This week we received word that Mark Bentz, who went with Family Life Church to the Philippines for his very first missions trip a few years ago, is leaving in July 2009, along with his wife, Linda, to serve as missionaries to Kenya for two years!

While in Kenya Mark will be using his professional teaching degree and Linda, who is an RN, will be using her newly gained midwifery skills.

This Sunday is the 1st anniversary of the Tres Cruses Foursquare  Church, the church that we have helped begin in the Philippines.  I have just sent the church a congratulatory email.  I decided to send all of you a copy so that you may rejoice!

Pastor George

In the Mighty Name of Jesus,
Pastor George P. Jones
Family Life Church
Waukegan, Illinois
U.S.A.

So few in our day will be a voice for the voiceless—and there are none so voiceless as unborn children.  Our church has a long history of speaking up for the unborn child and for tangibly helping mothers and families in crisis pregnancies.  In the last year we have begun to support CareNet.  For years we have sent monthly support to Aid for Women.  Also, for close to two decades we have participated in Life Chains.

Life Chain is scheduled for Sunday.  There will be chains all across the United States.  Ours will be right outside the Shelia Daniels Christian Academy immediately after our worship service (the chain will start at 12:00 and end at 1:00.  A Life Chain is a silent protest of abortion.  We will stretch out along Washington Street holdings signs with such messages as “Abortion Kills,” “Adoption is the Loving Option,” “Jesus Forgives and Heals” and “El Aborto Mata Niños.”

From a pastoral perspective I urge everyone able to join us for Life Chain.  Young and old can participate.  If your health makes it difficult for you to stand for an hour, bring a lawn chair or borrow a chair from the church.

(Prov 24:11-12  NIV)  11 Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.  12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who guards your life know it?  Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

PASTOR GEORGE

A long held vision of planting a Foursquare Church in Tres Cruses, a barrio in the Philippines where a number of our church members were born, was realized in 2007.  At that time, Pastor Gil Barcelo, felt God calling him and his wife, Nora, and their two daughters, Shara and Alika Grace, to move to Tres Cruses to live and work among the people there.

Pastor Gil has officially been appointed by the local Foursquare Church.  Our church has partnered with the new church from the beginning, providing a house for the pastor’s family and monthly support.  Presently the church is meeting in a large barn.  Workers arrive early each Sunday morning to transform the barn into a church!  The church is growing and thriving!

One of the long range goals is to have a new church building built in Tres Cruses.  The property on which the parsonage sits would be ideal.  Towards this end, our church has purchased this property and is in the process of having title transferred to the Foursquare Church in the Philippines.  By God’s grace Family Life Church in Waukegan will partner with this daughter church to build a new, suitable church building.  There is potential to draw not people from Tres Cruses, but from neighboring areas as well

If you would like to contribute to the purchase of the land, please clearly earmark your contribution “Tres Cruses Building Fund.”

MAP:

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Pastor Mario & Judy Solόrzano received their visas to come work with us in planting some Hispanic churches in Chicagoland.  The plan will be to begin these in Aurora, Chicago Heights, and Waukegan.  Praise God, their visa process went smoothly!  It is happening!  They will fly here around August 1st!