tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55194927567161936752024-02-08T11:05:48.325-06:00Minnesota Association of EvangelicalsA regional network of churches and Christian leaders.Carl Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283109598228222381noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519492756716193675.post-73033923250320142112009-10-03T08:27:00.011-05:002009-10-05T18:20:06.096-05:00Helping pregnant women and single mothers<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms,geneva;"></span></strong></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms,geneva;"> </span></span> <div align="left"> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:verdana;"> <span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>In August a single mother walked into the lobby of New Life Family Services. She thought she might be pregnant, but didn't want to be alone when she found out.</strong></span> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:verdana;"> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:verdana;"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The young woman had already had two abortions, and each time she hated herself for it and said "<strong>I'll never do this again</strong>." She had one child already, was single, and simply couldn't imagine how she would manage to take care of another baby.</span> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />But now it seemed she might be pregnant again. She had remembered seeing the New Life sign and that is why she came here wondering if they had any hope to offer. <strong style="font-weight: bold;">The pregnancy test was positive, and she broke down into tears crying, "I can't have another baby, I can't have another baby."</strong></span> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />New Life's social worker sat and comforted her and assured her that they could help; there are people ready to walk alongside her during pregnancy; when the baby is born New Life has baby clothes, diapers, car seats and other things to give her. But the young woman was undeterred and simply said, <strong style="font-weight: bold;">"I promised myself I wouldn't have another abortion, but I can't have another baby."</strong></span> </div> <div face="trebuchet ms" align="left"> </div> <div face="trebuchet ms" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />After talking some more the social worker asked if she would like to have an ultrasound and see if the baby was visible. Yes, she was interested so they went into the room next door and a nurse began the ultrasound.</span> </div> <div face="trebuchet ms" align="left"> </div> <div face="trebuchet ms" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />The image of her baby appeared clearly on the screen in front of her and the nurse pointed out its face, heart, and budding arms. The young woman was still crying, but this time she said <strong style="font-weight: bold;">"I know God brought me here," </strong><strong style="font-weight: normal;">but how am I</strong><strong style="font-weight: normal;"> going to make it?</strong></span> </div> <div face="trebuchet ms" align="left"> </div> <div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />She left New Life that day resigned to having a baby, even though she wasn't excited about it yet. In the months ahead New Life's social worker will continue to help her prepare for the birth and consider different options for her baby's future.</span> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:verdana;"> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:verdana;"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Another life was saved and a young woman spared from the added heartbreak of another abortion that day because New Life was there. But the challenges for this young woman remain in place -- providing for children by herself, caring for a newborn and trying to keep up with a toddler, and figuring out how to get a job that pays well enough to feed her kids plus pay for childcare.</span> </div> <div align="left" style="font-family:verdana;"> </div> <div face="verdana" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Last year New Life helped single mothers like this woman 5,243 times. And they gave them more than just diapers and baby supplies, they helped them by also providing parenting education and counseling resources.</span> </div> <div face="verdana" align="left"> </div> <div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />A lot of people wish that abortion would go away in the US. And right now the way to make that happen is to help young mothers like the one who came to New Life in August. She didn't want to have an abortion, but she would have if New Life wasn't responding with help.</span> </div> <div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="left"> </div> <div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />If we want to save more babies and spare mothers from the heartbreak of abortion New Life needs more people to help young women like this. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div> <div face="verdana" align="left"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;font-family:trebuchet ms;" align="left"> <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 0);font-size:85%;" ><br />In two weeks New Life is holding its annual fund raising dinner at the Hyatt-Minneapolis. <strong>At the dinner you are going to meet another young woman named Kelsey</strong>. Last November Kelsey found out she was pregnant. Faced with the same devastating news she too decided to have her baby, and she chose adoption for her baby. <strong>On October 23 Kelsey will tell her story and introduce you to her 3-month old baby and the baby's adoptive family</strong>.</span> </div> <div face="verdana" align="left"> </div> <div face="verdana" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />GMAE is one of the major sponsors of the fund raising dinner, and we invite you to come and help provide real solutions for pregnant women whose only other option is to have an abortion.</span> </div> <div face="verdana" align="left"> </div> <div face="verdana" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style=""><br />Last year NLFS provided ultrasound services to 301 women. 96% of them changed their mind and gave birth to their baby. </span></strong></span> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;" align="left"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />You can make a reservation online at <strong><a href="http://www.nlfs.org/banquet_metro.htm" target="_blank" 84367440="">www.nlfs.org</a></strong> or by calling </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span>612-866-7643 ext.141.</span></span></span> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;" align="left"> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><u><br />Details</u>:</strong></span> </div> <div style="font-family: verdana;" align="left"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Friday, October 23rd, 2009<br />6:00 p.m. Silent Auction<br />7:00 p.m. Dinner & Program<br /><br /><a href="http://minneapolis.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp" target="_blank" 84367439="">Hyatt Regency Minneapolis</a><br />1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis<br /><br />RSVP by October 14th</strong> </span> </div> <p style="margin: 0px; font-family: verdana;"> </p>Carl Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283109598228222381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519492756716193675.post-32159115955795354292008-05-01T19:01:00.005-05:002008-05-01T19:53:14.995-05:00The American Church in Crisis<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">What can we do about this - <strong>together</strong>?</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">David Olson's <a href="http://gmae.associationsonline.com/generic1.cfm">presentation </a>today convinced us that the situation is urgent in the American Church. I am primarily struck by our need to learn how to minister in a new world (post-Christian, post-modern and multi-ethnic), but just as challenging seems to be telling the message and mission of Jesus in a way that people actually get to know who Jesus is - rather than everyone talking about him as if everyone already knows who he is when in fact many have never met him.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">We don't need any more programs to fill our busy schedules, but when the situation is urgent we don't have the luxury of <em>not </em>helping each other out. My question to any of you who attended is, <strong>How could GMAE help pastors help each other?</strong></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">A couple areas of focus have already emerged-what do you think?</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><u>Church planting</u> - together with denominational church planting leaders lets offer two to three resource and equipping consultations that will accelerate new church planting and network current efforts with each other.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><u>Established churches & Community Development</u> - It is suggested that we need to learn how to be "<a href="http://gmae.associationsonline.com/documents/Externally%20Focused%20Churches.pdf">externally focused</a>" so that we get to know our communities again, and learn how to share both the message (the good news) and the mission (the good deeds) of Jesus. There are business leaders who may be willing to support a pilot collaborative of churches-working-with-churches to meet the needs of their community.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><u>Multi cultural & multi racial churches</u>: GMAE is sponsoring a pastors leadership conference on October 17 to provide resources for this issue. Efrem Smith, Jin S. Kim and Darrell Geddes are participating, and Michael Emerson and Cheryl Sanders will be keynote speakers. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"><u>Prayer</u> - Already there are prayer network leaders fanning the flames of revival; I suggest that we still need to find ways to connect their networks to church leaders and people in the pews.</span></li></ol><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;">Please add your comments and give me your ideas.</span></p><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;"></span>Carl Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283109598228222381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5519492756716193675.post-6091317738559980652008-02-17T19:08:00.002-06:002009-10-03T08:37:58.692-05:00Who are Evangelicals?<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><strong>Evangelicals believe in Jesus Christ and take the Bible seriously.</strong> This may be a simplistic statement, but for broader public it defines who we are focused on and what our core beliefs are.<br /><br />More specifically the Evangelical </span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719583/goto:http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=nae.statement_of_faith" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Statement of Faith</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >, first adopted by the NAE over 60 years ago, has become the definitive statement around which thousands of para church ministries, mission agencies and local or regional associations have identified themselves.<br /></span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >This statement proclaims our belief in the authority of the Bible, the Trinity, the complete work and fullness of Jesus Christ, regeneration by and continued ministry of the Holy Spirit, resurrection to either eternal life or eternal damnation, and in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.<br /></span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >The NAE website offers these two helpful explanations about evangelical beliefs: </span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719582/goto:http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=editor.page&pageID=506&idCategory=1" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Why evangelicals believe Jesus is God</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > and </span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719581/goto:http://www.nae.net/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=editor.page&pageID=507&idCategory=1" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >What do evangelicals believe about God and the Bible?</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><strong>How Many Evangelicals Are There in the US?</strong> </span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ></span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >40% of Americans consider themselves 'born-again' or 'Evangelical' Christians.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >American Evangelicals are a varied and diverse group of people. (</span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719580/goto:http://www.wheaton.edu/isae/defining_evangelicalism.html" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Read this helpful summary</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >). For 30 years the Gallup polling organization has asked people "Would you describe yourself as a 'born-again' or 'Evangelical' Christian?" Since 1976 polls show that around </span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719579/goto:http://www.wheaton.edu/isae/defining_evangelicalism.html#How" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >40% of Americans</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > identify themselves as born-again or Evangelical Christians.<br /></span><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >In </span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719578/goto:http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=8" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >Barna Group</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > studies they have found similar results; In 2006 there were </span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719577/goto:http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=8" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >101 million born-again Chrisitains in the US (45%).</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" > But when using a more narrow definition of professing Evangelicals who say faith is important in their daily life, only 8% of Americans fit </span><a href="http://e2ma.net/go/931810326/820113/29719576/goto:http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=17" target="_blank"><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >this definition of Evangelical</span></a><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" >. </span>Carl Nelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07283109598228222381noreply@blogger.com4