Highland Lakes church of Christ

THANK YOU NOTE

Dear Church Family, I want to sincerely thank you all for your love and support these last 7 years. Lynn and I spoke often about how blessed we felt to be a part of such a beautiful church family. I really appreciate such a nice “send off” and gift. My blanket is a reminder of your generosity and love.

In Christ’s love, Kathy Patterson

FELLOWSHIP MEAL

Our Fellowship Meal, next Sunday, March 26, after the AM worship assembly will be hosted by: Ken & Gail Darnell, John & Tina Brewer and Gary Crabtree.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTNOTES

Romans 10:14-15 ESV
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

The following is a recent update from our Brother Sylvester which updates us on events there in Nigeria at church and on the Print Ministry construction site. Keep this all in your prayers. For the elders, Ken D

Ugbogbo Sunday Worship, March 5, 2023

AM worship went well today. The Bible lecture from a very young brother (Praise Dimowo) left soul-searching thoughts for every worshipper. His lesson was on the subject of THE PHYSICAL DEATH OF JESUS. The lessons the young man drew from the death of Jesus were very, very thought provoking and inspiring.

By the way I am following the Dr. advise for me to talk/ teach less for a while. I am taking treatment for tracheitis. It’s been finally diagnosed that besides the reflux ulcer, I also have some problems with my trachea or windpipe. I am on medications.

The worship as usual was very, very beautiful. But the attendance has reduced. Total attendance today was 263, and I am told that this is an improvement from last Sunday.

Generally, the harsh economy is adversely affecting even worship services. As people are hungry, it’s also affecting health. So many people are sick. The church First Aid Drugs are being used by the nurses to cater for so many brethren every Sunday. They showed me that what they have left cannot carry till the end of the month. One woman obeyed the gospel in water baptism after worship. The work of building the accommodation for a preacher is on hold because of the situation. The cash scarcity is affecting contributions. The brethren were very glad to see Sandra and I.  After worship we have returned to Jattu to be close to the site (The New Print Ministry Complex). The wood supplier has brought the first batch of wood to the site. And we are excited that work on the roofing would soon start.

Please extend our love, regards and appreciations to the brethren at Sioux Falls congregation and the entire donor base! – Sylvester Imogoh

THANK YOU NOTE

The Welch and Darnell families would like to express their deep love and appreciation for all the care, concern and affection that was demonstrated to us following the passing of our mom, Pauline Evans.  We are especially thankful for the love that was shown last Saturday at Pauline’s memorial service by those who attended and those who provided and served our family a wonderful lunch afterwards. God bless you all.

EATING OUT TOGETHER

Our Eating Out Together . . . . . . . .will be on Thursday, March 9th, at 5 PM at the Hoover Valley Café. This is a good time for fellowship and getting to know each other better. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the back of the auditorium.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTPRINTS

“And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”” Romans 10:15

Photo by Adrianna Calvo on Pexels.com

Over the last year we have followed the effects of the conflict on Ukraine and Christians living there. Our fellow workers in the Eastern European Missions share a lesson from the conflict. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. For the elders, Ken D

UKRAINIAN CHRISTIANS SHOW BIBLICAL UNITY

by Bob Burckle and Dirk Smith, EEM

We’re seeing God use the war in incredible ways. In Jesus’ final moments before the betrayal that would send Him to the cross, He prayed for His disciples and all those who would believe in Him, that we would be one in the very same way that He and God the Father are one (John 17:20-23). His heartfelt prayer was for the earliest Christians and for us today. He knew our world would be torn apart by politics, racism, and inequalities, so He prayed for the unity of all who believe — “so that the world may know.” This is the beautiful outcome when there’s unity in the Church — others will know Him.

If the purpose of unity is to show the world Jesus and draw people to Him, then divisiveness will do the opposite. It will cause doubt and drive people away.

from Him. We need unity so that people will come to know Him. We must recognize that we as believers, are in a battle – an all-out war for the souls of the lost – and we all fight the same enemy. We must not allow cultural, social, and denominational issues to divide us, taking our eyes off the true foe.

If we can do the same, we can prove the admonition from Ecclesiastes 4:12: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” It’s more than encouraging – it’s outcome changing – that we stand in unity with the God of the universe Himself as the third strand in the cord uniting believers around the world, “that they may be one, as we are one” (John 17:22).

WITH SYMPATHY

Pauline Evans, the mother of Paula Welch and Gail Darnell, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 8th. She was 98 years of age and had spent many recent years in the Kingsland. Care Center. She is in now in the loving arms of her Lord and Savior. Our prayers, love and condolences are with Gail and husband Ken, Paula and husband Don and with all in the family and whoever had known her. Funeral arrangements are pending. May God’s comforting thoughts be with all.

WITH SYMPATHY

We were saddened to hear that Myron Fietz passed away from this life at 4:30 pm on Wednesday, February 15th, but we rejoice at his “home-going”. He is now with his Lord and Savior in the life that has no pains and sufferings. Visitation is this afternoon from 1 to 2 pm at the Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home in Marble Falls, immediately followed by the funeral service at 2 pm. Our prayers, love and sympathy go out to wife Janet and everyone in the family, to all who knew and loved Myron. God bless everyone with peace and be His comfort with them in this difficult time.

FELLOWSHIP MEAL

Our Fellowship Meal next Sunday, February 26th will be hosted by: Troy & Leana Futrell, Doc & Sandy McDaniel and Sherry Wills & Ken Love.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTPRINTS

“And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”” Romans 10:15

Photo by Adrianna Calvo on Pexels.com

This is a report by our Brother Mike on the work he was involved in last month in Nigeria. It is a blessing to hear of the work of the Gospel that our brethren are involved in. Keep it in your prayers. For the elders, Ken D

JANUARY 2023 REPORT FROM MIKE UDAM (NIGERIA)

 We thank God we made it to 2023 and to the glory of God, work started on the 2 nd of January with the first quarter Leadership conference for church leaders around Northern Cross River hosted by the Ukpagada church. 98 church leaders from 38 congregations participated and we resolved to put more emphasis on reviving the congregations around us and intensify our approach to evangelism using WBS, Gospelshare, and other available tools at our disposal. Leaders also resolved to work closely with each other to grow the church around Northern Cross River state.

As a way of strengthening fellowship within the congregation and also taking into consideration the special needs of various age groups in the church, I had to plan to have lunch with the youths, the adults, and the children. These meetings afforded me the opportunity of evaluating the progress we are making as a church in the area of bonding and inter-family relationship, especially since we are a rural community. Honestly, I enjoyed these meetings. Even when each meeting cost me above a 100usd to provide the food, I returned home very happy and fulfilled as I hear directly from those I lead tell me how excited they are being in Christ and the fellowship we share in him.

Also within this month, Healing Hands International, USA chose our congregation to pilot the planting of Plantain to fight food insecurity in Africa. The church provided a piece of land and bought suckers to activate the process and to the glory of God, the farm has been established.

Externally, within the month, a nearby congregation invited me to speak in their gospel meeting on the 21 st and my topic was Church Growth Destroyers. The brethren were edified and to the glory of God, a few brethren were strengthened who were already feeling discouraged about the behaviors of some brethren that they looked up to.

Our WBS team was also involved in a three-day evangelism in Bebi, Obanliku, and three souls were won into the kingdom and top amongst them is a senior lecturer of the College of Education Obudu. God has been faithful and I am glad that I am found useful in his vineyard. Sincerely yours, Mike Udam

LADIES DAY AT CHEROKEE

All ladies are invited to a Ladies Day at the Cherokee Home for Children on Saturday, February 18, 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. Speaker will be Janet Marks, the author of ‘Three Little Decisions”.   A light breakfast will be provided, there will also be Lunch, Singing and Fellowship.

BEAUTIFUL FOOTPRINTS

“And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”” Romans 10:15

Photo by Adrianna Calvo on Pexels.com

Our Brother Sylvester reported on the events and some perspectives from Nigeria last weekend. Let us keep them in our prayers. For the elders, Ken D

Leadership Seminar Sat. Feb 4

Our monthly leadership held at Ugbogbo congregation. Because of the current cash and fuel crisis affecting everything in Nigeria, we expected less attendance. But many brethren managed to turn up from various villages from 6 counties. To our surprise, close to 300 turned up for the day’s exercise. The Ugbogbo women prepared local food that hardly went round to feed the brethren.

Widow’s Program (Food and Equipment Distribution)

As we have arranged, we distrusted sacks of rice for the various congregations to take home. And we gave out a total of 2 Sewing Machines. And 7 Grinding Mills to 9 widows as support for their sustenance. The Widows were very, very happy and grateful for the wonderful provisions they have received.

Sunday Feb. 5 Ugbogbo Widow’s Food Relief

After AM worship today we gave out sacks of rice to the widows of the Ugbogbo congregation The women received their gifts with great joy and prayed for the donors in the native language.

Update About the Fuel and Cash Crisis in Nigeria

The government of Nigeria has caused a huge problem for the people right now. The government may have had good intentions to plan to change the currency and exchange the new notes with the old ones in circulation. I think what was intended among other things is to remove excess cash in the hands of the politicians who have been keeping cash in billions of Naira outside the banking system. That was certainly not healthy for the economy. However, the circumstances we face now are dire. Most of the old notes have been retrieved but the new notes are not in circulation. Thus Nigerians have no money for exchange.

The situation has been growing from bad to worse with spiraling negative consequences…. The cost of buying anything has increased. Nigerians are now “buying” their own currency to be able to buy food. We are paying as much as 20-30 percent for cash. Families are stranded, businesses are struggling, and the economy is in difficulty. In Delta State one person slumped last week and died inside the bank.

People wake up and line up at ATM spots in banks waiting for when banks will open and maybe load cash in the machine. You can go for 3 days and not collect anything. Several pictures and videos have emerged on the social media of men and women who protest the frustrating experiences in the bank by stripping naked (inside the bank).

While this cash problem is going on, we also have another major crisis – no fuel. The cost of fuel (if you get any at all) has risen by between 400 to 1000 percent.

Transportation is affected. People are threatening riot in several cities already. Crowds at the banks and at the filling stations have become unmanageable.  Those who are able to get fuel sell it at cutthroat prices in the black market. Elections are planned for February 25, but there are apprehensions already. Collection in churches have diminished. And most church leaders are only using whatever they collect for Food Relief to save lives!!

Please remember us in your prayers,

Sylvester Imogoh