|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Letters Archive: December 2003 Back to our Homepage Dear Loving Friends and Church Family, Thanksgiving and Christmas are wonderful holidays because the world focuses on being thankful to God for His blessings and celebrating the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. We trust you had a good Thanksgiving. A little book, ATTITUDES OF GRATITUDE, (How to Give and Receive Joy Every Day of Your Life) has enriched our lives this year. Thanksgiving day was really special because our daughter, Shari, and our new son-in-law, Steve Flora, hosted both sides of the family at their home for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a wonderful time of giving thanks to God for His overwhelming blessings to us during this year and it also provided us with an opportunity to enjoy fellowship with Steve’s parents, and extended family. Shari has already decorated their home for Christmas and it is beautiful! Steve’s father made this comment, “When Steve built this house, it was a nice house. But since Shari moved in, it has become a ‘beautiful home’.” Steve and Shari are a great team and bring us joy! Last weekend we hosted our 19th Retreat at Saginaw First Assembly with about 300 people in attendance. As our son, Randal, led the Retreat, many people were healed and set free from bondage. Randal gave several words of knowledge on Friday night. One described someone’s left ear being healed. He said, “the hearing in your left ear has become more and more muffled, but God is opening your ear and you will hear perfectly.” The next day a lady reported that she had experienced exactly what Randal had described in the word of knowledge. Now her hearing was completely restored in the left ear. Another word of knowledge related to “a condition caused by an accident that caused injury to their neck, making it impossible to turn their head from side to side. Also, they couldn’t raise their right arm. On Saturday morning a lady brought her neck brace to Randal and said she had worn it since her accident in 2001, but she had been healed when he gave the word of knowledge about the neck. Also, she had been unable to raise her right arm and now she was lifting that arm high above her head. She left the neck brace with us because she no longer needed it. At the Retreat in Germany last May, Randal gave a word of knowledge saying, “you are having trouble breathing because your lungs are too small. They are expanding and enlarging.” The son of a prominent family in the German church received his healing. The doctor had told him exactly what Randal described. His lungs were too small. As Randal gave the word of knowledge, the boy felt something in his chest go “swish”, as though air was being pushed into his lungs. As a result he could breathe normally. When Randal and the team returned to Germany in November, this boy was rejoicing because he was still able to breathe normally. During the Saginaw Retreats, we always host a Pastor’s Luncheon on Saturday. Here are some of the testimonies written down by Pastors: “The depressed have been set free, the sick have been healed, discipleship is happening – Wow! Freedom in Christ does it all.”.........Another Pastor wrote:. “75% of our church has been through the Cleansing Class and we’ve found one of the fruits has been that we’re all on the ‘same page’. It’s been a protection for our church because as a Body we understand the dangers of ‘hooks’ and being out of alignment and the need for cleansing. It’s been awesome! Thank you!” A hurting pastor wrote this testimony: “My wife and I have attended the class which was offered at another church. She was facing emotional issues and need of support and information, which she has found through the class. I have been ‘blessed’ here at the Retreat beyond understanding. We have recently resigned our church and are searching.”.......The Pastor of a Community Church said, “We have gained a respect for authority and a greater desire to serve our very gracious Father in heaven.” Yet another Pastor’s testimony stated: “There has come much healing and freedom to our people. It has made our church healthy and made disciples in the process.” Another said, “As the Pastor, I have a heart for the un-churched. This program is led and taught by our laymen. I am free to use my Gifts and then disciple people through this class. It has change our church.” There are so many Pastors who wrote down wonderful testimonies. I’ll close with this one: “It has given us an opportunity to fellowship with a larger church. It has also given our church a structured way to pursue Christian growth and sanctification.” As your Pastor, I want to express my appreciation for you, because you are giving unselfishly to minister in such a large variety of ways. You have opened your hearts and embraced the vision God has given us of not only reaching this Valley for Jesus, but to share with others everything He has put in our hands. When the Cleansing Ministry was started at First Assembly (over 8 years ago), we could never have dreamed that God was giving us a discipleship tool that He was going to use to disciple thousands of believers around the world. Next Spring Randal will be going to Mexico to video a Spanish discipleship course. Pastors in Mexico have been asking for the Class for some time and we have been believing God for funding for this project. Many of you gave in honor of our 40th Anniversary and that money will be used for production of the Spanish Classes. A Better Life Course Total Life Center/Clothed With Love Outreach/Prayer Chain Thank you to all of you who are giving to the Blanket Fund and bringing in your extra blankets from your homes. Psalm 41:1-3 gives wonderful promises to everyone who gives to the poor.....”They will be blessed; The Lord will deliver and protect them and keep them alive; They will not be given over to the desire of their enemies; And the Lord will restore them to health when they are sick.” Believe God and receive His promised blessings as you give to meet the needs of the poor through our outreach ministries. As we celebrate Christ’s birth, our biggest and best gift of the Christmas Season should be given to Jesus. We encourage you to consider making a year-end gift to one of these vital outreach ministries of First Assembly. Your home church is ministering year round to spiritual and physical needs in Jerusalem (Saginaw), Judea (Michigan) and the uttermost parts of the earth (around the world.) Your support is needed. Joyfully Serving the Master and His People, Pastor Fred and Jetta Smolchuck |
View the Pastor's
• July 2007 •
Meet Pastor Fred Words to Live By • Daily Bible Reading Guide • Better Life Course by Randal Smolchuck |
|
|
|