Spring! Is there any time of the year more refreshing? So many signs of new life in the beautiful world God has given us. Please join us in thanking God for the new life in Christ that results through our outreach efforts across the PCA. And
please prayerfully consider a gift to further God's work through MNA.
Thank you. .
Thank you for your prayers and gifts to Mission to North American as we share the love of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ through church planting, church renewal, and missional partnerships across the United States and Canada. Your generosity has been used by Jesus to further our many avenues of ministry.
MNA deducts no service fees from gifts designated to specific projects or designated to MNA staff members. The administrative cost of this service is supported by undesignated gifts to MNA, or gifts to the
MNA General Fund)
. Please consider
giving to the General Fund
, so that MNA may continue to make 100% of designated gifts available to their intended recipients.
Mission to North America
PO Box 890233
Charlotte NC 28289-0233
|
|
MNA Ministries Lunch at General Assembly
Wednesday, June 26, 11:20 AM to 1:00 PM, Hilton Anatole, Dallas TX.
Each year MNA hosts a lunch for those who are attending the PCA General Assembly that is a time to enjoy a meal together while learning more about MNA ministries and hearing a presentation on a topic of interest. Again this year we invite you to join us for lunch and fellowship. Registration is required, and spots fill up fast, so we encourage you to reserve your place now – just
click here
.
|
|
Parakaleo Sparks Joy—Around the World and at General Assembly!
Growth and change can lead to confusion and loss, but it can also spark joy! (A shout-out to Marie Kondo's "Tidying Up" phrase, which is probably copyrighted by now.) We're celebrating how God has been growing Parakaleo, leading us into new territory, and confirming direction.
Our joys? Parakaleo has raised up a new generation of trainers in the US and other countries to run Basic Training retreats. We're moving forward with new projects, and have people in place to lead them. Also, our Executive Director Shari Thomas, who co-founded and led Parakaleo for 15 years, is transitioning to a new role as Director of Global Strategy. And as quickly as we asked, God provided an interim Executive Director, Todd Naile, to lead us for the next year.
If you’re coming to General Assembly in Dallas June 26-28, stop by our booth to say hi, and don’t miss Parakaleo training! In addition to our ever-popular booth talks on pressing issues women face, Parakaleo and CDM are sponsoring a seminar for Ruling and Teaching Elders' wives. Meaghan May and Maria Garriott will present "Help Her… Help Me… Help My Heart!" Leadership wives are called to come alongside others, but we cannot give what we do not have. Join Meaghan, Maria, and fellow pilgrims who are learning to coach their own hearts with Biblical, visual, teachable gospel tools.
|
|
Lunch with MNA Refugee and Immigrant Ministry at General Assembly
Are you a Teaching Elder, or Ruling Elder of a church that is actively serving refugees, immigrants or other internationals? If you'll be attending General Assembly, please consider attending a free networking luncheon on
Thursday, June 27, hosted by Mission to North America Refugee and Immigrant Ministry.
This annual gathering, now in its fifth year, is a rare opportunity to gain and share insights and fresh ideas for this type of ministry, which is all the more crucial now that one out of every four persons in the US (and one in three in Canada) is either an immigrant or a minor citizen child born to immigrants. Email Pat Hatch -
phatch@pcanet.org to reserve your place, and mark it on your schedule now so that you can avoid conflicting commitments.
|
|
Engaging Disability at General Assembly
The Engaging Disability staff will be at General Assembly in Dallas, June 25-28. Please stop by and see us in the Exhibit Hall. We will also be available for individual consultations. To schedule a time to meet with one of us, please email
engagingdisability@pcanet.org or text/call 470.294.6229.
|
|
Come to General Assembly in Dallas and stay for ESL Training!
ESL Training, June 28-29 , Friday night 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm and Saturday 8:45 am to 5:30 pm, Christo Rey PCA, 3353 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas TX 75220.
You do not need to speak a foreign language or be a professional teacher to be a volunteer ESL Teacher. All you need to do is speak English and love Jesus and we can teach you the rest. This training is interactive. During the training you will practice the skills that you are learning, create two lesson plans for different fluency levels and come away excited to serve the Lord through ESL Ministry. Cost: $50 per person (includes all your training materials and lunch on Saturday).
Click here
for details and to register.
|
|
Celebrate the Ordination of Joshua Tsavatewa
This is big news! MNA Native American and First Nations Ministry is proud to announce the ordination of another Native American. On June 2, 2019, Joshua Tsavatewa (Hopi) will be ordained as a Teaching Elder at Hope Fellowship Church in White Swan WA, which is located on the Yakama Reservation.
Joshua is currently serving as Children’s Ministry Coordinator with Sacred Road Ministries. He has been an integral part of the ministry since 2010. While busy with his ministry, he completed the requirements for graduation from Reformed Theological Seminary Jackson and also satisfied the Pacific Northwest Presbytery's ordination requirements. This is no small task for someone who is as active in ministry as Joshua.
While in ministry and while studying, Joshua also built a “Tiny House," where he now lives, next to the church. Please pray for Joshua and his ministry as well as the work of Sacred Road Ministries, now in its 16th year. You can keep up with what Joshua is doing by checking out his blog at
http://jtsavatewa.blogspot.com. You can follow Sacred Road Ministry at
http://www.sacredroadministries.com.
|
|
Preparing for Licensure or Ordination Exams?
Candidates for the ministry often find preparing for Presbytery exams to be overwhelming. LAMP Theological Seminary has published a 90 page Study Guide to help candidates prepare for this stepping stone to ordination. The Study Guide contains questions, answers, outlines, and scripture proofs in the areas of Bible Content, Theology, Church History, the Sacraments, and Church Government and Discipline (BCO). It provides memory work for key questions from the Westminster Shorter Catechism and key Bible passages. The Study Guide also contains answers to all of questions from the booklet
Preparing for Licensure and Ordination Exams by Bryan Chappel and Jim Meek, published by
Christian Education Publications. Even though the Study Guide may not contain every potential question that might be asked during Presbytery exams, it does give the candidate substantial preparation. The Study Guide can be purchased for $25 for shipping and handling. Send an email to
Bkelso@LAMPSeminary.org to request your copy.
|
|
Do You Have a Heart for Prisoners?
Metanoia Prison Ministries is looking for men and women who have a heart for helping others grow in Christ.
Become a Corresponding Discipler: Every prisoner who becomes a student of God’s Word needs a personal instructor to review their lesson, assign a grade, and offer a few words of encouragement. This is a great ministry for a family or an individual who want to help prisoners grow in the faith. If you are interested, please contact Shelly Marshall at
smarshall@pcanet.org
for more information.
|
|
A New PCA/PRCC Chaplain Report from the Field
... this is awesome work [being an Army Chaplain]. The four leaders I work most closely with are my Commander, my Executive Officer, my Command Sergeant Major and my Brigade Chaplain (my supervisor), and they are all very mature, professional, and talented leaders, and they’ve been ultra-supportive of my work with our paratroopers. I’ve also had the privilege of ministering to paratroopers in some of their darkest times. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to accompany many of our soldiers in day and night live fire exercises, witness the raw magnitude of the combined air and land combat power we can deliver on our enemies, the sophisticated communication and planning necessary to make it happen, and the incredibly high caliber of leadership, commitment, courage, and willingness to sacrifice that makes our Army the very best in the world. And I’ve gotten to experience the fact that these bold warriors need their chaplains. Rarely have I seen quite the appreciation and gratitude for Christian worship that I saw in a few soldiers who came to my field service a couple Sundays ago. It was like bringing food and water to starving people. But you get that feeling elsewhere as well. Just about everybody loves to see the chaplain, ... and it’s fun to be the chaplain. Despite suffering a string of days in that last couple of weeks where I got just 2.5 hours of sleep a night, I’m the only one who’s specifically employed to remind these men and women of who they really are, why what they’re doing matters, and that there is a God in heaven who made them and everything else, that He reigns over them and everything else, that He has the power to silence any storm, and that He sent His Son to save sinners from their sins. In short, it’s a high privilege and a blessing to be here.
|
|
Disaster Response Volunteers Needed at Wilmington NC – Now Through 8/15/19
Volunteers are needed in Wilmington NC to help with disaster response work now through the end of the summer of 2019. Both skilled and unskilled volunteers are needed; teams are asked to have at least one skilled person. For more information or to schedule a team, please contact Sherry Lanier,
slanier@pcanet.org
.
|
|
Update on Paradise CA Fire
Ridge PCA in Paradise CA knows first-hand the devastation of the Camp Fire that swept through Paradise last year. Almost 70% of their congregation had to move away. But despite deep losses in their community, the church remains healthy and is looking to see what God will do. Because of generous donors, MNA Disaster Response was able to help provide relief funds for the church. We are moved by
this letter from Pastor Josh Lee, providing an update on recovery in the area.
Click here to read.
|
|
The PCA Unity Fund Gains Momentum
Out of 4,882 Teaching Elders in the PCA, only 1% are African American, .8% Hispanic American, and 10% Korean/Korean American.
The PCA Unity Fund aims to increase these numbers through training, mentoring and developing minority leadership in the PCA, primarily through providing tuition subsidies to support training at reformed institutions.
Because of the PCA’s Unity Fund, 41 seminary tuition subsidy recipients are currently getting financial and mentoring help to become Teaching Elders. There are African American, Asian American and Hispanic American recipients, meaning that as new as The PCA Unity Fund is, it is already making a redemptive paradigm shift.
To learn more about The PCA Unity Fund, visit our website at
https://pcamna.org/unity-fund/.
|
|
2019 Online Training for Churches and Families
YOUTH BUDDY TRAINING
Thursday May 9, 2019
8 pm ET | 7 pm CT | 6 pm MT | 5 pm PT
Teacher: Ashley Belknap, Director of Engaging Disability With The Gospel
This online training is specifically for youth ages 13–18. Parents and youth ministry staff are also welcome to participate, but the conversation will be directed to the youth.
Young people, you have a great opportunity at church to offer genuine friendship and support to kids who have disabilities in your church. We want you to feel comfortable jumping into Vacation Bible School or any children’s ministry program as a buddy to a kid with special needs.
Topics we will cover:
·
Current views of kids with disabilities in the youth culture
·
The job description of a buddy and how to know what your buddy needs
·
Becoming a genuine friend and connecting your buddy to other youth
·
Helping your friend grow in Christ
|
|
New City Network Urban Ministry Training
May 27-31, Chattanooga TN. This is for anyone who desires to know more about urban and cross-cultural worship and ministry, who wants to grow in their theology and methodology of mercy ministry, and who wants to learn techniques of sharing the Gospel and discipling others, no matter the age, cultural or socio-economic background.
Click here for details and to register.
|
|
LDR Weekend
August 30-September 1, Chattanooga TN.
Being an African American member of a majority culture church comes with a unique set of challenges. It’s hard to be the only one and be the representative voice for diversity. It’s challenging to desire authentic relationships, yet feel isolated and misunderstood. We need to be honest about our reality and seek solutions that help us bear fruit where God has placed us. Yet God’s solutions tend to be radically different from our own.
Come join us for a time of sound teaching, vibrant worship and rich fellowship. Return home overflowing with hope and confidence rooted in Jesus Christ.
Watch this space
for details - registration opens May 15.
|
|
Bent Tree Gathering
October 7-11, Allenspark CO.
This gathering is for pastors who desire to sharpen and hone their gifts as servant leaders. God has entrusted each of us with many gifts, but how and when we use our gifts is a critical wisdom issue in ministry. Leadership in the local church is developed through brokenness and failure. Hence, the words of Jesus "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." There will be shared case studies in groups to that end.
Click here
for more information and
here
to register.
|
|
MNA SecondCareer Seeks Grant Researcher for The PCA Unity Fund
Have you ever wanted to lend a hand in ministry, but wondered how to serve? All around the continent, MNA SecondCareer Ministry has volunteer and paid opportunities. For example, The PCA Unity Fund, is looking for a volunteer to help with Grant Research & Acquisition by searching for foundations with symbiotic missions and writing grant proposals.
Needs are everywhere.
Learn more about this and other opportunities at
www.pcamna.org/second-career
or contact Gary Ogrosky at
gogrosky@pcanet.org
(phone 770-695-4811).
|
|
Considering Church Planting?
|
|
“I’m leaving feeling that this is one of the best things I’ve seen going on in the PCA.”…
Fantastic week of learning, growing, stretching, and fellowship…Appreciate all the encouragement. ”
Considering Church Planting?
Then the MNA Assessment Center is for you.
The cost of assessment is less than half of one month’s salary and operating expenses for a typical church plant, and a very wise investment that individuals, churches and presbyteries can make in starting a new church
.
The next open Assessment date is July 9-12 with an application deadline of May 13.
Please plan ahead! An absolute three week lead time minimum is required prior to each application deadline in order to apply, and we often run at capacity. Not convinced? Here are a few more kudos for MNA Assessment:
“The assessors were the most valuable component of the AC… Loved the process, conversations, insight and the people. This is a life-long memory that I will certainly cherish…Getting the opportunity to learn from others in church planting and peers interested in serving the Lord in a similar way. It doesn’t happen often in the “real world” context and I felt supported and encouraged and challenged…. So much grace and love for those attending…I loved assessment, was encouraged and I’m leaving feeling that this is one of the best things I’ve seen going on in the PCA.”
|
|
Know someone who's moving? Be sure to suggest they
check this list
of new church plants around North America as they look for a new church home. Don't see a new plant in a possible destination on the list? Contact us (678-825-1235) and we'll try to find out more information for you! You may also want to visit the
PCA Church Directory
for a list of established churches.
|
|
Check Out Our Other Publications
|
|
 |
Pray for Our PCA Church Planters
The Intercessor is a quarterly letter with prayer requests from PCA church planters and MNA Ministry Leaders. The requests are organized by week, making it easy to follow along in individual or group devotions. They have expressed many times how grateful they are for prayer support.
Click here
to read online, where you will also see subscription options.
|
|
|
|
Subscribe to Multiply and Learn More about MNA
Multiply, available as both a print or email newsletter, goes out three times a year and brings you news from the church planting field as well a special features on MNA ministries. Our Spring issue focuses on church planting in Los Angeles.
Click here
to read. Want to subscribe?
Click here
- it's free!
|
|
|
|
Church Renewal through Loving Your Neighbor
Along with Church Planting and Missional Partnerships, Church Renewal is a core commitment of MNA. Two PCA churches with stories of gospel renewal – through engaging with neighbors in their diverse communities – are Chattanooga Valley Presbyterian Church in Flintstone GA, led by Pastor Dan Gilchrist; and Grace Church PCA in Dover DE, led by Pastor Jonathan Seda and Associate Pastor Kenny Foster. The speakers in
this 9-minute video
know firsthand the beauty and challenge of bringing different people together as one body, worshiping and serving the Lord.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
