Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Austin - Pursuing John 17:20 Unity


Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

For those who are receiving this announcement for the first time, welcome! The School of the Prophets is an ecumenical group of men and women from many backgrounds who have been meeting together since January 2000.

Our aim is to pursue the unity of believers that Jesus prayed for in John 17:20:

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

We begin our time together at 7 a.m. with worship and prayer, followed by teaching from the word of God. This Saturday Rev. Eugene Flowers will be bringing us the word. Rev. Flowers is the co-founder of the West Side Ministers Coalition, an organization that seeks to bring churches together to effect change in Chicago’s West side neighborhoods. Rev. Flowers is also a tireless volunteer at Austin High School, where he and others are fighting to keep young men and women in school and off the streets. Please pray with him as he prepares to bring us a word from the Lord. We will allow plenty of time for discussion and questions.

We meet at 7:00 a.m. Saturday December 3 at 823 S. Cicero Avenue.
If you can stay, breakfast will be served at around 8:30 a.m. for a cost of $5.

To the glory of God!
Bro. Bob Marsh
630-290-2388
bob@marshdesign.biz


Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

Fox Valley CIty Reaching Goes National



The Fox Valley City Reaching Facilitation Teams . . .
http://www.foxvalleycityreaching.org/
. . . Are one of eight cities/communities that will be recognized as Pilot Cities in the new "Loving Our Communities to Christ" initiatives. Please accept this invitation to be on the call ~ Let's see what our Chicagoland collaboartion can do! Phil Miglioratti

An Invitation from Paul Cedar . . .

This is an exciting time of ministry for the Mission America Coalition (MAC) as we launch the mission of "Loving Our Communities to Christ" (LC2C) in some eight pilot cities. We’ve prayed together and earnestly sought the Lord’s direction in what cities He would have us choose and we believe He has answered!

I want to personally invite you to join me in a special MAC National Committee conference call – the first we’ve ever done - on December 15th at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central, 9 a.m. Mountain or 8 a.m. Pacific).

We’ll make the formal announcement of the LC2C cities, commit those cities to the Lord and then commit ourselves to prayerfully and enthusiastically serve the leaders of those cities as the Lord directs.

To participate in this call, please RSVP by clicking on the headline above.
http://www.missionamerica.org/Brix?pageID=16721

(If you have any trouble with this link, please contact lc2c@missionamerica.org.)

Our call will be hosted by Rev. Jarvis Ward and Rev. Phil Miglioratti, MAC National Facilitators of City/Community Ministries. We will be joined on the call by leaders from each of the LC2C pilot cities.

You’ll hear more about the next steps for LC2C, have the opportunity to interact and share encouragement with the city leaders and offer assistance and resources from your ministry as they reach into their community.

I hope you’ll join me in being part of this very important call on December 15th. To participate, please RSVP.

Thank you for all you’re doing to equip Christians around the nation to pray for, care for and share Jesus Christ with those who don’t know Him. We look forward to watching God work in 2006 – as we pray and work together toward our mission of “The Whole Church taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole Nation – and to the World!”

Prayerfully and expectantly yours,

Dr. Paul A. Cedar
Chair/CEO
Mission America Coalition
paulc@missionamerica.org
PO Box 13930, Palm Desert, CA 92255 | Ph: 760-200-2707 | Fax: 760-200-8837
www.missionamerica.org

{ Receive periodic updates on new postings: http://www.nppn.org/subscribe.htm }

>>Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

URGENT Prayer Needed for Great Britain...


URGENT: Please Pray for England

For the first time since at least 890 A.D. (yes EIGHT 90)..over 1000 years, Christians will be the TAIL and not The Head under British law. Local town councils which spent billions promoting Diwali (Hindu), Ramadam (Islam) and every foreign god, plus Halloween have banned CHRISTmas and public Christian worship. Please, READ MORE

Monday, November 28, 2005

Report on Hunger & Homelessness

I came across this report about homelessness in America (2004) and thought it might be of interest ... as something God may be leading the church of Chicagoland to address. Here is a summary and the link to the entire report...
---}Click headline for a .pdf version

4Him, Pastor Donald Moy, Chinese Church of Chicago
- - - -
Summary

To assess the status of hunger and homelessness in America’s cities during 2004, The U.S. Conference of Mayors surveyed 27 major cities whose mayors were members of its Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. The survey sought information and estimates from each city on 1) the demand for emergency food assistance and emergency shelter and the capacity of local agencies to meet that demand; 2) the causes of hunger and homelessness and the demographics of the populations experiencing these problems; 3) exemplary programs or efforts in the cities to respond to hunger and homelessness; 4) the availability of affordable housing for low income people; and 5) the outlook for the future and the impact of the economy on hunger and homelessness.

Among the findings of the 27-city survey:

HUNGER
Officials in the survey cities estimate that during the past year requests for emergency food assistance increased by an average of 14 percent, with 96 percent of the cities registering an increase. Requests for food assistance by families with children increased by an average of 13 percent. Requests for emergency food assistance by elderly persons increased by an average of 12 percent during the last year, with 72 percent of the cities reporting an increase.

On average, 20 percent of the requests for emergency food assistance are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year. For families alone, 17 percent of the requests for assistance are estimated to have gone unmet. In 48 percent of the cities, emergency food assistance facilities may have to turn away people in need due to lack of resources.

Fifty-six percent of the people requesting emergency food assistance were members of families – children and their parents. Thirty-four percent of the adults requesting food assistance were employed.

The overall level of resources available to emergency food assistance facilities increased by 18 percent during the last year in the cities registering an increase. Forty-four percent of the survey cities reported that emergency food assistance facilities are able to provide an adequate quantity of food. Sixty-seven percent of the cities’ emergency food assistance facilities have had to decrease the number of bags of food provided and/or the number of times people can receive food. Of these cities, 63 percent have had to increase the limit of food provided. Eighty-one percent of the survey cities reported that the food provided is nutritionally balanced.

In 100 percent of the cities, families and individuals relied on emergency food assistance facilities both in emergencies and as a steady source of food over long periods of time.

Unemployment and other employment-related problems lead the list of causes of hunger identified by the city officials. Other causes cited, in order of frequency, include lowpaying jobs, high housing costs, poverty or lack of income, medical or health costs, substance abuse, high utility costs, mental health problems, homelessness, reduced public benefits and high childcare costs.

HOMELESSNESS
During the past year, requests for emergency shelter increased in the survey cities by an average of 6 percent, with 70 percent of the cities registering an increase. Requests for shelter by homeless families alone increased by 7 percent, with 78 percent of the cities reporting an increase.

An average of 23 percent of the requests for emergency shelter by homeless people overall and 32 percent of the requests by homeless families alone are estimated to have gone unmet during the last year. In 81 percent of the cities, emergency shelters may have to turn away homeless families due to lack of resources; in 81 percent they may also have to turn away other homeless people.

People remain homeless an average of eight months in the survey cities. Forty-six percent of the cities said that the length of time people were homeless increased during the last year.

Lack of affordable housing leads the list of causes of homelessness identified by the city officials. Other causes cited, in order of frequency, include mental illness and the lack of needed services, substance abuse and the lack of needed services, low-paying jobs, unemployment, domestic violence, poverty, and prisoner re-entry.

Officials estimate that, on average, single men comprise of 41 percent of the homeless population, families with children-40 percent, single women-14 percent and unaccompanied youth- five percent. The homeless population is estimated to be 49 percent African-American, 35 percent white, 13 percent Hispanic, two percent Native American and one percent Asian. An average of 23 percent of homeless people in the cities are considered mentally ill; 30 percent are substance abusers; 17 percent are employed; and 10 percent are veterans.

In 56 percent of the cities, families may have to break up in order to be sheltered. In 52 percent of the cities families may have to spend their daytime hours outside of the shelter they use at night.

HOUSING
Requests for assisted housing by low- income families and individuals increased in 68 percent of the cities during the last year. Thirty-two percent of eligible low-income households are currently served by assisted housing programs. City officials estimate that low- income households spend an average of 45 percent of their income on housing.

Applicants must wait an average of 20 months for public housing in the survey cities. The wait for Section 8 certificates is 30 months, and for Section 8 Vouchers it’s 35 months. Fifty- nine percent of the cities have stopped accepting applications for at least one assisted housing program due to the excessive length of the waiting list.

THE OUTLOOK
Officials in 88 percent of the responding cities expect requests for emergency food assistance to increase during 2005. Eighty- four percent expect that requests for emergency food assistance by families with children will increase during 2005. Officials in 88 percent of the cities expect that requests for emergency shelter will increase next year. Seventy-eight percent expect that requests by homeless families will increase.

Even with an improving economy, city officials believe that economic conditions will continue to have a negative impact on the problem of hunger and homelessness.

>>Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Community Impact - Talk With National Ledaers


"Last Tuesday" ~: Featured Cities' Conference Call

Each month, on the "last Tuesday," Dennis Fuqua and Phil Miglioratti interview leaders from a city experiencing collaboration followed by a discussion with city reachers from across the nation.

Tuesday, November 29th, you can hear how the Church in Boulder, Colorado, is learning that, “Good deeds, produce good will, which gives entrance to the Good News!”

Join us at 9:00am (Pacific) by calling 563-843-7429 (access code: 579732#).

Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

Loving Our Communities to Christ - Leaders with a Citywide Vision Take Note!


Chicagoland City-Reachers -- Hold These Dates! --

April 2-5, 2006

Annual City Impact Roundtable

Who?

Collaborating Practioners of city or regional movements of prayer, unity and outreach, leaders of congregations and organizations, men & women with marketplace callings, intercessors.

Where?

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, home to a longstanding city-reaching movement, and a delightful place to visit in the spring!

When?

The CIR will begin @ 1:30 Monday, April 3rd and conclude at noon Wednesday, April 5 (no lunch). Attendees of any former CIR are welcome to join us for pre-CIR fellowship and prayer Sunday night, April 2 @ 7:30 and Monday 9 AM to noon.

What?

The CIR has four components--

1) Plenary Presentations and/or Panel Dialogues

** Francis Frangipane, longtime resident of Cedar Rapids, will be one of our keynote speakers. Additional presenters are still under consideration.

** Panel: "Cities Breaking Through, and Why"

2) City Models

We have current commitments from Cedar Rapids, and the unique regional model developing in El Paso TX, Las Cruces NM and Juarez MEXICO. Three additional cities are under consideration.

3) Relevant Workshops & "Table-Talks" (@ meals)

~~ What Veteran City-Reachers Wish Emerging Cityreachers Knew
~~ Unique Dynamics of the Mega-City Movement
~~ Initiating & Implementing Mission America's "LC2C" strategy
("Loving our Communities to Christ")
-- Righteousness and Justice, Essential Issues for City Transformation
~~ Global Day of Prayer & 90 Days of Blessing (June 4)
-- City AIDS Summits, gathering pastors and Christian leaders in cities in the
Fall of 2006
~~ Building Strategic Partnerships with Marketplace Ministers
~~ "Trench-Talk:" Issues Common to Veteran City-Reachers

4) Roundtable, Intra-City Dialogues

Sitting @ tables with leaders from different cities, sharing journeys, hearing God & discerning relevant take-aways.

Cost?

A reasonable registration (TBA) will be charged to cover meals & conference expenses. Hotels and motels in Cedar Rapids are cheap and lovely! Full shuttle service will be provided to and from the airport.

Please give serious thought and prayer to participating in the 2006 CIR. For maximum benefit, we strongly advise that at least three leaders from your city mix take this in together. Five to seven is even better. If you or fellow city team members plan on coming, simply hit REPLY right now to indicate your intent to participate.

The following are serving on the current CIR Design Team: Tom White (Corvallis, OR), Jarvis Ward (Pearl MS), Glenn Barth (Minneapolis MN) Charles Daugherty (Cedar Rapids), Lynn Heatley (South CA), Tony Danhelka (Chicago), Barney Field (El Paso), and Minh Chau (Washington D.C.). Please pray for us as we seek the Lord for His final touches on the CIR.

"Thy kingdom come!"

Tom White
Convener, City Impact Roundtable

Jarvis Ward
City & Communities Team, Mission America

**Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

New Motion Picture Screenings ~ Dare to Make Contact


Phil,
Thank you for your enthusiastic support of the motion picture END OF THE SPEAR, opening January 20 at Chicagoland theatres and across the country.

Film website: www.endofthespear.com
Ministry Resource website: www.daretomakecontact.com

As Chicago Representative for END OF THE SPEAR, I am calling upon the churches in Chicagoland to arrange DVD screenings for influential church leaders and youth group ministers. These screenings are to take place now through December. The purpose of these screenings is ultimately for these leaders to organize large group ticket sales for the opening weekend of January 20. If a church is interested in a DVD screening, here is my contact information:
Margo Lange
email: margo@capstonefilmreleasing.com
office phone: 630-480-0799
cell: 630-440-8391
home: 630-462-7479

Thanks again Phil. Your assistance is deeply appreciated and welcomed, Margo Lange


**Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

Saturday, November 19, 2005

A Note From Phil...


City Reachers & Prayer Warriors Rejoice!

Your efforts over the years at praying for and working towards the whole Church showing and telling the whole Gospel to the whole City, community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, have not gone unheard by the Lord nor unnoticed by the Spirit ~

•School of the Prophets meets monthly in the Austin community, bridging the gap of urban/suburban, black/white

•PUSLE brings church leaders together in the Naperville community

•Catalyst is casting a vision across Lake County for collaborative evangelism (over 150 met for a day of inspiration, instruction and interaction this past week)

•Three city reaching facilitation teams line the Fox Valley from Aurora to Tri-Cities (St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia) to Elgin.

•Eight "Anchor Church" pastors have been meeting this past year with the intention of calling hundreds of pastors together to work together for the advancement of Christ's Kingdom

•Several thousand saints met for an evening of prayer in the UIC Pavilion, hosted by a network of pastors that have been praying together out of a John 17:23 vision; black and white; city and suburb

•Several Houses of Prayer are recruiting intercessors for 24/7 prayer on behalf of the church and the city, such as the Furnace in Chicago and the HOP in Elgin

•A citywide gathering of pastors is underway for March that will call for a return to the supremacy of Christ

•The Mission America Coalition, through "Loving Our Communities to Christ," will bring national resources (denominations and servant ministries) to Fox Valley's community transformation efforts

•A new Prayer Summit Leadership Team has formed that will once again offer a citywide/regionwide prayer gathering

•Pastors' Prayer Groups continue to meet for prayer, fellowship, and meeting the needs of lost neighbors (Add your praying group to our internet directory ~ Click the headline and type in your information)

•...and there is more - Meetings and activities you can add to this list (Email your report to me at phil@nppn.org)

The vision of "One Church, Many Locations, Diverse Expressions" is seeping into the DNA of the Church, one pastor at a time, one prayer warrior at a time, one community organizer at a time . .

Keep praying.
Keep communicating.
Keep anticipating...

Phil Miglioratti, for One Great City

** Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

Loving Our Communities to Christ ~ New Collaboration



Loving Our Communities to Christ
"For Such a Time as This"

“LC2C is a process. It’s about developing relationships.”
Dr. Bob Lowman, Metrolina Prayer Network, Charlotte, N.C.

“LC2C offers a way for all of us to work together. The whole concept of these national ministries serving us is such a different concept instead of us being used by their ministry – it’s amazing.”
Rev. Charles Daugherty, Serve the City, Cedar Rapids, IA

In recent months, we have seen the Lord's hand focusing the members, resources, and strategy of the Mission America Coalition on Calling God's People Together to Love Our Communities to Christ.

As a result, Loving Our Communities to Christ (LC2C) is now a major initiative of the Coalition. Under the leadership of the Lord and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we believe LC2C has the potential to transform the communities of America both spiritually and culturally – city by city, region by region.

Loving Our Communities to Christ provides a framework for cities and communities to come together to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Read an overview of LC2C @
Loving Our Communities to Christ
"For Such a Time as This"

“LC2C is a process. It’s about developing relationships.”
Dr. Bob Lowman, Metrolina Prayer Network
Charlotte, N.C.

“LC2C offers a way for all of us to work together. The whole concept of these national ministries serving us is such a different concept instead of us being used by their ministry – it’s amazing.”
Rev. Charles Daugherty, Serve the City
Cedar Rapids, IA

In recent months, we have seen the Lord's hand focusing the members, resources, and strategy of the Mission America Coalition on Calling God's People Together to Love Our Communities to Christ.

As a result, Loving Our Communities to Christ (LC2C) is now a major initiative of the Coalition. Under the leadership of the Lord and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we believe LC2C has the potential to transform the communities of America both spiritually and culturally – city by city, region by region.

Loving Our Communities to Christ provides a framework for cities and communities to come together to share the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Read an overview of LC2C at
http://community.gospelcom.net
/missionamerica/assets/LC2C.pdf


Click the headline to view the LC2C blog.
FAQs at
http://community.gospelcom.net/Brix?pageID=13458

Please be praying for MAC leaders as they prayerfully choose the pilot cities for Loving Our Communities to Christ. The official announcement of the pilot cities is expected in the next few weeks.

Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings:
subscribe@nppn.org /
Subject: OGC Updates

Friday, November 18, 2005

Holiday Entertainment Evangelism

Well the Holidays are upon us and you're probably looking for some special entertainment for your Christmas Pary that's effective and appropriate. Well look no further. Transitions Edge Productions, Inc. can meet your needs. Please visit www.transitionsedgeproductions.com {Click headline} and listen to a sample of stand-up comedy presented by myself, Allen Edge, "The Edge of Sanity". My material is excellent for family gatherings. Always clean and fresh.


Transitions Edge Productions,Inc. has other forms of entertainment as well. Spoken Word, Theatre, Music, and Dance. Professional entertainment that's affordable. It's not too late! So make the quality choice for the quality entertainment of Transitions Edge Productions, Inc. Call (630) 631-9239 or email Allen Edge .

Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Yours in Service, Allen Edge, "The Edge of Sanity"

>Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates

Monday, November 14, 2005

Exalting God in the Public Square

Exalting God in the Public Square
Paul J. Dean
It seems to me the real question is not whether or not we engage the culture. We must. The real question is how we go about it. What is to be our emphasis: political action or gospel influence in the political arena?
Read the full article here

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

School of the Prophets: Bringing People Together

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

We invite you to join us this Saturday for worship, prayer, teaching, and an opportunity to dialogue about what God is doing to bring people together in the name of Jesus Christ.

Rev. Phil Hilliard, Senior Pastor of Austin Corinthian Baptist Church will bring us a word on 2 Timothy 2 verse 2:
“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

For those who are new to this email list, welcome! We extend an invitation for you to join us this Saturday morning at 7am at Austin Corinthian Baptist Church. We will begin our time together with worship, teaching and prayer, followed by discussion of the issues raised in the attached article. If you can stay, we have breakfast together at 8:30 for a donation of $5. Austin Corinthian Baptist Church is located at 823 S. Cicero Ave. just 3 blocks south of the Eisenhower Expressway at the northeast corner of Cicero and Arthington.

All praise, honor, and glory go to our Lord Jesus Christ!
Your brother in Christ,
Bob Marsh
323 West Chicago Ave.
Hinsdale, IL 60521
630-290-2388

>Receive periodic updates on new One Great City postings: subscribe@nppn.org / Subject: OGC Updates