Buy a rain barrel. Send a child to school.
Rain barrel blitz proceeds will go to help children of vulnerable communities in the Dominican Republic to get access to education by making sure they have birth certificates, registration papers, as well as help families with school supplies to start the new school year.
Order your rain barrel online today by clicking here.
Help us reach our goal of 300 rain barrels and $3000 will be sent to help children in Dominican Republic get an education and break the cycle of poverty.
Orders are now being taken for a Saturday, June 15th, 2013 pickup date. Distribution will be from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM at KOINONIA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 850 SAWMILL ROAD, BLOOMINGDALE.
Rain barrels qualify for stormwater credits in Kitchener and Waterloo! For more details on how you can reduce your utility bill by installing a rain barrel, click here.
Call Kinu at 519-651- 9176 if you need assistance with online ordering or are interested in helping distribute rain barrels on June 15th.
We had an amazing time on Sunday at our Thank You Party! It was exciting to see our Koinonia Kids volunteers and their families enjoying the food and fun. I wrote a little tribute for each of our classes – so in case you missed it, here it is!
To our Nursery Volunteers: Thank you for every poopy diaper you’ve changed. For every minor heart palpitation when you see someone teetering on the edge of the kiddie slide, for every hair pulling grip you’ve released, for all the hand sanitizer you’ve used from wiping runny noses and teary eyes, for all the times you’ve read same story again, for every child you’ve promoted to a new class, for every parent you’ve reassured. For the toy noises that you probably hear in your sleep by now. For every confession you’ve prayed with conviction. For your patience, love and attention - Thank you!
To our Preschool & Kindergarten Volunteers: Thank you for miraculously keeping those puzzle pieces in the right puzzle after all this time. For all the prayers you’ve offered for Kidzone and the Girgentis. For enduring the echoing noise off the cement walls for so long. For every child you’ve rerouted and pulled off the slide so you they could learn something from God’s Word. For all the times you’ve sung Dig, Dig, Dig. For your consistency and patience with kids who need some extra love. For all of those transformations you’ve been part of. For the way you go above and beyond to make God’s Word real and practical and at their level. For every unique craft you’ve designed. For your patience, love and attention - Thank you!
To our Grade 1-6 Volunteers: Thank you for getting real and answering some of the most random and difficult questions you’ve ever been asked. For sticking with those freshly promoted boys and teaching them to listen while God speaks to them. For every child you’ve called by name and spoken life over. For every shoot out you’ve facilitated. For every random thing you’ve done, that you never imagined you would do. For all the energy you’ve managed and contained. For every time you could hear a pin drop as you preached God’s Word with passion. For all the hours you’ve spent helping kids find a scripture in their Bible. For all the new kids you’ve welcomed. For every Bible Story you’ve brought to life. For your patience, love and attention - Thank you!
Thanks again for all that you bring to the team!
Heidi Fleming
Koinonia Kids Director
The KCA World Team - Colombia served alongside Martha Villamizar and her husband Jose over the last week in Barranquilla, Colombia.
The team connected with nationals and were part of community prayer walks and intercession, an outreach concert in the town centre, and a visit to the local public High School.
The national leaders, a local folk were amazed at God's favour and the great response by the people of Juan de Acosta. Never before had a public Christian event had such warm reception in the history of this town with a population of over 35,000 and no Christian church.
Close to a hundred peopl prayed to welcome Jesus into their lives and our national team collected over 50 contacts to follow up in helping understand their new relationship with Jesus. Church plant pastors Jorge and Joanna were very grateful for the support and advancement KCA's visit had on their new ministry in the town.
Pastor Aida and Jorge described the impact of the team as a spearhead God used over the three days of outreach to open the community and the people of Juan de Acosta for a move of God and the establishment of a church in the town.
The team then moved to work in the community of La Playa, at the Rosa de Saron School, a large housing complex called Sta. Veronica, and celebrating the Day of the Child. Many youth and children recover prayer, were encouraged by the testimonies the team brought, and new contacts were developed in the community through a second outreach concert celebrated on the school grounds on Wednesday night.
The KCA team and their supporters raised over $3,000 in funds that went towards renovating the four bathrooms of the school and a large open basin area, and giving gifts during the Day of the Child celebration.
Thank you, KCA team for your excellent work in representing Christ to our Colombian brothers and sisters and expressing the love and support of Koinonia for the extension of Christ's kingdom in Barranquilla, Colombia.
-Oto Perez
Let me ask you a few probing questions today:
Do you habitually fret and worry about certain things?
What are the issues that weigh on your mind more than anything else?
What triggers worry, fretting, and anxiety in you?
You don’t have to carry the weight of these things by yourself. Jesus loves you so much and is so deeply concerned about you and the difficulties you are facing that He calls out to you today; “Cast all your cares upon me; for I care for you.” ~ I Peter 5:7
We are not designed to carry the burden of worry, fretting and anxiety. This load is simply too much for the human body and central nervous system to tolerate. This scripture is almost as if Jesus is calling out to you and saying, “Your shoulders are not big enough to carry the burdens you’re trying to bear yourself. This load will eventually break you – so please let ME be your beast of burden! Take that load and heave it with all your might. Fling it over onto My back, and let Me carry it for you.”
Don’t ever let the devil tell you that your problems are too stupid, small, or insignificant to bring to Jesus. The Lord is interested in everything that concerns you!
This verse carries the following idea: “Take that heavy burden, difficulty, or challenge you are carrying – the one that has arisen due to circumstances that have created hardships and struggles in your life – and fling those worries and anxieties over onto the back of the Lord! Let Him carry them for you! The Lord is extremely interested in every facet of your life and is genuinely concerned about your welfare.”
Why not take a moment right now and say: “Jesus, I’m yielding every one of these concerns to you today. I cast my burden on You. And I thank You for setting me free!”
We’re believing God together with you for miracles…
Be incredible,
- Pastor George
We had an incredible time together at our services on Good Friday. We remembered and celebrated the work of the Cross and how we have been Made New because of the price Jesus paid.
In case you missed it, you can enjoy these photos & listen to Pastor Steve's devotional here:
Pastor Steve Fleming
Here's some Praise Reports from the past month that we can rejoice in and be encouraged by:
"Phone broke and I got a new one for FREE, not the $100 it was supposed to be."
"Found a safe, peaceful place to live while feeling lost and needy."
"Fire and flood insurance company will cover all expenses!"
"Went to learn to minister at Healing School and a bonus- my hip was healed!"
"Healing School prayer for bursitis and it continues to get better. Praise the Lord!"
"I am so grateful and amazing at God restoring my life after years of stretching."
"I got 2 part-time jobs with more pay than expected!"
"God protected my son during an awful car accident."
"Our team built the foundation walls for a church in Haiti."
"Filed my taxes and got much more than I anticipated!"
"Praising God for the safe delivery of our grandson."
"After several months of slow business, I'm putting deals together."
"A month ago, my grandmother was on life support. Now, she is home with a clean bill of health!"
"Got career direction, better job, and pay with less hours!"
"Was job searching for 5 months, was on a 21 day fast, and got the job."
"Accepted to Toronto Film School. Auditioner was 'very impressed'."
"My children will be an Aunt & Uncle for their step-sister's baby in June"
"Believing for financial provision, applied twice, and finally got OSAP!"
"We are home safely from Haiti, our kids were safe, and our hearts were opened"
"Got a new job, in line with long term career goals, asked to stay on as a consultant."
"One year ago, I had surgery for a stomach aneurism - today I have a clean bill of health!"
"Secured co-op position with employer of choice!"
Our SLI team is currently in Uganda partnering with Mark Davy and the Global Harvest Ministries. Here are a few updates from Oto on Facebook, and some things you can continue to pray for:
Day 5 - Liz and SLI Team just completed the first session of a 3 day Children's Ministry Seminar using Seedlings Gospel Workbook and now African Praise & Worship break now - so gooood!!! SLI Team with Mark Davy and GHMI staff went out on the streets of Arua to advertise for the concerts coming up on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and share the good news of the Gospel - 275 prayed with Team members to receive Jesus in 1.5 hours.
Day 6 - We visited two Christian schools in Arua, and had a great time connecting and ministering to the children of Esther Generation, and Ebenezer.
We had Day 2 of the Children's Workers Seminar, and then went to distribute flyer invitations to the concert. In the process some of us had the opportunity of seeing a Muslim street rally - very interesting.
Day 7 - We ministered to a great crowd of children at Arua Child Development Centre, a ministry sponsored by Compassion. Currently finishing the third session of the Children's workers seminar and then off to a mass children's outreach with lots of give aways, music, dance, skits, testimonies & believing for a great harvest of children.
Day 8 - Arua Church Blitz the team along with national leaders blessed 10 city churches today - a number of SLIs preached their first message! We received great feed back from the churches and leaders. Yeah God!
We had our first night of three mass concerts this afternoon, and we are told that there we spoke and ministered to 8,000 people. We need technical breakthrough - we have not been able to play and sing yesterday or today due to equipment not being availble, breakdowns, etc.
In spite of that the "Everything" skit is being well received and hundreds of people prayed for salvation if not thousands between last night and today.
Day 9 - Your prayers are working and the Lord's mercy is seeing us through our tech problems. It looks like in an hour will be off to the concert grounds, and we are believing for fulll power and instruments and mics all to work.
Pray On!
Just a short note to let you know we’re thinking about you & praying for you…In James 1:2-4, the apostle writes: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
James was writing to believers who were undergoing the most unremitting persecution. In fact, very few people alive today have faced the level of intense opposition that these early believers faced, and he tells them. “…let patience have its perfect work…” The Early church called “patience” the “queen of all virtues.” They believed that if they possessed this one virtue, they could survive anything that ever came against them. It is this same virtue that is exactly what we need to victoriously outlast the pressures and ordeals we may be dealing with today.
The word “patience” is the Greek word hupomeno . The determination inherent within the word hupomeno is clearly seen when it was used in a military sense to picture soldiers who were ordered to maintain their positions even in the face of fierce combat. Their order was to stand their ground and defend what had been gained no matter how hard or difficult the assignment. Their goal was to see that they survived every attack and held their position until they had outlived and outlasted the resistance. These soldiers had to indefinitely and defiantly stick it out until the enemy realized they couldn’t be beaten and decided to retreat and go elsewhere.
Thus, the word hupomeno conveys the idea of being steadfast, consistent, unwavering, and unflinching. It is the attitude that declares, “I don’t care how heavy the load gets or how much pressure I’m under, I a not budging one inch! This is my spot, and I’m telling you right now that there isn’t enough pressure in the whole world to make me move or give up.”
James 1:4 could be interpreted: “But let patience have her perfect work – I’m talking about the kind of attitude that hangs in there, never giving up, refusing to surrender to obstacles and turning down every opportunity to quit..”
Hupomeno – that is, endurance, staying power, hang-in-there power – is one of the major weapons you need to outlast any difficulty or time of stress and pressure that comes your way. So if you’re going through some rough circumstances at the moment, be encouraged! It’s a fleeting and temporary condition that will soon change!
Make up your mind that you’re going to stand your ground and hang in there. It won’t be long until your problems flee – and when they do, you’ll be glad you didn’t give up.
