Champions 4 Parents
Ministry Partner Newsletter
August 2017
Dear Friend in Ministry,

Highlight of the month :
There is a little preschool kiddo in our special needs department on Sunday morning who has had many hospitalizations and scary moments in his short life. The doctors have given him a bleak prognosis - and he does have some special challenges. However, his surprising and amazing progress keeps his family and those who love him and work with him in awe! His favorite song is "head, shoulders, knees, and toes," Picture a ball of energy who wasn't supposed to walk - zooming by on his feet like the energizer rabbit  - skidding to a stop in front of you, looking up at you expectantly with his hands on his head and an approximation of the word "head" on his lips. Doesn't that just melt your heart? It does ours. This is one of the joys of working with children who have developmental delays and challenges.

Special meetings held this past month :
Spanish Pastor
Met with a pastor of a Spanish church who obviously is a godly shepherd for his congregation and who also has a daughter with Autism. We were able to supply him with resources both as a parent and as a pastor.

Nurse
Met with a nurse who has worked in special needs ministry at her church for over seven years. This woman has a true servant's heart. Her greatest desire is to serve these special kids in a way that really matters for them physically, emotionally, and especially spiritually. We brainstormed together how she may better do that.

Parent Support Group Leadership Team
Met with two other couples who have joined the leadership team for our local special needs parent support group. These are parents of children with special needs and also typically developing children. Their lives are beyond full and yet, they have a desire to serve. They bring such a wealth of experience and wisdom to the team. All six of us look forward to putting our heads and hearts together to serve families by touching parents with practical love and support and the all-sufficient Resource who is God our Father.

Pastor
Met with a Pastor of a large church which already has a vibrant special needs ministry. He is eager to spur on those with a heart to serve in special needs and to encourage them to step forward in confidence and serve.  He loves what we do (which can happen because you are supporting us in prayer and gifts) and is always open to our ideas and support.

Would you pray for these current projects ?
Tom and Julie's book for ministry workers .  We are putting together a book to help staff and volunteers work with the children who have challenges in their faith-based groups in a more effective way. We are excited to bring them encouragement from God's Word and practical strategies and resources.

Devotional for Dads with kids who have challenges . We Dads often struggle silently when our children have challenges. We want to "fix" all the challenges and cannot always do so. Tom is writing this devotional s filled with the truths of God's Word that can anchor them for future ministry to their families.

Amy's presentation : Amy's life is a wonder! God has been faithful all throughout and done things we could never have imagined. Amy wants to tell her story in such a way as to show God's glory and to share the gospel. She is working daily on the pieces of this presentation and hopes to share it with many groups of people. Would you begin praying now with us that God will open doors for her to share her story for God's glory to many?

Inform and Invite Campaign
We are so very grateful for all of you who support us in prayer and with gifts. Although we are grateful and actually amazed at how God has blessed us financially since becoming official "missionaries to parents", we are not fully funded yet. And so, we have developed a campaign to inform people of our ministry and to invite others to pray and to give financially. This campaign is called the "Inform and Invite Campaign".  Under separate cover, we will be sending you an email with more details about this Inform and Invite Campaign and how you can help.

Conferences
We are in full prep mode for four upcoming workshops to be presented at three different Awana conferences in Charlottesville, VA - Bowie, MD - Yorktown, VA . We thought you might appreciate knowing our bio and workshop titles and descriptions for these Awana Conferences where we have the privilege of presenting in September and August.

If you know of any other churches or additional faith-based groups who might appreciate us presenting these topics to their group, please let us know!


 
Awana Workshops 2017
Bio: Tom and Julie Meekins are USA Missionaries to Parents through PEF Ministries. They are authors, speakers, teachers, parent mentors, seminary and child development trained. They seek to build faith-communities of support for families with kids with challenges through parent support groups and life groups. It is their experiences in raising children with challenges, working in church special needs ministry, and their passion to equip God's servants to love people with all kinds of abilities and disabilities that brings them to the conference today.

Titles and Descriptions
1) Practical Ideas for groups that include Children with Challenges
You have all kinds of personalities, abilities, and some disabilities and challenges in your group. You are looking for nitty gritty "what to do about it" strategies and action steps to grow your ministry strong for the benefit of all. Let's put it all on the table and get to the grit of ministry - loving God and loving the kids and their families in a way to reach and disciple souls for Jesus.

2) Create, Build, Develop, and Nurture a Team Spirit with Staff, Volunteers, and Parents of Children who have Challenges.
Everyone comes to the table with a different perspective but all have the best interest of the child in mind. Come get tips and strategies on how to create, build, develop and nurture a team spirit among all the players.

3) Ministry is for ALL God's Children - including the Challenging Ones.
Jesus wants your group open to ALL children. He said, "Let the little children come." And His ministry was all about special needs. But, you think, we are ill-equipped to handle children with... Come, let's explore the steps you can take to make ministry happen for all children.

4) How to Recruit Volunteers to Work with Kids with Challenges.
Presenting your ministry with the joy of serving.  There is so much richness and reward in this ministry. Yes, it is challenging. Yes, it is crazy, at times. Yes, it is exhausting, at times. BUT, like a good workout, your life will be changed for the better - physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Come get tips on helping volunteers to see the beauty.

Upcoming Events
August 14 - the first day of our current Brain Games classes. For the next two weeks we are offering a reduction in our already incredible rate that has been subsidized because you support us. If you know a family who could benefit from these classes, would you tell them about Brain Games? Also, would you consider gifting Brain Games to a parent who needs some support as they navigate life with a child who has challenges? This is one way you can directly support a family through us!
For more info, go to: MarchForthFamily.com/Brain
August 11 th - Tom continues Friday morning Men's Bible Study
August 13 th - Julie continues serving in special needs dept. of local church
August 19 th - Leadership Training
August 27 th - Julie's kickoff event as a mentor mom for a local mom's group.
September 7 th - Julie's Leadership Training as mentor mom for local mom's group.
September 9th - Awana Conference in Charlottesville, VA (4 workshops)
September 11 th - the first day of the second round of Brain Games this Fall.
September 12 th - Julie and Amy begin Women's Bible Study for the semester
October - the first day of the third round of Brain Games this Fall.
October 7 th - Awana Conference in Yorktown, VA (4 workshops)
October 9 th - Refuel Conference
October 9 th - Speak to Foster and Adoptive Parents
October 12 th - as a board member, Julie to support board president of Zach Speaks, Lauren Blundell, as she speaks to MOPS group at Hyland Heights Baptist church. Zach Speaks is an organization that is seeking to raise funds for children with Autism to be able to get therapy they cannot afford.
October 14 th - Awana Conference in Bowie, MD (4 workshops)
October 21 st - Zach Speaks Craft and Vendor Fair for Autism families

Grace and Peace to you,
Tom, Julie, and Amy

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Thank you for your financial support. Please share our work with others who may want to partner with us, too!

Online :
PEF Ministry website for online tax deductible donations :
or   http://www.pefministry.org
 (go to "website", "USA", scroll down to our photo and name, click to go to our story and "Donate" button)

By Mail -
PEF Ministry address for tax deductible donations:
Ministry of Tom and Julie Meekins
Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship
100  5th Street, suite 330
Bristol, TN  37620

"God is FAITHFUL, who has called you into fellowship
with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
1 Corinthians 1:9


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