Oak Crest Baptist Church
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My Last Article

12/16/2015

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Well, this is my last newsletter article for you.  It is hard to believe that this time has come.  I pulled up my first article to read from February 2010 and I remember writing it like it was just last week.  Time flies and we can never know just what the Lord has in store for us.  When Morgan and I started this process with the IMB just over a year and a half ago, we never could have imagined that time would go by so quickly.  I cannot tell just how amazing it is to see how the Lord has brought us to this point.  It is only by his grace and it will only be by his grace that we go forth from this place.

As I look back over our time here there are several things that really stick out to me.  Obviously this is where we started our family.  All four of our kids were born into this church.  I am so thankful that the Lord allowed us to begin our family here.  Then I think of all the time I’ve spent with our youth.  From lock-ins to Bible study, there have been lots of memories made with our students.  Probably my greatest time with our youth has been at World Changers each year.  We’ve been to Fort Smith, Covington, Natchez, Eastland, and Joplin and everywhere we went I saw the Lord work in our students in a powerful way.  My desire from day one for our students has been that they love the Word and live it out in all they say and do.  I hope this will be true of each of them for the rest of their lives.  Finally, I think about a more recent happening.  Sabbatical was such a special time for me.  Not necessarily because I got to preach more or be more involved in different ministries but because I learned more how to put my trust in the Lord.  That task was one that I did not feel prepared to accomplish.  I am in no way qualified to do the things you entrusted me to do.  Every day I had to let go of my desire to control things and let the Lord lead me.  It caused me to draw closer to him and prepare me for this coming season in our life.  God’s timing is so perfect and Sabbatical was a God ordained time.  Thank you for entrusting me with that time.

If I could just close by challenging you with one last thing.  I was reading 1 Corinthians 10 this morning and the last three verses of the chapter say, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.  Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”  Church, let everything you do be for the glory of God and let your task be to see that many are saved.  May you be a church that in all you do, through your time, talents, and tithe, you declare his glory among the nations.

Thank you Oak Crest for your faithfulness to the Gospel and allowing me to be a part of this covenant body.  As of tomorrow I am no longer on staff but you are still our church.  We look forward to continuing to partner with you for the sake of the Gospel.

In Christ,

Nathan

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Your Lottie Moon Gifts At Work

12/9/2015

 

YOUR LOTTIE MOON GIFTS AT WORK

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SALARY AND HOUSING
Missionaries receive a basic salary for living expenses, housing and medical care, adjusted for the cost of living in their area of the world. Because of your giving, missionaries are empowered to stay focused on making disciples, planting churches and equipping nationals.

Global average per missionary
>$141/day                  >$4,283/month
>$988/week               >$51,400/year
LANGUAGE TRAINING
For missionaries to be able to communicate the gospel clearly and disciple new believers in their heart language, they must spend concentrated time studying the culture and language of their people. The time it takes to reach language proficiency levels depends on the complexity of the language. Some languages require two years or more.

Global average
​>$352/month
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EDUCATION FOR MISSIONARY KIDS
Missionary kids (MKs) need to receive an education and learn the local language.  MKs may be home-schooled or attend a local or international school. As they move into higher grades, many will attend an international school so they can receive advanced education and enjoy social interaction.

Global average
​>$2,321/year to homeschool
​>$3,337/year for local or international school
TRANSPORTATION
There are many ways missionaries travel to take the gospel within their city or outlying villages. They use the most cost-effective transportation available.

>$30/month for subway fare in East Asia
>$45 for a tank of gas (global average)
>$500 for a new set of tires in Europe
>$75,000 for a rugged 4-wheel drive vehicle for remote areas in sub-Saharan Africa
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SECURITY TRAINING
The ever-deteriorating security situations in the world constantly threaten the basic presence of our personnel. Security training in basic survival skills equips our personnel and their families to live safely and confidently as possible in some of the most dangerous areas of the world.

>$5,800 for security training for one missionary in Northern Africa and the Middle East
RETREATS
Missionary families and single workers-many living in isolated areas-need spiritual renewal, recharging and fellowship. Teams come together from across multiple countries to share struggles and solutions and to worship and rest.

>$750 for a retreat for family of four in sub-Saharan Africa
>$900 for a retreat for one single missionary in South Asia
>$6,000 for a retreat for one whole team in East Asia
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BIBLES
The Word of God is a precious gift to mankind. Many people have never seen a Bible or don't know where to find one. Imagine their delight when a missionary gives them a Bible in their heart language. Seekers and new believers can study and learn the Scriptures.

>$16 for a Bible in the Farsi language
>$40 for a box of 30 Bibles in East Asia
>$60 for a study Bible for a missionary candidate in East Asia
STORIES ON AUDIO OR VIDEO
People across the globe love to hear and tell stories, and many are oral learners. Evangelistic videos and Bible stories recorded into oral stories for different indigenous people groups are used to teach them the gospel.

>$2 for a cassette with the gospel in the Songhai language in sub-Saharan Africa
>$10 for one copy of a gospel DVD in South Asia
>$500 to produce one evangelistic video in Central Asia
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CHURCH PLANTING TRAINING
Local believers are hungry for church-planting training to become effective ministry partners as they share the gospel, disciple leaders and multiply churches.

>$55 for two weeks' training for one house church leader in Northern Africa
>$120 for one week of theological training for one national pastor in East Asia
>$400 for a month of comprehensive discipleship training in South Asia
TRAINING MATERIALS
Missionaries need culturally relevant materials to train church planters and new church leaders to do outreach and evangelism, with the end vision of starting churches among their people group.

>$53 for one week of training materials in Central America
>$75 for supplies to train national missionary candidates in East Asia for one day
>$200 for materials for one African leader in leadership training in sub-Saharan Africa
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REFUGEE ASSISTANCE
Missionaries help refugees displaced by war and ethnic cleansing who line up to be fed a hot meal and the Word of God. With the crisis in the Middle East the number of refugees seeking assistance has increased.

>$1 for a hot meal
>$8 for a pack of diapers
>$20 for a sleeping mat, blanket, and pillow
>$134 for a heater for a home
>$1,840/month for rent for a refugee center
FLIGHTS TO REMOTE AREAS
A flight to a desert region on a small plane can carry five people plus medicines and supplies for a rural clinic. A health strategies coach can travel by air to train missionaries and local believers in community transformation strategies such as clean water techniques and sanitation.

>$250 for a flight for a health strategies coach to train others in South Asia
>$750 for a flight for five individuals to a rural clinic in a North African desert
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    Author

    Nathan 
    Associate Pastor

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Oak Crest Baptist Church, 1701 S. 5th St, Midlothian, TX, 76065