Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,
Happening this week at CMCC:

***Winner’s Circle Business Institute classes are starting up this Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 pm in the CMCC chapel. It is not too late to sign up. This is for anyone who is in business or desires to start a business in the future. "And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18

***Thanks to everyone who donated money for the purpose of bringing Bishop Julius Wafula Macheusi and Christine Macheusi over from Kenya.. Bishop has arrived and Christine will follow in a couple weeks. Please keep them in your prayers that the Lord would open many doors so they might find new long term ministry partners here in the US. The Macheusi’s oversee a network of over one hundred churches, a large central church, a vocational school educating 80-120 college age students, a water project, serving thousands potable water and many other facets of ministry. They periodically come to the US and stay here at CMCC while connecting with other churches and ministries to raise funds for their work. http://www.bethesdaministriesafrica.org/

***Pray October! Each Monday through Friday in October the church will be open for prayer at 6:00 a.m. for one hour and at 9:00 p.m. for one hour. For the past month and a half Paul Engelhardt has been meeting for daily prayer with a few people including Jay Coffin and Jeff Surgent and they have built a great momentum. Come and add your heart to this emerging tsunami! Join the family to get your tank filled with the Holy Spirit and with power. “…for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." Galatians 6:7

***This coming weekend, Pastor David Engelhardt from the State of Washington will be our guest at CMCC. David is an associate pastor at Christian Life Center in the city of Walla Walla where he oversees generational ministries. http://www.christianlifeonline.net/CLC/Home.html

***Saturday evening at 6:00 pm is a special fundraiser Italian dinner prepared by world famous Chef Ron Scungilli (aka Odato). Contact the church office for details. 586-4848

*** Saturday at 9:00 pm youth event with Pastor David Engelhardt.

See you Sunday!

Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,

***Well, sorry to say, summer is just about over and all that we love about this time of year is beginning to turn toward autumn. The good news is that we have re-ignited our CMCC life-giving machine to full power.

Our academy is back in session and mid-week service, Beacon University classes, Senior Citizen’s fellowship dinners, True Beauties and Royal Rangers have all started up again. In addition, we have a full plate of guest ministers, conferences and fresh activities coming up during this next season.

Looking backward just one more time, let’s praise God for the summer of 2008 by remembering some of the life we enjoyed at CMCC:

• During June we hosted a ministry weekend with Pastor Bob and Cara Grimm from Washington State which concluded with some CMCC members taking a quick sight-seeing trip to New York City. We also hosted Susan Brown of Arising to Excellence Ministries in Texas for a series of women’s meetings and we participated in the unveiling ceremony of the Trooper David Brinkerhoff Memorial at the Middletown Town Hall.

• In June, CMCA graduated four seniors from high school: Deanna Barto, Sarah Keator, Morgan Spaulding and Lani Odato. Pastor Alan Babcock from Greenville , NY gave the commencement address at the graduation ceremony. Our academy also hosted a year-end picnic at Little Pond State Park. In early June, I began a summer Sunday evening weekly discussion meeting with our CMCC college-age kids.

• In July, famous Christian author, psychologist and apostolic leader, Dr. Larry Keefauver, spent a weekend training our leaders, meeting with our college group and ministering Sunday morning. Also in July, over forty youth and parents from CMCC attended the 3 day ‘Generation Youth’ conference in Utica featuring national speakers and top music performers. In addition, our youth group conducted several fund raising activities including a car wash, two bake sales and a Sunday church barbeque to raise money for their own conference, entitled 'Sanctified'.

• In July, high adventure was enjoyed by ten CMCC members under the leadership of Pastor Renard Barto as they traveled to a remote mountain village in Mexico to bring the love of Jesus. This ten day trip was conducted in partnership with Victorious Life Christian Church in Troy, NY.

• In August we packed our chapel out with young people for a concert by Christian rock band, ‘After Edmund.’ We also hosted our ‘Sanctified’ youth conference featuring Pastor Mark and Mary Meyers from Florida. Pastor Mark also led a ‘praise & worship’ night and preached on Sunday morning. We received the following letter from Mark and Mary Meyers shortly after their five day visit:
  Dear Catskill Mountain Christian Center Family,
  
  What can we say to show our love and appreciation to all of you!! You guys are one incredible group of people and we have been bragging about all of you since we have returned home to Orlando!!!
  
  You generosity, you kindness and love towards us, and your love and service to the Lord is just an incredible testimony of how the Body of Christ should function. It was such an honor and privilege for both of us to be with you, and you made us feel right at home!! What a blessing to have the opportunity to minister to the incredible young people and then to experience His presence in an awesome way with your church family on Saturday evening. And then to top it off by having the honor to minister and hang-out with all of you on Sunday!!
  
  Our lives were truly blessed and changed! You are so blessed to have such awesome pastors and leaders in Pastor Bob and Nancy, and then they are blessed to have all of you in their lives and working along side of them to tell people about Jesus and to further His Kingdom.
  
  As good as it has been so far, we are convinced that the Lord has great plans for all of you and your best days and CMCC's greatest days are still ahead of you. Keep dreaming and keep chasing after God because He loves you so much! We consider you family and please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers and we look forward to seeing you in the future!! We love you!! Mark & Mary

• Also in August we had a Royal Rangers camping trip and we hosted a summer movie night with a viewing of the movie, ‘Bella.’

• Finally, in August we said goodbye to six of our young people who are headed off for a year of study at Elim Bible Institute. Lauren and Lani Odato and Sheila, Ryder, Jared and Morgan Spaulding are all taking a year off of their academic careers to become strengthened in their walk with God. Marie Spaulding, the mother of four of the students wrote the following narrative about how the Lord provided financially for her children to attend:
  Our children, Sheila, Ryder, Jared, and Morgan, were accepted to Elim Bible Institute earlier this year. We began to pray and thank the Lord for all He was doing in our lives. We visited the Elim campus and felt the presence of God all over—we loved it.
  
  Next, we started the financial planning step and unfortunately, although we tried every option, we could not get the financing. We eventually concluded that God must have a ‘plan B’ for our children. Although initially somewhat disappointed, we accepted it by faith and our children prepared to go back to SUNY Delhi. All was well.
  
  On Sat. August 23, I sent a short e-mail to Elim stating our children would like to attend next September instead of this year. The following Monday we received a phone call telling us that my e-mail had been forwarded to the president of the college and he wanted to see what was needed to get my kids there. I was so filled with a sense of God’s presence that I could hardly breathe. I gave them our information and waited.
  
  On Tuesday August 26th, at 3:30pm the call came in. It had been arranged for our children to have work study jobs, partial scholarships, and with their saved money and our monthly payments – All four children are in! Our God can move mountains. We are thankful for our Father’s love and provision. -Marie Spaulding.

***One of CMCC’s effective ministries is our web site: www.cmcconline.org Jessica Moore does a wonderful job keeping our site updated with fresh and relevant material. The web site includes streaming sermons from various guest ministers, many of Nancy's messages and my Sunday messages. It also includes our monthly calendar, upcoming events and my blog, ‘The Way I See It,’ with posts on a variety of subjects. Following is the web site report for this past summer:
www.cmcconline.org Summary
During June through August 2008, the www.cmcconline.org web site had 1,450 unique visitors of which, 647 were first-time visitors. Total page loads were 3069. Nationwide visitors came from 18 US states: NY, OH, VA, AL, MA, CA, OR, LA, NJ, PA, WA, TX, NE, TN, DC, IN, CO and ME. Internationally, our visitors came from Kenya , India , South Africa , Germany , and Canada .
‘The Way I See It’ Blog Report
During June through August 2008, ‘The Way I See It’ had 370 unique readers. Of this amount, 292 were first-time visitors. Total page loads were 487. Nationwide, our blog visitors came from everywhere! Readers hailed from 25 of the 50 states: NY, FL, GA, LA, WA, MN, NJ, OH, IA, CA, MS, MI, TX, KY, CO, AL, MD, NV, AZ, IN, PA, OK, VA, MA, TN. Internationally, blog readers came from Australia, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Egypt, Canada, Puerto Rico, Latvia, Germany, France, Finland and South Africa.

***We sometimes get letters or e mails from people who have visited one of our services or attended one of our activities. The following was received recently:
Good afternoon Neighbor, Today I attended your Sunday service. Until now I did not fully understand what the Lord Jesus was saying to us when he said Love thy Neighbor, I do now. I am your neighbor, a brother in Christ, a devout Christian and a new friend. I know that when I seek the Lord, all I have to do is look and I will find Him. I have read your literature and was pleased to see your statement, "We believe in the Bible, trinity, born of a virgin, raised from the dead and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” I will see you again next Sunday.

LOOKING AHEAD…

*** Winner's Circle Business Institute - Orientation, this Friday, September 12 at 7:00 pm. This is the beginning of a new arm of ministry at CMCC. It is our commitment to help God’s people to be successful in business so each one “may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2). This training will integrate video lessons, live instruction, guest presenters and lab work. Anyone interested should attend this meeting.

***Ministry Weekend with Ron DePriest, September 20-21. Ron is author of two books. The first is his testimony book of his early life entitled, Loco, which tells of his background as an abused child, abusive man, life as an outlaw biker, inmate in San Quentin prison and ultimate surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. His story of redemption from a life of unbelievable violence is riveting. His second book is entitled, The Spiritual Mentor—Unlocking the Treasures of Coming Generations.

Today, Ron DePriest functions as founder of World Impact Network. He has a master’s degree in psychology and a PhD in Theology. He has been in ministry for over 30 years, during which he has appeared on many Christian TV and radio programs including PTL and the 700 Club with Pat Robertson.

All men are encouraged to come and bring a friend to hear Ron DePriest share at a men’s breakfast on Saturday, September 20 at 9:00 am. Ron will also be our guest minister at Sunday service on September 21. http://www.rondepriest.com/

***On October 3-5 Pastor David Engelhardt from Christian Life Center in Walla Walla , Washington will be our guest. David will minister to the academy, youth group and on Sunday morning, October 5th. www.christianlifeonline.net

***October 18-19, Ed Turose from Pittsburgh. Ed is an ordained minister who is also a motivational speaker and sales professional for Coca-Cola. He has a vision for releasing and encouraging marketplace ministries. www.edturose.com/

***October 30th – November 2nd Women’s conference and Sunday guest Naomi Dowdy. Naomi Dowdy is a true apostle and general in God’s modern army. She planted and raised-up a 5,000 member church in Singapore and now travels globally strengthening churches and functioning as a mouthpiece for the modern apostolic movement. It is a wonderful stroke of God’s grace that we have been so honored to get Naomi for our conference. www.naomidowdy.com

***November 13-15 CMCC annual men’s conference entitled Freedom Forum, at Frost Valley YMCA camp. This year’s keynote speaker is Pastor Tom Carey from Holbrook Long Island. Pastor Tom Carey, ably assisted by Denise, his wife of 27 years, and a strong leadership team, shepherds the flock at Word of Jesus Worship Center in Holbrook, L.I., just 50 miles east of New York City.

Swept into the kingdom during the revival of the 1970s, Pastor Tom has served in leadership in several churches since the mid 1980’s and as senior pastor since June ’95. Although he has ministered in Haiti, Puerto Rico, England, Ireland and Wales, Pastor Tom knows his calling is to the nearly three million souls on Long Island, New York.

Motivated by a heart for unity, he has helped organize several pastoral fellowships, serves as an elected trustee of the Suffolk County Evangelical Ministers Fellowship, and is the host church for the Long Island Regional Coalition, a semi-monthly gathering of Fivefold Ministers.

Pastor Tom’s humorous and practical approach to biblical truths will leave you not only informed, but challenged to allow God to work in you both to WILL and to DO His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.

***Spanish classes! For a long time, it has been our desire to reach out with the love of Jesus to the Spanish language members of our community. In fact, the vision is to hold a regular weekly, Saturday evening, Spanish language or bi-lingual service. To prepare, we are planning to form a weekly home group dedicated to studying the Spanish language. Rodrigo Villaseca has volunteered to tutor the group so we are looking for serious Christians with the commitment to be equipped for this important work. Membership will be limited. Call Katie at the church office to sign-up. 845-586-4848

***Every four years in the US we have the opportunity to choose a new president. Because this is a very powerful job and so much rides on this office it is vital for us all to pray fervently for God’s wisdom on the American people when choosing our new president. Our democratic form of government was designed to work best when people of good will are informed, active and passionate about righteousness.

How can we ever hope for God’s blessing to continue on our country when we have voted for representatives who protect the process that has killed 40 million innocent Americans in the past few decades? How can we expect God’s blessing on a country whose people vote for leaders committed to protecting smut on TV, the internet, in movies and spend public money on blasphemous arts & entertainment? How can we remotely hope for God’s blessing on a nation that ravages and bludgeons the institution of marriage and the concept of family by empowering a veritable Disneyland of deviant social and sexual mores? How can we expect God’s blessing on a country that prefers immorality to righteousness?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

See you Sunday!

Question and Answer: Tithing

Dear Pastor Bob,
I was questioned the other day about where it is in the Bible regarding tithing 1/10th of your income. I found it in Numbers 18, but was wondering if it was in the New Testament as well. And if it says 1/10th of “your income", specifically.

I would appreciate your insight into this, so I can "argue" back accurately. Thanks.

Answer: Dear Reader,

1. The word 'tithe' literally translates, 'a tenth part.' It is a self-defining word. The following notes accompany the word 'tithe' in Strong's Dictionary:
TITHE:
1) tithe, tenth part
1a) tenth part
1b) tithe, payment of a tenth part
-Strong's Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

2. The concept of tithing is established in the Old Testament way before the law was given: Abraham tithed to Melchizedek in Genesis chapter 14. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is revealed as a priest according to the priesthood of Melchizedek. (See Hebrews 5:10) Therefore, as children of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:7) we tithe to Jesus through His church.

Many issues of faith are established in the Old Testament and carried into the New Testament. Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" (Matt 23:23) And in Luke: "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Luke 11:42

Notice in both cases the Scripture quotes Jesus as saying, "These you ought to have done." Jesus validates the tithe as the appropriate measure of giving. As a matter of fact, the tithe (10th part) is the universal measuring stick of biblical giving.

3. Actually, the New Testament standard of giving goes way beyond the tithe. If we were going to use the New Testament to determine the appropriate amount to give we should consider Acts 4:32-36: "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common...Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need."

How's that for a measuring stick... Giving everything!

4. Tithing is only a dilemma for people who give less than 10%. I have never met a person who gives more than 10% of their income to the church complain about the teaching on tithing. Only people who begrudge God His portion are offended and become legalistic. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us: "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38 (NKJV)

Because the Old Testament clearly establishes ten percent as an acceptable measure of giving to God, the Church has recognized this amount as a bare minimum measure for a grateful child of God under the New Covenant. This is a wonderful and right use of Scripture.

5. Leviticus reveals the tithe as the Lord's property: 'And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's. It is holy to the LORD. Leviticus 27:30 Because we monetize wealth today and measure it in dollars rather than land and goods, the principle carries over to the money system.

6. In the New Testament, Judas, the betrayer, robbed from Jesus (John 12:6) by stealing money from the box. Church members today rob from Jesus treasury by refusing to tithe:

"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:8-12 (NKJV)

Tithing is how the church is funded. It is God's plan to finance the organized establishment of the New Testament Church. People who consider themselves committed Christians and belong to churches but do not tithe are robbing God. It is no different than sneaking into a movie theater without paying admission or sneaking into a college class without paying tuition.

7. Why don't more people, if they are truly Christians, ask the opposite question... "Why does the Church only ask for a measly ten percent? Doesn't the pastor want us to be really blessed?" Consider the following:

"And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

The very reasonable amount of ten percent is used in the New Testament because it was established in the Old Testament and not specifically abolished by Jesus. The principle of 'an eye for an eye' was established in the Old Testament but abolished by Jesus and replaced with 'turn the other cheek,' which is much harder. If Jesus were to abolish any Old Testament principle, He would replace it with something harder, not easier!

8. Tithing is not 'works righteousness' but the biblically established expectation of minimum giving. It is the 'outworking' of our faith. "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:17-20

I hope this helps. This is just a brief synopsis of a very important subject.
Blessings, Pastor Bob

Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,

• Crazy Hats this Saturday, August 23 at the annual Margaretville Street Fair. Come try your hand as a high-fashion hat designer as we dazzle the crowd with our handmade newspaper creations. See Stephanie for details. 586-3150

• Street closing. Starting Monday, August 25, Main Street, Margaretville will be closed in front of the Ming Moon restaurant for a week or more. Plan on some inconvenience in coming to CMCC during that time as only the west approach will be open and our parking lot might have some extra cars.

• A new floor for our CAP food program. The following was written by Family Table CAP staff member, Stephanie Seminara, commenting on the work done, mainly during August, when some regular activities here at CMCC were on hiatus:
  
  Resurfacing the floors in our warehouse and store in recent weeks was no small task. In the warehouse, 24-plus pallets of food and other materials had to be moved from section to section in the room and the surface stripped and prepped to allow the special epoxy-based product to be applied.
  
  When the warehouse floor was complete, the entranceway, hallway and store floors had to be addressed. It was decided that Saturday night was the best time to break down the store because Sunday would provide the best drying time before reopening as soon as the new surface was cured. At precisely 3pm, as promised, a swarm of our teens led by Paul Engelhardt descended on our store and in short order had the place stripped bare. All shelving was broken down and removed and all food was boxed up and taken away. As the shelves and brackets flew out the door and were turned into a neat pile, it reminded me of a kid's erector set.
  
  Exactly 4 days later, with the floors looking new, the store was reassembled and we were back in business. Because much of the work was done at night, I do not know everyone who participated, but thanks to Paul Engelhardt and Bob Lanzilotta who led the project and all others who worked behind the scenes.

• Sign-up your children for Royal Rangers or True Beauties. Our Royal Rangers group is for boys ages 8-17 and True Beauties is for girls ages 10-14. Both groups meet at CMCC Mondays from 6:45 - 8:45. Starting back up September 8th. Call Katie at the church office for more info: 586-4848

• Attention Catskill Mountain Christian Academy parents. Any outstanding school fees must be paid in order for your children to start school this September. Also, this year’s curriculum, which is due to be purchased now, will not be ordered for students until outstanding and currently owed fees are received.

• Last weekend CMCC teens and young adults gathered for their long anticipated SANCTIFIED Conference. And it was no disappointment! Leading off with over 200 attending was a rock concert by breakout band ‘After Edmund’ on Thursday night. From that point forward, the entire weekend built a sense of holy energy. The band, hailing from Georgia, performed music from their debut CD, ‘Hello.’ http://www.afteredmund.com/
  
  During intermission, our youth performed a powerful dramatic presentation depicting the struggle of a young woman and the victory, peace and protection of Jesus. There were very few dry eyes in the house at the end of the skit.
  
  On Friday, over 60 attended a day-long event with well-known youth and worship leaders Rev. Mark and Mary Meyers from Lake Mary, Florida. The Meyers have spent the past twenty years leading youth and worship in mega-church settings and now travel and impart their passion to youth nationwide. Our young people were encouraged in who they are in Jesus, and asked to think about the question “If I were to die today, what would people say about me?”
  
  The evening ended around the fire pit at Pastor Engelhardt’s home and the kids made smores, took turns talking about what the day had meant to them, and discussing the question, “What do I want people to say about me?” The common message that ran throughout the weekend was an encouragement for kids to ‘be real’ with themselves, and with God, and to protect their relationship with Jesus at all costs.

• Last Saturday evening Mark Meyers led a group of CMCC singers and musicians in a special praise and worship evening. The love of God flooded everyone’s heart in attendance as Pastor Meyers drew on a broad variety of both new and old music and shared his powerful gift as a singer and musician. Mark has the rare ability to reach into people’s hearts and unlock their inner love for God and also to reach into God’s heart and bring forth His inner love for His people.

• 10 of CMCC’s finest returned from a 10 day mission to a remote village in southern Mexico on August 4th. Led by Pastor Renard Barto, the CMCC contingent included Alicia and Deanna Barto, Bob Roe, Dave Stewart, Jim and Jake Johnson, Chris and Greg DiBennedetto, and Sharon Rose Engelhardt. I asked the members for feedback and received the following:
  
  CHRIS DIBENNEDETTO: It was quite an experience. Not only the travel adventures but just about any interaction we had with the people there. It was great being part of a team to help fill various needs as they arose. From the medical clinic to the hair cutting area to praying for the people, I honestly feel I was ministered to as much as they were.
  
  Although the language barrier was challenging at times, I remember thinking, at my host families' house, as they would pray before meals when the father would end with "in el nombre de Jesus"(in the name of Jesus), could there really be any more important common bond than that? At our last meal there, I shared that thought with the family and the mother just cried. What a deep love of Jesus they have. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have gone. And it's good and humbling to find out we are not as indispensable as we thought we were!
  
  ALICIA BARTO: It was AMAZING!!!!! Definitely another life changing mission trip. Despite all of the obstacles we encountered, we still brought the Word of God to this very secluded little town in the middle of nowhere. We did hair cutting, medicine, house to house evangelizing, and had a service every night. And in everything we did from the hair cutting to the medicine, we were sharing the love of Jesus with the people of the town.
  
  Probably what touched me the most was going house to house. Just the fact the these people basically have nothing, yet they opened up their homes and offered us everything. The people of this town were really open to receiving the Word of God. That was also something that I wasn't prepared for. I was not expecting these people to be so soft hearted and ready, but they were, and we did everything we could to let them know how much Jesus loves them and what He can do for them.
  
  Another thing that touched me, was that on Sundays at church, for the offerings, if people didn't have money to give, they gave whatever they could. Whether it be food or money, people always offered all they could. I met some great people down in Mexico that became good friends. Everything was so amazing. Overall it was an awesome experience that I will most likely never forget!
  
  JIM JOHNSON: I had wondered for awhile before the trip, why me? I really couldn’t fathom what I could do that would be valuable there: I had never evangelized before and I don’t know how to speak Spanish. I wasn’t sure what I could do. Needless to say, I had many experiences to change my narrow thinking but the most memorable or heart touching was the last night in San Sebastian.
  
  At the end of the service that night the Pastor asked that anyone who wanted to receive Jesus or had healing issues to come forward. I was walking around the outskirts of the tent praying and looking at the crowd. There were many people I was drawn to go and stand near and pray for. For example there were the 3 old men that had been in attendance every night and I had prayed for them before. There was the little girl that must have been 13-15 and had huge longing eyes filling with tears as she watched the Pastor. There was the older teenage boy that we had reached 2 days before while evangelizing, but you could tell that he still wasn’t sure.
  
  But the person I was drawn to most strongly was a young man of approximately 19-23 years old. He was standing alone with his head bowed down, hands held together in front of him and shoulders drooped down. He looked a cross between sad and just overwhelmed. I stood behind him and prayed laying my hand on his shoulder. I prayed for peace and prosperity. I prayed that he would be healed of any ailments. I prayed for his family. I prayed anything I could think of since I couldn’t speak with him. I truly think its the longest I have ever prayed for someone up close like that.
  
  As I was standing there, now with my hand on his head, a translator came and talked to him. When she was finished speaking with him she turned to me with teary eyes. She told me that he wanted to thank me for praying for him and that he appreciated it very much. However, what he wanted most was to be hugged because he had never been hugged in his life. This was the final breaking of the soul for me. I stood there with tears rolling down my cheeks hugging this young man and him hugging me back very hard. I had finally realized that I didn’t need to speak Spanish, I didn’t have to be an experienced evangelist, it didn’t matter what talents I did have. In a simple hug I was able to show the true love of God. The love He gave to all of us through his Son to share with all the world.

• Jessie Moore reports that she knows a family who recently visited CMCC for the first time on a Sunday. In her e-mail, the visitor mentioned, “…what a great church you have! We are planning to come next Sunday with hopefully some others…” Praise God that CMCC is obtaining a good report among those who visit. This is testimony to the friendly spirit that the CMCC family walks in. Pastor Randy Johnson calls us, “The Church That Love is Building.”

• Thanks to Pastor Kevin Beutel, Julie Odato and all who worked to serve Jack Rosa’s family after the death of Jack’s father, Orville Rosa. Orville was formerly the mayor of Margaretville for 18 years so there was a large turnout at the funeral and a meal was prepared in our fellowship hall after. The family wrote the following: Thank you all for your kindness to us all at the time of our father's passing. We appreciate so much the use of your church, your many prayers for our family, your beautiful music, and your generous assistance in preparing lunch for our loved ones. May God bless you always. The Rosa Family.
  
  See you Sunday!

Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,

***Roll out those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer… I hope you are enjoying this spectacular time of year—I sure am. In fact, I actually thought we were going to have a slower paced summer here at CMCC this year but it seems the opposite has been happening... and it’s been great fun! Maybe August will slow down, but then again, maybe not. Here’s what’s happening.

***Last week a group from CMCC traveled to Florida to enjoy two nights at the now famous Lakeland Revival. Ron, Julie, Lauren and Lani Odato, Dee Iommi, Paul Engelhardt and I took the trip and completely enjoyed the experience. It was my second time to Lakeland and, as before, the worship alone was worth the effort. It is disarming and deeply moving to be in the midst of over five thousand people who are pouring out their hearts to Jesus for several hours on end. Seven days a week for over 100 days in a row, people from all over the world (30 nations were represented while we attended) are congregating to enjoy this holy phenomenon.

Apparently there is a lot of controversy surrounding this outpouring especially since the leader, Todd Bentley, is so non-traditional, sporting tattoos and various piercings and is sometimes a little ‘out there’ with some of his rhetoric and healing claims. Oh well. The proof of the value of the event, for me, is the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit in worship and the hunger for God from so many people. To the person who is in a receiving state of mind and becomes like a little child in faith, there is a softening of the heart that is simply supernatural. Todd Bentley did not speak at either of the services we attended this time and it was announced that he would be taking some time off.

***I was honored to give the invocation and benediction at the unveiling of the Trooper David Brinkerhoff Memorial at the Town of Middletown office building on Sunday afternoon, June 29. Trooper Brinkerhoff is the selfless hero who lost his life in a fire-fight while protecting our community from a desperate criminal last year. Others offering comments at the ceremony were Assemblyman Cliff Crouch, New York State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt, Middletown Supervisor Len Utter, and memorial organizer Heather Gockel.

A hundred or so police officers, community leaders and residents also attended the event and lent a show of support to Trooper Brinkerhoff’s family who unveiled the black granite monument. As a part of the ceremony I was presented a beautiful plaque by NYS Police, Troop Commander Kevin Molinari as thanks for CMCC’s support and fundraising efforts on behalf of the Brinkerhoff family. CMCC hosted a Trooper Brinkerhoff walk-a-thon and memorial service last year and gathered over $10,000 for the fallen hero’s family. Stop by my office some time to see the plaque.

***43+ CMCC youth and adults are off this week to the 3-day-long, Generation Youth conference in Utica, New York. http://www.generationconference.com/ This promises to be an awesome time for our young people as several thousand teens gather and receive top notch ministry, music and encouragement from some of the best youth ministers in the nation. Thanks go out to our leaders, chaperones and coordinator, Brad Keator.

***Pastor Renard Barto is leading a group of 10 CMCC members on a mission to Mexico on July 25. The eleven day trip will include ministry to remote Indian villages located outside of Mexico City. We are teaming up with our sister church, Victorious Life Christian Church in Troy, NY for this holy adventure and are looking forward to the great reports.

***This past Sunday we enjoyed the ministry of Dr. Larry Keefauver, long time friend and apostolic associate of CMCC. Dr. Larry led a large church for over 20 years and is the author of over fifty books with 2.5 million in total print. His message on Sunday morning on ‘confidence’ got rave reviews from everyone in attendance and is available for listening on our website under Streaming Sermons: www.cmcconline.org Later in the day on Sunday Dr. Keefauver also met with our leadership team and then the Sunday evening college-age group.

***Each Sunday this summer we have been giving out ‘CMCC Hero of the Faith Awards.’ Like CMCC’s version of the Oscars, these certificates acknowledge the finest qualities of God’s children—those members whose joyful and faithful service over a long period of time demonstrates their love for Jesus in an outstanding and visible way. So far, Marie Spaulding, Michelle Beutel, Mike and Chris Tuch, Brad and Lynn Keator, Bob and Irena Lanzilotta and Dean and Jeanne Malaxos have received this award—a framed certificate along with a gift bag. Each one of these heroes has served the Lord for years on end in various capacities, joyfully working in service to the King. Congratulations!!!

***This past Saturday evening, 20 some-odd CMCC members motored over to Maryland, NY to help celebrate the Word of Faith Church’s 25th Anniversary. Founded by Pastor Frank and Peggy MacCracken 25 years ago, the church has been a close friend to CMCC over the years.

***Healing Reports:
1) If you were at church this past Sunday, you heard the wonderful report from Diane Villaseca. She told how after praying for healing the day before for her painful hand (a condition that had affected her for some time) the pain instantly and completely disappeared. This happened on Saturday morning and when she testified at Sunday service, she was still pain free. Praise Jesus!

2) This is an e-mail from Ross Gill:
Pastor Bob: As I mentioned on the phone earlier, God has definitely and completely healed me just a few weeks ago. For 5-6 years, I've had acute and chronic pain in my hip muscles. Whenever I experienced a muscle spasm the pain was so intense that I would fall to the floor. Over time this situation became worse despite doctors, chiropractors and a physical therapist. I asked for prayer at church. One of these times, Brad Keator prayed and correctly stated that I would be afflicted 3 more times then after God would completely heal me. A few weeks ago, Pastor Renard Barto prayed for me. That day the Lord completely healed me and I am back to full health and exercising daily, as I was years ago. God is incredible. -Ross

***Summer Church Picnic!!! This Sunday, July 20, join the CMCC family for a BBQ immediately after service. Held right in CMCC’s back yard, the $5.00 per person donation will support our upcoming youth conference. Menu to include: Dogs and burgers, mac and potato salad, baked beans, chips, drinks and dessert. Come out and have some fun with the nicest people around.

***We have a number of plans currently in various stages of development and want to keep these items as a priority on everyone’s prayer list. As Pastor Alan Babcock used to teach, “Never initiate more than you can saturate in prayer.”

1. Second story for our main building which will be able to expand our services to the community and the Kingdom of God even more. This has become an obvious need over the past year as we have come to the place where we are utilizing every foot of our present facility. Our present space is full with activity.
2. Business school and entrepreneurial empowerment program. This September we will launch the Catskill Mountain Business Institute, a program for anyone presently operating a business, desiring to start a business or interested in getting increased wealth to fulfill God’s desire to establish His Kingdom.
3. Young adult’s residency program. We are considering a number of options to be able to empower and affect young people.
4. New flooring for CAP. We are tearing up the old carpet in the food warehouse and store to replace it with an impervious epoxy-like painted surface.
5. Two grants are currently under review by the USAID for foreign-aid projects. If approved, one will fund a program in Kenya, the other in the Dominican Republic. Each of these grants represents 4 million servings of nutritious food to be shipped and distributed by our ministry. Thanks to CitiHope for their guidance in these new waters.
6. Senior citizen’s housing project. On a recent trip to Texas, I learned of a company that partners with churches to build housing projects for low income people or senior citizens with government help. It is an interesting proposal that we are doing our due-diligence on to determine whether it is viable for us.
7. Reprisal of our radio ministry. We have been off the air for a full year and a half after thirteen straight years of broadcasting. We must fulfill Jesus’ command to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) Our voice of common sense Christianity fueled by radical faith, hope and love is desperately needed in a world increasingly disoriented and cynical.
8. Women’s care center. Part of our second story project will be dedicated to a women’s care center where we will meet women in crisis and help to bring them to wholeness, life, and personal empowerment. Pregnancy concerns, domestic issues, anger management, parenting, nutrition, housing assistance and plenty of encouragement will offer hope to women in stressful situations. In doing this we are drawing on Nancy Engelhardt’s years of experience as a co-founder and the original executive director of Abow Pregnancy Distress Center near Albany, a highly successful ministry to women.
9. Church planting. We have one potential church plant being sown into the soil right now and our vision is to raise-up a network of New Testament churches as the Lord directs.
10. Growth and expansion of our school of ministry. We will grow into an entity that offers teaching and awards diplomas and certificates on a variety of subjects for a variety of reasons.
11. Development of Bethesda Ministers Association. We will start an apostolic network for the purpose of empowering and covering a full range of ministry activities.
    

***Following is a great letter and a prayer request… Congratulations Melissa!!!! Send her your congratulations at "Melissa S. Wyckoff" <m_s_wyckoff@yahoo.com>

Dear Pastor: Your daughter has graduated law school and is the proud recipient of her Juris Doctorate. Graduating law school isn’t the end of the journey, for my next hurdle will be to pass the bar exam. I am writing to ask you to keep me in prayer. More than ever I need my church family to be by my side fighting for me. Already, I can feel a lack of focus and my endurance isn’t as strong as it should be to study. Distractions are numerous and mental fatigue is abundant. I cling to Jeremiah 29:11- God does have a hope and a future for me and it is already starting to play out. It is easier to say everything is in God’s hands and it is easier to say that I trust God, but the longest journey is from the head to the heart. Every day I struggle to trust Him and to give Him full control. Please continue to lift me up in prayer. My bar exam is July 30th and 31st. Love in Christ, Melissa Wyckoff

*** But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. Psalms 59:16

See you Sunday!

Church Family Update

Hi Church Family,

The book of James says: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:17-18

As we close in on the end of June I was looking over our calendar from the first six months of 2008 and thought to share a synopsis with you. Sometimes we can forget what a powerhouse of life and activity we have here at CMCC. Here goes:

So far this year, we’ve had the following special ministry events: Strongman Steve Carrier and Team Mega-Force (over 100 people made decisions for Christ in these meetings); Evangelist Randy Goudeau, the young Louisiana-born church planter currently working in New York City; Caryl Mallory from Wycliff Bible Translators; Youth and music ministers Mark & Mary Meyers from Orlando; Paul Moore, Sr. from CitiHope International in Andes; Former NFL star, Paul Costa; Rev. Bob & Cara Grimm from Walla Walla, Washington and Sue Brown from Arising to Excellence Ministries in Dallas. Also, many of us took an overnight trip as a group, attending the two day Battle-Cry youth event at the Meadowlands in New Jersey where thousands of youth gathered as T.D. Jakes and other notable speakers and music groups ministered.

Additionally we’ve had monthly women’s meetings with special guests including Mrs. Kris Mirocco and regular men’s meetings including an eight week Saturday morning video series teaching on the subject of ‘honor’ with John Bevere. So far this year, we’ve also had a CMCA school spelling bee, family game night, coffee house, Valentine’s dinner, 24 hour prayer vigil, CMCA awards ceremony, Good Friday Passion film presentation, Easter sunrise service, Easter breakfast and Little Pond school picnic.

Our regularly scheduled activities included 26 weeks of Sunday morning services with record high attendances, Wednesday mid-week services (with separate worship team), weekly home groups, weekly prayer meetings, and twice weekly music practices. We also conducted weekly Power Kids, adult and children’s Sunday school, True Beauties, Royal Rangers and Youth Group. Our Beacon University/Christian Life School of Theology program continues to feed the minds and satisfy the souls of some of our most intelligent members through weekly college level studies. We are always providing pastoral counseling, marriage and pre-marriage counseling, funerals and bereavement counseling, hospital visitation, and prayer ministry in addition to leadership development and personal discipleship to our expansive leadership team.

Catskill Mountain Christian Academy, finishing its thirteenth year, continues to educate students with excellence in a full academic program, caring for the minds and spirits of 50 children from pre-k through senior high. Seven hours a day, five days a week for forty weeks a year our facility is home to a world-class school program. CMCA students continue to score well above average in standardized tests, including the SATs, and a large majority of our graduates continue to move immediately into higher education. This week, four academically prepared and spiritually mature young scholars will graduate from CMCA and move forward in their lives. We pray for God’s protection and good success for Deanna Barto, Sarah Keator, Lani Odato and Morgan Spaulding.

Our senior citizen weekly dinner/fellowship, in its eight year, continues to serve a free hot meal to 30-50 local seniors each Wednesday evening and our Nursing home ministry rolls on, as it has for over fifteen years, presenting a song service each month to the residents of Mountainside Nursing Home. Home group leaders meet regularly for training and problem solving, our prayer team is coordinated and active and our usher team is well equipped to protect and serve at every service.

The power-house CAP program/Family Table, our rural food initiative, is caring for the needy in our region, having provided over two hundred thousand dollars in food-aid so far this year alone. Another major portion of our Main Street, Margaretville facility is occupied by this life giving grocery store/warehouse. The Family Table store buzzes with activity during store hours six days each week as the blessing of food is available to income-eligible families. The Family Table also holds monthly evening work parties including dinner and fellowship for the CAP membership. Since starting four years ago we have distributed over 1.2 million dollars worth of groceries to local families below the poverty line, serving thousands of our neighbors in need.

To put the icing on the cake is the unseen work of maintaining the CMCC facility and grounds and running the business/administrative office. Each week cleaners are cleaning, fixers are fixing, books and finances are being kept in order, bills are being paid, trucks are being fixed, broken furnaces repaired, insurances are being negotiated, snow is being plowed, grass is being cut, our web site maintained, meetings organized, sermons prepared, classes taught, and the list goes on and on. Literally thousands and thousands of man-hours of work are being conducted under the covering of CMCC, all for the glory of the King! To Him alone: To Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, be all praise for ever and ever! This is our purpose. This is our cause.

On a more personal note, but still part of the productivity of CMCC so far this year:

• Nancy and I conducted ministry weekends at both the City of Refuge Church in San Antonio, Texas and at the Word of Jesus Church on Long Island.
• I was a conference speaker at the Eagles Wings Ministries annual national minister’s conference in Pennsylvania.
• Nancy and I had the privilege of representing CMCC last month at the United Nations in New York City at the 60th Birthday Party for Israel along with many notable dignitaries.
• I spoke in April to a group of mainly police officers at the 1st anniversary memorial event of Trooper David Brinkerhoff’s tragic death here in our town.
• Nancy served on the board of directors of the Pregnancy Distress Centers of Ulster County.
• Both Nancy and I have preached at various regional churches including Greenville and Athens.
• My latest book revision, The Sovereignty of God, originally written in 1901 by A.W. Pink and revised, edited and updated by me came out within the past two months. Published by Bridge-Logos Publishers this book is the second Pure Gold Classic I’ve revised—the first being four years ago, entitled Power, Passion and Prayer by nineteenth century revivalist Charles Grandison Finney. I spent nearly every spare moment for over seven months in 2007 on the Pink manuscript and it is a good feeling to finally see it in print. My first sole authorship book, Family Church, is now being edited by the publisher and will be out sometime next year. The Sovereignty of God is available for purchase from the church office.

A couple closing thoughts. I have had the necessity to travel a little more this year and participate in several organizations that will ultimately benefit the work of CMCC. As a member of the International Coalition of Apostles, the ecclesiastical advisory board of the International Christian Wealth Builders Foundation, the board of directors of CitiHope International, a member of Your Ministry Consultation Services, Eagles’ Wings Ministries and several other organizations that we are closely affiliated with, my active participation by attending various meetings and conferences enables CMCC to be connected with the greater Body of Christ and draw resources from some of the most cutting edge, godly and prophetic ministry partners available.

Nancy and I along with the other elders/trustees of CMCC are constantly prayerfully considering new opportunities and trying to make our church run in a way that pleases Jesus. We are highly fortunate to have had seventeen years of growth and life and never take one moment for granted. We are deeply grateful to the Lord for the good He has given and our deepest most heartfelt prayer of all is that we can continue into the future with unity, hope and love. Our hearts desire is to make a place for people to be able to serve the Lord and grow in His grace as we work together to represent God’s interests in this generation and prepare the way for generations still to come.

Some things out there in the future that are in various stages of development are:

1. Second story for our main building which will be able to expand our services to the community and the Kingdom of God even more.
2. Business school and entrepreneurial empowerment program.
3. Young adult’s residency discipleship program.
4. New flooring for CAP.
5. Two grants are currently under review by the USAID for foreign-aid projects. If approved, one will fund a program in Kenya, the other in the Dominican Republic.
6. Senior citizen’s housing project.
7. Reprisal of our radio ministry.
8. Women’s care center.
9. Church planting.
10. Growth and expansion of our school of ministry.
11. Development of Bethesda Ministers Association.

Finally: I hope that you are as excited about the future of Catskill Mountain Christian Center as I am. To everyone who has worked with love on behalf of our Lord and Savior... thank you. "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Hebrews 6:10
See you Sunday!

Signposts: The Happening

The new M. Night Shyamalan horror movie, The Happening, is indoctrination into a suicide ethic. It imagines that plant life on earth, in a sudden evolutionary advance, intentionally releases a toxin that takes away the human survival instinct resulting in mass suicide. Most disturbing to me was the unspoken but apparently self-evident truth that suicide is the single universal action humans will take when their survival instinct is removed. Of course the human-species-hating, politically correct, green movie-line reveals that this 'happening' is ultimately evolution righteously acting and protecting earth from the overpopulated human locust hoard.

In one sense 'The Happening' is a classic 'The Birds'-like scary movie, where a force of nature becomes our worst nightmare. On the other hand, it imparts a desensitizing and dispassionate visual imagination of suicide by thousands of people with no sense of conscience or transcendence. To enhance the cringe factor, the movie depicts scores of innovative variations of self-murder with an Alfred Hitchcock kind of indirect morbidity.

The Happening is actually kind of silly and would bother me a lot less if it didn't play so conveniently into the pro-suicide agenda being promoted to our society as a rational solution to environmental concerns and government budgeting woes. For example, consider the real life story below.

--"Oregon says cheaper to die than treat” by Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 6/13/2008 8:30:00 AM
Thus far Oregon is the only state to legalize physician-assisted suicide, which is loosely regulated. But respect for life may be facing another threat there.

Oregonian Barbara Wagner is dying of lung Cancer.

Oregon's Health Services Commission has said it will not pay for more treatment, but will provide $50 in lethal drugs so she can kill herself.

Dr. David Stevens heads the Christian Medical Association. "I think this is a terrible situation for patients in Oregon, and something that's going to happen in other states as physician-assisted suicide is legalized," he laments. "Oregon is rationing health care and is also sending a message to dying patients that physician-assisted suicide is the cheap option and they would encourage people to take it."

Stevens believes that is a conflict of interest for the state because it controls the medical funds.

"End-of-life chemotherapy can cost thousands of dollars a month, and bureaucrats -- in an attempt to save money -- are telling patients [they] can't provide money for ... chemotherapy, but here take these pills and they will comfort you [and] end your stress."

The situation goes against the grain of medical ethics, says Stevens. "Palliative care means helping take care of symptoms when you can't eliminate the cause of the patient's illness," he explains. "They're stating [that] the way to comfort someone is to get rid of the patient. That's a terrible message to send to seriously ill patients."

As it would be, he says, to send the same message to people with chronic diseases or physical handicaps, or to the comatose who cannot make the decision themselves, that they are doing the state a favor in dying.

A pharmaceutical company is now providing Wagner with cancer drugs for which the state will not pay."--

Why shouldn't people consider suicide as a natural solution? Here are seven quick reasons:
1. It is against God's law. Remember, 'Thou shalt not kill?' Back when we started killing innocent babies through abortion, Christian ethicists prophesied that soon we would come to other convenience killing like euthanasia, physician assisted suicide and infanticide. Welcome to the future.

2. You cannot repent of a sin until you have committed it; therefore you go into eternity with the sin of murder on your soul. You will stand before God as an unrepentant sinner, not in Christ. How badly we need good strong 'Hell' teaching!

3. No righteous person in the Scripture ever took his/her own life to escape personal pain.

4. Human bodies are technically God's property. A person does not own his/her body, God does. People have the responsibility to nurture and use their bodies for God's designed purposes but not the right to kill them. "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." Psalms 24:1

5. Humans are made in the image of God and killing a person is killing God's image. This is the devil's greatest objective--killing stealing and destroying everything in God's image. We believe that human life is sacred and precious because people are made in God's image, not because we are comfortable or happy.

In addition, Human bodies are designed to contain the Holy Spirit. "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" 1 Corinthians 6:19

6. What goes around comes around. Welcome to Hitler's world. It's all fun and games until you get old or sick and still want to live but the government decides otherwise. When the government and Hollywood agree as to an appropriate social remedy that opposes the Word of God, watch out.

7. The one escaping into death leaves a legacy as a coward for the living.