All Saints Presbyterian Church

The McReynolds in Tanzania

During Sunday's worship service, Bryan McReynolds introduced us to the TIMO Project.

TIMO will send a team of missionaries, led by the McReynolds, to Tanzania for 2 years beginning in early 2012. This team will be living with and serving the Nyamwezi people, an under-reached tribe in western Tanzania. Their goals include the establishment of a viable church and to equip team members for a lifetime of mission work.

Make plans to join Bryan on Wednesday evening at 7:30 for an informal dessert at the home of Ed and Jamie Kruft (4219 Lostridge, 78731). To RSVP, please email me (bslaton@allsaintsaustin.org).

2 Videos

1. Eric Metaxas discusses Bonheoffer. 8 minutes, here.

 


2. Tim Keller and author Gabe Lyons discuss The Next Christians:

 

waterbrookmultnomah on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

South Africa trip photo album

See the complete album - South Africa, March 2010.

Peru trip photo album

 

See the full album - Peru Trip, March 2010.

City School Work Day

This past Saturday, 15-20 men from All Saints spent the day serving our friends at City School. We did some general landscaping and grounds maintenance, but our main project was building a deck behind their administrative building (if you are familiar with City School, that's the old house on the east side of the property). José Corea, who sends his children to City School and owns a construction company that specializes in outdoor living spaces, designed the deck and oversaw our construction efforts. And while the job was bigger than most of us anticipated, the deck was 95% complete when we left at 5:30. What was once a muddy patch of grass and mostly unused space is now a place where students and teachers will be able to gather for years to come. 

This was the first project for the freshly-minted City Team. If you are interested in learning more about City School or getting involved in other local mercy ministries, please contact me at matthewpipkin@gmail.com.

WORK DAY GALLERY

Haiti Update

On behalf of the orphans in Haiti and The Global Orphan Project I would like to thank each one of you for your support and sacrifice reflected in your generous and selfless giving. Each one of you has greatly helped feed and care for thousands of orphans who have been devastated by the earthquake. To date, All Saints has raised over $100,000 for The Global Orphan Project to help care for the immediate needs of the orphans.100% of the money that has been donated is being used immediately through the supply pipeline from the Dominican Republic to the Transitional Village in Port au Prince, Haiti. In the coming days and weeks we will show you how your giving has been used and the lives that have been changed and saved. God is on the move in our community!

If you missed the report last Sunday, you can hear it below.

Showing up redux

Several months ago I wrote about my desire to start volunteering at Austin LifeCare. At the time I was taking the Austin LifeCare 101 class and was still a little doubtful that someone in my situation could be meaningfully involved. It’s so entertaining (or is it awkward?) to read something you wrote in the past. Besides noticing so many places where the writing could have been better, I marveled at how much my vantage point has changed since then. Since my last entry about LifeCare, I have been able to get involved with two different aspects of the ministry and have been encouraged and surprised at how easy and life changing this experience has been for me.

If this is where you stop reading, I want to go ahead and say that this month All Saints is holding a Baby & Maternity Clothing Drive for LifeCare. At the end of the month (Sunday, August 30th) the director of Austin LifeCare, Pam Cobern, will be conducting a LifeCare 101 Class immediately following the service. This class is a requirement to become a volunteer. I think it’s pretty great that this is being offered on a Sunday after church in order that more folks might participate.

Now, back to the re-cap.

Since May, I have been volunteering in Hannah’s Closet. One day a week I organize donations and meet with clients who are either pregnant or have already had their baby in order to outfit mother and child with necessities.

Reflections on Slovakia

Slovakia. I just can’t get it out of my head. My heart won’t seem to let go. I didn’t expect that to be the case when I signed up to work at an English Camp along with another member of All Saints (Gretchen Bixler) and 3 members of Redeemer. Our primary objectives were to lead classes at an English Camp for middle school students, develop relationships with students and members of the Mission to the World (MTW) team, and serve as general support for the MTW team as they work to transition the leadership to a team composed primarily of Slovak nationals.

The work was not always easy. We were met with language barriers, cultural differences and jet lag from a long flight across the Atlantic. One morning I accidentally ordered tuna and onions for breakfast (long story involving varying menus and my insistence on attempting the order in Slovak - note: it is best to point at the menu when ordering food in a foreign country).

Living in Grace

This Sunday we will continue to unfold God’s gift to us in the resurrection of Christ Jesus.  In doing so, we will explore the biblical principle of stewardship.  The following week I will be on Lookout Mountain, training counselors at Alpine Camp for Boys.  Tim will be in the pulpit as we celebrate Jesus’ ascension. 

The Sunday after that (May 31) I will be back, and we will have a special guest in the pulpit, Dr. Paul Kooistra, Coordinator of the largest agency in the PCA, Mission to the World.  In order for you to appreciate the privilege we have in hosting Dr. Kooistra, allow me a brief story…

In the Fall of 1991 I drove from Lookout Mountain, Alabama to Creve Couer, Missouri (St. Louis) to begin seminary.  I didn’t really know what seminary was all about.  I did not know what I wanted to do, vocationally.  I did want to learn, and I soon became aware that the one thing I needed to learn more and more about was God’s grace as shown to people like me (fallen, broken people) in Christ Jesus.  Perhaps more than anyone else, the person responsible for convincing me of the centrality and ultimacy of God’s grace in Christ Jesus was Paul Kooistra.

Piedras Negras, Mexico

I forget the little things. And sometimes the truth about the little things is that they’re really big. Worship. Work. Service. Community. Rest. We have these simple elements in our lives that we (read: I) either take for granted or ignore altogether. Sometimes it takes getting out of your life to remind you what’s vital to that life in the first place.

The All Saints trip to Piedras Negras last weekend reminded me of many things. But mainly, of the weight some foundational experiences play in our lives. Beginning the day early, in the Word and in worship. Hard work. Laughter, food, and reflections with friends. Deep rest. So often, I approach a service project thinking about how much I will help others. I always learn how much service helps me.

Our small(ish) group (21 adults, 3 youngsters) visited the Crossroads ministry on the border town of Piedras Negras, Mexico, helped in their efforts to build a community of homes and assisted in their Medical Missions and children’s ministry. The experience was a life-giving reminder.

View a selection of photos from our time there here. 

Woodshop Project Update from Perú

TRUJILLO, PERÚ.
 
Greetings from Trujillo and from Peru Mission.  For those of you who remember when folks from Peru Mission came to Austin last fall, I thought you might enjoy a little update.
 
We visited the Parish Woodshop Tuesday afternoon.  There was a distinct sense of hopeful anticipation -- they just sent their first shipment of high-end, handcrafted furniture to New York to be featured in two international exhibitions, March 26-30 and May 13-17.  You may enjoy seeing their marketing website, but you can follow them better from Peru Mission's website and quarterly newsletter.
 
It was a joy to see the three American missionary-woodshop managers and the six Peruvian craftsmen hard at work, making beautiful furniture pieces using Peruvian woods the world has never seen in the marketplace... not to mention the framework of sustainability and business principles built on gospel truths.  As it has been from the beginning of the Peru Parish Woodshop Project, the group is still waiting to see if it will continue to support itself.  So far, the Lord has paved the way through His divine providence and provision.  Please pray that the Lord would cause this economic development project to flourish and to continue to provide consistent salaries for its workers.  As the furniture hits the market this spring, it is another make-or-break crossroads for the project.  I think we're all looking forward to seeing how the Lord will work through this project and through His people for His glory.
 
David Breeding
All Saints Missions Correspondent

Showing up

When Derek McCollum preached at All Saints last year, he quoted an Iranian theologian, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who had recently spoken to a group at Covenant Seminary.  The thing that stuck out to me from Derek’s sermon was one of the questions a student asked Abtahi: “What would his [Abtahi’s] criticism of Christianity be?”  Abtahi replied, “It doesn’t show up in your culture.” I have not forgotten that.

What would it look like if my faith showed up more in the culture in which I find myself daily?  A few things constantly cross my mind - ways that I could better serve our church family, ways that I could better love my across-the-street neighbor, missions trips that I could take, and ways that I could possibly help someone I don’t even know, right here in Austin.

It all sounds so eloquent as it rolls through my mind.  Then, I immediately talk myself out it. I mean, seriously! I have two small children at home, as well as a husband; I am involved in a weekly Bible study; and I have some semblance of a social life, for crying out loud!  I can’t possibly exert any additional energy outside of my stratosphere.

Planting and watering

Two weeks ago, within hours of each other, two missionary families on two different continents emailed All Saints to let us know they arrived safely at their new homes.  If you didn’t get to meet these families All Saints supports when they visited us last year, allow me to introduce you to them:

God has safely carried Travis & Brooke Scott (and their two-month-old Sophia) almost 8,000 miles from St. Louis to Auckland, New Zealand to begin a church planting movement in central Auckland.  Travis, a graduate of Covenant Seminary, is also teaching a course at Grace Theological College in Auckland.  Check out Travis's blog and Brooke's blog.

God has also safely carried Tim & Cheri Hoke over 8,500 miles from San Antonio to Kampala, Uganda to join the faculty of African Bible University, equipping eager students from all over Africa to reach the thirsty souls in their midst.  The Hokes have called Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA) in San Antonio home for the past two decades, but have been called to spend their “mature ministry years” (as they say) in Uganda, using their gifts of teaching to reach many.  Please visit their website and blog.

Both families have just moved over three times the distance from L.A. to Manhattan to two very different places.

Tim Keller, John Piper, D.A. Carson in black and white

What is the biblical relationship between works of mercy and the proclamation of the gospel? This is a question that comes up frequently, especially as our small groups get ready to pick service projects throughout Austin. How exactly to we hope to relieve someone of eternal suffering without neglecting their more immediate needs? Does the gospel message of the renewal of all things suffer when we do not meet the particular material needs of a community? 

Few people are more prepared to answer this question than John Piper or Tim Keller, and few men are more contrasting in their mannerisms (Piper's evangelical urgency and Keller’s quiet patience and confidence in the church's long view of the relief of suffering and the spread of the gospel). This video is the first in a series of six videos done for a conference, with D.A. Carson providing some of the questions.

South Africa visual report

Topher has put together an outstanding and extensive collection of photographs from the recent All Saints trip to South Africa.  Take a look.

The Call for Justice

At the IJM staff retreat this fall in Virginia, my colleague “Pete” said to me: “So, you’re one of the people who raises our support…hmm, that’s hard work…I don’t think I could do it.”  There was a long pause in our conversation, and I then I think I may have actually laughed out loud. 

You see, Pete is one of our undercover investigative specialists for Southeast Asia.  He goes to the seediest places on earth and literally risks his life to gather evidence that will be used against those brutally abusing others.  He looks and talks like he just walked right off the Marlboro billboard.  He’s awesome.  And, a little scary.  

And Pete thinks my job is hard.

International Justice Mission

Must be something in the air.  After Bill's sermon Sunday about the necessity of the church to be completely pro-life, I came home and found an article about International Justice Mission in the latest edition of The New Yorker.  IJM seeks to challenge both spiritually and politically twisted legal codes and cultures in the same way Bill talked about ministering to prostitutes according to their spiritual and material needs.  The New Yorker piece follows the development of IJM through the eyes of its founder, Gary Haugen.  Despite IJM's commitment to using experienced lawyers and working with local police, some have criticized the organization's insistence on hiring only Christians and their apparent media sensationalism.  Whatever that means.  See what the public world is saying about one of our favorite Christian organizations here. Hear the sermon here.

An atheist's take on missions

This Thursday another team from All Saints leaves for South Africa.  They go to encourage and support the long-term work amongst the poor and the sick there.  As Christians, we believe that the gospel has both vertical implications (reconciling us to God) and horizontal implications (transforming how we see and treat all human beings).  Because of this, we don't divorce word and deed when we think about gospel ministry.  If Christians preach the gospel to people, but ignore their physical needs or problems, then Christians seem to be proponents of a redemption that doesn't impact the real world.  However, if Christians only meet physical needs and never talk about Christ, then we leave out the One in Whom real personal transformation and true eternal hope are found.  "And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction (Matt. 9:35)."  He taught, he proclaimed the gospel, He healed.  Word and deed.  

In light of this and in light of our team leaving for South Africa, I wanted to pass along an intriguing article that a friend recently sent me.  Matthew Parris, a TimesOnline columnist and self-proclaimed atheist, makes our point for us as to why we can never divorce word and deed in mission.  Parris writes:

"Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good."

Read the rest of the article here.

The Greeks hate me; by Garrett Lathan

Hello brothers and sisters back in Austin,

I write this across the table from a giant stack of Greek flashcards. It is towering and chock full of strange letters, long words, and frightening grammar rules all of which reflect the guiding principal our Greek Professor Brad Matthews told us to help us in studying the Biblical Greek: “Just remember, the Greeks hate you.” Seriously though, studying Greek has been a wonderful experience so far, and one I am actually enjoying.

First I want to thank all of you for your kind support of Sara and me while we attend Covenant Seminary. I can’t tell you how much All Saints’ support - from prayer, to checks from the missions committee, to the personal notes included on those checks -  means to us.  By the way, some of that money put a new clutch in my car when it broke down on the way to work last month.

Feed My People

If you’ve been in Austin long, you’ve probably interacted in some way with our city’s sizable homeless population. The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department estimates there are about 3,625 homeless individuals here on any given day. We have in our own backyard a tremendous opportunity to heed God’s call to bring hope to the hopeless and to love the unloved. In seeking to love this group of people, it’s hard to think of a better starting point than providing them with a hot meal.

Tuesday morning, a group from All Saints, organized by Joe Christian, took part in the Foundation for the Homeless “Feed My People” program at the First United Methodist Church Family Life Center downtown. Feed My People brings in hundreds of homeless individuals every Tuesday and Thursday morning and, in their words, “let[s] [their] guests experience abundance – in food and love.”

Seek Justice- Part 2

Many of my friends know that a secret desire of mine is to be a CIA covert operative.  I romanticize what it would be like to fight the bad guys while undercover.  But not being able to actually tell my friends my code name, or that I’ve held an AK-47, would take some of the fun out of it for me; and if I have it correctly, telling others about the missions you go on is pretty much against CIA policy.

But I think this “CIA” desire is part of the reason I’m so attracted to working for International Justice Mission--because unlike working for the CIA, my job is actually to tell you about our rescue operations so that you can be a part of it.

As I mentioned in my first blog, International Justice Mission is a Christian human rights agency that works for justice for victims of slavery and violent oppression. IJM has a four-part strategy:

1. Work to remove victims of slavery and oppression from their horrific conditions.
2. Ensure that these victims are provided with aftercare.
3. Help prosecute those committing these horrible crimes.
4. Work to strengthen public justice systems to help prevent these crimes from happening in the future.

I just returned from Washington, D.C. where I heard a briefing from our Investigations department on how we address our first strategic goal: removing victims from violent oppression.

Peru Parish Woodshop Project; by Brad Ball

From the very beginning of Peru Mission in 1998, the theme of our work has been to help plant churches and develop Christian communities that minister to all areas of society.  Following Christ’s example, our hope is to see the Gospel proclaimed in the context of loving and practical diaconal efforts.  As the churches developed, we observed that “relief” efforts were not sufficient.  In order to properly address the needs of desperately poor communities in developing areas such as Trujillo, the Church must look for more sustainable, long-term approaches.

We began with permanent health clinics.  The idea was to start them with donations and to organize them in such a way that the clinics could be self-sustaining with Peruvian staff.  We are approaching our goal in the Wichanzao clinic but we still have a good bit of work before us.

Seek Justice

I recently started a new job with a group based in Washington, D.C. called International Justice Mission. To give you the short version of how I came to work with IJM, I'll say that I applied for a job that didn't exist, then asked if I could work at it part-time and then told them I was five months pregnant in the interview--a real HR nightmare. But our God works all things out according to His plan, no matter how insurmountable the odds. And God accomplishing amazing things in the face of insurmountable odds is what IJM is all about.

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that works for justice for victims of slavery and violent oppression. IJM lawyers, undercover investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to make sure victims of slavery and injustice are removed from the abuse and provided with "after care." We help prosecute those committing the crimes and help strengthen public justice systems.

Doing some good: Peru report by Catharine Stansel

Over the past week I have been trying to digest my recent trip to Peru.  It's difficult to do so sometimes because of the pace at which we live.  A week in Peru, then right back to life and work and busyness.  That is actually one of the things that I enjoy most about Peru while I am there; life slows down!  But I quickly digress...

Since our return last Saturday, I have had a number of people ask me about the trip.  And one of the questions that keeps recurring is, "Well, do you feel like you did some good while you were there?"  Isn't that what we want to know?  Isn't that the reason that we go on mission trips, to "do some good"?  Maybe.  But I am starting to think that "doing some good" is not really the point, at least not in the way that we imagine it to be.

Emergency Response: Report from Food for the Hungry

Ben Homan, President of Food for the Hungry, preached at All Saints earlier this spring.  He recently sent the following update to us concerning the cyclone disaster in Myanmar.  Food for the Hungry has been serving the church in Myanmar for a long time.  They are on the ground there and have many long-standing relationships which allow for providing aid. 

Food for the Hungry is also on the ground in China where it is actively providing assistance for earthquake victims.  The FFH website has updates on both of these disaster fronts, and it provides an easy mechanism for individuals desiring to make donations to the relief efforts.  The All Saints missions committee is also contributing funds to this work.

May 6, 2008 Thousands pronounced dead and millions left homeless

On early Saturday, May 3, Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, also known as Burma, with wind speeds up to 120 mph, devouring coastal and inland regions.  To date, over 22,000 have been pronounced dead, up to 40,000 people are missing and millions have been left homeless. It is feared the death toll will be much higher.
The damage caused by the cyclone is devastating: 

Community New Start Easter Celebration

All Saints volunteers recently helped with the Community New Start Easter celebration at Pickle Elementary.  Laura Gomez was one of the volunteers who helped with the party, and she shares the following thoughts about her experience.
"Let the little children come to me...for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these" (Mark 10:14) came to mind when I was with the children at the Community New Start  (CNS) Easter party at Pickle Elementary.  It was such a joy to see God's love being expressed in a tangible way to these young children.
 
As I began my time with the Kinder and 1st grade students out on the playground, I couldn't help but think back about being a school age child in South Texas.  I thought how meaningful it would have been to receive the love of Christ through a program like Smart Start at that point in my life.  As I was thinking about my past and the spiritual void I had, a young girl with beautiful long black hair and deep brown eyes came and began talking to me.  It was as if the Lord was speaking to me through this beautiful, lively little girl.  I was exactly where the Lord wanted me right then, sharing God's amazing love and the miracle of our Risen Savior.