewing & Craft Ministry Blessing People Around the World
On Saturday, July 13th, the Sewing & Craft Ministry Team hosted another open house. 15 people were in attendance and helped make burp cloths and fleece tie blankets for Hope Rising-Xenia. Others stopped by to donate fabric or pick up take-home kits to finish prepared projects. More baby blankets were donated as well! Sewers and non-sewers alike were all hard at work. Helping hands were busy ironing, cutting fabric, coordinating and prepping fleece fabrics for tie blankets for completion, making take-home kits for finishing burp cloths, crocheting, and sewing. It was a fun day working together to bless Hope Rising with handmade items.
The team also had the opportunity to have a zoom meeting with our UBC missionary, Krista McCutcheon. She shared how she discovered the new UBC Sewing and Craft ministry and her vision for how the team could help her ministry in the near future. Krista is part of a 14-member team that puts on retreats and conferences for missionary women across the world. These events include 4-5 days of intense Bible study, time to share testimonies, and counseling and encouragement for the women in attendance. This fall, Krista and her team will be leading a retreat for women missionaries that serve in remote areas of Asia. She has asked the UBC Sewing & Craft Ministry to be part of this conference by making 55 small gifts and praying for each of the women who will be attending.
The UBC team plans to make foldable shopping bags and add a few other small practical items. These must be completed and mailed by mid-September to allow the gifts to reach the intended destination on time. Help us encourage, bless, and pray for these women serving in Asia and support our UBC missionary in the field!
If you would like to help with this project to encourage Krista McCutcheon and these women on the other side of the world, please contact Kathy Gallagher at 937-356-9253. The Sewing & Craft Ministry will be working to complete these projects early this month. Project kits can be picked up to complete and return.
The next scheduled Sewing & Craft Ministry Open House is set for Saturday, September 14th from 10 AM-Noon. The group plans to sew, crochet, and knit various items for this year’s Operation Christmas Child boxes. Sign up on the event page here and come join in the fun!
Spotlight
Pro-Life Ministry Showers Hope Rising with Encouragement Cards
Recently our Pro-Life Ministry gathered to write encouragement cards for the staff and volunteers at Hope Rising. Following I Thes. 5:11, they encouraged and built one another up to continue the work of the ministry of protecting the life of the preborn and helping mothers in need.
Please continue to pray for Hope Rising and the volunteers who work there to continue in faith. Pray they persevere in sharing the gospel while mercifully encouraging all to pursue Christ through their example of love. Ask the Lord to meet all the practical and spiritual needs of the ministry and to continue to call others to encourage, serve, and give as God directs.
The Hope Rising staff includes experienced nurses, ultrasonographers, consultants, and volunteers committed to caring for women with compassion when facing unplanned pregnancies. The ministry offers confidential care at no cost with access to pregnancy services and additional supports including abortion recovery, healthy relationships, infant loss, parenting classes, and spiritual support. You can learn more about their ministry, here.
If you would like to get involved with the pro-life ministry at UBC, share your interest here, and someone from the team would be delighted to get you connected.
Opportunity
Operation Christmas Child
Ohio’s tax holiday July 30-August 8 is a great time to start shopping for Operation Christmas Child (OCC) boxes. OCC is a tangible way that you can help spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth! Think about working with your growth group to do a packing party together. It provides a great opportunity to work and serve together and is a way for children in the group to get involved in missions.
Some things to be thinking about this month:
How many boxes would you like to do?
What items should go in the boxes?
A. School supplies (pick a few) - pencils, crayons or markers, erasers, pens, scissors, notebooks or paper
B. Hygiene items - hairbrush, comb, washcloth, toothbrush (NO soap or toothpaste)
C. WOW item - an item that catches the kids eye like a stuffed animal or soccer ball and pump (Jesus Loves you Ball available for $4 this fall for purchase at the ministry table)
D. Other fun or useful items - stickers, cars, crafts
What kind of personal touch can you add to your box (a photo or personal note)?
If doing a growth group packing party, who can help coordinate it?
If you would like additional information or ideas check out the OCC website https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/ or please reach out to Lindsay Tucholski at lindsay.tucholski@gmail.com.
Opportunity
Concert for Poverty on August 2
This Friday, August 2, UBC will be hosting "Overcoming Generational Poverty - Benefit Concert & Dessert". The concert is a celebration of God’s deliverance from darkness to light. Through songs and powerful story-telling, Jennifer Jolene will share her story of overcoming poverty, being redeemed, and growing up in the inner-city of Cleveland. We will also enjoy a time of worship.
The suggested donation is $7, and all proceeds will go to Bridges of Hope in Xenia. Bridges of Hope provides a Christ-centered foundation, serving those in need in Xenia and Greene County. They have a night shelter to provide a safe place to sleep, eat, and shower. During the day, they have social and physical services that include job training, housing services, recovery ministry, and other life classes.
Don’t miss it! We look forward to seeing you there.
Monthly Mission Quote:
If you want the Kingdom speeded, go out and speed it yourselves. Only obedience rationalizes prayer. Only Missions can redeem your intercessions from insincerity.
— William Carey
Upcoming Mission Trips
Planning for 2025
UBC is currently planning for mission trips in 2025! There will be local, national, and global trips offered. Here are some of the trips currently in the planning phase (watch for more details as dates become firm):
Builders for Christ (we will again pursue helping with the next building project)
Argentina
Bangladesh
Namibia
Uganda
Paraguay
Additionally, if you are planning to participate on a mission trip with another organization (e.g., Cedarville’s GO trips), please contact us to let us know more!
If there is a nation or a people group that God has placed on your heart, share it with us. We would love the opportunity to hear and to help you find a trip in the coming year. Reach out to Jim Corbin (jim.corbin@ubcbeavercreek.com).
Contact to learn more:
Jim Corbin
jim.corbin@ubcbeavercreek.com
To read past Mission Updates or to get more information about UBC on Mission, visit
https://www.ubcbeavercreek.com/mission-and-mercy-ministries.