Missionary Spotlight ~ Craig and Lisa Sheppard, Bulgaria

Craig and Lisa Sheppard have been serving the Lord with Mission to the World in Sofia, Bulgaria since 1996, where Craig serves as a church planter, seminary instructor, publisher, and founding board member for the Sofia Christian Academy. As the MTW Regional Director for Eastern Europe, Craig is also tasked with overseeing the ministries of more than 65 missionaries in five countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Ukraine), as well as developing new church planting works in other Eastern European countries (such as Russia, Greece, Latvia, Croatia, and Belarus).

Craig is from Wichita, Kansas and Lisa is from St. Louis, Missouri. They served together in university ministry for four years before Craig attended Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. There he earned a Master of Divinity degree in Missions, and a Master of Theology degree in Theology. While in seminary, Craig served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church as the Director of College Ministry. He is ordained in the Heartland Presbytery of the PCA. They have four sons and a daughter (Jared, 16; Nathan, 14; Luke, 11; Andrew, 8; and Abigail, 6).

Please pray for the Sheppard family.

Missionary Spotlight ~ Joey Wright, Mississippi College

Joseph G. Wright, IV (Joey) is the campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Mississippi College. Joey has just celebrated his ninth anniversary with his lovely wife, Summer. Both Joey and Summer are from Anderson, South Carolina. Joey attended McCallie high school in Chattanooga, TN and then Mercer University in Macon, GA. After being converted in college through the ministry of RUF, he found himself attending seminary at RTS, Jackson.

Joey began ministering on MC's campus under the oversight of the Mississippi Joint Committee of Campus Work and Bebo Elkin. He worked there for two years part-time as he completed his MDiv. He has just completed his sixth year working full-time on the campus. Joey and Summer have been blessed with two covenant children: Joseph G. Wright V (Grady) who is six, and Owen Nathan Wright who is four.

Prayer Requests:
(1) Robert Murray M'Cheyne once commented that his congregation's greatest need was his own personal holiness. Pray for Joey, that he might delight in Christ more than anything else in the world. Pray specifically that he might grow in, and live in the truth of Psalm 73:25-26 more and more each day.

(2) Pray that Joey might be a faithful husband and father. Pray that he would not neglect his greatest earthly calling. He says it is a constant temptation to put the ministry at MC before his ministry at home. Pray that he might have the wisdom and strength to fight this temptation.

(3) Pray that they would be given favor in the eyes of the new and returning students. Ministry is all about relationships, and God is the author of relationships...He gives and He takes away. Pray that He would grant them opportunities to love these students, to speak to their hearts, and to lead them in righteousness.

They would like to extend their deep gratitude to the First Presbyterian, Jackson church family. Your gracious support and encouragement have been an unspeakable blessing to them. They say thank you, from the depths of their hearts for partnering with them in this ministry!

Men of the Covenant Luncheon

Men of the Covenant Luncheon
Thursday, May 8th, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
“Man to Man”
Mr. Barry Cannada
Lawyer and Businessman


Men, mark your calendars for our last Men of the Covenant Luncheon this semester! Please note that we have changed our meeting date from May 1st to May 8th, 2008 due to a scheduling conflict.

Over the course of the semester, we have been privileged to hear from many gifted speakers from our congregation and elsewhere and are excited to have one of our own, Mr. Barry Cannada finish out the semester for us. Mr. Cannada currently serves as President of G&S Enterprises, Inc., a privately held business with operations in several southern states. He also remains a partner in his law firm, Butler, Snow, O'Mara, Stevens & Cannada, where his practice is focused on corporate finance and acquisitions. Mr. Cannada serves as an officer here at First Presbyterian Church and has interests in several Christian organizations including service on the Board of Directors of Campus Crusade for Christ. In addition to this, he has served as a Chairman of multiple committees, and is currently the Chairman of the Audit Committee. He and his wife Angelyn have three children. We look forward to seeing you in May!

Reservations are not required and the cost of lunch is $5.00. The luncheon will be held in Miller Hall. If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Craft, Administrative Assistant to Discipleship at 601-326-9243 or shannonc@fpcjackson.org

Missionary Spotlight ~ Jon & Tracy Eide, Ukraine

Early in their marriage, Jon and Tracy felt God’s call on their lives to serve Him overseas. Jon graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and went on to seminary at Biblical Theological Seminary in suburban Philadelphia, where he received a Master’s of Divinity degree. He is ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America as a pastor/missionary. Tracy graduated from Albright College in Reading, PA with a B.S. in nursing, and worked as a critical care nurse in Philadelphia.

After spending three years with a Mission to the World church-planting team in Nikolaev, Ukraine, they returned to the U.S. where they helped start a new church among the large Russian community of Philadelphia. God has led them back to serve in Ukraine, this time in the capital city of Kiev where Jon will be mentoring Ukrainian pastors in church planting. In addition to caring for their children, Tracy hopes to continue work in children’s ministry and women’s discipleship.

Ukraine is a land of overwhelming spiritual and physical needs that only the gospel can truly meet. The Eides’ desire is to be a part of God’s work there.

Jon and Tracy have three children: Alison, Natalie and Zachary Ivan, the latest addition to their family, whom, by the blessing of God, they were recently able to adopt.

Missionary Spotlight ~ Chuck & Lauren Askew, South Carolina

Chuck Askew is the campus minister for Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) at Coastal Carolina. Chuck is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but became involved with RUF in his time at the University of Florida.

After graduating, Chuck desired to test his gifts for ministry and so he spent 2 years as an intern with RUF at Mississippi State. After those two years, Chuck went to RTS Jackson for seminary. There he met his lovely wife Lauren, originally from Syracuse, New York, who was in the Marriage and Family Therapy program of RTS. After graduating in 2005, Chuck and Lauren moved to Conway, South Carolina to start the RUF at Coastal Carolina University. Coastal Carolina University is a public university in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area. Coastal has 8,000 students, drawing heavily from the Northeastern states. You are just as likely to meet someone from New York, Pennsylvania, or Ohio, as you are to meet a native of South Carolina on Coastal's campus. Chuck and Lauren are blessed with a son Charlie and a daughter Eleanor Katherine.

Missionary Spotlight ~ Sidney and Louise Anderson, Czech Republic

Sidney and Louise have had the privilege of serving in the US, Nigeria, and the Czech Republic. Louise came to faith in Christ through the witness of her mother, and Sidney through the witness of his parents.

In Nigeria, the Andersons worked with the Tiv Tribe working in theological education and evangelism. The spiritual climate among the Tiv stands in stark contrast to that of Prague, Czech Republic, the birthplace of the Reformation. Today only about half of one percent of all Czechs are Evangelical Christians.

The Andersons’ goal is reformation in Central Europe. They plan to approach this enormous task by (1) church planting (2) theological training, and (3) publication of Reformed literature. They know, on the other hand, that without prayer nothing of eternal weight can be accomplished. The task is too enormous in such a thoroughly secularized culture. Will you join with them in prayer for the Czech Republic? Three churches have been started: at Zlin in Moravia (now particularized), at Zbraslav in Southern Prague, and at Strechovice in Northern Prague. There are plans for a fourth congregation in Modrany, also part of Prague, the capital city.

Sidney and Louise have one son named Paul.

Missionary Spotlight ~ Ellen Barnett, Mexico

Ellen is a native Tennessean who also claims North Carolina as home. She studied elementary education at Wheaton College and recently received her MA in biblical studies from Covenant Seminary.

Ellen doesn’t know of any time she didn’t know Jesus as her loving Friend. She accepted Him as Lord and Savior before age five.

As a result of early contacts with missionaries, Ellen felt the only reasonable response to the Lord’s work in her life was to serve Him in missions. In her teens she reexamined that desire in light of her fears and limitations, but the Lord reconfirmed her decision as she trusted in His power for His work.

Ellen has served in Acapulco since 1975 with MTW. Her ministry has included Bible studies; work with children, youth and singles; and leadership training in Acapulco and Guerrero State. Ellen’s present responsibilities include development and teaching in Maranatha Bible Institute and teacher-training seminars throughout Mexico. She especially enjoys discipling young people through these ministries. Recently Ellen has worked in the formation of New Horizon, a Christian primary/preschool. Ellen is involved in finding resources for development, strategic training for the staff and board, and fundraising for property and future construction.

Pray for Ellen as she is currently on HMA from October 2007-June 2008. Pray for provision of teachers at New Horizon School, as well as new students and funds for the building payments.