Word on the Street

by Peter Payne

I sat restlessly at the Greyhound station in Chicago at 11:30 the night of January 13. I was there to meet Corinthian who, just hours previously, had been released from 10 years in prison. Naomi first met and adopted him as a spiritual son a couple years ago when he was out briefly on parole. Now, his full sentence had been fulfilled and he was ready to begin the rest of his life. I knew the bus that just pulled in was his. He came through the double doors to the waiting area and our eyes locked – immediately drawing a broad grin on both of our faces. With a “welcome-home” hug, the beginning of a new chapter had just begun – for all of us.

We came home and talked and laughed into the wee hours of the morning (a diversion from my normally conservative schedule). But, what a joy! God had found this young man at his lowest point, and in his great mercy, had given him a new heart and a renewed mind. The miracle of this kind of transformation brings an identity-clarity and a life-energy that many Christians yearn for, but have not found. Jesus explained this to his offended dinner host when the town prostitute poured perfume on him, washed his feet with her tears, kissed them, and dried them with her long hair. Jesus explained, “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” (Luke 7:47)

What is so amazing about our experience with Corinthian is not what we are able to do for him. What tickles us to our toes is what he is doing for us! We get to EXPERIENCE God’s redeeming love both in us and in him. And we have received a greater heart for God’s children behind bars. This is the essence of spiritual adoption. When God puts people together into spiritual families, it is a “win-win” result. We have received a lost son we simply hadn’t met.

God has worked amazing things in Corinthian’s life in these past few weeks of freedom. His time is spent constructively– working and learning how life works in the free world. He is developing new friends who are on the same path to freedom that he is on, he is bonding with his mother and siblings- now with a mutual love for the things of God, and he is reuniting with his two children who are the most precious people to him in the world. He has a new vision for the future, and goals for getting there. New beginnings are a blessing straight from Heaven. And what a treat to have front-row seats as God does what only he can do in our lives. Pray for Corinthian as he lives out his faith before his children and his family, learning both the weight and the fruit of freedom.

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Donate to the Payne’s ministry here or donate to the Chicago Metro Mission here.

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Do you have a ministry story you would like us to highlight?
Send it in to metro@navigators.org.

by Ed Cvelich

Three years ago, I met Daquan (not his real name) at the park. A friend and I were teaching basketball skills and running drills. I invited him and his best friend to join us. My immediate impression was that Daquan was shy but also very attentive. He became a member of our Walltown Wildcats basketball team, but usually stayed off to the side and didn’t fully participate. Yet he would spend hours at the park practicing the drills alone. His natural quickness and agility has made him the best player in his elementary school and in the neighborhood. Basketball is Daquan’s passion. Unfortunately, school is not. Last spring, I approached Daquan’s 5th grade teacher for a recommendation to register him and his friend in Student U – a summer academic program designed to prepare them for middle school.

Daquan’s teacher was very happy about the support they might get through Student U and this is what she wrote:

“When Daquan joined my class last fall he was the classic bad boy. He came with a notorious reputation. At first, he was sullen and refused to participate in any group activities. But I could tell he had that spark; he was all there. I know as a teacher that I try to treat all students alike, but we have our favorites. Daquan is one of my two favorites in this class. He really made a turn-around this year. He now participates and helps. He can still be quickly triggered into his detached tough-guy posture but he is different now. He told me, ‘I want to get smart because I want to play basketball in high school.’ He is still very fragile and without continual support he can easily become another lost soul who just hangs out at the park and does nothing.”

I’ve been mentoring Daquan and his friend every Monday for the past year. That means we eat fast food and typically talk basketball. Occasionally, the conversation goes deeper but those vulnerable moments are rare. We do, however, read a couple of verses of Scripture each time we are together, believing that sowing seed will eventually bear fruit.

My wife, Page, and I are not in this effort alone. The youth in Walltown don’t just hang out on our front porch. We have guy’s house on the next block where Dan and Louis live and a girls house one street in the opposite direction where Susan, Gerri and Emily live. Plus there is Bahari and Mamie’s house, as well as Jonathan and Leah’s house. Daquan and his friend, as well as dozens of other boys and girls, make the rounds among our houses to hang out, talk, eat, do homework and Bible study. It is a team effort.

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To read more about the Urban Hope – visit www.urbanhope.us
Donate to the ministry of Ed and Page Cvelich.

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Do you have a ministry story you would like us to highlight?
Send it in to metro@navigators.org.

From Dennis Williams

The majority of our work involves coaching and mentoring the next generation of believers and Nav staff who are having an impact where God has planted them in life. My wife Sara has become involved with a growing number of women whom God is developing and using to touch others for Christ. Carey is one of these women who is helping to mentor young girls. She commented to Sara, “It’s a privilege for me to support these girls in their growth. Your walk with me has helped me lead them. Thanks for your investment in my life.” Carey also actively shares the Gospel with many of her peers and family. Pray for God to continue to use Sara to help many women grow in their closeness to Christ and their impact in the lives of their families and friends.

Armando and Mary Jane moved here four years ago to minister among the 100,000+ Albanians in Metro Detroit. This fall, Armando asked if I would team with him to lead a Bible study for a number of Albanian men. Some are new in their faith and some are seeking what it means to know God. Now that we’ve met together several times to read the Bible and talk about faith in Christ, it’s very obvious that God is drawing each of these men closer to Himself. I believe that many families are going to be touched for Christ through these men. Pray for God to give wisdom and strength to Armando and Mary Jane as they relationally open doors for the Gospel among their numerous Albanian friends.

Four times a year, our Marketplace Ministries team hosts a luncheon where men and women can invite friends from their workplaces to come and hear a fellow business person talk about how faith in God, the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ have impacted some aspect of his or her life. We average over fifty in attendance at these luncheons, twenty of whom have brought work colleagues with them. We are in the process of helping these twenty have a larger impact in their business networks, and developing materials we can use as we coach and mentor them in life and ministry. Several have already set up Bible reading groups where they work, and we’d like to see that number grow this next year. Pray for the Lord to use our team to encourage many of these brothers and sisters in Christ to trust Him for a ministry in their workplaces to those who do not yet know the Lord.

We are committed more than ever to minister the Word deeply to others and increase their fruitfulness.

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To read more about the Detroit Metro Area – visit http://navigatorsdetroit.org
or Donate to the Williams.
or Donate to the Detroit Metro Mission.

by A Shober

Kerry-Ann works in partnership with our Nav ministry in the Tidewater Metro area of Virginia through her church. She works with the Urban Discovery ministry by helping people get their GED, helping girls with their self esteem, helping single moms become better mothers and value their children and, most of all, helping people learn about God and knowing Him better.

She was saved through this ministry and God moved her to stay and help the poor and broken of inner city Norfolk, Virginia and all the dangers that exist there.

Kerry-Ann realized that a war rages all around us. Most of the time we can’t see it – but on one day it broke out in force in the physical world.

Kerry-Ann, her son and a friend were sitting in their car, when an all out war broke out around them. Two rival neighborhoods were fighting fiercely and bullets started to fly – with Kerry-Ann’s car right in the middle. Miraculously, no one in the car was injured. God had protected them when by all accounts they should have been dead.

After being angry and upset about it, this incident led all of them to ponder God’s hand. It led them to pray for those involved in the shooting and gave them an even greater desire to continue in their work with the downtrodden who are trapped in this war zone.

It didn’t daunt Kerry-Ann because she knows that God is on her side and He wants her there for these people He loves. This event brought into sharp focus the need for Jesus in the city; The need to bring a life-giving hope and a love that surpasses all understanding – to give those young men and women a chance at a life without violence, without hatred. That hope, that peace can only come through Jesus. And she knows that she has to stay to bring that to them.

She said, “We were all reminded that this spiritual war is real, that people need the Lord and that we have to continue sharing our faith. We also cannot let fear hinder our walk and the Gospel.”

Ultimately, it is God who works and protects in all situations – and Kerry-Ann gives Him all the glory for all He has done to further His kingdom and work through her for the people of this city.

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To read more about the Tidewater Metro Area – visit http://tidewater.navigators.org/

by Rich Berry – National Metro Leadership Team

IT STARTED IN 2008 AT THE HARLEM CONGRESS ON DISCIPLESHIP. We prayed that the meeting would be more than just an event but people would be changed forever. God has answered those prayers in the lives of many around the country.

This was an event intended to stimulate NavStaff and friends of The Navigators toward evangelizing and discipling others. We wanted to connect persons who are involved evangelizing others but not yet effectively discipling people. So the lessons that I prepared included 2 hours of Bible study, interacting with each other on Paul’s approach to evangelizing the lost and a time for those involved to ask questions of the staff who were present.

We had a fellowship dinner on Friday evening and met until 4 pm on Saturday. We covered how to effectively present the Gospel, a survey of how Paul reached the lost in the first century, two hours of studying scripture from a Navigator Bible study, working up a ministry plan and prayer.

The feelings were strong that this boutique training should be done more frequently. In just three months of ministry, the Bowie EDGE Corps* team from just outside of Washington DC (who were present at that meeting) developed seven people. Of those seven, one couple is very interested in engaging with the team. God is doing a great work in DC with the Bowie Training program and I am excited about the many who are coming to faith.

Last month on their first week of ministry, God used the eight members of the team to lead a few people to Christ and connect with over 100 students who said they wanted to learn more about our LORD. They are now leading five Bible studies. WE ARE ALL EXCITED BEYOND WORDS BECAUSE OF GOD’S WORK!

* Edge Corps is a two-year discipleship training experience sponsored by The Navigators College Ministry.

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To find out more about the Congress on Discipleship or their next meeting March 4-6, 2010 in Norfolf, VA – Check out their website.