1st QTR 09

Happy New Year!

We trust you all have started the New Year in Jesus with joy, peace and love in your hearts, Howard and I have. With all the doom and gloom being spoken about at ever turn I am so glad the Father is the one who ultimately holds our future. Once again we start the New Year out with great anticipation of how He will draw us closer to Him, what He will allow us to be apart of and how will He bring more freedom to the Native American people in 2009. We pray in spite of all that may look bleak in your lives today you will remember Who it is that has called you by name and said, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”

Cedar Creek Complete!

Praise the Lord the construction work at Cedar Creek is now complete. It has been almost a year ago that the church decided to undertake a major construction project. Since Howard has expertise in construction from previously owning a business, he committed to oversea the project.

This is the old hallway
with an exposed furnace

Howard along with the Pastor and a few men and women from the congregation have been faithful to work most Saturdays this past year. Due to wakes, funerals, and other schedule conflicts there were some Saturdays the church was unavailable for work. This caused the project to take longer to complete than anticipated. But we can finally say “it is finished” not quite as a dramatic finish as when Jesus said “it is finished” but we are still feeling very triumphant!

As a church we now have expanded room for the congregation to grow and for funerals and wake services. You may recall that Cedar Creek host the majority of the Native American funerals and wake services in the community, so the expansion is not only serves the congregation but the whole community.

The Old Overflow Area

The New Overflow Area
(2 pews added + 50 more chairs on the way)

Half way through the demo work

Starting to rebuild
(Adding strength with laminated beams)

Overhead retractable screen

They have also installed some of the latest technology that churches are using across the country. Such as screens and video projectors that are connected to a computer so that we can generate the lyrics for our praise and worship music and the scripture that our Pastor is using, not to mention videos and other multi-media. We have the capability to project an image from a camera mounted in the sanctuary to a projector and big screen mounted in the over flow area, so that those sitting in the back of the overflow area have a perfect view of what is happening in the sanctuary. This will be an awesome benefit for those who are part of the large crowds that we often have at wakes and funerals.

Installing the speaker in the overflow
next to the projector screen

New equipment in the new sound booth

The project included central heat and air for the sanctuary, overflow, and classrooms. Along with new carpeting in the classrooms and an updated sound system for the sanctuary.

We believe that the updated technology will help draw some of the younger people in the community to the church. Howard is already excited because some of the youth in the church are very interested in learning how to use the technology and this gives him the opportunity for some one on one time with them.

Booth at rear of sanctuary
with sound, Light, & video controls

Dale, one of our brothers who started the project
with us, but didn’t get to see it completed. He died
in an auto accident in the Summer of 2008.
“It’s finally done brother.”

We are all so grateful to our Father who provided for this undertaking and continued to give us the faith to believe that He was making a change at Cedar Creek. We trust now that the physical changes are complete He will be just as faithful in bringing the change of growth to our church. We have faithful, God fearing Pastors who love the Lord with all their heart and have totally surrendered theirs lives to God and His will.

Furlough Spring 2009!

Three years have gone by since our last furlough and it is time to raise support again. We are planning furlough tentatively mid April thru May 2009. Take a trip down memory lane with us. Our support raising all began in 1992 when believing with all that was within us that God was asking us to make a drastic change in our life. We closed down a construction business and began to raise support for full time mission work.

At first glance the idea of asking others to give us money in order to go to work on the field seemed very intimidating. As we began to learn about the importance of everyone having a part in fulfilling the Great Commission we realized it was all a part of His great plan. Many of you reading this letter have been with us since the very beginning of our ministry. You heard God speaking to you that this ministry was something He was asking you to commit to and you did it with your whole heart.

I still remember our first furlough reception at Cornerstone Ministries where many people gathered to fellowship. We were presented with a quilt hand made by Emma Shirey. It had houses all over it and many of you wrote your name by a house, representing that you were with us in prayer and finances. In the winters that quilt is still our night time covering, a symbol of God’s provision to us, reminding us that we are not walking this calling out alone.

It has been seventeen years since we first began to raise support. Since that time we have tried to think of more interesting and exciting ways for all of us to experience furlough. This year as we began to ask God what we were to do different we believe He shared we are to re-connect. That is our theme for furlough 2009 "Re-Connect."

Everyone’s life has changed in the past seventeen years, not just ours. So our desire is to go back to our roots, our roots of relationship. We miss just being with so many of you. Our hope is to have two picnics one at the beginning of furlough and one at the end. Our desire is to spend time with folks we have not seen for a very long time.

That is our hearts desire and we believe in doing so God will rebuild our prayer and financial support base as well as feed our spirit with much needed relationships. So please when you receive an invitation to a picnic do all you can to take part with us, we look forward to seeing you.