Missionary Spotlight ~ Glenn and Frances Camenisch, Portugal

Glenn and Frances have served with MTW in Lisbon since 1979. They are from Kentucky and Tennessee respectively, but were raised in Brazil where their parents were missionaries. In Brazil, the Lord brought them to faith in Jesus. Although they grew up together, they re-met after college and married in 1973.

While attending King College, where Glenn received a B.A. in psychology, he felt a call to the ministry. He then continued his training at Reformed Theological Seminary. Frances graduated from Belhaven College with a Bible major.

Upon graduation from seminary in 1976, the Camenisches served the Collinsville Presbyterian Chapel of First Church in Gadsden, Alabama. But having felt called to missions during seminary, they began preparations to go with MTW’s Brazil team to Rio. However, the Lord closed that door and led them to Europe.

In Portugal a small Presbyterian Denomination founded on the inerrancy of Scripture has since been established. Glenn and Frances work with this church through pastoring, preaching, teaching, music, outreach, and counseling.

The Camenisches have three grown children: Joel, Andrew, and Sara.

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Men of the Covenant Luncheon

Men, mark your calendars for our third Men of the Covenant Luncheon this semester! We are privileged to have our own Dr. William Harper speak to us on Thursday, April 3, 2008. Dr. Harper has served in numerous leadership positions throughout the church and community and is an elder here at First Presbyterian Church. A graduate of the University of MS Medical School, Dr. Harper served in the US Army Medical Corps, is Board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, is a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology, and serves as the current President of Hinds Cardiology Clinic. He has also served as a staff cardiologist for CMMC, St. Dominic, and MBMC which included service as the former Chief of Staff of CMMC. He and his wife Lou Ann have four daughters. We hope you can join us for this time of fellowship and encouragement!

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 Allison Shaw, Discipleship Ministry Assistant, at 601-973-9128 or AllisonS@fpcjackson.org
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Missionary Spotlight ~ Bruce and Barbara Wannemacher, South Africa

Bruce and Barbara grew up in northern Illinois and met in elementary school. They both became Christians through a campus ministry at college and married before their senior year. After graduation Bruce attended graduate school, earning a master’s degree. He then served as a U.S. Army officer in the Medical Service Corps.

Desiring to serve in cross-cultural missions after military service, Bruce and Barbara pursued Bible training at Covenant Theological Seminary. They both graduated in 1998; Bruce with an M. Div. degree and Barbara with an M.A. in general theological studies. During their seminary years, God confirmed their desire to serve cross-culturally through short-term missionary opportunities in England, Jordan, and Africa.

Bruce is on staff at the Bible Institute of South Africa in Cape Town, teaching and discipling African students and pastors throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Barbara is actively involved with discipling Bible college women and works off-campus teaching Bible at a local primary school.

Bruce and Barbara have two grown children.

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Missionary Spotlight ~ Wayne & Amy Newsome, Japan

Wayne is originally from Chattanooga, TN, and Amy is from Enterprise, AL. After serving with MTW in Japan since 1990, the Newsomes are more encouraged than ever before about what God is doing. Their team has been involved in planting four churches and is moving into a new phase of ministry.

With “Equipping Japanese to Reach the World” as the motto, the Nagoya Church-planting Team’s new vision encompasses a variety of ministries. The Newsomes work to expand church-planting ministries by partnering with Japanese co-workers to target new locations for church plants. The team is also involved in beginning a seminary to enable Japanese Christians to identify their gifts and receive training for ministry. The International Christian Academy of Nagoya, which the team stared in 1999, meets the educational needs of many children in central Japan. Team members and Japanese co-workers are preparing for a counseling ministry with a desire to help local churches develop lay counseling programs to serve and assist their communities. Also, with 50,000 university students in the area, the student ministry continues to be a high priority for the team.

Wayne and Amy have five children: Katelyn, Samuel, Mary Grace, Sarah, and Joshua.

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Funeral Sermons at the FPCJ website

The Reverend Doug McCullough, our Learning Resource Center Director, has put together a collection of funeral sermons at the church website.



We have received permission from the families to post these messages. We hope they will be helpful to grieving Christians and the ministers who preach God's word to them.



See them here.
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Missionary Spotlight ~ Al & Wini Baker - Hartford, Connecticut

Al and Wini Baker moved to Hartford, CT in September, 2003 after serving the Golden Isles Presbyterian Church, St. Simons Island, GA, for over ten years. Al sensed God’s call to a challenging field, and answered the call of the Southern New England Presbytery to plant a church in West Hartford. Starting with a core group of eight families, Christ Community Presbyterian Church was particularized in June, 2006 and now has sixty families attending. The plans include a multi-site expansion in the spring of 2008 with hopes of planting several more churches in Connecticut in the next several years.

Prayer Requests:
(1) Please pray for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to convert the lost and to bless the preaching and evangelistic ministry of Christ Community Presbyterian Church.

(2) Please pray for God’s direction and provision for a new location for our original church, since the building in which we have been meeting for four years will soon be unavailable.

(3) Please pray for God’s direction and blessing on expanding our church planting efforts in Connecticut.
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Missionary Spotlight ~ Ruth Dinkins, Brazil

Ruth Dinkins was reared on the mission field of Brazil. Although she grew up in a strong Christian home, she did not submit her life to the Lord until she was 18 years of age. She earned her associate’s degree from Montreat Anderson Junior College and her bachelor’s degree from Pembroke State University in Pembroke, North Carolina. She returned home to Brazil in 1980 and was a teacher of Christian education at the Edward Lane Bible Institute from 1982-1987.

After earning her master’s of Christian education degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi in May of 1991, she accepted the position of Director of Children’s Ministries at Christ Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. During her years of ministry there, Ruth invested much energy in making missions an integral part of the Christian education curriculum. She also served on the missions committee and went on various youth and adult mission trips to Brazil and Mexico.

In 1997, Ruth was invited to return to Brazil to serve as director of the Christian Education Department of the Edward Lane Bible Institute in Patrocinio, Minas Gerais. Besides teaching classes, she also administrates and coordinates all the students’ field/practical work.

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Forrest G. "Bud" Bratley ~ Mustard Seed, Flowood, MS

Bud has been serving at the Mustard Seed as the Interim Executive Director for the past few months. He has served on the Board of Trustees in several different capacities over the last 20 years. Bud and his wife, Mary, have three daughters, one of whom, Rebecca, has been participating in the Mustard Seed handbell choir, ceramic workshop, and other activities for the last 10 years. Mary and Bud have been members of First Presbyterian Jackson for 30 years.

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A Kind Providence

For over a year now, it’s been the distinct privilege of the Young Adult Dept. at FPC to lead a weekly Bible study at the Mississippi College School of Law. We meet during the lunch hour every Monday for a time of teaching and discussion from a passage of Scripture. The title of the series for this semester is “Heavenly Wisdom for Earthly Good: A Study of the Book of James.”

Yesterday we focused our attention on James 1:19-21 and 3:1-12. This is the section in James where the dangers of the tongue are addressed frankly, and where we receive this very convicting command: “…be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” Discussion regarding the sins of the tongue make almost any group of Christians squirm, but you can imagine how affecting these words were for a room full of soon-to-be lawyers! (Almost as affecting as a room full of soon-to-be ministers!)

Well, in God’s kind providence it pleased him to re-emphasize this truth to me today. When I opened J.I. Packer’s Knowing and Doing the Will of God to read the devotional for February 12, the reading came from James 1:21—the exact passage I taught the day before. Here’s what it says, “Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” Though I knew what James intended in his instruction, I found my soul needing to hear this admonition afresh this morning. Humility prepares the soil of the heart to receive the seed of the gospel. It's not my words or your words that save; it's God's Word.

Here’s what Packer had to say: “God plants the word in our hearts just as we plant bulbs and seeds in our flower pots. The word takes root in our hearts and changes us in ways of which we are not at first conscious; in due course, however, we become aware that we are different from the way we were. Once I didn't see Jesus in his glory, now I do. Once I didn’t love my heavenly Father, and now I do. Once I didn’t find worship a joy, and now I do. Once I didn’t desire to please God more than I desire anything else in the world; once I didn’t desire God’s fellowship at all—but that has changed. What has happened? The Word has been planted and taken root, and through the Holy Spirit it has become the means of life to my—and your—heart.” (p.53)

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FPC's Upcoming 2008 Missions Conference

The Missions Conference is quickly approaching, so this a great opportunity for us to list all of the missionaries that will be attending the Conference. The 2008 Conference will kick off Wednesday, February 20th, and go through Sunday, February 24th. There will be a church-wide luncheon on Thursday, February 21st at 11:30am in Miller Hall.

Friday, February 22nd, will be a memorable evening, with a missions celebration featuring Ginny Owens in concert and missionary guests. The concert will take place in the sanctuary. Everyone is invited to this great time of celebration.

Our missionaries will be speaking at the luncheon, during church services, at the Day School, and in Sunday school classes., providing a number of opportunities to meet our missionaries. Please take this opportunity to get to know them and make them feel welcomed.

We need to pray for the Conference, our missionaries that will be attending, and that we would reach our Faith Promise Goal of $1.1 million dollars. May God bless this time of gathering with such a great group of people.

The Key note speaker is Dr. Iain D. Campbell, Minister of Back Free Church of Scotland, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Listed below are the missionaries that will be attending the Missions Conference.

MISSION TO THE WORLD:
Keith and Debbie, Africa
John and Kathy Lesondak, Slovakia
Dan and Janet McBride, Africa
Glenn and Mary Rowan, East Asia
Bill and Suzanne, North America
Ron and Peg Smith, Florida
Jim and Caty Tate, Ecuador

MISSION TO NORTH AMERICA:
Ed and Stefanie Dunnington, Roanoke, VA ~ Church Planter
David and Amie McIntosh, Hartsville, SC ~ Church Planter
J.R. and Eliza Foster, RUF, Virginia Tech ~ Campus Ministry
Joey and Summer Wright, RUF, Mississippi College ~ Campus Ministry

MISSION TO JACKSON:
Bud Bratley, Mustard Seed ~ Flowood, MS
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