March 2016 - ESA Love Inc

ESA
Love INC
Love In the Name of Christ
March 2016
Helping Churches Help People
es and individuals to transf
ian church
“The mission of ESA/Love INC is to mobilize Christ
”
in the name of Christ.
lives and communities
or m
From the desk of Alan Doswald...
A Challenge to Followers
of Christ
... to follow the Word instead of the World
God’s plan is that followers of Jesus would make a difference in their world. The question is, are we just believers or are
we followers of Christ. If we’re followers, then we’re sheep that are following our Good Shepherd. We need the Lord to
lead us or we are in great peril and so are those that we could minister to. Others need to know there is a shepherd they
can follow. Jesus called us salt and light, both of which make a difference. James says that we are to be doers of the Word,
not just hearers.
I believe the church is the greatest hope for our city. It is the only group that has what it takes to change a city. It’s also
the largest group in our city, by far. No other company has 500 offices and 100,000 employees in Fresno/Clovis. (I wrote
an article about this in Christianity Today magazine, see our website, esali.org) The church is to be a rescue station for
the lost. We must reach out to others and extend God’s love and grace to them, just like someone did for us.
In Mark 12:28-31 Jesus said that His most important command was to love God, and the second was to love our
neighbors as ourselves. Then He said that there is no commandment greater than these. Let’s ask our Lord who He wants
us to reach out to. We know He wants us to love our neighbors (“near ones”). Let’s love them and share the Good News
with them, as the Lord leads us. He does not want anyone to perish (2Peter 3:9).
Let’s love others at their point of need, like Jesus did. Let’s use our gifts
and abilities to serve others. 1Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use
whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering
God’s grace in its various forms.” This is what ESA/Love INC is all
about.
Are you influencing the world or is the world influencing you? Who
are you following? Who is your Shepherd?
The Mission of ESA is to mobilize Christian churches and individuals
to transform lives and communities in the name of Christ. Let’s do it!
Please contact me if we can help you, your small group or your church
to make a difference.
(559) 244-0105 or adoswald@esali.org
If you believe in the ministry
of ESA/Love INC...
would you consider helping us financially?
We can use your financial support at
this time. Giving is always down during
the first few months of the year. We’ve
enclosed a return envelope for you to use,
if you can help. Thanks! (Checks can be
made to “ESA”).
In the Love INC Clearinghouse we connect people
in need with Christians that care.
Practical acts of service:
Love INC
Love INC is a network
of caring churches and
ministries that uses a
clearinghouse strategy
to assist people in need.
We had a client call because her wall heater wasn’t working.
She’s raising her 1 year old grandson and was trying to
get by with using space heaters. Not only did it raise her
PG&E bill, but it was very dangerous with a 1 year old.
Love INC was able to find a Christian repairman who went
out and was able to fix the problem at a discounted price.
We work with many Christian business people who have
greatly blessed us by sharing their skills. Love INC also
found a church with a children’s ministry for her to attend.
Getting Back to Work: Love INC received a call from a young man who needed $75 to renew his home improvement
license. He was trying to get back on his feet after a series of setbacks. Having this license would allow him to get back
to work. We thank God for the many churches who support Love INC crisis fund. It enabled us to pay the $75 fee.
With encouragement and prayer this young man is getting his life back on track.
Partnering with Churches: A
call came in to Love INC from
a young lady who had been
accepted into the nursing program
at Fresno City College. She had
been scrambling around trying to
get money for her books which
were quite expensive. She also
needed to buy uniforms and shoes
to be able to start the program.
We were able to partner with
College Church of Christ and
Campus Bible Church to get her
books, uniforms and shoes. This
help allowed a young mother with
3 children to take steps to become
self-sufficient.
Some of the volunteers that make this possible
“I retired and was so looking forward to doing
God’s work. I had been working in the church
for many years and looked forward to serving
here at Love in the Name of Christ.”
Sue - from Yosemite Lakes
Community Church
“I saw a flier in our Sunday bulletin asking for
volunteers for ESA/Love INC. I immediately
called on Monday and started right away. I
have been serving as a receptionist one day a
week and in the Love INC Clearinghouse one
day of the week while I am going to school”.
Marva - Fresno First Baptist Church
Can we help? If you know someone that has a need and does not attend a church, you can have them call the
Love INC Clearinghouse at 224-9599.
Loving (Loving
OurOur Neighbors heart)
Neighbors
A movement of churches
and Christians in Fresno and
Clovis to mobilize and equip their
people to intentionally love their
Paul Haroutunian, Loving our Neighbors Program Director
neighbors, where they live, work and go
Paul Haroutunian, Loving our Neighbors Program Director
to school, by praying, caring and sharing the Gospel.
Why it is imperative that we love our neighbors.
Alan and I just returned from a very encouraging conference on Loving Your Neighbors, called
theinU.S.
have left
butFebruary.
not left their faith in God. They
Why it is imperative that we love our
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Colorado
thethe
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are
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are Christian men and women
Alan and I just returned from a very encouraging conference on
who
have
chosen
to
leave
the
church,
they feel among other
Loving Your Neighbors, called the Neighborhood
Collective,
in very encouraging and challenging things because
We learned
some
about neighboring:
reasons
that
it
stifled
their
faith.
Neighboring
can help us combat
Colorado the last week of February.
• It’s simple, but it’s not easy.
this, as it encourages us to get involved in people’s lives around us.
• It’s exciting,
but messy.
We learned some very encouraging and challenging
things about
Then as the Spirit leads us, “Share the hope that is within us.”
•
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very
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but it takes time
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• It’s simple, but it’s not easy.
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Jesus…
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that almost every
• It’s very effective, but it takes time
church in America is trying to get you to come to us. We are trying
• It may be the best way to reach a world that is generally not
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opening
• It is something that everyone can be involved in
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areneighbor
referred to as “Dones”. These are Christian men and women who have chosen
share
both
the
gospel
and
our
lives,
that
people
would
come
to
know
as ourselves.”
because they feel among other reasons that it stifled their faith. Neighboring can help us com
Jesus. It will take longer than we want, but I think it will have more
encourages us to get involved in people's lives around us. Then as the Spirit leads us, “Share
lasting fruit. Will you join us? We have resources that can help you
I was struck in a fresh way by how neighboring can help us connect
within us.”
and your church become more effective in the art of neighboring.
with those outside of the church. Our opening speaker Dr. Josh
Contact Paul at 244-0105 for more information.
Packard, from the University of Northern Colorado, shared some
I was also stuck by the comment of one of the conveners, Pastor Tom Anthony,(on the staff o
statistics, from a recent Gallup poll, on how 35 million people in
church) spoken to an unchurched person regarding his church. He said that almost every chu
trying to get you to come
us, we
tryingtoto“Go
encourage
our
people
to goand
to you.
he to
ordered
hisare
servants
out at once
into
the streets
lanes The pers
of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and
Disability
That’s what I want to belame.”
a partJesus
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groupupset
of people
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by insisting
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are
led
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and
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and
our
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would come to
beautiful people’ be invited. Do our Churches reflect that concern
Ministries
will take longer than weofwant,
Jesus?but I think it will have more lasting fruit. Will join us? We have
Rick Eastin is our Disability
can help you and your church become more effective in the art of neighboring. Contact Paul a
Ministry Specialist that serves with
A recent search regarding the sweeping disabilities access
more information.
Joni and Friends. He has struggled
laws, “Americans with Disabilities Act” (ADA), hurt deeply! I was
with Cerebral Palsy since birth.
hoping to find that some of the authors of that historic 1990 law
were motivated by faith in Christ. I found no evidence for this.
A further search of this history of the law did, however, mention
‘religious institutions’. They were exempt from making Church
buildings accessible to wheelchairs, or people affected by other
disabilities!
Bring Them In!
by Rick Eastin
In Old Testament temple worship, the physically disabled
were specifically excluded; Leviticus 21:18 instructed the Priests
about the ‘right’ worshippers; “For no one who has a defect shall
approach: a blind man, or a lame man, or he who has a disfigured
face, or any deformed limb, or a hunchback or a dwarf…”
Unless you were able bodied, don’t even show up! That’s why
it was so shocking in Luke 14 when Jesus told the story of the man
who gave a banquet and, when the ‘right’ people refused to come,
Jesus says include the disabled and the law says include the
disabled. Certainly many Churches include people affected by
disabilities and we should do all we can to welcome them, like
Jesus did.
Will you join with me to ‘bring in the poor and crippled and
blind and lame’? Why? In Jesus’ story the clincher was this; ‘that
my house may be full’! My heart longs for His House to be full
like the man’s banquet.
For more information contact Rick Eastin 244-0105
ESA
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Love In the Name of Christ
Helping Churches Help People
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Back Page
Left Side-top is great
Bottom - keep but under Board write
Welcome to our newest Board member, Moises Garcia, Pastor o
(on the list of board members, add Moises Garcia)
Right Side
ESA
Love INC
Love In the Name of Christ
Helping Churches Help People
ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE
ESA/Love INC
1300 East Shaw Avenue, #136
Fresno, CA 93710-7903
Phone: 559-244-0105
Fax: 559-244-0114
www.esali.org
MINISTRIES AND NETWORKS OF ESA
INCLUDE:
Love INC
Citybuilders’ Roundtable
Missions Network
Loving Our Neighbors
BOARD
Welcome to our newest Board member, Moises Garcia,
Pastor of El Puente at the Bridge Church.
Rick Arii
Shirley Barber
Paul Binion
Matt Cook
Alan Doswald
Moises Garcia
Verna Hagemier
Rod Lowery
Bruce McAlister
Mitt Moua
Jim Tienken
Jameson White
Bob Willis
MEMBER
Evangelical Council for
Financial Accountability
of ESA (bottom to top)
The Staff of ESA (leftThe
toStaff
right)
Paul Haroutunian (Loving Our Neighbors Program Director), Karen Hodge (Office
Paul Administrator),
Haroutunian
(Loving
Our Neighbors
Project
Director),
Alan Doswald
(Executive
Director), Rick Eastin
(Disability
Ministry Karen
Specialist), Eve Hibner (Love INC Clearinghouse Coordinator), Joann Pummill
Doswald
(Executive Director), Rick Eastin (Disability Ministry Spe
(Bookkeeper), Paula Faulkner (Love INC Clearinghouse Coordinator), Jan Fayle
(Executive
Assistant)
Clearinghouse Coordinator),
Joann
Pummill (Bookkeeper), Paula
Coordinator), Jan Fayle (Executive Assistant)
____________________________________________________
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, MAY 5TH, 2016
(Drop - Weekly
7am,Pastor's
Fresno PrayerPrayer)
Walk - Fresno City Hall
Noon,
Clovis
City
Hall
- 1033 5th St.
____________________________________________________
6pm, Fresno Cornerstone Church (Fulton & Stanislaus)
Can you help ESA?