HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM OVERFLOW!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friends,
We have so much to be grateful for this year as we celebrate God's work in and through our lives and Overflow! I hope you are all doing well and look for our latest update letter to be in the mail in early December! Here a few quick highlights from an incredible week last week that left me with such a sense of who God is and wants to be in our lives.
- Monday, November 16: We had the opportunity to partner with Hungry for Christ ministries (Hamilton, MI) and be the recipients of the incredible generosity of Request Foods, Inc (Holland, MI) who provided as a donation 272 turkey dinners/dressing for our local community! It was truly amazing to see how in just a few short days our leaders rallied to find homes in need, organizations in need, and even a local school in need in order to share generously the meals that were provided. What a reminder of God's power to provide when we are simply open to be a vessel (2 Cor 4:7).
- Wednesday, November 18: We have been partnering with the local Emergency Shelter in the past year and were asked to bring volunteers, our bus, teaching, and music for their program called "Friends Night". We have done this a number of times and truly enjoy the sense of community and friendship the night provides across all economic and racial "barriers" as God's love is shared and experienced. This past Wednesday was truly a moving experience as we shared food, music, stories, and the teaching of the word. What a reminder for all of us that we need to be ready and willing to share Christ and His love anywhere and everywhere we are asked and find ourselves....we are His witnesses (Acts 1:8).
- Friday, November 20: Our Overflow Coffee Cafe outreach (www.overflowcafe.org) continues to grow as more and more people hear about it in the community. As I was getting my hair cut the hair dresser shared that she had heard from a number of her clients about the cafe and how much they liked it. It was so encouraging to hear that our staff is doing such an awesome job with those that come into the cafe and that the word is spreading in the community. Thank you for your prayers and support as we have launched this outreach. I also had the opportunity this Sunday at our service to: 1) pray with a woman from Benton Harbor who had connected with us in the cafe and heard about the church, and 2) to talk with a family after service who had heard about the cafe through an article in the local paper. God is already confirming that this Coffee Cafe is His and is a "well" where thirsty people will find Jesus (John 4).
- Sunday, November 22: Today we had the opportunity to see 6 beautiful children dedicated and to celebrate the 3 families that took a stance for Christ and for their children. While I would love to share pictures with you I am going to instead share that this group included 5 African-American children. It is truly a picture of the kind of vision and heart for all people that God has given Overflow. It is such an incredible thing to see how God is drawing people together here and to know that our Splash Children's Ministry is growing and doing an incredible job (they have had as many as 43 children on a Sunday). Please keep Cindy and her leadership team in your prayers as they remind us each week how important it is to reach the next generation and to love and welcome the children as Jesus did (Matthew 19:14).
So, this is just a glimpse of how God is working here and I pray that you, too, are seeing the hand of God and His movement in your lives as well! Thank you for continuing to journey with us and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
In Pursuit,
Brian
posted by Brian @ 8:33 PM,
2 Comments:
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At November 23, 2009 1:42 AM,
said...
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Hey Pastor and Cindy. It is so cool to be a prayer partner with you guys and get all of these cool updates!!!. God is moving there and as time draws shorter here on earth He is going to continue to pour out His blessings on those who have a heart for the lost. All of us who call ourselves "Christians" need to have a fire in our bellies to do all we can to reach the lost so that the Holy Spirit can move among them and they can be saved by Christs Blood. It is my hearts deepest desire that we pray, give and witness with our lives and words without ceasing. Happy thanksgiving to you all...you and we all have so much to be thankful for!!!!!!
Paul Kidd -
At November 23, 2009 7:16 AM,
said...
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Amen, Paul! Thank you for your kind words. God is faithful and has been there for us and our church through the sweet and extremely tough times. God is about relationships and the heart of His people; a broken and contrite spirit is precious to Him. Brian and I love this community and our hearts continue to break for this region God has placed us in.
Cindy Bennett
