Leaflets

A New Sign at Gateway

2012-01-17T18:36:00.001-05:00

We are excited about the new sign for the office in the Gateway Center on Water Street in Jamestown, NY. The sign was made and donated by Leonard Bletcher, our New Leaf board president. I want to personally thank Leonard for all the hard work and the excellent job he's done. The sign is now in place above the office door. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's a couple of them for you to observe. See if you don't agree. I'm sure if you do, he would appreciate hearing from you.

2011-12-29T17:42:00.000-05:00

A Major Goal Achieved

This morning, I went to the mail-slot to pick up the mail for New Leaf Ministries. It's not unusual for us to have mail, you know the usual proverbial items; junk mail that ends up going right from the mailbox to the garbage can, a few things that get opened then tossed into the can, the bill for the business card or an occasional donation or two as well. With the year drawing to a rapid close I went with the hope that there was more than just the average.

Reaching the goal to raise $5000 for the Assistance Fund by the end of the year, was turning out to be a pretty ambitious goal. This fund was created to help make counseling sessions affordable to everyone. Based on a sliding scale, going all the way down to ten dollars (and sometimes at no cost to those in dire need), the fund helps fill the gap between the cost to the client and the actual expenses of approximately $60.00 per session involved in providing this service.

Since its inception, ten percent of every undesignated donation goes to the Assistance Fund, which has helped it considerably, but since giving has been down considerably since early in 2008, the monies going into the account on a regular basis have been dwindling as well. With only small amounts going into the fund in October and November, it was decided by the New Leaf board that a Christmas letter should go out to help try and meet the shortfall and possibly our projected goal. A special thanks to a former client who was so willing to write a letter that could be used as a testimonial.

The problem was timing. Even though Christmas always comes the same time of the year, inevitably it always seems to creep up on me. This year it kind of sneaked up on me again. (Yes, sneaked is proper English... our area seems to believe snuck is the correct past tense version of sneak. I've even seen it in print in our local newspaper. It is not. Sneaked it correct, just in case you are concerned about these things.) Consequently, I found myself in the middle of December still trying to get out the Christmas letter. Not good timing on my part at all.

This morning, we received five generous donations, pushing us over the top. It's down to the end, only two days to spare, but we reached the goal with a total of $5063. I praise God for His unending love, and many generous people over the past year who have made contributions to achieve our goal. Thank you so much. God bless you all and I pray all of you have a wonderful New Year.

Mark Hurst

Pressing Forward

2011-11-22T10:25:00.001-05:00

It's been a series of ups and downs this year. On the bright side we have seen some marvelous things happen in people's lives. Ministry-wise, I think in some ways this has been the best year. There are a lot of hurting people out there and whether it is the economy or life in general, but it seems that there have more referals this year from people who have been previously connected to New Leaf in some way in the past. It's like I'm finally feeling that the word is spreading and people finally know we're here. We also are getting extremely close to celebrating our tenth year. In two thousand and twelve, come July 1st, we will spent our first ten years striving to make a difference in people's lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. I look forward to this significant milestone for several reasons.

First, I think it's going to mark for us that we are striving to be in this for the long-haul, and not just a flash in the pan kind of thing. It takes time to build up a solid reputation as well as the financial support needed to run a ministry of this nature. During those past ten years, we have seen this ministry grow from a group of pastors gathering together saying, wouldn't it be awesome if.... to reality.... to a second office in Jamestown... to uniting with U-CAN for widening our scope and affectiveness.

Secondly, It has been able to help me fulfill a life-long goal of mine to be helping people in crisis mode, striving to make a difference in the lives of broken souls. I never dreamed it would be launching a whole new non-profit organization, but it has been a most fulfilling one.

Third, our family has enjoyed a stability in our lives we've never had before. Growing up as a "P.K." (Preacher's kid), it just always has seemed that every 3 to 5 years we would be pulling up roots and moving somewhere. In December we will have owned our home for ten years, and in June, we will have lived in the same place for ten years. For some who have lived all their lives in the same spot, it probably doesn't mean much to have such a thing, but one I don't take for granted. It has been a wonderful blessing being part of the Russell community and the local fire department there.

Blessings to all who read this today.

Mark Hurst

Rough Year So Far

2011-10-31T11:48:00.004-04:00

I'm sure we're not alone. I can't imagine what some non-profit organizations are getting by with their finances right now. I have no doubt believing that many have already folded up shop. New Leaf Ministries is no acception to this challenge. Financially, it's been a rough year. But, I'm not going to follow the the natural course here. It's easy at this point to start begging for money. I'm going to avoid that temptation.

Instead, I'm going to praise the Lord. Why, you might ask? Because of a list of reasons. I am praising God for the mere fact that we aren't like so many who have had to close up shop. In fact, in many ways, we're still going strong.

Secondly, I'm going to praise God because I am absolutely thrilled with the connection New Leaf and U-CAN (United Christian Advocacy Network) have made in recent months. This shows so much promise for the future, working with people who have been preciously incarcerated has given a new focus to our ministry. Please pray for this continued growth in this development.

Likewise, our office in the Gateway Center has proven very adventageous for connecting with people in the Chautauqua, New York area, giving us a further reaching ministry.

Lastly, the reputation of NLM has continued to solidify. More and more people, many of which I only know on a professional basis or even not at all, have been making referrals to our facilities. Praise God.

A Great Network of Prayers and Intercessions

2011-02-11T14:10:00.006-05:00

Sometimes progress in life seem slow and painful. We struggle. We strive. We strain. Sometimes we feel we do it all alone. We feel like no one is hearing our silent cries of pain and sorrow. What we aren't aware of is the workings of God under the surface; the host of people (along with the angels above) who are working behind the scenes praying and pulling for us.

I have been made keenly aware of this truth in recent days and weeks. I have struggled, along with a number of people who serve on the board of New Leaf Ministries, for a little over eight years, to make a difference in the communities of Warren and Jamestown. I have faced opposition. I have faced apathy for what I do. I have faced at times what seems like an insurmountable mountain between the reality of where we are and what I believe God's vision for this ministry. But in the midst of the struggles and sometimes painful reality of life, I am amazed at the network of people who have been praying for this ministry and the people who come for counseling and participate in it's various programs. I am humbled that so many have cared so much and have begun to share the vision as well.

God bless you all. You have no idea how grateful and moved I am that you would take the time to hold in prayer myself and the ministry I have devoted my life to these past eight years. I ask you as you pray, that you would direct those prayers to being in the center of God's will. If I stray from that, I will not only be out of the will of God, I will become a stumbling block to those who desire to be there.

God bless you.

Mark

God bless you.

Mark

As We Start the New Year

2011-01-05T07:58:00.003-05:00

Two Thousand and ten has passed into the anals of history now and we have started a whole new year. We look at these marks of history with a sense of reflection and anticipation. For New Leaf, it marks the completion of another milestone and I praise God for every one along the way.

It's hard to believe that eight years ago at this time I went three quarter time at the Lander United Methodist Church to begin devoting some of my time and efforts to develop what is now New Leaf Ministries. My how the time has gone quickly. There have been many sacrifices along the way and it certainly would have been easier to stay in the ministry full time than to jump out of the "nest" and see where God was going to take me, but I also know I would have missed out on some of God's biggest blessing for me and the people I would touch because of my desires to be faithful to Him.

My prayer for you this morning as I type these words onto my blog is that you learn to take that same leap of faith, that you will leg God take complete control of your life and learn to trust Him in every step along the journey. I have not always done that, even as a pastor, but I feel as I make baby steps in that direction, God shows me his amazing love and support. I pray you would allow God to show you what He has in store for you this day.

God bless you in the new year.

J. Mark Hurst

Open in Jamestown

2010-12-11T08:24:00.004-05:00

I can't tell you how excited I am right now. This has been so thrilling to be opening an office in Jamestown, NY. Working in cooperation with U-CAN (United Christians Advocacy Network) we are now operational in Jamestown. U-CAN is an exciting organization that works with men and women who have been recently incarcerated and to help them "begin again." The most awesome part of this organization is their unapologetic faith-based, Christian approach. New Leaf Ministries is working along side U-CAN to provide faith-based, Christian counseling for individuals and couples who are struggling with life and relationships. New Leaf is dedicated to help people, regardless of their ability to pay, providing a sliding scale that strives to make services as reasonable as possible.

Your donation to New Leaf, and especially to N-LOC (New Leaf Opportunity to Counsel) our assistance program, will enable us to continue to provide these services in the months and years to come. God bless you.

Mark Hurst

Progress on the New Office

2010-11-17T16:40:00.002-05:00

Things have been moving lately. I am finding myself running to Jamestown more than I ever have, and lately it has been displaying the fruit of our labor. A young lady by the name of Laurie Schultz, has been a God-send. She has volunteered to work on designing and decorating the new office at the Gateway Center where the new "satelite" office is for New Leaf Ministries. She has been going through boxes and boxes of curtains, covers and other various items to help us sort through what could possibly be used to help decorate. She has been painting and running around to all kinds of places looking for materials. We are making good progress too. Here are a couple of pictures for you to see. The pictures probably don't do justice for the amount of work that has gone on so far, but at least you can see we are making great headway. Please keep us in prayers for the coming weeks. Financially we are relying on God to help us furnish the office and I know He won't let us down.

Gateway Center

2010-10-28T14:43:00.006-04:00

A lot of people have been asking me about the Gateway Center lately. I thought it would be a good idea to share with you a little about it.

The Gateway Center is a single location that offers affordable space to service providers, helping non-profit organizations (like New Leaf Ministries) more effectively help individuals and families in the Jamestown community especially by providing faith-related services. Located at 31 Water Street in Jamestown, NY it provides a wonderful service for people in and around the area.

We are underway at this point, having secured space in the facility to use this space to expand our effectiveness for ministry. If you desire more information about The Gateway Center and their focus, click the link to the right and it will direct you to their homepage.

Time For an Update

2010-10-28T14:29:00.004-04:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been this long since I've updated my Blog. I'm ashamed. It ends up being one of those things that I'll get to, but I was reminded today how important this part of my website can be. So, it is way overdue for an update. Let's begin:

The newest development in recent months for New Leaf Ministries is the movement toward a new "satellite" office at the Gateway Center in downtown Jamestown, NY. Many people already have used our services, whether it has been with counseling, our lay counseling courses or seminars. This development is for the express purpose of giving opportunities for those who cannot make it to Russell, Pennsylvania to take part of our ministry. Our goal will be to make these services available to more people both in location but especially those of lower economic status, which has been our primary goal from the beginning, because those who live in town and have no means of getting transportation to Russell will be able to take advantages of services at the Gateway Center.

Here are the immediate needs: The physical location is currently being finished up as I write this, but furnishing the office and advertizing it's location is another. We need your help in making this a possibility. If you know anyone with furniture, carpeting, paint, etc., who would be willing to donate to the project, it would be greatly appreciated. As always your prayers are needed. Without prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit none of this is possible. Also please pray for the financial challenge that we have come under in recent months due to the economic slowdown. God bless you all.

Success with Photo Contest

2009-05-29T07:10:00.003-04:00

Greetings! Due to various circumstances, I have failed to keep the blog going over the past couple of weeks. For those of you who periodically look to see updates on this blog, my humblest apologies.

The Photo Contest went very well. It proved to be a most memorable experience. Though it was intended to be a fundraiser for the ministry, it did so very much more than that. It proved to be ministry in and of itself. Here's how.

There were several people who entered who have never been in a photo contest before. This wasn't necessarily intended to be limited to amateurs (a note we have made to ourselves to change for the coming year), but it was very encouraging to know that several people began their journey with the New Leaf Photo Contest.

One of those people happened to be our Best of Show winner. Ryan Bulvoltz, having just returned from serving our country in Iraq, was experiencing some very difficult struggles adjusting to civilian life again. He chose to take up photography as a way of helping him cope with with struggles connected to the war. I was delighted to find out he won Best of Show and he was delighted to have won. His entry was a dramatic nature scene taken at Yosemite Park.

This is just one example of lives that were touched by offering this show. Many people thanked us for doing the show and plans are being made to offer the show again in the Spring of 2010. Keep your eyes open for coming details.

God bless all who read this,

Mark Hurst

Photo Contest Official

2009-03-03T09:51:00.006-05:00

Finally. After a tremendous amount of work, planning and effort, we now have a photo contest. We are excited to bring you the First (and hopefully annual) photo contest for New Leaf Ministries. This is exciting on several different levels. First of all, New Leaf Ministries is more than just a ministry that offers Christian Counseling. We are an organization that desires to promote healthy relationships with each other and ultimately with our God. What better way to help people understand who we are and what we do through something that is a healthy hobbie that helps us appreciate the beauty of the world God has so wonderfully created.

Secondly, New Leaf Ministries is still in a phase of exposure. Many people still have not heard of New Leaf Ministries, especially in the Jamestown area. This contest will be hosted by the Fluvanna Community Church who will display the photos for an evening show and reception, and will give us a great opportunity provide an enjoyable evening of fellowship and support of the arts.

Lastly, this contest comes at a very necessary time. New Leaf Ministries, like so many organizations right now, is facing financial struggles. The photo contest provides a means to generate much needed income without promoting potentially destructive means such as 50/50 drawings or other gambling type fundraisers.

Click here to check out the rules and details: http://www.newleafministries.org/contest.html

Exciting News.... Definitely!

2009-02-09T12:27:00.002-05:00

Recently, I have been trying to secure the Road Apple Ridge Band for Praise Concert on Friday May 22nd, at the Russell Firehall Jubilee. I heard the band not too long ago at the Chandlers Valley U. M. Church and was excited to see about the possibility of having them come for the Praise Concert. I am excited to announce it is definite. The Road Apple Ridge Band will be playing for the Russell Jubilee. They have a wide variety of music they enjoy playing, such as Blue Grass (their personal favorite), Country and Gospel. They even played a song by Eagles the night I heard them play.

Put this down on your calendar and plan on attending the concert. I promise you it will be worth it. There is no cost for the concert, however, there will be a free will offering taken to defray the cost of the concert and help raise funds for New Leaf Ministries. Hope to see you there.

Exciting News.... Maybe

2009-01-31T14:51:00.002-05:00

Recently, I was approached from the coordinator for the Russell Fire Dept. Jubilee to see if New Leaf Ministries might be interested in hosting the Friday Night Praise Concert on May 22st, 2009. Although it has not been a huge money making venture for the ministry, it has given us much needed exposure and also an opportunity to get area praise bands and singers to share their talents and people who might not normally attend a church opportunity to take part in an evening of awesome music.

I went to a dinner and praise concert at the Chandler's Valley United Methodist Church. The group that was the evening's entertainment was the Road Apple Ridge Band. A very talented bluegrass band with a lot of variety in their music. I went specifically to hear this band and I was delighted to see just how talented this group is. I approached them about playing for the Friday Night Jubilee Praise Concert and they sounded excited to be doing it. We don't have the definite thumbs up yet, but how exciting that would be if we would be able to get them for the evening.

Either way, put down on your calendar the Russell Fire Dept. Jubilee... the weekend of May 22 through 24, but more specifically put down on your schedule the Friday Night Praise Concert It's sure to be a delightful evening and the only cost involved is a freewill offering during the Concert.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Mark Hurst

Far Too Long

2009-01-30T14:49:00.003-05:00

Oh my goodness... It's been far too long since I have posted on the "Leaflets" blog. We ended out the year in much better shape than we might have otherwise. Thanks to the efforts of Kimberly Park, one of our board members, the response for the Assistance Fund was quite good. This helped us finish out the year in better shape than most likely otherwise would have.

The assistance fund is an important component in the ministry. Most of the people who seek counseling through New Leaf Ministries have fairly modest incomes. The assistance fund is moneys available to help supplement the sliding scale offered to all our clients. Our fees go as low as $10.00 per session and, in some certain circumstances, under certain circumstances are waved all together. In this struggling economy, raising rates to offset the increasing expenses of the ministry seems counter productive. Our goal is to offer high quality counseling at affordable costs.

In December 2008, the New Leaf board set a new goal of $5000 to be raised for this fund by the end of 2009. We met our first major milestone in January of 2008 when we met our first goal of $5000. Since that time, we have used this fund considerably and the available moneys is down. Please be in prayer for this vital part of our ministry. Without this help, our ministry would fail and our fees would need to be considerably more.

Blessings to all who read,

Mark Hurst

Navajo Article and Pictures Posted

2008-11-18T11:25:00.004-05:00

For those of you interested in my recent Navajo Mission Trip, I've been able to get Skip, our Webmaster, to post the short article and photos about the trip. The webpage can be found on our website or by going directly to the webpage: http://www.newleafministries.org/navframe.html

A truly remarkable experience, a team of nine people built a hogan (the traditional Navajo octagonal house). The Team members from His Calling Christian Mission were as follows: Michael Stevenson, the director of His Calling Christian Missions and coordinator of the trip (and my brother-in-law), my brother Dave Hurst from Johnstown, PA., and Jerry, Rodney and Martin from Jacksonville, Fl. and myself. Steve Thompson from Spur Ministries (based out of Show Low, Arizona) joined us in the construction process. If you are interested in learning more about Steve's Ministry go to http://www.spurministries.com/ Marty, a Navajo Pastor, was a tremendous help as was Delbert who was one of the family members of the family we were building the hogan for. I hope you enjoy the article and the photos of this great opportunity.

Several people have asked me if I would go back, including Mike, the director. The answer, of course, is yes.

Blessings on you this Day.

Mark Hurst

Returned from a Remarkable Trip

2008-11-12T11:35:00.005-05:00

Wow!!! What an experience. For those of you who haven't been kept up to date on my latest ventures, I had a unique opportunity to travel to the Navajo Reservation as a part of a team of about 8 people to build a hogan (a Navajo term for their octagonal shaped house). It truly was an experience of a lifetime, blessing me with the privilege of meeting several of the Navajo people and seeing God work in His marvelous ways. My appreciation for these people and their culture are forever changed. The conditions they endure, the fortitude they possess as well as the kindness they showed us has made an indelible impression in my mind.

For those of you who helped with donations for the trip and cost of the materials I am truly grateful and thank my God in heaven for His blessings. Though I went to help improve the lifestyle of one Navajo family and came back feeling as if I was the one most blessed by the experience.

Pictures and more details are to follow as soon as I can get Skip (our web-designer) to get things posted on our website.

God's blessings on you this day,

Mark

A Photo Contest?

2008-10-29T10:12:00.005-04:00

An idea has surfaced in recent weeks about having a Photo Contest to help raise much needed funds for New Leaf Ministries. This would be an amateur photo contest that people would send in their entries, either by snail mail or electronic format, along with a small fee to participate. The thought here is to make the deadline December 31st for all entries and make the announcement on or before January 15th, 2009.

It has been suggested that we do a winter theme and have a few categories for honorable mentions. The prize money has been suggested at $100 for first place $50 for second and $10 for honorable mentions. Your input would be very beneficial at this point, so you if you would like to drop an email to jmhurst@kinzua.net to let me know what you think, I'd greatly appreciate it.

God bless you all this day.

Mark

A Recent Change of Events

2008-10-27T10:36:00.003-04:00

Postponing the New Beginnings Divorce Recovery Workshop has been kind of a set back for us. We had high anticipation that there would be a good response. We know there are lots of hurting people in our community who would benefit from such a workshop, so we are anticipating good things believing the timing was right. Unfortunately, things didn't seem to be right for this past weekend. There were a lot of details to work out and whether it was the length of time it took to work out those details or the lack of early advertising or just bad timing, we're not sure, but it became evident at the tail end of things that we needed to postpone the event and regroup.

The blessing of this is that all of the leg-work is done. We need to set a new date (probably this spring in April) and begin advertising early. Maybe this time we will be able to meet our goals and get things off the ground for an exciting program to help people struggling with this difficult time in their lives.

Blessings to all of you as we look forward to the coming holiday season.

Mark Hurst

The "Cobwebby" Blog

2008-10-27T10:30:00.003-04:00

I was informed recently that my blog had gotten a little "cobwebby". Though I certainly am apologetic about the fact I haven't entered a blog here lately, I am thrilled it is being read. Some of lack of motivation for keeping the blog up to date was the feeling that no one was reading it, since I received very little feedback from the blog itself. We will endeavor to change that.

A special thank-you to all who take the time to read about our ministry and keep us in your prayers. We have had tremendous blessings over the past few months and continue to believe that God will use these things for His glory.

Praise God!

J. Mark Hurst

Praising God

2008-09-29T23:18:00.002-04:00

Praise God! The New Leaf Cafe' ended up being a tremendous success. Although the attendance was not as high as some of the other Cafes we've had in the past, the spirit was tremendous. The baked good were yummy and the fellowship was terrific. Everyone seemed pleased with the evening and really seemed to enjoy Aspire.

Also, I want to thank everyone who worked to make things possible. Several board members were very helpful to even get the thing off the ground in the first place. Months of planning and working on details. Also, Aspire for their willingness to be our featured group this time. Last time, they sang only a couple of songs and several people had said they had come especially to hear them. This time, I had specifically asked them to be the feature group, not knowing at the time of course that I would end up being the "fill-in" for rest of the evening. I pulled several songs out of the hopper that I enjoy singing and I think others enjoyed the time as well. A special thank you to Brian, the sound man. He faithfully does this time after time and he is appreciated so much for what he does. A special thanks for Betty and Kathleen who baked goodies for the evening. Apple pies, no-bakes, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, Boston cream pie, along with other goodies, made up the menu for the baked goods.

Lastly, a very big thank you for all of you who were so generous when the basket was passed. New Leaf Cafe' is one of our main fundraisers during the year. A total of $238 was donated on Saturday evening. Praise God, and thank you all for your generosity

Twists and Turns

2008-09-27T14:19:00.004-04:00

Just when I thought everything was all set for the New Leaf Cafe', I get a telephone call from Brian, the man who's leading up the sound for tonight, telling me that Dan, the trumpeter for the first part of this evening's time of entertainment and worship, is not going to be able to make it. Later that same day, I found out that Liz, our soloist is going to be working and not able to make the evening either. I thought I was going to be playing a bit part in this evening's event. I was planning on introducing Dan, setting back watching a few moments then filling it for a little while giving Dan's lip a chance to rest then he and Liz were going to be filling out the rest of the time until Aspire begins their performance. Now, however, it looks like I'm going from "Fill-in" to "Fill-up". I've been practicing various songs both praise songs and many I've written, pretty much material that is already in my head, just needing a bit of spit and polish... and all the time doing a lot of praying.

I know the evening is going to be fun. I know God will be glorified through this time, but it's turning out very different than what was planned or anticipated. My prayer is that those who come will find it enjoyable. My prayer is that the changes will not hamper, but enhance the evening, making it fun yet worshipful and ulitimately giving praise, honor and glory to Almighty God. I don't know how many people will read this before this evening's Praise Concert/Cafe' but if you happen to, I also covet your prayers. God be glorified.

Mark

Working Out the Details

2008-09-24T10:21:00.003-04:00

Well, it's all set, at least as far as what I can do. New Leaf Cafe' is coming on Saturday, September 27th. The flyers are in place. Churches have been informed. It's been on the website for months. The night is organized, people have been contacted for baked-good items and everything should be in place. Now, with the exception getting some soda and a few things to have on hand incase there's people who don't want coffee, tea or water, we're all ready to go. The rest pretty much is left up to the Lord. He will move and motivate those who are to come. I have a struggle with this time though. Is it a trust thing? Is it because I lack confidence in the abilities of myself and others? What is it? Part of me struggles with whether I've done enough and if there's going to be anybody that shows up. I find at times it plays heavy on my heart. Am I afraid people won't like what we're doing or that people won't want to come? Am I afraid of failure?

And yet, these are all wrong fears. Who is to be glorified in all of this? Almighty God. We are coming together to worship Him, to glorify Him. Ultimately, this isn't for New Leaf Ministries, or anything or anyone else. It's just for God. Pray that God will be glorified in our time together. He is almighty. He is amazing and worthy of our praise. Let this be our prayer and our focus.

Amen and amen.

Mark Hurst

New Location for New Leaf Cafe'

2008-09-01T09:18:00.003-04:00

Praise God for the Lander United Methodist Church. We were in a huge bind. Because of delays in construction at the Wiltsee Community Church, where we were originally set up to have the New Leaf Cafe', it was necessary to scramble around and look for a new location for a church to host the event coming on Saturday, September 27th. There was some thoughts of cancelling the event but I hated to do that, since this is one of our main opportunities for worship and fellowship in the community and because it should also prove to be a good opportunity to help spread the news about the upcoming Divorce Recovery Workshop.

Once again, I ask for your prayers. We seem to be hitting snags along the way this summer and we believe God is going to reward us for our diligence and faith. We covet your prayers as we continue to press forward. Our God is awesome.

Mark Hurst

Mixed Blessings

2008-08-27T08:54:00.003-04:00

Praise God! We've had a bit of relief from the "lean times". Though we certainly are not out of the woods, so to speak, we are definitely getting a little bit of reprieve. We continue to struggle with the finances since we are far below budget, but oftentimes, the summer brings lean months. Pray that things will pick up and we will be able to move forward in the direction we believe God has called us.

There's a bit of a snag in our plans as well. I was informed that Wiltsee Community Church is behind schedule with the new building. We were going to have the privilege of being one of the first events in the new building, but there have been delays in the construction. This morning, we find ourselves scrambling to find a new place to have our New Leaf Cafe. Once again, I call upon you to pray for God's answer to this "glitch". Wiltsee Church still wants to host the Cafe, but it looks like now we are talking about the spring. I'll keep you posted.

Sincerely,

Mark