To God’s Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
It is good to be home. We arrived late last night from what has been for us a trip of a lifetime, with seeing God’s hand on our ministry and journey’s in so many ways.
Our prayers are with those in Turkey and Syria who are struggling in a post-earthquake heartache! They are a people who need to experience the tender presence and love of God, and so we are praying for those serving them at this time and shining the love of Jesus into a trauma that is so overwhelming! We were thankful to be just out of the country when this occurred and that the impact on our flights and conference were minimal, yet remain heartbroken over the pain of so many…please keep praying!
As we recover from travels that felt longer than they were (and they were long) and a reversal of time (almost opposite time zones...am to pm) our memories of God using our church family in such powerful ways are overwhelming. We have shared some, and will share some more, but as we reflect on our trip, and hear more stores from Tony we are praising God for your prayers and support. We saturated this journey in prayer (we are so thankful for your joining us in our struggle in this way) and now we need to PRAISE GOD TOGETHER for His answers to those prayers!
There are now three people from persecuted countries who came to know Jesus for the first time as Lord and Saviour as a direct result from the conference. We continue to hear stories of pastors who now have hope, and of the impact resounding through people who were there and now are sharing the hope they have found with others in their country of origin. We are so blessed to have fallen in love with these precious people again...and through prayer and the teaching of God’s Word been able to be partners in the Gospel with them and see God's work reverberate through them in the midst of tremendous trials.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR giving to this ministry, and for your PRAYERS! We are grateful, and the impact you have had with us will only be known in eternity, but the ripples we see now are ones we PRAISE God for! We are so blessed to serve God with you!
The people we were serving came broken and filled with heart ache and questions. We quickly adjusted the talks we were going to give, and focused on the Sovereignty of God and hope. I was so thankful that this was the focus we went in with, but the heartache in the people God had called us to serve was deeper than we could have known. The quote our translator focused on in the midst of their heartache and confusion was from Job, who asked God 15 times why, and the only answer he got was WHO. The quote, “it is okay to ask why, but more important to see WHO”. The women so appreciated Lori's prayers, and so did the one preaching and teaching! Such a blessing to be sent together as a team, and to serve on your behalf in God's presence to God's people TOGETHER!
We can hope in a God who is SO GREAT, and Isaiah 40 gives us strength to sore like EAGLES, and Matthew 10 hope that we are of more value than SPARROWS! Oh that we would see His great power, His wisdom beyond measure and His love for us as He shepherds us through every situation. That this experience of His presence would give us courage to live on mission for Him, and display His holiness and love in our lives and through our lips! He is worth giving our everything to and living with every breath we take, for His glory!
We look forward to sharing much more with you as we saw the hand of God powerfully at work, and look forward to serving Him with you in the coming months and years so that our impact together continues to grow.
HE IS WORTHY!
We have a Fellowship Luncheon this Sunday. Please join us for lunch (by donation) following the Sunday service, and seek to find people you don’t know and connect. It is so important that our church family knows and encourages one another, and we see these lunches as an opportunity for this, so please come looking for people to connect with and share Jesus love together.
There is much more going on, and Lori and I are just catching up on most, so stay connected with God and one another as we engage on His mission for His glory with His family!
We are glad to be home, and treasure our memories!
Privileged to serve you, and serve on your behalf around the world,
Pastor Rob and Lori
Bulletin
Church Fellowship Lunch
Today / After the service / Gym Join us today after the service for a great opportunity to connect with others while enjoying some delicious food. Everyone is welcome!
Sunday Evening Prayer Service
Sunday, Mar. 5th / 7:00 PM / Fellow. Hall Our next monthly Prayer Service is scheduled for March 5th. We’ll be meeting for a time of corporate prayer, singing, and a short message. Join us as we seek to make prayer a top priority.
Growing Together Women’s Breakfast
Sat. March 11th / 9–11 AM / Fellowship Hall Guest speaker: Pastor Rob Godard. This event is by donation, but please sign up at the women’s table in the foyer today.
Marriage According to the Scriptures
▶ The Cloverdale Baptist Podcast How do we put God’s purpose for marriage on display in a world that has completely distorted this divine union between a man and a woman? Listen today on our website or your preferred podcast app!
Join us in praying for our missionaries around the globe.
Tony / Middle East
- Praise God for 3 new believers and the completion of another great conference, thanks to all your prayers.
- Pray for these new believers and the others who attended as they return home often to face persecution.
- Pray that God will strengthen these believers and give them the courage to stay strong and grow in their faith despite opposition.
- Pray for the people of Turkey after the devastating earthquake and the many families affected by the loss of family and friends.
- Pray that local churches will do everything they can to help, and bring comfort and hope through the gospel to many.