Winter 2015 link

By the time you receive this issue of Link, we’ll obviously be well into the holiday seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas. As many of you are aware, as our children grow up, get married, and sometimes move across the country, family holiday gatherings get a bit more complicated.

Several years ago, we were trying to make one of those “Christmas gatherings” come together only to realize that the only time we could make it work was at Thanksgiving. So, in the midst of all of this, my wife coined the phrase “Thanksmas” as we were celebrating both holidays at the same time with family.

We had a little fun with the “Thanksmas” thing at the time, and I must admit it seemed a bit odd opening Christmas gifts in November, but we were together and it was a blast as we made some “Thanksmas” memories. In the end, of course, we understood that it really boiled down to a simple scheduling thing for our family that year.

As we approach these holidays, I want to express to you how grateful we are for every church and every minister that makes up our Ministry Network. We really are blessed here in New Mexico to be a part of your lives and ministries and are thankful for the joy of serving together.

Often, it seems like we do our ministries alone and perhaps think that no one notices but your ministry and the church you serve is an integral part of God’s divine strategy for your community and for our Network. Thanks for your faithfulness, your partnership, and your friendship. And thanks for making sure the light of Jesus shines brightly in your community!

On behalf of our family and our entire ministry team, we want to wish you and yours a wonderful Christmas season. I know that it will be filled with lots of activities and ministry opportunities, and I pray that God blesses all of your efforts to proclaim Christ during this season.

Enjoy some special time with friends and family as well.

Paul tells us in Romans 6:23 that “…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, and then writes in 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” Thank God that we are the recipients of His gift and can celebrate Him during this season!

We love you and are so blessed to serve alongside each of you. May God surround you with His love and grace.

Be blessed!

Micheal Dickenson Network Pastor

SAVE THE DATE! Be sure to begin planning now to be a part of our 2016 Leadership Tour for New Mexico. This tour is for every minister and staff member, for church board members and all ministry team leaders.

Plan now to bring a great group from your church for this event. You will be blessed, inspired and equipped for more effective ministry through the ministry of John Palmer, former General Secretary for the Assemblies of God and currently serving as President of Emerge Ministries. Plan now to join us for the event in your area!

January 18- (EC) Clovis Bethal January 19- (NE) Las Vegas January 21- (NA) Ojo Encino January 22- (NW) Farmington First January 24- (WC) ABQ Evangel January 25- (SW) Las Cruces First January 26- (SE) Carlsbad First

SIXTEEN DAYS “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20) If you include November 11 and November 16, plus the fourteen days in between you have a total of sixteen days, days of appreciation.

My season of appreciation began when I took a few moments from the business of the Network Office to grab a quick lunch. I picked out one of my favorite spots, got there a little earlier than usual so that I could beat the rush and get back to the office. After being directed to a table, I realized that there was something different about dining out today. The difference, the restaurant was filled with families enjoying Veteran’s Day, meaning school was out and kids were running around everywhere. As I watched the energy of youth, the joy of family and the leisure of the moment, I wondered if those in the restaurant were aware of the unbelievable sacrifices that had been, and are still being paid so that we all could enjoy such a moment. I wondered if they thought about the blood that was shed, of the lives that were lost, and the continuing cost of freedom. I’d like to think that somewhere and sometime on that day, we all took the time to tell a Veteran how much we appreciate who they are and what they have done or are doing. As the line from the country song goes, “All give some, but some gave all!”

As I pen this article we are about halfway between Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving. Each day since Veteran’s Day I have been impacted by the sacrifice that so many have made, from the military men and women, the “First Responders,” the known and the unknown not only of this wonderful nation but of those who have made unbelievable and significant sacrifices so that the Church of Jesus Christ is able to go forth. I think of missionaries, church planters, pioneers of our faith and fellowship who were not at all afraid to give everything that the Lord required of them to press back the darkness of sin. This is my world, a world of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, saints and servants all. Someday, I will get to personally thank them all but until then I will keep them in my thoughts and in my heart. To the earthly combatant and to the heavenly combatant, Thank You! May we, who are recipients of your sacrifice, carry the baton, hold up the light, advance the cause, and live so that those who follow us will be thankful that we went before them.

To all, I trust you are enjoying these sixteen days, of appreciation and thanksgiving. As always, God Bless You Big! Marcus and Sharon

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Recently we attended the annual Executive Leadership Conference with our Network Pastor, Michael Dickenson and Network Administrator Marcus McClain. It was an enriching time as we were ministered to and challenged by different leaders in our fellowship. One of the sessions I attended was led by Greg Mundis the Director of World Missions of our fellowship. I want to share a few thoughts from that session that impacted me and I believe will be a great help to you.

To be a good leader we must be a good follower! By being a good follower we can be a model to our people and help them see how to serve more effectively. We may be capable as a leader, but do we have the right attitude? Because you see our ability is what we are capable of doing but our attitude is how well you do it! That is a powerful statement because we live in a society that is critical and judgmental and looks for everyone’s faults rather than their strengths. To be a true leader we must walk in humility before others and set the example. The lack of humility will make you a devil but the presence of humility will make you an angel! So walk in humility and be a good role model for those you lead!

One of the things that we talked about was about being missional! I believe Christ set the example of being missional! John the Apostle declared God’s mission in John 3:16 that says “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son!” Jesus declared it in the gospels when he said I didn’t come to be served but I came to give my life a ransom for many! Even as we come into this Christmas season we see how missional God is when He declared in Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a Son and you shall call his name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.”

Our movement has become missional and we are seeing a greater emphasis of church planting and developing of PAC churches, which is wonderful. Many of our Pastors are becoming more mindful of being missional but we need to go back to the great commission to see what the Lord intended in this mission! Many Pastors are being missional in their local community but they have lost the vision to be missional to a lost world beyond that.

There is a difference between reaching your neighbor and reaching your world.

There is a difference between evangelism and cultural evangelism. In Act 1:8 Jesus said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth!”

So as we think about reaching our world it starts at home but don’t forget the people that live at the ends of the earth. We must reach them all and be a missional church both at home and oversees. It all starts with the leader! As Pastors we must reach our city but we must support our missionaries because God has sent them to reach people that have never heard the gospel.

David Vistine Assistant Network Pastor

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WOMEN’S CONFERENCE 2015 “A Beau6ful Life” I am so happy to report that we had another wonderful, state-wide Women’s Conference! Thanks to the ladies across New Mexico who came to make this an incredible Ame with God and others.

We were very blessed to have our NaAonal Women’s Director of the Assemblies of God, Kerry Clarensau, for our speaker. Kerry encouraged us to become women of His presence by pracAcing these

disciplines: 1. PrioriAze Ame for solitude.

2. Saturate your mind with His Word.

3. Let God redeem every broken place in your heart.

4. Live fully in the moment.

Her closing remarks were…”sit at His feet; soak in His presence; then turn and interact with others with His extravagant love!”

We enjoyed the worship ministry of Julie True! Julie’s heart to worship and love God inspired us to pour our love on Father God. Mark Woodward’s piano skills augmented our worship experience.

Many of you met Virgil True, Julie’s husband, at her product table and was entertained by his delighZul, wi[y personality! Please pray for Virgil as he fell while in Albuquerque and tore a calf muscle which turned into blood clots which caused 2 pulmonary aneurysms. The doctor declared him a “miracle man” as many people don’t survive a^er a single pulmonary aneurysm. I ask you again, please pray for Virgil that recovery and rehab will be quick!

The ladies brought in the most incredible offering for DO WHAT YOU CAN! AG World Missionaries Terry & Julie Bell want to say thanks to everyone who saved their coins for the school in Panama. Our gi^ of $4200 will help build another classroom to the exisAng school in Vacamonte.

Danielle Hidalgo sharing her “beauAful life” as she trusts God for miracles for the future!

Fran Haisten (Pastor’s wife & door prize receiver) with Tina Haroldson (comedic relief & giver of prizes) having FUN!

The True Value in Fine Arts As you browse the AG.org website, you’ll find that the vision and purpose of the Fine Arts Festival is a discipleship tool of national youth ministries designed to help students discover, develop and deploy their ministry gifts. How true that is, but more than that, it is an incredible program for churches to discover, develop and deploy new leadership right into their own church body. There is tremendous value in the Fine Arts program. Students gain a love for their church, friendships with peers who share their faith, and an outlet for their talents and giftings on both a local and national level. One of the unique benefits of a Fine Arts program is that students practice and hone their individual talents and skills, all while working together and building a strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie. Even more than the value this program offers the students participating, Fine Arts adds incredible value to the local church. Through Fine Arts, our church has benefited in almost every ministry. Over the years, we have grown our church’s Fine Arts program into one of the largest in the nation. We never limit the number of participants. We are well aware that the hours of practice and training have lasting effects, long after the last award is given at the national festival. In sports, a farm team is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful player can move on to a higher level at a given point. In exactly this way, we use the Fine Arts program to develop leaders within the church body. We are able to pull from this group of talented students to lead in our worship team, production team, and kids ministry. Through Fine Arts, a culture of teamwork is built and students can in turn be trained to work with others in various capacities of outreach or even the front lines of guest services. In every aspect of Fine Arts, talents are being cultivated that are an asset in every aspect of ministry in the local church. When we say “discover, develop and deploy,” we often forget that deployment doesn’t have to be elsewhere – outside the church walls in community outreach programs, foreign missions or even Bible College. The young generation is one of the greatest resources the local church has. Fine Arts is an amazing tool that can be used to mentor and train them up into the future leaders of our churches. It takes time and energy to develop a strong, thriving Fine Arts program in any church. Deploying these talented young people right into your own church ministry will reap dividends that are well worth the investment.

Pastor Galen Woodward Senior Pastor Copper Pointe Church

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