The GRIFFIN Family – Your Missionaries in Northern Illinois
Pastor Jeremiah & Tancy; Noah, Cami, Chloe & Jonah
www.LivingStonesRockford.com or email [email protected]
June 2013
Greetings to all our prayer partners around the globe!
We hold your prayer more valuable than any other gift we receive as we labor together with you on the Mission field here in Rockford, Illinois. As you prayed this last month, you cannot imagine how God responded. Your prayer support is important; please continue. Print out a copy of this update; share it with friends and put it on your fridge to remind you to pray in the coming month.
MAY UPDATE
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May was a bit chaotic, but God made it beautiful in His eyes. Returning from our R&R vacation and conference in April, we dove head-long into ministry. God was merciful this month to us. We thank Him for daily mercy!
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We lost a dear friend and saint in May; we praise God we were able to be with him for his final days as well as be there for the family at the funeral and grave-side services. It was a powerful demonstration of the CONFIDENCE that God provides in our salvation.
LIVING STONES – ROCKFORD
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Due to the heavy volume of graduation and other rental traffic of the YMCA Log Lodge facility we’ve enjoyed, we moved back to use the facilities of Calvary Baptist Church. Our desire was to grow the church in a “new home”, but God reminded me that I am not in control; this is HIS church. Though the weeks downtown were a good time of “stretching” our outreach, we are back to a more familiar, “church-like” setting.
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We’ve reached the halfway point in the Men’s Bible Study and have witnessed good results in Christian growth in those attending. Four new men have indicated a desire to join in the next study.
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Our Hunger Funds ministry is also in full swing. We were able to distribute more food and assistance to families in May than in March and April combined!
EAST PARK – BELVIDERE
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Church “rescue” has changed to a complete church “replant”. We are working through the final details of the ministry in Belvidere with the general consensus leading toward a name merger into the Living Stones ministry and a return to an outward focus to the region with the Gospel.
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We are having increasing membership and a recommitment of folks to the Ministry of the Word.
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“Exciting” isn’t a large enough descriptor. Better to say “God is moving”! Even through business meetings and hard decisions, God is leading everyone back to a Christ-centered direction.
PRAYER NEEDS
Pray for renewal of Living Stones Rockford and continued growth and outreach as we return to our former location and re-establish the ministry setting.
Pray for VBS plans to be solidified for Rockford and Belvidere. We are gathering people, supplies and advertisement for the fourth of July week! Remember the team of helpers coming from Missouri Baptist to minister with us.
Pray for Tancy and I as we slowly recover from the loss of an unborn baby this month. God is in control, even of a small life in the womb, and in a month of grief we have often found ourselves face-to-face with our Sovereign Lord.
Pray for continued blessing of God on our personal lives, and growth in grace of all the people in God’s church here.
Pray for our Summer Interns with Illinois Baptist State Association/North American Mission Board. Anthony and Haley Nickerson are working alongside us to see if a ministry in Church Planting is where God is directing them when they complete their education. We want to mentor and be a blessing to them.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Jeremiah Griffin & Family