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Let the redeemed of the Lord say so …” (Psalms 107:2)
Power,
Redemption,
Affirmation,
Inspiration,
Sanctification,
Exaltation |
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Volume 5 Issue 3
December 2004 |
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THE ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
The
Servant Team – Leaders:
Tom Meadows, Ruth Johnson,
Ivan Pope, Delois Maddox, Ralph Brown, Roy Campbell and Jackie Hager
Richard Hatcher, Emeritus
The
Twelve Disciples – Prayer Team
George Foreman, Ivan Pope, Janet Taylor, Juanita Langley, Margie
Jasper, Denise Warren, Tom Meadows, Karen Page, Pam Barden, Ronnie
Waddell, Deedre Dickerson and Tee Williams,
Love
Fund Coordinator:
Mary
Tinnell
Newsletter Staff:
Sandra Witherspoon and
If you would like a copy of this
newsletter, contact Tom Meadows and give him your home and/or e-mail
address.
The
Newsletter staff is always looking for roving reporters, writers and
publishers. Anyone
interested in serving God through this publication, please contact
Sandra Witherspoon, 274-3097 or |
FROM THE SERVANT STAFF:
PRAISE
the Lord!!
Tom Meadows
Serving in 2005 – God Has A People
One More Year
of Service and Thanks
As we close out our fifth year of ministry in serving the Lord on
the job at Philip Morris, it is one that I share with mixed
emotions. The year 2005
marks the beginning of the end of my leadership of Hands Up Ministry
as an active employee of the company.
Due to the closure of my location and what I see as an open
door that has been set before me, then I will probably retire in
March of 2006. This
means a couple of things.
Number one:
Someone has to be raised up by the Lord to take the main leadership
role of this ministry.
It seems that role was and has been my divine lot not because I am
anything more than another but because God was in control and not
me. Number two:
I hope this will be a continuation of the dream of the
Healing House as God continues to break me and show me what He wants
for a glorious church where He is the head shepherd and not a man or
woman. A church where
miracles are the normal and not the exception.
A church where those that lead it are unpaid servants
committed to serving the King and the body of Christ not for filthy
lucre but because of His love in them.
“The shepherd must be willing to die for the sheep.”
Sounds like a crazy
mentality but one that is needed for the glory to fall.
As we close out 2004 we are preparing to provide Christmas for five
needy families that otherwise would not enjoy what some of us take
for granted. We are
also finalizing plans to go to the mission field in the
We need to take this cry to heart and increase our commitment to the
Lord’s ministry on our job.
If all of our 130 plus members would do and give 10% more
effort in 2005, God will move mightily among the lost.
Pray for God to
raise up His people to do battle in 2005.
As I was reminded today God is Jehovahnissi, our banner.
His banner at Philip Morris is Hands Up Ministry and it will
only be as effective as you allow Him to use you for His purposes
and not our own Holy ideas.
Song of Solomon 2:4
- He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me
was love.
Isaiah 13:2 - Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the
voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of
the nobles. |
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Prayer
Ministry
The one thing that
holds this ministry and our work together is our prayer ministry
headed up by Karen Page and Margie Jasper.
Did you know that we hold a noon prayer meeting every
Wednesday at the
location of the weekly Thursday meeting.
Did you know that our prayer register has over 260 requests
to date? Each of the
names is called out to the Lord everyday not just on Wednesday.
It is a humbling thing to call out 260 plus names to the Lord
knowing that you need as much prayer as any of these names.
Many people will be touch by the Lord through Hands Up
Ministry who otherwise might never attend church.
Behold I
make all
things new.
If you need
prayer contact Karen Page and Margie Jasper or any member of the
Twelve Disciples or the Servant Team |
Are You Available?
Hands Up Meetings
Tuesdays:
United
Christians of Alleghany Warehouse Company:
12:45 PM – 1 PM
“The
Light” at Park 500: 12
PM – 1 PM
Wednesdays:
M/C
“C” Shift: 2 AM – 3 AM
M/C “B”
Shift: 7 PM – 8 PM
Thursdays (Noon – 1:00 PM):
Alternates between Operations Center, Finance Center and
Manufacturing Center
January 6th – Manufacturing Center
January 13th –
Manufacturing Cente
January 19th –
Operations Center
Gateway
Center
Still Praying:
Hands Up Ministry
Corporate Office, Cabarrus and Help Desk.
For this to happen God has to raise up leaders.
Pray, and then pray some more.
The nucleus of these group have been moved into place by the
Hand of God. The people
have to hear the call and sense the need.
PRAISE THE
LORD
People need the Lord.
At the end of broken dreams
He is the open door. We
are the light of the world
and we possess living waters
so that no man or
woman should walk in darkness or be thirsty for spiritual life.
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Investment For An Eternity
By Tom
Meadows, Sr.
Aguas Blancas - Project 2005
Hands Up Ministry in partnership with Chester Outreach Church of the
Nazarene is sponsoring a mission trip scheduled for the spring of
2005 to the Dominican Republic to build a church. If you would
be interested in being a part of this team or helping sponsor a team
member or contribute to the building fund please contact us as soon
as possible.
Tentative dates are:
One-week trip is May 7-15 or two weeks from April 30 – May 15.
Air fares should be about the same but per diem and insurance
will cost more for the two week trip.
We currently have raised $2663 in candy sales, contributions and
pledges. Our $6000
commitment will be paid by December 31, 2004.
As of this writing we have four HUM members, one spouse and
one daughter committed to go and represent Hands Up Ministry.
Invest in the future and eternity for yourself and others by
contributing to this church.
1 John 3:17
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need,
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the
love of God in him?
Isaiah 6:8
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us? Then said I, here am I; send Me.
We serve the one and only mighty God who can do anything but fail.
Hallelujah Thank You Jesus. When the Lord speaks to you and
you answer "yes", please let us know.
Would you like to go on a mission trip? Is your church planning a
mission trip that could use some more workers?
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“THE LIGHT” UPDATE 4th QUARTER 2004
An Outreach Ministry of Hands Up
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Hands Up Ministry
Christmas Outreach
through
Weed & Seed of Richmond
Our Christmas Mother for 2004 is
Zynobia "ZEE" Gibson
Since 2000 the first year of ministry HUM has adopted at least one
family to provide for their Christmas needs. Each year that
commitment has grown one additional family with the
ministry. As we are completing our fifth year of ministry we
are adopting five families through the Weed & Seed Program of
Richmond. In total with these five families we will have
provided a Christmas celebration for fifteen families since 2000.
This is no small undertaking to sponsor five families and some may
be questioning that vision but I believe that God will supply our
every need to do this because it is about serving others.
Jesus came not to be served but to serve and should we be any less
committed to the will of ourLord. We are not doing this to
bring attention to ourselves or to our company but to bring honor
and glory to our Heavenly Father. Each Christmas those members
of HUM that go out on the distribution day get to see what their
donations and sacrifices are doing for others. We take time to
pray God's blessing upon the family and their home and expect God to
add the increase to the lives of the people that are touched by your
acts of obedience and kindness. God's word says obedience is
better than sacrifice, so please pray and obey the Holy as to what
your part will be in this effort.
For more information click here.
God's Promise Is His Word Confirmed
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HOLDING PATTERNS
Many times God will allow a painful situation or a painful
circumstance in our life to "swallow us up ." This season in our
spiritual growth is a holding pattern. We can't move to the left or
the right. All we can
do is sit, like Jonah
sat in the belly of that great fish,
so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us.
God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his
heart.
Jonah was all alone.
There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to
read, no food to eat, no interference's, and no interruptions.
He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray. When we're
deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us.
When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things
about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.
A. Few of God's Holding Patterns:
1.
When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed,
but God has not healed you
yet, you are in
a holding pattern.
2.
When you are having problems with your children and you have
put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are
in a holding pattern.
3.
When you have been praying for the salvation of a loved one
and they have not been saved
yet, you are in a holding pattern.
4.
When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it
over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding
pattern.
5. When the doors slam
shut before you can knock on
them, you are in a holding pattern.
When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no
interruptions. God has our undivided attention.
All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray.
We cannot run from God because there are no mountains that
are high enough, valleys that are low enough, rivers that are
wide enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are
hidden enough from Him.
We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting and
remember three
things:
1. The pattern has a
purpose.
2. The pattern has a
plan.
3. The pattern has a
process.
So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll
keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I
love you."
Prayer: Father, forgive
my unbelief. I know you
love me and will turn anything around to benefit me.
You have planned nothing for me but victories and I am ready
to receive them regardless of how difficult the path.
Amen
The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the
distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the
Lord can stand up to anything. |
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FOR A
REASON
By: Harry Updegraff, Jr.
Sometimes people come
into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be
there…to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or help
figure out who you are, or who you want to become.
You never know who
these people may be, but when you lock eyes with them, you know that
very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things
happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and
unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those
obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength,
willpower or heart.
Everything happens for
a reason. Nothing
happens by chance or by means of good luck.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and
sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul.
Without these small
tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to
nowhere. Safe and
comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet
affect your life. The
successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are,
and the bad experiences can be learned from.
In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important
ones.
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(For A
Reason...continued)
If someone hurts you,
betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have
helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to
whom you open your heart.
If someone loves you,
love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but
because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes
to little things.
Make every day count.
Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you
possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people you
have never talked to before, and actually listen.
Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights
high. Hold your head up
because you have every right.
Tell yourself you are
a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe
in yourself, no one else will believe in you.
Create your own life and then go out and live it.
“Be devoted to one
another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,
serving the Lord. Be
joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans
12:10/12 NIV
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