God is moving in Philipsburg

I received this e-mail from Karen today. Keep praying! God is on the move.

Hi Everyone!

Thank you for your prayer support. It is so important and is really making an impact. I just had to begin the morning with this praise report. We've been praying God would open doors for us to build relationships. Last evening Doug and I went to Philipsburg just to spend time and hang out.

We went to the Y to work out and there were some people that had a soccer table in the lobby. They were registering kids for spring soccer. Doug began talking with them and it looks like we may have the opportunity to coach a U-8 team. One guy gave us his business card and two of the ladies gave us their e-mail addresses. We were excited. When we went out of the building there was a man and his little boy waiting for us. He wanted to know more about the church plant and gave us his contact information. It was definitely a God moment. Only He can orchestrate such contacts.

Keep praying! God is moving!

God bless!

Karen

Update on The Well happenings

The following is an update received from Karen. Keep praying for she and Doug as they continue to press forward:

Just wanted to write and let you know what is happening thus far. The Well has been registered with the General Secretary. We have obtained a post office box in Philipsburg. Doug and I joined the Y so that we can work out and meet people. A lady was offering a Yoga class so we are taking that-the stretching is good for us - don't worry we're not into the eastern stuff. We are going over to Philipsburg Monday (Jan. 25th)to give Dunkin' Donuts coffee and cookies to each of the schools for a teacher appreciation. The borough manager has asked us to serve on a needs task force. Hopefully we will be able to connect with him on Monday to discuss what this will look like.

Beat the Blues is scheduled for March 7th at the local coffee shop in Philipsburg. This will be a time for people to come and be encouraged. Various people will be sharing in music. There will be a puppet show for kids and a craft. We are hoping to have various people come that do crafts and share a demonstration. Plus the teens of Hyde will be sharing a skit to a Lifehouse song. We are having a Dave Ramsey preview on Feb. 9th at the development authority building. We were able to get the room for nothing. We have begun advertising for this event. If we have interest we will start the class in March - every week for 13 weeks. We are also talking to a coffee shop owner about starting a support group for people that have experienced loss - loss of job, spouse, freedom due to illness and so forth. She had told us that she would open for us to have this group and not charge us anything.

We have shared at Dixonville, Ashland, Hyde and Weedville and are scheduled to share with Mount Union on Feb. 21st and Majestic Mountain on Feb. 28th. Fundraising has been going slow.

I know this is kind of a smattering of what is happening but hopefully it will give you a picture of where we are. One of our main prayer requests is that God would show us who else to ask to be on the launch team. Currently there are 10 of us. Wayne Otto said he felt we needed at least 12 or 15 to launch with. Chris said we should have 20. We have been praying that God would show us who else we should approach concerning this. We have begun launch team meetings and are trying to build team unity and community with our team of people.

Hope this finds you well and things going great.

Karen

55.5 Square Miles

Within an area of 55.5 square miles, not very far from where I write these words, is a community home to fortune 500

companies, seats of commerce, houses of industry and institutions of innovation and education. Within those 55.5 square miles, hundreds of thousands work, live, and build relationships. Millions more live just outside the area.

The community found within that tract of land is known for an uncanny ability to reinvent itself; so resilient are these people that the recent G-20 Summit was hosted there to showcase one city’s ability to not only weather but grow stronger through economic crises and global storms.

Within those 55.5 square miles, you will find incredible fusions of old and new, stayed and untried. You will also find 455 bridges, 712 public stairways, 8 tunnels, 90 distinctive neighborhoods, and 140 separately identifiable ethnic groups.

But you won’t find a single Wesleyan Church.

In fact, you won’t find a Wesleyan church within what is considered ‘reasonable driving distance’ of those 55.5 square miles.

I’m sharing about the city of Pittsburgh, where “95 percent of the local population has no recognizable, identifiable relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Sarah and I, partnering with the Cox family (Rick, Eunice, and Trevor), and, hopefully, partnering with you, are working to change at lease one of those statistics. The Coxes and Gomezes have joyfully accepted the call to church planting in the Pittsburgh region and are growing in passion for what we sense as God's desire in the area.

Our heart’s passion is to see a multiethnic, multicultural church right in the ‘Burgh. We sense God’s leadership in developing a relevant, engaging hub of ministry to people from a variety of cultural, economic, and spiritual backgrounds--where once steel was forged, now lives are fused with the Spirit of God, strengthened and engaged as members of His Body. What we can see is a multiplication center working within the heart of the city where countless individuals are sent out as missionaries to the communities of Pittsburgh, the surrounding areas, throughout the region and around the world. In fact, God is already drawing people to be part of this great work and we believe His dreams are far bigger than ours.

Does any of this stir your heart with excitement and passion? If so, remain on the lookout because in a few days, we’ll be sending you more information on how you can be involved in this Great Pittsburgh Adventure.

A Christmas Message from the DS

The mission of Christmas was defined by the divine angelic announcement. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”(Luke 2:11) During these days of reflection upon and celebration of Christmas, it is my desire that a sincere understanding of the mission of Christmas will result in an increased urgency of partnering in the missional multiplication movement among the pastors and laity of the Western Pennsylvania District.

God and He alone is to be praised for the tremendous momentum that this movement has experienced in 2009. Revs. Karen & Doug Rhone are aggressively pursuing the planting of “The Well” in Philipsburg as Hyde Wesleyan prepares to give birth to this daughter church. Rev. Rick & Eunice Cox, along with Rev. Jeremiah & Sarah Gomez are passionately pursing the planting of a Wesleyan Church in Pittsburgh. GOD IS DOING AN AMAZING WORK IN WPA…I TRUST YOU ARE CATCHING THE VISION! O’ by the way pastor, if you have not yet been in contact with Karen, Rick, and Jeremiah about coming to your church to present their need for prayer and financial partners in this evangelistic mission of reaching the lost for Jesus, please extend that invitation soon!

Walking through the threshold of 2010 is only a few days away; with that in mind, be sure to keep the Missional Multiplication Movement’s “5 P’s” a priority for your personal ministry and the local congregation you shepherd. Our district goal has been that by this coming New Year, 100% of the District Churches would be committed to:PROMOTION, PUBLIC AFFIRMATION and PRAYER. In addition, 20 of our District Churches would be committed to: PROVISION and PERMISSION. Join with me in praying that literally thousands of lost people will come to know Christ and be effectively discipled in His Lordship, in Western PA. http://www.theydidwewill.org/blogspot.com

Merry Christmas to you and your family! May the Spirit of the mission of Christmas be evident in 2010 in WPA as together we fulfill the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment by multiplying believer, leaders, and churches.

EXPERIENCE AND ENJOY THE MISSION OF CHRISTMAS BECAUSE…

“THEY DID…WE WILL” in 2010

Harvesters together,

Randy A. Swink

District Superintendent

Spring Event

LOCATION CHANGE: This event will be held at the Hoss's Restaurant in DuBois, PA.

[Click Picture to see a larger version]

"Becoming a prevailing church" with Chris Conrad on March 23rd.

To register contact Jeremiah Gomez at jxgomez@gmail.com.

Update on “The Well”

Here is an update from Karen that was sent yesterday:

Just wanted to give you our update. As you know we finished our time line. We have a few tweaks to it as we do our budget. We hope to have our budget done by Jan. 4th. We are meeting the borough manager and his wife of Philipsburg for supper tonight. We are hoping that we are building a friendship with them. I've contacted the school about rental, talked with the movie theater and started registration of the plant with the General Secretary. So much to do and it can be very overwhelming. I went to my oncologist on Friday and my blood work was good and the mammogram was clear. Praise God!! I see my surgeon tomorrow - then the doctor visits will be over for a while. :O)

Prayer requests:

- Pray that God gives us peace as we walk this road and not become overwhelmed with all the things we have to do.

- Pray that He would continue to help us find the keys to unlock the community.

- Pray for the lost and broken that we will be able to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

- Pray God would work in hearts to be a part of the launch team.

Have a great week. Christmas is coming! Merry Christmas!

Karen

The Well Website

Doug & Karen continue to make great progress as they work with the Hyde Wesleyan Church and move toward the launch of "The Well."

They have launched a new website that you may want to check out. [http://thewellphilipsburg.org/]

Keep praying!