North Michigan District - IVY Ministry Newsletter

Volume 6, Issue 2

Index
A Breath of ALIVE
Scotville WAR & Legislation!
Remus Reaching through
Food &
Fellowship
The Bible All Languages How Sweeet It IS!
Love Bears
All Things

May 10, 2015

A Breath of ALIVE
I have met with the Lord! He has shared a great wonderful facet of Himself! He
comes to us when we are alone in His presence. He comes to us when we are serving Him.
And He came to us when we gathered with 760 other women in Nashville, Tennessee.
Alive, General Churchs Wesleyan Womens Movement Gathering, under the direction of
Rev. Andrea Summers exploded into reality April 17 to 19. Andrea sought the Lords
direction, supported by her team of enthusiastic ladies and denominational leaders, a prayer
team committed to praying consistently for the Lords leading. The result was
magnanimous for us but the total and real results will shine in heaven to His great glory.
Representing N. MI District at ALIVE in Nashville were 3 from Bay City, 5 from
Crystal Lake Community, 2 from Dice, 2 from Muskegon First, 2 from Ferry Wesleyan and
a group of a dozen or so from Greenville. At least 200 of the 2,128 new or gently used bras
collected for Free the Girls, came from N. MI.

Five Loaves
And Two Fish
IVY Day Away

Greenville Community

Crystal Lake Community

Editor:
Sue Schram
g_schram@
yahoo.com
(989)893-7896

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A Breath of ALIVE (cont.)

One paragraph/one article cannot capture this event. Just to share a smidgen:
Friday: Bianca Olthoff uplifted the Good Samaritan and stated the neighbor is the one who has mercy for
his fellow man because he sees him and his needs with a broken heart.
Saturday: Jo Saxton shared we are called to know Him and make Him known. All through history
Christians are known for how they acted and treated others. England missed a bloody revolution because
of Wesleys teaching of the Gospel and the transforming affect it had on the English population.
Sunday: JoAnne Lyon proclaimed we are more than we know. John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone
who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I
am going to the Father.
Twenty-seven life track seminar options were offered. Topics included purposeful singleness,
prayer and mentoring sessions, sex and intimacy in marriage, fighting human trafficking, finding
thankfulness in the midst of struggles, and more. We were awed and inspired by talented Christian
musicians, Spirit-filled prayer and devotions, and the God inspired speakers. The worship songs and
testimonies shared set the tone for God encounters and the Holy Spirit filled the air. In addition, $9,328
was collected to assist in five-month residential internships for women in Nepal: vocational skills,
literacy skills, and discipleship training. There were 374 dresses sewn for Dress a Girl Around the
World, an organization that is seeking to insure every girl worldwide owns at least one dress, reinforcing
love and self-worth to each. Operation Inasmuch supervised10,152 meals assembled to be provided for
needy Nashville residents.
One highlight, for me, was meeting Pastor Dale Salaway and 5 ladies from our Native American
ministry. She is exploring the possibility of being a guest speaker at our Day Away on Oct. 3, at Northern
Light, Cadillac, MI. (More information to follow.)

ALIVE was ALIVE!

Bev Kimball
Dice Wesleyan Church
and friends from
Sierra Leone

You meet the

nicest people at
ALIVE!

Bay City Wesleyan - ALOVEY (?)

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Scottville, WAR & Legislation!

April 13, the ladies at Scottville sponsored a Human Trafficking Event---Marilyn Warmuskerken
was inspired by the Dec. CCC article written by Michell Mowat, Human Trafficking Awareness Evening.
She approached her ladies with article in hand and reported to me later they were in agreement, LETS
DO IT! They planned, contacted speakers, State Senator Judy Emmons and Julie from WAR (Women
At Risk), and advertised. Both speakers were informative. These ladies provided a wonderful WAR
shopping experience. As the assembly moved toward the cookies and to shop, a lady said to Sen.
Emmons, My daughter and her church should have an event like this. Sen. Emmons replied, Have
them contact me.
Contacts for information are: WAR: www.warinternational.org info@warinternational.org
(616) 855-0796 or State Senator Judy K. Emmons: (866) 305-2133, (517) 373-3760
senjemmons@senate.michigan.gov , www.SenatorJudyEmmons.com. Marilyn shared, I wish more
would have come! I told Marilyn that the information will ripple. Anne Abbot, Walkerville Wesleyan
Church attended with members from other congregations/denominations.

Great work, Scottville ladies!

Remus-Reaching through
Food & Fellowship
Thursday night, a wonderful soup and salad this week followed by games! Bring a friend and get to know our church.
The real churchNot the building or grounds but His children, just people with a great message to share! Remus Trinity
Wesleyan Church started Thursday suppers with activity: sometimes games; sometimes a movie; sometimes music.

COMMUNITY WELCOME!

Anyone for a game of UNO?

Sorry about that, Chief!

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The Bible-All Languages-How Sweet It Is!

Desserts without calories, of course, sweetened the crowd as they listened to Rev. Steve Eccles
share his testimony, vision and upcoming calling to be a Wycliffe mobilizer. God performed an amazing
miracle by transferring Lori to an MSU extension office in Grand Rapids doing the same job. Steve
recently wrote an e-mail and ended with this paragraph:
I would be glad to speak in your Churches, Sunday School Classes, Small groups, have a desert
night or just sit down and have a cup of coffee, tea etc., I would love to share with you about what God is
doing around the world through Bible Translation. We are in the process of developing partnerships with
people, groups and Churches to allow us to advance Bible Translation. Feel free to give me a call, send
me an email or write me a letter (some people still do that). God is doing amazing things and I believe it
would be a blessing to be able to talk about what He is doing. My email address is:
Steve_eccles@wycliffe.org (there is an _ between Steve and Eccles) Our new address: Steve and
Lori Eccles, 4240 Hidden Lakes Dr. Apt. 101, Kentwood, Michigan 49512,
Steves Number is 231-676-0744---Loris Number is 231-676-0216

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Love Bears All Things

At the Merrill Womens Saturday Breakfast, 20 ladies enjoyed the monthly womens breakfast.
Ladies shared their teddy bear stories and ate a wonderful breakfast put together by the guys. Pink, red,
hearts and stuffed bears tied into I Cor. 13, the love chapter. Not a wedding ceremony-but Pauls
instructions to the established church on a more excellent way! All spiritual gifts are nothing without
love. Gods love, an essential ingredient, should permeate all churches. Paul describes love: what it is and
what it is not. Through all our failings, short comings, disputes, factions, love bears all things!
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Five Loaves and Two Fish!

A small group (7 ladies & 2 teens), from a small church in a small town touched their community,
their community leaders, fellow ladies, missionaries, veterans and people in Asia. At their Feb. monthly
meeting, the Breckenridge ladies reported their Fall/December activities. They sponsored a clothing give
away, assembled holiday appreciation baskets for the fire and police departments, sent the Grays a
monetary Christmas gift, collected hats and gloves for the homeless veterans, and spread the gospel and
fed Asian people through a donation to Gospel to Asia which purchased chickens and Gospel tracks.
They prayed for one another, sent a card to home bound member, praised the Lord, and if I hadnt shared
a devotion, they would have read and discussed a chapter from Heaven is for Real. This group is one of
Christs miracles. Five loaves/two fish fed thousands! Nine wonderful, yet ordinary, ladies impact the
world and community for Christ!

2015 - IVY Day Away

Save the Date
Saturday October 3, 2015
Northern Light Church in Cadillac Michigan
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (ish)
$10.00 Lunch Included
Silent Auction
Workshops
Good Music
Great Speakers
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