Missions News

Part of my job is as the missions pastor at Eastside Foursquare Church. Missions is a real passion of mine. I define missions as "crossing a barrier with the good news". The good news is then expressed through redemptive actions as well as through words. Read on to be informed about missions, or out of curiosity. Here are some things that are happening during the next few weeks:
Dear Friends:
I am excited about some great missions opportunities that are right around the corner. I am amazed at how things sometimes happen all at once, as is the case with missions at EFC right now. Please read on and take advantage of these great opportunities. Please also remember to be praying for these people, projects and events.
MissionsFest Seattle (October 6-7). This may be the largest missions conference ever to come to Seattle. Eastside is honored to be able to co-host this event with Northshore Baptist. This event will include dynamic speakers, a multitude of workshops, concerts, exhibitors and much more. Plus, it is a free event. If you would like to volunteer for this event, please email Teresa White at teresaw@worldconcern.org. I hope you will attend as much of this event as possible. Learn more about what God is doing around the world and how you can be better equipped and involved. Conference magazines are available in our lobby and at reception. The conference website has all the details: www.missionsfestseattle.org

Missionary Receptions This Sunday, following the 11:11 service, a reception will be held for visiting Missionaries Gary and Paula Hays (Thailand) and Hanna Langsev (Germany). This will take place in Room 203 from about 12:30-1:30 p.m. Please consider contributing a snack to this reception and come fellowship with them while receiving an update on the work that God is doing.
On October 15th the Forras family (Manila, Philippines) will be having a reception following the 11:11 service as well. It will also take place in Room 203. This is a key opportunity to receive a first hand update on the UCPP (http://www.blogger.com/www.ucpp.org). I hope you can be there.

LeaderNet
Our quarterly leadership training event at EFC is this Sunday (Oct. 1st) at 6 p.m. Cheryl Harris will be sharing the message from her book, Living Beyond the Frame. Although this isn't a "missions focused" training, Harlan and Cheryl are members of the Mission Committee and her message will be an encouragement to you. If you can attend, please RSVP by emailing Eileen Howard at eileenh@eastsidechurch.org.

Bags of Joy
Now is the time to bring in your "Bags of Joy" for the 1500 pre-schoolers of Manila. We still have bags available at the church office. This project provides children with hygine products, school supplies and Christmas gifts. All completed bags are due October 8th. If you're interested in joining the team that will be delivering the bags on December 7-15, please let us know right away.

Kristin Booth is leaving this Monday on a six month long mission to Uganda where she will be assisting at the Goli Health Center and its four health posts. (Kristin is a long-time member of EFC and has taken a six month leave of absence from her job). They service an area with a population of 350,000. Poor health and nutrition are common in the area, where malaria, TB, dysentery and HIV are the leading causes of death. Beyond the basic tasks of a rural clinic, including pre- and post-natal care, immunizations and general medical treatments, the health center now manages a labor ward; an HIV awareness, treatment, counseling and home care program; an isolation ward for TB and communicable disease treatment, an extended nutrition program and a clean water program. Along with health care, the center also has programs for prison medical care and evangelism, community prayer meetings, and a prayer and retreat center. Current emphasis is on scaling up the HIV program, as the need continues to grow. "Miss Kim" continues to be the medical and spiritual leader of the Goli Health Program. Spiritual Emphasis: As an outreach of the Church of Uganda, evangelism is an ever-present reality to the staff of this project. In the Health Center and in the Church’s interaction with the community, the Gospel is presented as the foundation of health and social well-being for life. Kristin will be at service this Sunday at 11:11 a.m.

Mississippi Team: October 21-27. Sign up now if you're interested! Continue to help with Hurricane Katrina relief work. The first team meeting is this Saturday, 7:30 p.m., in the Ministry Room.
Manila Plunge: Team Meeting this Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. If you're still interested in the November 5-15 trip, please let Matt Messner know.
Ensenada: Last call for the Thanksgiving team to Mexico! Tomorrow we will be confirming the airline reservations.