February 23 Worship: "Treating Others as Equals"

Aside from a couple of technical glitches on Sunday, we enjoyed a wonderful worship service, including a rousing arrangement of "He's Not Heavy, He's My Brother" sung by the choir.  This -- along with some of the other music -- tied in nicely to the day's theme, "Treating Others as Equals."  In a lesson drawn from Paul's letter to Philemon, I suggested that we can improve our faith and our lives if we learn to worry less about status and more about how we treat others.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can listen to an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in Botswana

This week we pray for Jayanthi and Jim Wilson, our missionaries to Botswana.  Both serve at Kgolagano Theological College in Gaborone; Jayanthi is a librarian and Jim is an instructor.

You can read more about the mission to Botswana here, including a description of how elections may change the countries fortunes.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Prayer for Mission in Guatemala

This week we pray for Gloria Vincente, our missionary to Guatemala, who is serving as a consultant in communication and women's issues for the Ecumenical Christian Council of Guatemala.

You can read more about the mission to Guatemala here, including stories of the challenges of peace.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

February 9 Worship: "Then It Will Be My Duty: Abraham Lincoln and the 1864 Election"

Some of us braved the cold (and after the service began, snow) for the annual Lincoln Sunday worship service.  Despite the rather dreary morning, the music was spirited -- especially the choir's anthem, an arrangement of a spiritual, "New Born Again" and the closing "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

In between, the heart of the service was the Lincoln sermon, an examination of leadership in times of crisis.  The first half of the sermon wove together two stories: Lincoln's fear in the summer of 1864 that he might lose reelection that fall and the prophet Elijah's emotional confrontations with the evil King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.  The second half considered what the lessons of this prophetic leadership might be for the significant challenges of our time, especially in the church.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

Prayer for Mission in the Dominican Republic

This week we pray for Ashley Holst, our missionary to the Dominican Republic, who works with street children through Proyecto Caminante in Boca Chica.

You can read more about the mission to Dominican Republic here, including stories of how the ministry is trying to offer protections for children forced to work as street vendors.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.

Prayer for Mission in Armenia

This week we pray for Gabrielle Worley, our missionary to Armenia, who teaches English to middle school students, young adults, and pastors in Yerevan, Armenia.

You can read more about the mission to Armenia here, including the work of churches to provide educational opportunities for some of the poorest children.

There are Christian missionaries serving on our behalf in many countries around the world.  Each week, Global Missions highlights the work in one of these countries and asks the wider church to pray for its continued vitality in spreading the Gospel.