Tag Archives: glory to god

Advent Waiting

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Dear Friends and Family:    _MG_9195

One of my friends has made his Christmas puddings and is now waiting… and we are all in the season of lighting candles and waiting.  It is a Holy time, and we look forward to celebrating Christmas in a special way each year.

Looking back over 2014, we realize the direction that God is giving us and want to share that with you, our trusted partners:

Living in the Capital region which has the lowest churched population in America, we are  recognizing the need for changing our strategy about how to bring the Kingdom to our region.

archgabrielWe realized that operating as a ministry we are competing with other churches and ministries for the same small group of people. Meanwhile, the unchurched remain disinterested or sporadically participating in ministry activities.  Power evangelism needs to be adapted to reach a hardened and skeptical population.

Over the past year, Kingdom Arts Ministry has been involved in building Pastoral relationships through Michael’s involvement with the Capital District Ministers Association. He has also been the guest speaker at several area local churches, regularly brought meals to the elderly through the meals on wheels program, and been a strong supporter of the local “Community Spirit Day” that attracted over 250 low income local families to hear the Gospel message preached through Teen Challenge and local churches. The message was mingled with free food and entertainment for the children and held in our Town Park.

photo copy 10Christine has been reaching out to artists  in the capital region and has a strong desire to create more community events for artists. Last Spring, she partnered with the Columbia County Arts Council and the Hudson Chamber of Commerce to produce an exhibition and performance of local artists meeting the business community. She has also started an Artist Way group –a spiritual program of development for artists, in our home. She is working on a large commission of eight Icons of modern saints for Saint Vincents Church in Albany, as well as leading Icon retreats in Saratoga and an ongoing Icon writing class and fellowship at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Albany.photo copy 9

Waiting for 2015, we realize that we are laying foundations of relationships that we can partner with over the next year to find ways to collaborate and bring a culture of God and honor to our region. We are so grateful to all of you who partner with us financially and in prayer. Without your help we really would not be able to do what we do. Our world is certainly in a difficult time and challenging in so many ways. We draw strength and joy from your prayers and support. You are instruments of God’s help and a source of His provision for us. Thank you! LadySign

Next month we will outline our direction as a ministry for 2015. We have already been laying the groundwork and it promises to be both exciting and challenging!

Thank you and we love you, Please pray for us that we stay close to God’s plan and hear His voice clearly. You are in our prayers daily too.

Love, Christine and Michael

February’s Almost Over and there’s No Snow!

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Hello Friends and Family:

Oops! February 29 and it is snowing!

Wow! What a mild winter!  No complaints here, and the fact that daylight savings is right around the corner is a light unto my feet!

We have been really blessed this last month with having some good friends come to our prayer gatherings.  God has been moving, people have been healed, and we are excited as we continue to seek God’s Presence here in our home in Philmont.We are regrouping, growing stronger in our faith and love while the winter passes. We see so many similarities to the Spiritual problems in Bristol and Philmont.

 We believe that more of God’s presence in both places would work absolute wonders! But how, Lord? Be believe in God’s promises of blessing over the UK and the USA.  We pray for the faith of Abraham, “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.” Romans 4:20-21

Recently there have been two house fires in Philmont which totally devastated the buildings, leaving a black charred mess of previously wonderful homes. How fast and  completely devastating fire can be! Historically, in another fire in 1977, High Rock Millsone, the last of 6 textile mills still in operation in Philmont, burned to the ground taking with it from the heart of the village all the buildings across the road, in fact if there had not been about four inches of snow laying on the roofs of surrounding buildings that January night a lot more of the village would have burned in that traumatic blaze. Many people lost their jobs and the mills were never rebuilt. Along with the economic loss and social changes there was a  spiritual trauma that still endures in a poverty spirit set deep in the heart of the village.  There are a lot of people doing good things here but there is a spiritual brokenness which only God can heal and that is what we as Christians in the community are called to. The call to build an ‘ark’ in Philmont is what we are praying for God’s guidance to answer. A place of prayer and furnace of God’s presence,

We also recognize that the picture I described for Philmont is appropriate for many small towns in our area and indeed in England. There is such a need for spiritual revival in so many communities and this not something which social programs can fix. It has to be a work of God. Unfortunately in our brokenness the tendency is to look everywhere, except towards God.  So the call is even more important that as Christians we do represent a living and powerful God in our walk in the community. That we do pray for healing whenever we see some one who is not well. That we do talk about Jesus Christ and who He is in our lives.

There can be no doubt the church is in a period of shaking. Thank goodness, it has to change to do God’s work.  So we are calling out to God daily, what are you doing today and what am I to do with you, Lord?

Right now we are praying for God’s direction about our next mission trip to the UK, particularly in terms of the timing, what God is doing there and what he has for us to do there. Please keep us in prayer that we may hear clearly God’s plan for us in the UK.

Looking forward to the autumn and as part of our call to build up active Christians in this area we are committed to running a Global Awakening Satellite School of Supernatural Ministry. We are in the process of exploration with different churches for interest and  where God wants it to be located. Along with the satellite GSSM school we are encouraging people from our area to join one of the Randy Clark mission trips to Brazil, a life changing and equipping experience. The GSSM school, which we are both graduates from,  takes all the students to Brazil early in the first semester so they can see how God works in a nation in revival. To see God healing as you pray for people changes not only the life of the people getting healed but also your own understanding of how powerful God is.

In the mean time we are praying for God to bless this ministry with financial partners who want to share in the spiritual blessings of those who send God’s ministers to do His work.  We recognize that the missions will be more fruitful when they represent a large body of committed Christians who are praying for and sending us to bring the Gospel to spiritually troubled areas. We truly thank those of you who have already partnered with this ministry and for all your prayers.