Time to Head Back to New England!

Somehow the months in Texas (and in New England as well) seem to fly by so quickly!  In just less than a week, we'll be turning our Buick Lucerne toward the northeast.  This time we're taking the southern route over the four-day trek, stopping one night near Charlotte, NC, to visit with my "growing-up next-door neighbor" and her husband!  We're so looking forward to that. . . .We'll likely be spending Wednesday night in Harrisburg, PA, where the Pennsylvania-New Jersey Baptist Association hosts wayfaring missionaries and other ministry teams in their missions house.  We've done this a couple of times before enroute north or south!

When we get to New England on Thursday evening, we'll unpack and "hit the ground running" to get ready to participate on Friday and Saturday in the Baptist Convention of New England Ministry and Multiplication Multiplier Conference, a two-day leadership development session.  Sherilyn will also be a participant on Saturday in the New England WMU Annual Meeting in Billerica, MA.  So as you can see, we're off and running as usual!

This year we'll be living in a different place than our summer home of the last four years.  The Baptist Convention of New England headquarters is located in Northborough, MA, on the homestead of Luther Rice, who is considered along with Adoniram Judson as one of the founders of the modern missions movement.  In addition to the BCNE headquarters office building, also located on the homestead  property is the Rice Lodge which was originally the family stable and blacksmith shop but now has been converted to house mission teams from all over the country who come to serve in New England.  The
original barn has been made into a very nice residence which is the current home of Matthew and Kathryn Nunnelley and their two children.  Originally from Alabama, the Nunnelleys are completing their third year as Mission Service Corps missionaries, serving as Church Strengtheners at Pleasant Street Baptist Church in Worcester, MA.  The third structure on the Luther Rice homestead is a two-story home which features a very nice downstairs suite, used for short-term visitors who come for conferences or other special occasions.  The upstairs apartment will be our home for the next six months!  It is fully furnished and even features a loft for guests!  Come see us!







 

From Crime to Correction to Christ

By Pastor Tony Mancuso
Hope in Jesus Ministries
Providence, Rhode Island

Three weeks before Christmas, all the men enrolled in the Learning 2 Live Initiative at the Adult Correctional Institute in Rhode Island were presented an opportunity. Each man was presented the offer of having their families cared for at Christmas with food, gifts, and the Good News of the gospel. Each man who accepted this gift experienced a renewed hope in the name of Jesus.

Each wife and mother received a personal phone call from Dawn Mancuso, wife of Pastor Tony Mancuso from Hope Baptist Church in Providence, RI. The women’s openness to talk about their circumstances was gripping. Each was touched knowing that their son, husband, or boyfriend made this effort on their behalf.

The following letter is from a man in one of the like-skills classes that Pastor Mancuso teaches. To look at the personally scripted letter, in perfect penmanship, is staggering. To read the beautifully penned words, full of emotion, is inspiring. Justin wrote this letter to you.

Brothers and Sisters,
It is with great thanks and much appreciation that I am writing to all of you this New Year. My name is Justin K. and I wanted to send a quick note to all of you to make you aware of what it means to me to be blessed through fellowship with all of you in Christ Jesus this past Christmas.

I am currently serving a four-year sentence at the ACI. My sentence is half completed. Holidays here are always a struggle, not only because of my incarceration, but basically it is because of the separation between my son and I. Liam is thirteen years old and like the way all fathers feel, he is the “apple of my eye”. We are very close. Only by the grace of God am I blessed with a very close, very supportive family. This allows Liam and I to remain in constant contact with each other.

As a man, it is very difficult knowing that his own faults and own mistakes have prevented him from being a complete father. It hurts immensely not being present to share all the feelings and events that some along with that time of year.

When Pastor Mancuso, or Tony as I know him, told me of what was being made available to my son and his mother my heart was touched in a way that made me realize what it truly means to be a Christian, the love and concern shown to my family has brought me such comfort that words will do no justice.

My mother said how refreshing it was to know that there are still people who can, without judgment, extend their hearts to a stranger. This kindness shown to Liam has been a reminder of how good God is!

Liam enjoyed his gifts very much. His mom enjoyed hers as well, and I am a man forever grateful to all of you. We all are truly blessed to know and love Jesus Christ, and I am truly blessed to be given that opportunity to learn from Pastor Tony. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news! God bless.

Yours truly,
Justin K.

Hope in Jesus Prison Ministries, in conjunction with the Providence Rescue Mission's Learning 2 Live Initiative, is excited to offer churches the opportunity to invest in the life of Justin and his fellow inmates. Learning 2 Live is a faith-based life skills course that provides 72 weeks of classroom instruction.

Each week, through the classroom and Bible study, the gospel is shared and in time men are baptized. These classes include anger management, dealing with loss and grief, addiction, godly parenting, and money management. In addition to classroom time, men and, beginning in February, women engage in daily self-study in preparation for the classroom. As you read in Justin’s letter, the family is touched by our purpose of sharing the gospel. This means our affect goes beyond the prison walls to the wives, children, and parents!

In order to provide this life-changing rehabilitative service to those who are incarcerated, sponsors are being sought. A sponsor could be an individual, a small group, a Sunday school class, a youth group, a worship team, or a church. For $115 a year a sponsor provides an inmate with a Bible, life skills curriculum materials, one hour of weekly instruction, a certificate of completion for the 12 week class and the behind-the-scenes training of instructors and administration that makes this program work. Christ is touching the lives of hundreds in the Rhode Island prison system. Hope in Jesus Prison Ministries have a waiting list for their courses! Pray that they reach their goal of enrolling at least 500 inmates this year in the Learning 2 Live Initiative.


***This article copied from the eJournal of the Baptist Convention of New England, Feb. 7, 2011.

If you would be interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Pastor Tony Mancuso at awmancuso@msn.com.

Left for Dead!

As many of you know, we have been  privileged to be closely associated with Pleasant Street Baptist Church since our first trip to New England in spring of 2007.  It's been such a joy to see how the Lord has worked in the lives of the people in this neighborhood!  Pastor Noel Williamson and his wife Shelley have been very ably assisted by North American Mission Board  Mission Service Corps Missionaries Matthew and Kathryn Nunnelly who serve there as Church Strengtheners.

We love to be involved in various ministries at Pleasant Street.

Enjoy this video made recently by the North American Mission Board!

http://www.essentials.tv/Left_for_Dead/

Ministry Investment Opportunity in Old Saybrook, CT!

One of our church plants, Lighthouse Community Church in Old Saybrook, CT, is growing in number and occupying more space! Praise the Lord! Many partners have already helped by donating various items to enhance the ministry of Pastor Brendan Saunders and his wife Mary. As a result of this growth, they would love to have the following items:
　
Entryway…
Area Rug
2 coat racks
Bulletin board

Children’s Room
Table & chairs
White board
Supply cabinet
13"-21" tv with dvd player

Bathroom
Wall mounted diaper changing station

Misc…
Partitions/Room Dividers
Lectern
50" LCD tv and wall mount
25 NIV Pew Bibles
We are also looking for one more church to consider financially partnering with us at a level of $200 per month.

If you would like to invest in this ministry in some way, please contact Pastor Saunders directly at lighthousecommunityoldsaybrook@gmail.com.

A Very White Christmas Hallelujah!!

Whether or not the ground is actually white outside your house today on Christmas Day, we thought you'd enjoy sharing this unique Christmas celebration with the western Alaskan village of Quinhagak. 

This comes to us from Mike Procter, Director of Mission/Church Planter with the Alaska Baptist Convention in Anchorage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyviyF-N23A&feature=player_embedded

Hallelujah!  Christ our Saviour is born!!!

Our Christmas Wishes for You!

Our long-time friend Nell Collins shared with us this wonderful narrative written by Jean Bell Mosley and published originally in the "Southeast Missourian" on December 23, 2001.  We have received special permission from that newspaper to reprint it here and share it with you! 

                          Enjoy. . . .and have a very Merry Christmas!!
                                                     Ben and Sherilyn


"My friend, I wish you good health and peace of mind. May you look upon life with optimism and good cheer, even in a world that insists on fomenting violence, hatred and war. May you have an indestructible faith to survive today's incredible griefs, separations, confusions. And a questioning mind: What is my stake in Peace on Earth? What is my part in helping to fulfill the Promise?

I wish you to have the fragrances of cedar and oranges, nutmeg and cinnamon and bayberry candles. I would that you have lights of some kind in your house after dark -- the varicolored, winking lights of your Christmas tree, or a candle in the window -- so that others can see that you are there and that all is well with you.

May you have some family around, and especially some children with sparkles in their eyes as you tell them the story of Bethlehem's manger. I wish for you some gifts to give and joy in the giving.

May you stand in starlit silence and hear the angels sing. I hope you'll hear bells, church bells chiming their silver notes, street-corner bells, doorbells. You must also hear carols, old and new, and join in the singing.

May you have a fat goose or a turkey and all the goodies, rich memories of Christmases past. And would you mind a little snow? Just a little, falling at tender, blue-shadowed twilight time.

But most of all I wish you some solitude wherein you can let your mind drift back over the centuries to that special night that God became man and lived amongst us for a while. May you go with shepherds or the Wise Men to that little Judean town of Micah's prophecy and in your heart be near to the One who was to say, "My peace I give unto you ... I will not leave my people comfortless ... be of good cheer."

         REJOICE! REJOICE! REJOICE!

Texas WMU Is Coming to Boston to Prayerwalk!

We are so excited to have just learned in an e-mail from Sandra Wisdom-Martin, Executive Director/ Treasurer of the Texas WMU, that members of that organization will be coming to greater Boston in the fall of 2011 to prayerwalk!  This effort is in response to a request from Church Planter Paul Biswas for "teams to do prayerwalking and help build relationships with Muslims and Hindus".  We were privileged to help make this connection with Texas WMU through a contact made at the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in November in McAllen.

This will provide an opportunity for many of our faithful Texas ladies to take advantage of a dynamic opportunity for real cross-cultural evangelism working among the many Banglas in the greater Boston area.
We understand the group will be led by two of our International Mission Board missionaries who are trained and experienced in working with Hindus and Muslims.

What an exciting connection! Thanks to the Lord for using us to facilitate this opportunity to be engaged in
international missions right here in New England!  Please begin pray for this effort---that God will prepare the way for making it possible for many from our state to participate in this event.  Ask that He will open the minds and hearts of the many Hindus and Muslims living in the Boston area to be receptive to the gospel.

Thank you for praying!