Celebrate Life at the Howard County 4H Fair

Share God’s good news! Each year the pregnancy resource center Living Alternatives and the prolife outreach group Howard County Right to Life team up to serve at the Howard County 4H Fair. This is a fun way to have great conversations! Volunteers staff a table set up with prolife information, such as pictures of fetal development and information about the resources Living Alternatives provides to families.

Two-hour time slots are open every night of the fair from 5-9PM, Monday through Saturday, July 11-16. Want to get involved? Email info@afikomag.com or call (765) 438-1228!

Feet to Dance: Doris’s Story

“You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.” (Psalm 30:11-12)

When you talk to Doris, you can’t help but see the joy beaming out of her. She’s a petite, demure lady with an irrepressible sense of humor.

From her calm, gentle ways, you might think that she’s always lived a comfortable life free from cares and heartache.

That impression could not be farther from the truth. Childhood abuse had broken her spirit and the pressures of life and drug addiction had so beaten her down that the only “solution” she could think of was death itself.

On the day she’d chosen to take her life, a surprising thing happened. She went to a place she’d never been before and a friend she’d never met before gave her a hug and told her, “I love you and God loves you too.”

That friend had no idea how powerful those words were in that moment, but they literally saved Doris’s life.

In the months and years that followed, the Lord bound up Doris’s emotional and physical wounds and poured His loving balm of Gilead into them.

Today Doris is a mighty woman of God with a heart for the lost and hurting. She uses her wit, humor, and dynamic musical and artistic abilities to share the love of the God who saved her.

She will be sharing her testimony of God’s love and redemption at 11:30 Friday, May 13th at Criterion Water Labs, LLC (329 E. Firmin St., Kokomo). Join us for lunch, encouragement, and fellowship!

You’re welcome to join us for future Firstfruits gatherings as well! If you would like to receive updates about these events, email us at info@afikomag.com.

The War for Talent

Come learn valuable insights from three culture architects who helped shape three of Indiana’s top brands and most desirable companies to work for.

The speakers include:

For business executives: Discover what it takes to attract and retain top talent to meet the demands of today’s high-growth business environment.

For emerging leaders: Connect with peers and some of Indiana’s most successful executives, while learning the secrets that will set you apart from your peers.

This event is part of EDGE Mentoring’s quarterly Burst Events where we invite the foremost experts and thought leaders to share their experiences, perspectives, success and failures with emerging leaders.

Light snacks and drink will be provided for the event. Those who are interested are free to come to the post-event social at The Pint Room!

WHEN

WHERE

California Closets | 1 South Rangeline Road Carmel, IN 46032

 

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Small Groups Launching!

Join us this spring for faith, fun, fellowship! Our two small groups are launching in a city (or computer) near you!

 

TUESDAYS

When: 6:30PM

Where: online

 

THURSDAYS

When: 3:30PM

Where: in person at Criterion Water Labs (329 E. Firmin St., Kokomo)

 

If you’d like more information or would like to join either small group, email info@afikomag.com!

Defy Geography! Join an Online Small Group

We’ll be kicking off the new year with ReFrame, a short series Summit Ministries recommends for drilling down into what it means to be a Biblical Christian: “We’re trying to inculcate God’s story in you so deeply that when something happens, you just instinctively react with the character of God… You don’t have to think about it because it’s who you are!”

Since we come from quite a few different cities, we’ll be doing ReFrame as an online small group. Please answer the following information so we can pick a night that works best for you!

Come March for Life

Do you ever wonder how you can spread God’s message of hope?

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 says: “[T]hanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved…”

March for Life is an incredible opportunity to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of God! It’s an annual event where hundreds of thousands of people gather in Washington, D.C. to “testify to the beauty of life and the dignity of each human person.”

Details

Friday, January 22, 2016
National Mall, Washington, D.C.

Schedule

11:45AM Musical Opening
Mr. Shawn Welcome; Performance Poet
Ms. Caitlin Jane
; Christian Music Artist
12:00PM Rally
1:00PM March
3:00PM (approx.) Listen to Silent No More testimonies outside U.S. Supreme Court
3:30PM Visit your representative or senator to advocate for life

Speakers

Carly Fiorina, Prolife Businesswoman
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ)
State Senator Sheila Jackson Broome (D-LA)
Matt Birk; former Baltimore Ravens player and Super Bowl Champion
Sue Ellen Browder, Author, Subverted: How I Helped the Sexual Revolution Hijack the Women’s Movement
Jim Daly, President, Focus on the Family
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List
Dr. Marguerite Duane, MD, Cofounder and Executive Director, FACTS
Jewels Green, Silent No More
Nathan Grime, Student, Concordia Lutheran High School
His Eminence Metropolitan Evangelos, Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops
Dr. Russell Moore, President, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission

Path

2016-march-for-life-map

Get Involved!

To learn more, check out March for Life and Save the Storks online!

Share Your Thoughts!

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

What does a full life look like? How can Afikomag be part of that? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Take the poll below, and feel free to share more details in the comments!

 

[polldaddy poll=9274299]

How Can I Share Jesus with Muslims?

There are 1.5 billion Muslims on Earth. What do they believe? How can we share the Good News with them? These questions and more will be the focus of this one-day conference, and a great opportunity to connect with other believers serious about putting feet to their faith!

 

Schedule

8:20-9AM – Meet-and-greet
9AM-2PM – Conference & Chick-fil-A lunch (register today!)
2-3PM – Debrief and discuss

 

Overview

 

 

This conference is hosted by Crescent Project, whose mission is to “inspire, equip and serve the Church to reach Muslims with the Gospel of Christ for the Glory of God. It is our vision to see a day when fear is replaced with love and millions of Christians are actively sharing the truth of Christ with millions of Muslims for the glory of God. We do this through prayer, training, local outreach, and short-term trips.”

 

Main Speaker

Fouad Masri, a former Muslim and the founder of Crescent Project

 

Cost

$30 per person ($35 if you register on the day of the event). This cost includes lunch catered by Chik-Fil-A lunch. You can pre-register here.

This event will also be the jumpstart of a local Summit community: Summit Ministries is a Colorado-based organization that equips young adults to develop a Biblical-Christian worldview. Students attend a two-week training course which presents the various worldviews common during our day and contrasts them with Biblical answers. Here in Indiana, Summit alumni are coming together to form a local Summit community to continue our study of Biblical Christianity and live out God’s purpose in our lives!

 

About Fouad

Author and lecturer Fouad Masri was born and raised in the war zone of Beirut, Lebanon. As a third-generation ordained pastor, he has a passion for sharing the love of Christ with Muslims and has been reaching out to Muslims and inspiring others to follow his example since 1979.

After coming to the United States to attend seminary, Fouad realized the urgency of teaching American Christians to reach out to the growing population of internationals, particularly Muslims.

In 1993, he founded Crescent Project to nurture transformational relationships between Christians and Muslims and to rally the Church to reach out to Muslims to share the Good News of Christ.

Since then, he has trained more than 21,000 Christians to sensitively and purposefully share their faith with Muslims through both the Bridges One-Day Seminar and Sahara Challenge training experiences. He has served as a guest instructor at several universities and Christian ministries and has been featured in several media publications including Christianity TodayNewsweek, and Mission Network News. He has appeared on CBN, TBN, the Janet Parshall Show, and Prime Time America.

He is the producer and teacher in the DVD study, Bridges: Christians Connecting with Muslims. In Bridges, he further exposes Christians to the urgent need for a deeper understanding about Islam and Muslims.

Fouad has authored 14 books including Outreach Magazine’s 2015 Cross Cultural Resource of the Year Connecting with Muslims: A Guide to Communicating Effectively. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and an M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary in Islamic studies. Fouad lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with his wife Lisa and their two children.

 

Contact

If you have any questions about this event, text or call Hannah at (765) 438-1228!

Daraja Children’s Choir in Concert

Oakbrook Church (3431-3625 S. Dixon Rd., Kokomo) will be hosting the Daraja Children’s Choir for a Sunday night concert from 7-8PM on November 15th!

The Daraja Children’s Choir is made up of 23 children from Uganda and Kenya. The choir exists to give these children an opportunity to learn and experience American culture, as many of them have never experienced life outside of their own countries. Come step into the lives of these children by hearing their testimonies and experiencing traditional African song and dance.

This concert is totally free!

Give Eight Days of Hope

When disaster strikes, Eight Days of Hope is there, through an outreach called Hope Reigns. This ministry provides rapid-response volunteer teams to disaster-stricken areas. Currently, they’re helping flood victims in South Carolina pick up the pieces of their lives.

“Our hope and goal is that people see Jesus Christ in us,” says Steve Tybor, the cofounder of Eight Days of Hope/Hope Reigns.

Eight Days of Hope began their efforts in South Carolina on October 10th and will serve there for several weeks. If you’d like to volunteer, email hopereigns@eightdaysofhope.com or call (256) 503-1024.

One team from Kokomo will be serving from Sunday, October 18th through Monday, October 26th. If you would like more information about that team, email hannah@rivut.com or call (765) 438-1228.

For more information about Eight Days of Hope and Hope Reigns, watch this video overview and visit their website.

Detailed Volunteer Information

“I truly believe God is opening doors for us to walk through, but we have to walk through them.”

Hope Reigns will be headquartered and staying at:

Crossroads World Outreach Center
2606 Emanuel Church Rd.
West Columbia, SC 29170

Please note:

  • When you arrive at our headquarters, go to our registration area and fill out a Volunteer Release Form. A member of the admin team will show you around the facilities, answer your questions, and if you arrive early enough, send you to a job site.
  • ALL volunteers must be at least 18 years old, and NO pets are allowed.
  • ALL volunteers using chainsaws MUST be certified by Hope Reigns (we try to give volunteers an opportunity to be certified at each event).

What to expect:

  • Our typical serve day begins with lights on at 6 am, breakfast at 6:30 followed by a devotional.  After the devotional, we go over any daily announcements/instructions, organize into teams, and depart for the job sites. We arrive on the job sites around 8 am and lunch is served onsite between 11 am and 1 pm. We leave the job site around 4 or 5 pm and have dinner around 6 pm followed by an evening devotional around 7 pm. Following the devotional, there is free time for showers, fellowship, etc. until lights out at 10 pm. (On Sunday’s, we usually worship with the host church and begin our serve day around 1 pm.)
  • You will be assigned to a crew each morning. Each crew is led by a job leader, who is responsible for overseeing the work and the crew. Job leaders are identifiable by their yellow vests (crew members wear orange vests). Your job leaders were chosen through much prayer so please respect them and the decisions they make.

We provide:

  • Free lodging at the church (women and men sleep in separate areas)
  • Showers
  • Free meals
  • Tools and all necessary equipment. But our biggest task will be completing mud outs and if you have a power washer, electric water pump, shop vac, wheel barrow, or brooms, please bring them
  • Devotions from God’s word and great fellowship!

You will need to bring:

  • A humble servant’s heart
  • A Bible
  • A sleeping bag, cot, or air mattress and blankets
  • Towels, soap, and shampoo
  • Work clothes, boots, and gloves
  • Bug spray and sun block

If you have any questions, email hopereigns@eightdaysofhope.com or call (256) 503-1024. To volunteer and help us with our planning, please email your arrival and departure dates. Thank you for your interest in volunteering to serve God’s people and we look forward to serving with you!