McGrath Community Church Mission Work - Update September 7, 2015

Christie and I flew back into Anchorage last week for a few days before she flew back to Alabama and I flew back to McGrath until September 20. We had a great week and had a chance to take a deep breathe after a very exciting summer. 

As most of you know by now, the McGrath Community Church has invited Christie and I to stay in McGrath and lead the church. This is very humbling for them to ask us to do this. After a lot of prayer and discussion with the church, we have agreed to do a six month "interim"  period. The target date to be back in the community is November 1, 2015. However, if the parsonage is not completed and ready to move in, this date may be pushed out. With winter in McGrath fast approaching, this is a critical deadline; first for construction work, and second for us getting back to McGrath. The plan was to drive to Anchorage the third week of October to be in McGrath by November 1. But as we have talked to people who have made the trip, and know the weather very well, it is an "ify" trip if we wait to drive late in October. So we will see how much of the parsonage is complete when I leave September 21.

Famous Donut Burger

During our few days in Anchorage we got to go to the Alaska State Fair held in Palmer, Alaska, about an hour from Anchorage. It was a very interesting fair, similar to our fairs in many ways, but had a unique Alaskan twist! The food was awesome! The one thing we were told we had to try was a Donut Burger! Yep, you heard that right...a glazed donut cut in half as the bun, then the burger and all the fixins! The only thing that would have made it better would be what...a HOT GLAZED KRISPY KREME donut!

Luau

We walked the fairgrounds and visited all the exhibit areas. A trip to the fair would not be complete without a trip to the agricultural barn...come on, where all the people show off their prizes animals. We talked to a lady who was moving her pig to the weigh-in station. Christie asked her how much she thought her pig weighed and she said probably 300 pounds...AT SIX MONTHS OLD! Guess what the pig's name was.....Luau! Yep, you can pretty much guess where his next stop will be!
 

Veggie Tales

Alaskan Roulette

Funniest thing happened. If you all do not know, Christie cannot stand birds of any kind. Except maybe the deep fried kind! Anyway, we were walking around where the turkeys were and coming straight for Christie were two turkeys that had escaped from their cages. Should have seen her run. Mike, the turkeys are coming right for us!

On Wednesday we left early for Soldotna, Alaska. On the way we stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. It was an amazing place. 

Brown Bear Napping

Black Bear Napping

 

What You Lookin At Willis

Big Elk

 

Christie & Moose

Bison Guards His Woman

 And what did we find in the great state of Alaska.....the only real mascot...Nova!

Warr Eagle

In Soldotna we met with the Child Evangelism directors for Alaska to discuss the "K4G" Bible Club we are starting after the first of the year. It was a very good meeting and we learned a lot about other club ministries in communities like the one we will be ministering. While in Soldotna, we got to spend some time with Pastor Wayne and his wife Rosie. They are there for the month of September, then headed back to Maine. It was an awesome day.

Thursday we went winter clothes shopping. We were very fortunate to have another missionary, who was also staying at the same missionary house we were, to go with us. She and her family are in a village called Eagle, which is about 12 hours northeast from Anchorage on the Alaska / Canadian border. They have been there for 18 years and have to come to Anchorage to do their 6 month shopping. After a certain point in the winter you cannot get out of Eagle due to snow covered roads. These guys were a great help and the store they suggested we go to was having a big sale! So we got our heavy coats, gloves and hats at almost half price.We had a lot of time with these guys and got a lot more information about living in the bush, especially in the winter.

The week was incredible and we got very valuable information about ministry and winters in the bush. I put Christie on her plane back to Alabama later Thursday night. Breakfast is not going to be the same without "Puddin" around!

Parsonage Update

Through contacts the church has with a mission group called Artic Barnabas, a few men from this organization will be coming to McGrath to try and finish the construction of the parsonage. With winter very close, the parsonage construction needs to be completed so it can be furnished and ready for Christie and I to move in November 1.

I have set up a "List" on the Walmart website for stuff needed for the parsonage. At the top of the Walmart webpage select Lists and then search for McGrath Community Church Parsonage. For Target, copy and paste this link into your Browser http://www.target.com/targetlists#public/fc9384bad0d949e8bdb5fee45d0df2ba and it will take you to the page for the parsonage. The Target list is a lot better than the Walmart list because we could just list general items without having to select specific product item and add to the list. You can print the list off the Target list page and buy from Walmart if you prefer.

 

If you would prefer to make a donation, make your check payable to McGrath Community Church and note on the check "Parsonage Furnishings". The check can be mailed to McGrath Community Church. P.O. Box 82. McGrath, AK  99627. You will receive a year-end statement for your contribution.

Ministry Update

This past Sunday I started a short three week series called "I Challenge You". Part 1 this past Sunday was "I Challenge You - To Read and Study The Scripture". The next two parts will be "I Challenge You - To Make Prayer A Priority" and "I Challenge You - To Obey What God Has Said". The goal is to get the body in the Word and prayer, listing TO God, so we can move outside the walls of the church and BE THE CHURCH and a light in this community!


K4G (Kids 4 God) Update

Due to Christie and I not being back in McGrath until November 1, and the holidays starting, we have decided to start the weekly Bible clubs after the first of the year. This will give us more time to prepare and hopefully get some parents to help out. Please be much in prayer about this. 

If anyone would like to help fund the "K4G" Club we would appreciate it very much. The things we need most are snack items, powder drink mixes, maybe hard candy for prizes, and maybe kick balls, soccer balls (all deflated of course). I am looking for an earth ball. It is a very BIG ball that the kids can play with outside. If you feel led to help us please send them via postal service, Priority Mail to Mike Mason, P.O. Box 133, McGrath, AK  99627.

Lucy and her calf update

Lucy Opens Baby Shower Gift

My friend Lucy and her baby have been making themselves right at home around the community, especially in town. We have decided that Lucy is a city girl and she had her baby calf in town. Seeing how all the town's people have planted such nice, green gardens in honor of her baby she has ma
de herself right at home. Our next door neighbor has worked so hard all season to have a good garden. They put up a good fence and secured it real well, which caused Lucy a slight problem. But this past weekend, while our neighbors were down river, Lucy could not wait to open their baby shower gift to her and her baby!

What's for dinner Mike?

All day this past Saturday Lucy and her calf hung around in our yard. I was able to feed them carrots, apples and some plums. They helped themselves to the rest of Christie's raspberries. They said to tell Christie to plant the sweeter ones next year!

During the day Saturday, Lucy decided to lay down and watch her baby. The calf had a ball just running around in the weeds. We have gotten to be good friends, so good that I can get withing about ten feet, and Lucy does not even lay her ears back, which usually means, "You're getting too close, Jack!" 



Moose Hunting Update

The season seems to off to a very good start. Many of the town's people have gotten their moose already. And they say the moose have been very fat, which means they have been eating very good and not used up a lot of energy in rut! Ray Collins, the founder of the church, got his moose this past week and I was able to see how it was dressed in the field and how some of the processing is done. Ray does most all the processing of his moose, but some people will send the meat into Anchorage to have it processed.

Hanging Moose Meat

Moose Processing

 


 Thoughts

Many exciting things have happened over the last few weeks to add to an amazing summer of ministry. Two of my goals as part of the three year commitment Momentum Ministries made to the McGrath Community Church were, first, to be in the community more in the summer to follow-up after VBS, and second, to find some way to be in the community during the winter months to reach out and help during this "dark" and cold time. God has faithfully provided for both of these goals.

I had a devotion a few weeks ago that in part lead to the "I Challenge You" series we are doing over the last three weeks I am here. The title was, "Are You Discourage In Devotion?" At first I thought, "No, my devotions have been pretty good!" But as I read the devotion I was challenged by this question; "Is there any ONE thing that hinders me from following Jesus as He deserves?" It was based in the passage where the rich, young ruler comes to Jesus and asked Him what he must "do" to be saved. The man thought he was good when he responded to Jesus, "All these things (the commandments) I have kept from my youth!" I am picturing this scene...Jesus just smiled at the man's answer, knowing what He was going to say next and how the man was going to respond.

Then Jesus say, "ONE THING you still lack! Sell ALL that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and [THEN] come follow Me." Luke 18:22 (ESV) You know how the story ends...not very well for the man. You see he had ONE THING that stood between him and following Jesus. Just ONE THING, but oh, how huge was that ONE THING! It was the difference between heaven and hell!

Following Christ is not about obeying a bunch of rules and commandments, church attendance, small group association, being morally good, or saying a prayer or signing a commitment card. The young man had all that, but those five little words are the difference between life and death..."ONE THING you still lack!"

For some it may mean sell all you have and follow Christ; for some it may mean that out of the blessings that God had so generously blessed you with you are to bless someone else; for some it may mean a complete surrender of  one's life to Christ. We all, not matter where we are in life, or what our social status is, or how good life may be to us, must ask that one question that Jesus asked this man, "What ONE THING stands between me and Christ and keeps me from following Him?" Not just bowing our heads and saying the prayer, but really committing our lives to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, and picking up our cross and carrying out the one command Jesus left us before returning to the Father; "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) 

Continue to pray for us as we share the love and message of Jesus Christ! If you are not on our newsletter mailing list please send me your information, including email address if you prefer it emailed, to me at momentum.ministries7@gmail.com.

McGrath Community Church Mission Work - Update August 31, 2015

What an amazing weekend in McGrath, Alaska! The weekend started off with a painting party for the ladies of the church and village. This event was made possible by generous donations of supplies by Becky Darnell, Hannah Cooper and Rachel Nelson. And the beautiful results!

 

 

 

All the ladies had a great time and are already planning the next get-together!

The Sunday service was awesome! We had a praise team that consisted of 3 ladies and 1 young girl. WOW, what a beautiful sound it was! And the young girl sang a solo, "Christ The Solid Rock"! She did an outstanding job! The message was the last in the "Life Interrupted" series. This part was my personal story about how God interrupted my life. I let the people see how my life journey has been and shared some personal stories of my life.

 Moose season opens today so all the folks are loading their rifles and camping gear in their boats and heading to their favorite hunting spots. Most travel along the Kuskokwim or Takotna Rivers to get to their spots. It is a crazy time of year in the village.The funniest part of the hunting season is watching all the "outsiders" come into the airport to go sheep or moose hunting. It looks like a Cabelas catalog to see them all dressed up in their new camo, new boots, and fancy gun cases. Some of these people pay $15,000 to $20,000 to go on a guided hunt!

As many of you know by now, the church leadership has invited us to stay in McGrath and continue as the church's leader, or "pastor" position. After a lot of prayer and discussion between ourselves, and the church, we have decided to stay for a six month trial period! This was a very humbling thing for us, and an honor to even be asked to take on this position. If you are on our newsletter mailing list you have received the newsletter by email with more details about this opportunity. If we did not have an email address it is on the way via US Mail. If you are not on our mailing list please, or we do not have an email address for you, please send me your information at momentum.ministries7@gmail.com and I will get add you to the list.

At the writing of this update, Christie and I are in Anchorage. We left Monday as had been originally planned. What a gorgeous morning it was! And there was S N O W on the highest mountains. We have plans to travel to Soldotna, Alaska to meet with the Child Evangelism Fellowship Directors for Alaska. We have plans to start a CEF club in the McGrath school (well, at the church which right next door to the school) at the first of the year. We have been reviewing the material and wanted to meet these folks and talk with them. We will also visit Pastor Wayne and his wife who are also in Soldotna, where Rosemary is working as a Nurse Practitioner.  We also will be shopping for some winter clothing! Yes, Christie will actually have to wear a coat this winter! We have already been given a pair of "bunny boots", which are the best boots for the winter we will experience. They are white and look like moon boots! But all the people say they are the best! We will also visit the Surplus Store, a good thrift store and a couple of outdoor stores to pick up a few things. 

Today we have a "play day" and are going to the Alaska State Fair. We have been warned not to expect this fair to be like the fairs back home. It is "different" they say. But we have been told we must visit the food vendor that sells "donut burgers"! Yes, you heard that right, D O N U T burgers. It is a hamburger on a glazed donut as the bun. For those of you back home, can you imagine a FRESH, HOT Krispy Kreme donut as the bun for a hamburger! Lookout for picture of our fair day!

I will put Christie on a plane Thursday night to head back to Alabama to start our preparation for coming back to McGrath. I will fly back to McGrath on Friday and stay through the third Sunday in September when there will be someone to fill the pulpit until we get back in late October.

We got some news this weekend that the church has contacted a mission group in Alaska called Artic Barnabas. They focus on helping village ministries with construction work. They have scheduled to come to McGrath in mid September to help finish the work on the parsonage to have it ready for us when we come back up in late October. 

We are very excited about the opportunity that the Lord has provided. As part of the three year commitment Momentum Ministries made to the McGrath Community Church, we wanted to be in the village to experience the "winter" with the people and try to provide opportunities, for the kids and youth especially, to come together for activities and ministry. We have several holiday things we are working on, and children and youth things as well. Please continue to pray for us and the church as we try to be the hands, feet, and mouth of Christ.

If you have any questions or comments, or would like to talk about how you, or your church could help this ministry please contact me at momentum.ministries7@gmail.com, 907-574-0624 (Alaska cell) or 334-292-0090 (Alabama cell after September 20).
 

 

McGrath Community Church Parsonage - August 27, 2015 Update

I have completed the parsonage furnishing list for Target. This list was a little easier because I was able to list the general items and not have to select specific catalog items. Feel free to use this list and buy at Target or Wal-Mart.

To access the Target list copy and paste this link into your browser. You can print the list from the site.
http://www.target.com/targetlists#public/fc9384bad0d949e8bdb5fee45d0df2ba

 The Wal-Mart list has been setup and you can access it by:

          1. Go to www.walmart.com

          2. Click on Lists at the top of the page

          3. In the Pop-up box select Find A List

          4. Type in mason (last name box) and Alaska (state box)

          5. Select McGrath Community Church Parsonage - this will open the list

McGrath Community Church Mission Work - Update August 25, 2015

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we got no place to go....well, you know the rest of the song! I woke up the other morning and the thermometer said 30.9...and no, that is not the local radio station's spot on the FM dial! Folks, it is getting COLD up here! They say snow by the end of October or early November! By December we will be able to walk on water...meaning the river will be frozen by then! Christie says bring it on. But I have to say that I think she is slipping a little. It has been a cool, off and on rain this past week, and I have seen her putting on a sweatshirt and wrapping up in a blanket. May not need that doctor visit after all! (Only those who know Christie will understand that one) 

Parsonage Update

The church met last Friday and part of the discussion was the status of the parsonage. The kitchen has been finished with the exception of the wall cabinets being hung; the stone for the oil stove (for heat) has been finished; some of the moulding in the living area has been installed; and some of the tile has been laid in the bathroom. An estimated date for completion and ready to start furnishing is November 1. Again, this is ONLY AN ESTIMATED date. Lots can happen between now and then.

I am in the process of setting up "Lists" (similar to wedding/baby registries) online at Wal-Mart, Target, and Fred Meyer. The Wal-Mart list has been setup and you can access it by:

          1. Go to www.walmart.com

          2. Click on Lists at the top of the page

          3. In the Pop-up box select Find A List

          4. Type in mason (last name box) and Alaska (state box)

          5. Select McGrath Community Church Parsonage - this will open the list

I am working on Target, but it will be similar to the Wal-Mart. If you wish to order from Target before the List is setup, please feel free to use the items on the Wal-Mart List as a guide. The list may vary from store to store because you have to actually select items and add them to the list. If you would like to help with the furnishings we are asking that you donate cash so the items can be ordered and shipped together to save on the freight cost. Check back often to see what is still needed. I will update the blog later this week with the link to Target.

  

If you would prefer to make a donation, make your check payable to McGrath Community Church and note on the check "Parsonage Furnishings". The check can be mailed to McGrath Community Church. P.O. Box 82. McGrath, AK  99627. You will receive a year-end statement for your contribution.

Ministry Update

Worship this past Sunday was awesome. It was a rainy, cool, gray morning but the Son was in the house! The worship music was focused on grace. Christie did a beautiful version of Larnelle Harris' song, "Were It Not For Grace" after the message.

We looked at the meeting between the religious leaders and Jesus in John 8, as they brought the adulterous woman before Him in Part 4 of the current series, "Life Interrupted". This is one of my favorite "life interruptions" by Jesus because it shows the love, compassion, and justice of Jesus all in the same story. This passage is such a beautiful display of Grace.

The series is going to wrap up this Sunday August 30. In part 5 of the series I will share personally how God has interrupted my life. Please be in prayer for our time of worship.

Special Ladies Event

The Ladies Event scheduled for this past weekend had to be rescheduled. We are working on a new date.

The event will be a painting party. There will be wooden cross and Mason jar door-hangers available to paint. We are very excited about this outreach to the ladies of McGrath.  

K4G (Kids 4 God) Update

The weekly Bible Club is called "K4G", Kids 4 God! It will be held one day a week after school, which just so happens to be right next to the church. Trying to focus on a high-energy hour to hour and a half program to really get them fired up about Jesus! We are still working on the logistics for our meeting. The kids get out of school at different times, so there is roughly a 30-40 minute span from when the young kids get out and the older kids get out. Because many of the kids ride the bus we are trying to make our time end about the time the parents get off work. We may have to schedule our start of the meetings after the first of the year.

If anyone would like to help fund the "K4G" Club we would appreciate it very much. The things we need most are snack items, powder drink mixes, maybe hard candy for prizes, and maybe kick balls, soccer balls (all deflated of course). I am looking for an earth ball. It is a very BIG ball that the kids can play with outside. If you feel led to help us please send them via postal service, Priority Mail to Mike Mason, P.O. Box 133, McGrath, AK  99627.

Lucy and her calf update

Moose season starts next week and the excitement is getting crazy around here. We saw Lucy one time last week. The baby seems to be growing very well. He, or she, was just leaping all around the neighbor's yard next door. Of course Lucy was finishing off the garden she started working on a week or so ago. 

At the Bluegrass Festival back in July, we met a man they call here, The Moose Whisperer! They say this guy is so good he does not even have to get out of his truck! We have been learning all kinds of neat stuff about moose, moose hunting, and moose stories. We have a friend whose mom can smell a moose. They said when they were young and went moose hunting, they would be riding down the river and mom would say, "Stop, did you smell that?" And she would be right...MOOSE! They also said that one night their grandparents were camping by a lake. Grandpa was snoring as usual and grandma heard something in the water. She woke grandpa up and told him there was something out by the water. He woke up, looked out the tent and saw a bull moose right at the water's edge. One shot and it was down. Grandpa called up the moose with his snoring!

Church Outing

Christie fixing her dawg!

The weather began to break as church was ending. Someone made the suggestion for a picnic. Several of us loaded up the boats and headed down the Kuskokwim River to a favorite spot of the locals. We started up a good fire and roasted some awesome moose dawgs...jalopena and cheese stuff moose dawgs! Whoa, what a treat. And what is a campfire with without Smores...with the marshmellows that are square and made for smore making!

On the way back my little buddy who lives next door tried his best to stay awake. But finally fell asleep standing up!

Piper the Wonder Dog

My buddy

Parting Thoughts

My devotion this morning came from Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest".  Matthew 3:11, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry."  Chambers  made a couple of comments that I had to let "soak" for a few minutes.

"Repentance does not bring a sense of sin, but a sense of unworthiness. When I repent, I realize that I am utterly helpless; I know all through me that I am not worthy even to bear His shoes."

"I indeed was this and that; but He came, and a marvelous thing happened. Get to the margin where He does everything. He does things no one else can do!"

Continue to pray for us as we share the love and message of Jesus Christ! Our newsletter was delayed waiting for some decisions to be made about the ministry here. I am in the process of completing it as I write this update. There are some exciting ministry opportunities to announce so keep a watch on your mail! If you are not on our newsletter mailing list please send me your information, including email address if you prefer it emailed, to me at momentum.ministries7@gmail.com.

McGrath Community Church Mission Work - Update August 17, 2015

August has been known to be a rainy month, and this year it no exception. The last few days have been rainy and cold. I know that you will not believe what I am about to tell you, but as many of you know Christie hates hot weather! The colder, the rainier, the cloudier, the better. Well, this past weekend it was rainy, cold and dreary...but she said the words I thought I would never hear her say, " I am cold!" Just about knocked me out of my seat. She even asked me to start a fire in the wood stove! Next time you talk to her ask her is she is feeling! :)

 

Parsonage Update

 

The parsonage is about a week to a week and a half away from being ready to move in. There is some cabinet work to be done, the waterlines need to be connected, the bath fixtures installed and the bath tiled. Once this work is complete, the church can start looking for a pastor to come and help lead the church. The church built the parsonage to provide housing and utilities to a pastor who could come as a missionary pastor providing their support for living expenses (excluding housing and utilities) or a pastor who would come as part of  mission organization that would provide the salary for the pastor. Please pray for the church as they begin this process.

 

With the parsonage construction near completion, it will soon be time to start furnishing the parsonage. I am in the process of setting up "Lists" (similar to wedding/baby registries) online at Wal-Mart, Target, and Fred Meyer. If you would like to help with the furnishings you can go online and see what is needed. The list may vary from store to store because you have to actually select items and add them to the list. Check back later this week for how to access these lists.

 

If you would prefer to send a donation that will work also. Make your check payable to McGrath Community Church and note on the check "Parsonage Furnishings". The check can be mailed to McGrath Community Church. P.O. Box 82. McGrath, AK  99627. You will receive a year-end statement for your contribution.

 

Ministry Update

Christie did a lot of baking this past weekend, mostly cookies. She did a great job as she always does, but this time she did the baking in the wood stove! The cookies were very good. We are hoping to do more visiting this week if we can get some good weather.

We had a very good crowd this past Sunday despite the cold rain. We had a good worship time as we introduced a few contemporary worship songs via video clips. We were pushing the envelope a little but it went very well and the folks sang very good.

We looked at the book of Jonah in Part 3 of the current series, "Life Interrupted". We talked about the consequences of running from God. Since many of the folks here are fishermen, I had the chance to tell a BIG fish story! Get it???

The series is going to wrap up on Sunday August 30, the last Sunday we are expected to be in McGrath. Sunday August 23 we will look at one of my favorite passage, the woman caught in adultery, and the last Sunday I will share personally how God has interrupted my life. At least that is the plan as of today. Please be in prayer for us as we close out our time here.

Special Ladies Event

Saturday August 22 at 2pm, Christie is gathering the ladies of the church and community together for a painting party. There will be wooden cross and Mason jar door-hangers available to paint. We are very excited about this outreach to the ladies. We have had a good response from the church, and hoping to get the ladies from the community involved also. We posted the event on the local online message board so we are hoping the word gets out.

I would like to give a very special thank-you to Becky Darnell for donating the wooden crosses and Mason jars to be painted, Rachel Nelson for donating the ribbons and burlap, and Hannah Cooper (my awesome daughter) for donating the paints and brushes. You gals are awesome!   

Kidz Zone Update

Our summer program, KidZ Zone, wrapped up this past week. It has been so good to be in the community after VBS to follow-up with the kids. This was something new and we did not really know what to expect. But we had a good response for the first summer.

I am working on the school year program to follow-up the summer. We are going to call it "K4G", Kids 4 God! It will be held one day a week after school, which just so happens to be right next to the church. Trying to focus on a high-energy hour to hour and a half program to really get them fired up about Jesus! Please pray that I can get some adults and high school kids to help with this program.

If anyone would like to help fund the "K4G" Club we would appreciate it very much. The things we need most are snack items, powder drink mixes, maybe hard candy for prizes, and maybe kick balls, soccer balls (all deflated of course). I am looking for an earth ball. It is a very BIG ball that the kids can play with outside. If you feel led to help us please send them via postal service, Priority Mail to Mike Mason, P.O. Box 133, McGrath, AK  99627.

Lucy and her calf update

No sightings this week! I guess she knows that moose season opens in a few weeks so maybe she is laying low for a while! I do not know why she should worry; first, you cannot shoot a cow moose, and second, you cannot shoot a gun in the city limits! I would say she is safe.

Parting Thoughts

Continue to pray for us as we share the love and message of Jesus Christ! Our newsletter should be on its way in the next few days. We will tell you about some exciting ministry opportunities! If you are not on our newsletter mailing list please send me your information, including email address if you prefer it emailed, to me at momentum.ministries7@gmail.com.

McGrath Community Church Mission Work - Update August 14, 2015

Hope everyone is doing well! It has been a very good week here. Woke up this morning and it was 39 outside! Can anyone in the south say that is C O L D! Yea, you need for us to send some of it down your way? I will talk to the local weatherman, Tony, who is a good friend!

Ministry Update
We had a good week this week visiting and giving out homemade cookies. The young girl who Christie has connected with, went with us. She had been baking cookies with Christie and hanging out with her. When Christie said we were going she asked could she go, Christie said sure. She was able to show us houses to visit. We were able to visit several homes, some of which were the homes of kids who had been to VBS and to KidZ Zone. We had good visits with all the homes except one. We pulled up in front of this one house and the dog came out barking. The man came to the door and asked, "What do you want?" We said to introduce ourselves and give him some cookies. He said, "I don't want any cookies. I don't want anything!" Have a nice day!

Christie and her young friend have really connected. She is a very sweet young girl who really needs to find the joy of her salvation. Several times she has asked us if we think she is a Christian! We are praying that Christie may be able to take some time with her and maybe talk about salvation and what being a Christian means.

This week's message will be Part 3 of the "Life Interrupted" series, Jonah - A Big Fish Story. I had several lives to consider, but I was eating lunch on Monday and randomly turned to a Charles Stanley podcast. His message was on, who else, Jonah! So that settled that question. I have to admit the study and prep for this message has been very good for me personally. Christie and I have been praying for several decisions about the ministry here and studying the life of Jonah has been a big help. Talk about a LIFE INTERRUPTION...Jonah had a "fish story" to tell about the "big one" that got away!

This morning I went to the church to have some quiettime with the Lord and pray. As I was unpacking my stuff I found that I had left my devotion book, "My Utmost For His Highest". So, I read through the book of Jonah several times, and in a couple of different translations. As I was reading God began to really speak directly to the ministry at the church. He never fails to ALWAYS use "unexpected" situations in powerful ways! He is so good!

The series is going to wrap up on Sunday August 30, the last Sunday we are expected to be in McGrath. Sunday August 23 we will look at one of my favorite passage, the woman caught in adultery, and the last Sunday I will share personally how God has interrupted my life. At least that is the plan as of today. As I have seen several times this summer, the plan is subject to change!



Last Friday night after the community softball game, a young man name Seth Fairbanks left McGrath in his plane headed to Anchorage for what we understand was a reception for a family member who recently married. The plane went down short of Anchorage in a river where the tide was starting to come in. The plane flipped. There were several people that reported seeing two people standing on top of the plane. Seth is reported to have made three 911 calls, but the cell service was not clear. The last call was reported to have said they were going to swim. The problem was, the water is very cold, the current is very rough, and the river bottom is all silt, quicksand like stuff. The chances were slim, if any at all, for them to make it to shore. The plane has been recovered, but no signs of Seth and the passenger with him. They have found several personal articles but nowhere close to the crash site, and not close to each other. And neither bodies have been found as of this update. The families have already started to prepare for the funerals. 

This will be the second death in the village since we have been here. Please be in prayer for McGrath. In a small village like McGrath things like this affect many people.
 
Kidz Zone Update
 School starts August 19th. I have seen many of the kids and they are very excited about school starting. I am very excited about the start of the new Good News Bible Club. This is part of the Child Evangelism Fellowship program. I am praying that God brings lots of kids to Club each week.

If anyone would like to help fund the Good News Club we would appreciate it very much. The things we need most are snack items, powder drink mixes, maybe hard candy for prizes, and maybe kickballs, soccer balls (all deflated of course). I am looking for an earth ball. It is a very BIG ball that the kids can play with outside. If you feel led to help us please send them via postal service, Priority Mail to Mike Mason, P.O. Box 133, McGrath, AK  99627.

Lucy and her calf update
You are going to be amazed at this. The last sighting of Lucy and her baby was...RIGHT OUTSIDE our backdoor! Christie heard the dogs next door backing about 5am this past Monday. She walked down the stairs and looked and saw both of them just mowing down the tops of the small trees. They were less than 20 feet away! She woke me up and I went outside. Lucy just looked at me and kept mowing down the tops.

Then...on Thursday of this week I was at the church studying. As I was leaving I kind of glanced off to the area where the cemetery is located. I caught something out of my eye. I turned and looked...and there she was, Lucy and her baby, mowing down weeds in the cemetery. The baby was just jumping around and playing. At least they were watching where they were stepping! :)

Parting Thoughts
As we were visiting this week we met a new friend, Max. He is a part lab and part pit bull. And his toys are two twenty pound bowling balls! Yes, you heard me right, TWO TWENTY POUND BOWLING BALLS! I will let you decide which part of him is pit bull! It is so funny to see him try to get the bowls in the right position to get his teeth in the finger holes!
 








Continue to pray for us as we share the love and message of Jesus Christ! Our newsletter should be on its way in the next few days. We will tell you about some exciting ministry opportunities! If you are not on our newsletter mailing list please send me your information, including email address if you prefer it emailed, to me at momentum.ministries7@gmail.com.

McGrath Community Church Mission Work - Update August 9, 2015

Greetings from McGrath Alaska where it is a cool 53 today and light rain. To all our friends back in Alabama we are so sorry for all the heat. You are welcome to come visit! We have still been having Internet issues and the library has not been very consistent with adhering to their schedule! Guess I will have to volunteer as a library aid! I keep building my resume. One day I am going to decide what I want to be when I grow up!

Things have been going great! I will catch you up on all the great things that are happening here in the most beautiful place...definitely the Last Frontier!

Ministry Update
Christie and I have been able to do some visiting. We have left cookies and a door hanger about McGrath Community Church on the houses on our street. We have had a lot of rain the last couple of weeks late in the afternoon, so we have been limited by how much we can do. But we have made a lot of contacts around the village. We have been here long enough that people are seeing us around more. Christie has become a regular at the local grocery store (called the AC Store). The couple that run the store have kids and grandkids that came to VBS this year for the first time.

Christie has connected with a lady in town that is a baker. Every Saturday she has homemade cinnamon rolls at the cafe. It cost me a fortune to get out of there the Saturday we had lunch! Christie made her delicious banana nut bread and took her a loaf. If these two ladies get together the whole town will be calling Jenny Craig!

Last week I started a series at church called "Life Interrupted". We are looking the lives of people that Jesus met and "interrupted" the life they were living. Last week we looked at the woman at the well and this week we looked at Simon of Cyrene. I have had an awesome time with this series and I think the folks have also. It is a much different approach to the messages that are used to, but I feel that it is what was needed here.

The church is in a very difficult place right now. The founding pastor is getting well up in age and does not want to preach any more. Pastor Wayne, who I am filling in for this summer, is still dealing with aging parents, a sister whose cancer has resurfaced and a son that is deep into substance abuse, will not be back in the village for a while. (Please pray for pastor Wayne and his family) The person who was helping pastor Wayne is also going to be in and out of the community working on an online education curriculum. So the leadership of the church is not consistent right now. God has always provided leadership over the last few years and this will be no exception. Please pray for the church leadership as they seek God's direction right now.

Christie and I are having an awesome time working and ministering here. We are connecting with folks that are not church attenders and just loving on them. There is a young girl who lives next door that we have known about as we have had VBS here over the last few years. She has had a hard life and just recently got saved and baptized at a youth camp several weeks ago. She is the same girl i met the night I was at the laundry place studying...the night God had placed me at the laundry place to connect with this girl and my friend who stopped by the house. She has been to church the last 2 Sundays and after the service today we talked and she shared a little with me about what is going on in her life. She shared a devotion she had read with me and asked Christie to go over to the cemetery with her and see the graves where some of her family were. This is a HUGE connection for Christie. Christie invited her to come make cookies with her one day and she gave Christie her number. Pray that this connection will lead to a relationship where Christie can pour into this young girl's life. 

Kidz Zone Update
Due to the construction team from Pennsylvania being here last week, we had to cancel our Bible clubs last week. We had many of the kids still come and want to have it. We will resume this week with our clubs.

School starts here August 19th. Anyone know where the school is located? Yep, right next to the church! I am excited about the possibility of catching the kids leaving school and getting them to the Bible clubs right after school. I am praying that God brings lots of kids to Kidz Zone. We had almost all the elementary kids in VBS this year so I hope the kids that are coming now to Kidz Zone will invite their friends to come after school.

If anyone would like to help fund the Kidz Zone we would appreciate it very much. The things we need most are snack items, powder drink mixes, maybe hard candy for prizes, and maybe kickballs, soccer balls (all deflated of course). I am looking for an earth ball. It is a very BIG ball that the kids can play with outside. 

I believe this ministry is going to be a huge part of the work we do here. I have seen more and more parents coming and interacting with us than ever before at VBS. This year our Fun Day for VBS was a big success as far as parents attending. We had lots of parents come for the cookout and stay for the closing program.


 Parsonage Construction Update

Roger, Bill, Kathy, Peggy, Betsy & Jim - Pennsylvania Construction team

Jim Nolan and his construction team from Pennsylvania arrived on July 31st to start the final phase of the parsonage construction. The project list was very aggressive and included some much needed work on the church. The team hit the ground running and got off to a very good start. The weather, which had been rainy and cloudy the week before, could not have been better. The temperatures the early part of the week was in the upper 70s and high 80s and BEAUTIFUL skies! The team took advantage of the weather and got the whole outside of the church painted, and some much needed repairs on the roof, fascia and soffit. The church looks like a bright light shining on a hill, well, in the middle of town.




The parsonage work went very well. The team got several of the project list items done; kitchen sink and counter installed, oven connected and working, living room wall (custom cut wood) put up and first coat of varnish applied (it looks very nice), tile installed in kitchen, wood floor installed in living room, shower installed, and sewer connected. Roger and Bill did a lot of work in the parsonage. I had the "privilege" to work with these guys and they were a hoot! They worked very hard, but they had a good time!
 
Though the week was a very successful week, the main goal of the week, completing the parsonage was not accomplished. The work remaining to be done; complete installation of the shower, install bathroom sink and toilet, hot water heater installed, bathroom tile, install 2 kitchen cabinets and bar counter top, install refrigerator and stackable washer/dryer, and hook up all water lines. All the appliances are onsite, and the materials for the other work are also on site. It would take about two weeks to totally make the parsonage move-in ready. 

Jim Nolan just hiding under the house!

Betsy (Penn Team) and John (McGrath) digging sewer line

John (McGrath) hard at work

Christie and the assistant cook Kathy - the food was delicious!

 



The completion of the parsonage is a major requirement to having a pastor at this church. Due to the cost of housing and utilities, the ability of the church to furnish this parsonage and utilities will greatly increase the possibility of securing a pastor. There are ministries in Alaska that provide the salary of a pastor to churches like McGrath Community Church provided the church furnish the housing and utilities. This is what birthed the idea of this parsonage.

Once the parsonage is move-in ready, it will still need to be furnished. The needs are beds and bedroom furniture (including a loveseat), linens and towels, living room furniture (small living area so a couch and chair will work), kitchen items (pots, pans, dishes, silverware, etc.), and bathroom items. I am going to look into setting up a registry at Target, Fred Meyer (Alaska Walmart), and Walmart in the name of McGrath Community Church. So if you feel lead to help support the completion of the parsonage you can do so through these registries. If you wish you can always send a donation to the church. Please make the check out to McGrath Community Church and note on the check "For Parsonage". Mail the check to McGrath Community Church, P.O. Box 82, McGrath, AK  99627. You will receive a year-end contribution statements for your tax records.

Lucy and her calf update

Our Girl Lucy

We had not seen Lucy and her calf in a few days. We were really concerned about her. She is the "town moose" and when folks don't see her they know that she must be up to something. Thursday morning Christie saw her at work again across the street where she had already "mowed down" the neighbor's leafy lettuce, cabbage and other nice green tops! The one thing I had been told was that moose DO NOT eat the tops of potato plants...they just don't taste good! Well, someone forgot to tell Lucy! She was mowing down the potato plants! She started moving down the street to the next "buffet table" and Christie went to get her camera. When she got back Lucy was well into mowing down that neighbor's greens! I think she was having snack before she went to work on her filing!

Parting Thoughts
As I close this update, we want to thank everyone who have committed to pray for us and support this work. I cannot express how we have felt the prayers and seen the Father work in this place. Yes, it is a very hard place physically and spiritually, but oh what an opportunity for the love of Christ to be shared. The word "hopeless" is a loud word here...you see it all around. Each day we are learning more about McGrath and its people. We are learning to love these people more as we live life with them and meet with them on their turf, like the softball field as they gather every Tuesday and Friday nights; at the cafe where we talk with Todd the manager and Ben the owner; at the AC Store (the local grocery store); and just driving down the street and waving.

Continue to pray for us as we share the love and message of Jesus Christ! I plan to send out our newsletter this coming week with some exciting ministry opportunities! If you are not on our newsletter mailing list please send your information, including email address if you prefer it emailed, to me at momentum.ministries7@gmail.com.

P.S. For all you avid hunters, moose season opens September 1! 

 Some parting pictures

The Red Baron (Jim) and Ace Co-pilot (Christie)

Construction Team Pot Luck

The Hills and Rivers Give Him Glory

Malone Homestead along the Takotna River

Moon over McGrath

Sunset on the Tekotna River

Don't you wish you were here!