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Letter from the Executive Director
Outreach and missions . . . Jesus charged his followers: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Mathew 28:19-20.
What's your mission field? It's an important question in our Christian walk and growth. Why not answer that question at the WPC Missions Festival March 13 - 16? Your mission field might be a need right in front of you!
Westminster Foundation has been blessed to be able to support several outreach and missions efforts. The Foundation has distributed nearly $225,000 to WPC Missions in the form of Faith Promise gifts from faithful Foundation donors who have a heart for missions. The Foundation has distributed another $100,000 to other outreach ministries including ROAR Sports, New Life 91.9, Mission to the World, Motor Racing Outreach, Campus Crusade, The Luke Society, Latin America Mission, Gideons, Camp Canaan, Just Give Me Jesus, 106.9 The Light, Christian Medical and Dental Association, and South America Mission (SAM).
On another note, I am excited that the Foundation Board has recently begun a strategic planning process. God has blessed the Foundation abundantly in its first five or so years, and the Foundation now seems well positioned and understood as a resource for stewardship planning and a conduit for Kingdom giving. But we know we can't rest on God's past blessings. We must continue to seek His will for the future. During the next six months, we will be working on a vision and plan for the Foundation's next five years and beyond.
As part of our planning, we recognize that the Foundation must not only continue to channel funds to ministry, but it must also support its own operations and begin building a fund or endowment that can be used to meet the needs of ministry over the long-term . . . Any gift you make to the Foundation can be directed by you to Foundation operations, the Foundation endowment, other Westminster ministries, or churches or ministries outside the Westminster family. . . In addition to WPC Missions, I am aware of several other short-term and long-term needs and opportunities. Please contact me at email or at 803-366-8880 and I will tell you more.
Thanks for all you do in furtherance of God's Kingdom, whether through the Foundation or not. Our partnerships with other ministries would not be possible without the financial and prayer support from those individuals and families we have served.
Edwin Barnes, Jr. |
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Westminster Missions Festival
Every year, the world comes to Westminster! Missionaries who represent countries from all around the globe are invited to participate in our annual Missions Festival and share with our congregation about how God is using them to spread His message to all nations. This year, we are pleased to welcome missionaries from Australia, Mali, Africa, Peru, Mexico, and many other diverse places.
 Our festival's theme is Changed Hearts, Changed World: What Goes Deepest to the Heart Goes Widest to the World (Acts 1:8). Our keynote speaker, Dr. Skip Ryan from Dallas, Texas, will speak about how the Gospel changes our hearts and lives, and how that change should impact our daily lives. We have planned a variety of interesting and exciting events in which you can participate, including worship services on Sunday morning and evening, Wednesday evening dinner fellowship groups, dessert open house, women's brunch, men's prayer breakfast, and many others!
At the closing of our Festival each year, we call the congregation to respond in several ways: To pray, to give, to go, and to serve. Our hope and prayer is that through the Festival, hearts will be touched and changed by the message of missions: That people matter to God and therefore they should matter to us! Our desire is to see our community impacted by those changed hearts, that people would be inspired to action, that others would get involved in the great work of missions, not just around the world, but right here in Rock Hill. We look forward to seeing you at the Missions Festival!
WPC Missions Team |
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Estate and Gift Design Seminar
Monday, April 4, 2011
6:30 pm
in the Anne Burns Sanford Parlor at Westminster Presbyterian Church
Join us for a presentation that will help you consider (and carry out) the particular plan of stewardship that you believe God has set out for you.
Topics include:
How to make estate planning spiritual before mechanical.
How to support ministry with tax dollars.
How to protect valuable interpersonal relationships in your estate planning.
Refreshments will be served
There is no charge, but reservations are requested by March 25.
Contact Julie at 803-325-6712 or
email to reserve your place.
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ATTENTION:
Financial Professionals,
Lawyers,
Accountants
Join Westminster Ministries Foundation for a presentation on estate planning from a spiritual perspective and learn more about a network of Christian professionals and advisors in York County.
April 6, 2011
11:30 am
in the Anne Burns Sanford Parlor at Westminster Presbyterian Church
Lunch will be served.
There is no charge, but reservations are requested by March 25.
Contact Julie at 803-325-6712 or
email to reserve your place. |
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Ministry Highlight: South America Mission (SAM)
Trivia Questions: What 100 year old missions organization is located right here in York County? Which resident of Westminster Towers is one of South America Mission's early missionaries and the grandmother of SAM's current Executive Director? Answers below.
SAM's vision statement begins: "We believe that South America must be won to Christ by South Americans and that the only way there will be enough witnessing believers to fulfill the vision is through the discipling and training of local Christians that God is placing in leadership in the churches."
SAM includes over 50 missionary families serving in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and the United States. SAM fulfills its vision in various ways including leadership development, local church development, education, SAMAIR and a holistic approach to ministry. For more information, go to the SAM website.
 Answers: South America Mission recently moved its headquarters to Fort Mill from Florida. SAM's Executive Director is Kirk Ogden. Kirk's grandmother is Edith Norwood who lives at Westminster Towers but spent most of her life on the mission field, primarily in Colombia and Peru. (Mrs. Norwood also spent time in South Carolina while a student at Columbia International University, formerly Columbia Bible College). Rev. G. Hunter Norwood, Mrs. Norwood's late husband and Kirk's late grandfather, led SAM from 1958 to 1983, and Rev. Bill Ogden, Kirk's father, led SAM from 1993 to 2007. What a great story of three generations of a family committed to spreading God's word!
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