From the Field: Croatia
Here is a recent correspondence from G., an RBC-supported missionary serving with Pioneers in Croatia. Here is a recap of G.’s work with youth and church building/planing efforts over the summer:
Another summer is almost over in Slavonski Brod. Six short-term teams with over 80 guests have helped us share the good news of Christ with many young people. The church building is taking shape before our eyes. We look forward to the day when the building is completed and pray that God continues to grow His church that will be meeting in it.
Below I have written more about both the building and our summer activities. I also want to ask you to pray specifically for a man who I have known for over 12 years. He and his wife have shown a degree of openness over the years, but it has never moved beyond an intellectual understanding of what Christians believe. But some things have happened in their lives recently that seem to have caused the husband particularly to consider spiritual things more seriously. He recently expressed a desire to study the Bible with me, and we hope to start in the next week or so. Pray for God to reveal himself to this friend and that he and his wife would one day soon place their trust in Christ! Thanks so much for your prayers and your partnership with me in Croatia!
CHURCH BUILDING: The last time I wrote, I told you of a matching fund that had been set up to help complete construction of the exterior of the Slavonski Brod church building this year. We were hoping to raise $70,000 by the end of June for that to happen. The Lord has seen fit to provide, through many churches and individuals both in the U.S. and in Croatia, $108,000! The building is under construction and we expect it to be under roof in a just a few more weeks. This does not mean an end to the construction process, nor to the need for finances. Now that the building is under roof, it is safe from the elements and we can complete the inside as funds become available. We would love the help of short-term teams to, for example, take a room and fix it up. Please pray for the ultimate completion of the building in God’s timing, and for Him to continue to build His church spiritually, and not just physically, in Slavonski Brod.
SUMMER OUTREACHES: This summer we have had 81 individuals come to work with us for at least one week, including a team of 11 which arrived today! With their help, we have held baseball camps, children’s Bible clubs, and open air concerts, and we have had lots of less formal opportunities to meet and get to know Croatian youth. The gospel has been shared countless times and in many ways. Two Croatian teens have even met with a small group of us to study the Bible. Summer is definitely a time of broad sowing for us as we take advantage of the many short-term workers who come to help us to share as frequently and as broadly as we can. Pray that we will see the fruit of this broad sowing one day soon. I was particularly encouraged this year by one of the teens living in Nova Gradiška who trusted in Christ last summer. One Sunday at church when several unbelieving youth came (because they wanted to say goodbye to the short-term team that was leaving that day), he prayed publicly and boldly, “Lord, I pray that these other teens here today would trust in You and that You would change their lives like You did for me. Amen.” That was a first for him. Pray for him to continue to grow, and that his prayer for the other teens in his city would be answered also!
Would you take a minute now to pray for G., the many Croatian youth who heard the gospel this summer, and for the church in Slavonski Brod?
Quest for the King – Kids Camp 2014
Our epic adventure, with 220 children and 140 volunteers, over five days has come to an end …but it’s really only the beginning. This past week we hosted our 2014 Kids Camp where we focused on the King Jesus, each day unveiling a new clue to His identity and the key to entering His eternal Kingdom. The children learned that our King was foretold long ago by the Prophets, that He alone has power to rule and reign over nature, the spiritual world, sin, and death. We learned that He is a shepherd King who laid down His life for us, and that He defeated death and the grave by rising on the third day, and that by coming to Him in faith we enter His eternal Kingdom. Finally, we closed the week with the exciting news that Jesus the King is building His Kingdom through each of us in His Church.
We want to thank everyone who volunteered, who prayed, and who gave towards making this time a blessing to so many children. Thank you to everyone on the RBC staff who set aside significant amounts of their time to make this week extra special for the children. Having the privilege to see many young people come to Christ in faith, and others deepen their understanding of their faith, is a reward beyond what we could ask or imagine. Thank you!
– Mike Meyers, Children’s Ministry Director
Photo credit: A huge THANK YOU to Agung Fauzi of Seize the Day Photography for volunteering his time & talents to give us such excellent photos of this year’s Kids Camp!
Beyond the Book Drive
If you have ever wondered what might have happened to the books that were leftover from RBC’s book drive for Guilford Elementary last Spring, then you will love this story. Open Arms Worldwide (OAW) is a mission supported by Reston Bible Church that works in low income or otherwise at-risk neighborhoods in Brazil. Open Arms works to mobilize and equip local churches to reach and teach children who are in their community, but outside their church family. This year, Open Arms has started working in the U.S. as well, and their first project is right in our backyard. In partnership with Sterling Park Baptist Church, we have begun building a relationship with another Sterling Park elementary school, Sully Elementary.
At the beginning of the month, Sterling Park Baptist and Open Arms held a book drive with the goal of providing 2-3 books for every child at Sully to read over the summer. In the spirit of unity in the body of Christ, RBC gave the effort a huge head start by donating around 1,000 books that were left over from the Guilford drive last Spring. Your gifts have been multiplied and the body of Christ has been glorified! Win, win!
Read more about this story on the Open Arms website.
“I in them, and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” – Jesus in John 17:23
No Other Name – On Sale for a Limited Time
After the great response from our first live worship album, No Other Name, we’re excited to announce that we’d like to do another one this Fall. To make room and help fund the next album, No Other Name is on sale at the RBC Bookstore and on iTunes at the reduced price of $8 for a limited time.
No Other Name is available from the digital music vendors below. A limited number of CDs are avilable in the RBC Bookstore. You can also find No Other Name on Spotify, eMusic, Rhapsody, Rdio, and iHeartRadio. 
Last Week for Kids Camp Registration
We only have one more week of registration left for the 2014 RBC Kids Camp. Our theme this year, “THE KING – Quest for the Eternal Kingdom” will be epic, and your kids won’t want to miss it. You can register at www.restonbible.org/kidscamp. Camp runs from June 23-27.
We are still in need of about 40 more volunteers, so please consider spending this week, or part of it, with us and your child at Kids Camp. For those of you working during the day, this is your chance to volunteer! Camp will run Monday through Friday from 6:30-9:05 PM! Questions? Drop me an email.
Blessings,
Mike Meyers,
Director of Children’s Ministry
RBC Partnering with RightNow Media
Our church is always looking for ways to serve you as you live out your faith throughout the week. With the goal of continuing to know Christ and make Him known, RBC is partnering with a service called RightNow Media. You can think of it as the “Netflix of video Bible studies” because with RightNow Media, you will have instant access to thousands of online video sermons and teachings for kids, youth, parents, married couples and more. There are currently over 2,000 videos from many great Bible teachers.
We would love to provide anyone who considers RBC their church home with a free account to the RightNow Media video library.
If you are in myRBC, our online church database, you should have already received an “invitation email” from Pastor Tony Pedroni on behalf of RightNow Media. That email will include instructions on activating your RightNow Media profile so you have free access to this online library. Simply find the email (check your spam folder if you can’t find it in your inbox), click on the link, put in your name and a password and you’re all set.
We hope you will find this resource helpful as you seek to grow in Christ. If you have any questions, can’t find the invitation email or need help setting up your RightNow Media login, please send us an email at info@restonbible.org.
Memorial Blood Drive for Stephen Chiang
Our next drive this Sunday (May 11, 2014 from 8:00am – 1:00pm) is extra special because it is in memory of Stephen Chiang, a faithful RBC volunteer and blood donor for many years. Stephen went home to be with the Lord last year at the early age of 34. He also served faithfully at the Welcome Desk and in our Media Ministry for many years. Stephen’s mother is planning to be there, so whether you donate or not, please feel free to drop by and wish her a happy Mother’s Day.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than to give the gift of life to someone in need if you are able to give and will be in town that day. If you’d like to sign up online, please click here for the online registration form. We will have two bloodmobiles, so you should be in and out within around 30 minutes.
Currently, we only have 20 of our 105 slots filled, so there’s lots of room available, especially before 10:00am and after 11:00am.
One more note: The most common reason people are not allowed to donate is due to an iron deficiency. This can easily be remedied by eating a meal of iron-rich foods the night before the drive. Here’s a list of such foods in case you struggle with this (click here to download a PDF.)
Hope to see you Sunday. Have a very blessed week.
Dale Peak, Administrator
ESL & Emergency Preparedness
With all that it takes to become comfortable and productive in Northern Virginia culture, it occurred to me that the internationals in our English as a Second Language program would benefit from understanding how to handle emergency situations. One of our teachers, Ron Colan, has a son who is a deputy with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office. Deputy Colantonio was only too happy to come in and share basic knowledge with our students. I also contacted the Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Squad and they sent a very capable public education manager, Lisa Braun, to provide training in all matters having to do with fire safety and calling 911.
For our two lower-level classes, I had to provide translators in order to ensure clear understanding of this important information. Thankfully, I was able to find the right people for all the major language groups. The presenters deftly maneuvered talking then pausing, over and over again, in order to allow the translators to work effectively.
Ms. Braun provided a 911 simulator which looks like a telephone and has a recording of the likely dialog that would be heard from the 911 operator. It was great for the students to try to answer the dispatcher’s questions and listen for instructions. When one is in a stressful situation, this may not be so easily done – even for a native English speaker!
Deputy Colantonio talked about what to do if one is pulled over by a police officer and also the procedure to follow should one have a traffic accident. Students had many questions on other matters pertaining to the law that have either been misunderstood or not known.
We strive to give our students practical information about how to live here as responsible citizens. Part of that is helping them to acquire the language and part of that is providing cultural insight including understanding the law. The more we show our love and concern for them, the more likely we will have a platform for pointing them to the ultimate need they have in their lives – knowledge of Jesus Christ and His relevance to every person, whether born here or elsewhere.
Foster Care “Fill-a-Bag” Update
When children come into foster care, they are often removed from their homes in an emotional and chaotic scene.
Their biological families pack their belongings in whatever bags they may have handy, including garbage bags. Sometimes, families don’t have any large bags to give children to carry their things, as many of these children come from low income families. Many times children come into foster care with nothing that first night. To have a bag of their own, filled with items that are just for them as they enter a world that is not their own, can offer a small but powerful comfort.
This was the challenge that we presented to our body back in January. Let us be the hands and feet of Christ by providing shiny new duffel bags filled with the necessities that a child whose world has just been turned upside down would need, plus some extra goodies so they would feel valued and loved. We can’t measure the effect that holding a teddy bear that will be theirs to keep would have on a child that first night away from the only home they have every known.
We are grateful to God that our people are a generous people and embraced this opportunity to love a child they will probably never meet. We had over 200 bags donated, which filled two 15-passenger vans. The bags will be distributed to several local foster care agencies and will meet a tremendous need.
Introducing Courage Quest
According to data collected in 2009, one out of every five households in the United States has at least one child with special healthcare needs. These needs may include physical, cognitive, communicative, and behavioral challenges. This represents a significant segment of the nation’s population and the numbers seem to be trending upward. This same trend is reflected in our church family and that is why I am so excited to share with you the realization of a dream that we have had for RBC Children’s Ministry for many years. It is our desire that EVERY CHILD be able to engage with the timeless truths of the Bible and grow in a joyful relationship with Jesus Christ, not the least of these are our children with special needs.
Courage Quest, or CQ, is a new special needs initiative within the Children’s Ministry of Reston Bible Church. CQ exists to aide and empower all of our children to actively and significantly participate in all aspects of the Children’s Ministry and to provide appropriate support and accommodations when necessary. CQ accomplishes this goal by providing RBC Children’s Ministry volunteers with appropriate tools,resources and instructions to carry out their calling to minister to all children including those with special needs and disabilities.
On January 26th, we will be holding a special training for current Children’s Ministry Volunteers and people interested in learning more about becoming a Courage Quest Volunteer. This training is essential for all, as it will…
• Introduce the Courage Quest team members and their roles.
• Explain how Quest/Awana volunteers can, with and without direct CQ help, better minister to children with a variety of special needs including behavioral, developmental, and physical.
• Introduce new resources to help all Children’s Ministry volunteers know how to respond when issues arise with any child.
Please consider joining us for this important training. By helping a child engage with the Savior you are inviting the presence of Christ into your life. “And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:5
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE JANUARY 26 COURAGE QUEST TRAINING EVENT.
When: 1/26/14 – Right after the second service from 1:00 to 3:00pm.
Where: Quest Clubhouse
What: Lunch and free childcare will be provided. (If your children cannot eat pizza, please provide a bag lunch for them.)
I look forward to seeing you there.
Blessings,
Mike Meyers, for the RBC Children’s Ministry Staff