Mississippi Banquet Planned 2007

We are currently planning a banquet to be held in Tupelo, Mississippi in late August or early September. If you would like to volunteer to help, or make reservations to attend please contact Patrick at (731) 664-9960 or pbeardtn@aol.com

Robin Mark Concert Set for August 16, 2007

This past summer we were blessed to host Robin Mark and his band from Ireland, along with Kula and WindDance for an awareness raising event.
Plans are underway for Robin Mark to return to the Jackson area on Thursday, August 16, 2007. If you would like to volunteer to help with this event please contact us.

Bible Conference -- 2007

Thanks to a generous gift from a local Baptist church the annual IOI Bible conference is on schedule for January 2007.
The conference is scheduled for January 19 which is the day after Timket, an Ethiopian Orthodox holiday celebrating the baptism of Jesus.
This year’s theme refers to the cultural holiday and the invitation that Christ extends to those whom He calls: “‘Follow Me’ Buried with Christ in baptism, and raised to walk in newness of life.” The theme scripture passage is Matthew 16:24: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Ecki Breitenmoser, SCFS Port Minister from Germany, will be the special guest speaker for the day long conference. Ecki, his wife and three sons live and minister in Bremerhaven, Germany. The Breitenmosers have been associated with IOI since July 2003. As well as serving as an evangelist and Bible teacher, Ecki has ministered to men who struggle with habitual sins. His testimony is one of hope and perseverance based on a Biblical presentation of the Gospel and Christ’s commands to obey.
The conference follows the Ethiopian celebration of Christmas (January 6) and each missionary supported through IOI will receive a gift box containing various useful items and a small monetary gift. There is still time to participate by sending personal greetings, Christmas cards and monetary gifts to the missionaries to be included in the gift boxes. Call Patrick for details at (731) 217-0750.

Patrick's Paragraphs - The Normal Christian Life

The Christian life is often portrayed as an event or an addition to a prosperous life, maybe even as a way to overcome addiction. In the West we see the importance of a relationship with Christ. However, many times we treat God as though He were one of many friends to whom we may go in times of need or a king that may be appeased with an act of service or the payment of a tax due.
The Church in the East has tended to see the Christian life as more of a journey. We hear the Gospel and receive faith. We “practice” the faith and have our wills conformed to the will of God. Our minds are in the process of change and our flesh is dying. Scripture agrees with this view and tells us that we must put to death the deeds of the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit, and take up our cross to follow Jesus. We will be saved if we continue in the faith.
In my younger days I thought that “doing” something “big” for God was what God required of me. I am finding that the big thing that He requires is that I am to be holy as Christ is holy. This is not done through human promise. It is not an event or a vocational choice. It is the work of God as He conforms us to the image of His Son who is wholly submissive to the will of the Father. We cooperate with His Spirit to present ourselves to God as living sacrifices.
Watchman Nee put it this way: “Presenting myself to God implies a recognition that I am altogether His… This does not mean that I consecrate myself to be a preacher or a missionary. Alas, many people are missionaries not because they have truly consecrated themselves to God but because, in the sense which we are speaking, they have not consecrated themselves to Him. They have ‘consecrated’ something altogether different, namely, their own uncrucified natural faculties to the doing of His work; but that is not true consecration. Then to what are we to be consecrated? Not to Christian work, but the will of God, to be and to do whatever He requires.” (Normal Christian Life)
I am becoming increasingly convinced that true Christianity has much less to do with “working for God,” and much more to do with what God is doing in and through us. He is giving us faith, hope and love. He is loving others through us. He is conforming us to the image of Christ. He is saving and sanctifying those who believe His Gospel.

The IOI Video by Nic Pfost

Office Manager Needed in US Office

As the ministry of IOI has grown so too has the need for more permanent full-time assistance in the office. Various volunteers have helped to ease the burden, but the needs have now surpassed this provision.

The duties of an office manager for IOI would be to 20-30 hours per week and include accounting, public relations and media. The ideal candidate would be knowledgeable of various accounting and publishing computer programs.

As we are a ministry that operates by faith the new manager would need to raise his/her own support and see this position as a calling by which he/she can use God-given skills and talents in order to support indigenous ministers.

Office hours would be 8:30-12:30 Tuesday through Friday and 2:00-5:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

If you are interested in this ministry opportunity please contact Patrick at (731)664-9960 or indigenousoutreach@juno.com for more details.

Help Us Celebrate Christmas in January

Each year we try to give each of the Ethiopian missionaries and their families a small gift box with various useful items most of which can be purchased in Ethiopia (coffee, sugar, salt, paper, pens, crayons, flashlight, beans and candy). We also like to give each missionary an item of new clothing. These boxes contain about $15 worth of items.

This year in addition to the boxes for Ethiopia we are also collecting money for boxes that will be given to international sailors in Bremerhaven, Germany. In addition to various personal gift items, there will also be a personal letter and evangelical literature distributed in each box given to a sailor. These boxes will be distributed by Ecki Breitenmoser and his family as they visit and minister on ships from around the world.
To sponsor a box for a missionary family or an international seafarer, please write “Christmas Gift Boxes” as your designation.

Due to shipping costs and limited luggage space, we cannot accept items for shipping.

Ministry Update from Ethiopia

By John Benton Lane
As I think about this past year, I am amazed at God's grace that has been given to us through you. I know that many of the things that have happened to us and to those that we have come in contact with would have been impossible without your prayers. We thank you, in Christ, for your continued love, prayers, and support.
As our term in Ethiopia is coming to an end, we have been faced with a decision of what would please God for us to do next. We have prayed, meditated and sought counsel on this issue, and we believe that God would be pleased for us to return to the U.S. in December and to pursue theological training.
My burden has always been for the church in America. But God has been gracious to me by bringing me here to continue to conform me to the image of Christ. I have learned and experienced things here that would have been impossible in America. I would not trade this past year for anything.
It has been very hard at times as God has been breaking us of our idols, but the end result has been knowing Christ in a far deeper way than we would have if we had stayed in the comfort of home.
Megan and I look forward to fellowship with you more than you can understand. We have truly experienced the need of fellowship among the body of Christ as we have been away from you. And to be back at our home church at Woodland to fellowship and work will be a blessing.
It is hard to leave the Ethiopian saints that have ministered to us so much by the testimony of their own lives. I have been blessed beyond measure by many brothers and sisters here as I have seen them live in the reality of the person of Christ. I have been with them and witnessed their passion as well as their suffering and have met Christ through so many of them. For as long as God gives me life, I will be thankful for the time that I have had to live among them.

Ministry Update from Europe

By Ecki Breitenmoser

We have been back in Germany for almost two years. Many things have happened, both good and bad. We learn from the mistakes and take joy in the successes. For Christ the number of salvations or Bibles distributed are not important, but how faithful we have been to Him in both word and actions.
It is always very special when we have the privilege of bringing one or more seafarers to our home. Nadine is very hospitable and provides delicious meals, but each time the seafarers have one request. Yes, they are hungry, but for the Word of God. We hosted such a seafarer from South Africa recently. When we had all taken our seats he immediately said, “Come on, tell me about God’s word.” Moments like that are humbling to me as I witness what zeal and hunger these men have for feasting at the Lord’s table.

In the past two weeks I have received a lot of encouragement from different seafarers from around the world. A Russian seafarer wrote, “Many have visited the ship, but no one brought God’s word to us before. Thank you so much!” An Indian brother said, “Thank you so much for coming and the message from God’s word.” Another from the Philippines said, “Through God’s word you gave us hope in this darkness.”

To stay better informed about the ministry here in Germany you can log on to our website. You can also find current prayer requests, news and photos at www.scfs-bremerhaven.de.

Patrick's Paragraphs -- Be Still and Know Him

The past couple of years have been both difficult and filled with blessings. Physically and emotionally, I am very tired most of the time.
I have not been able to travel much, which is a blessing in a way, as I have been able to spend more time with my family. When I have traveled, it has been mostly problem-solving rather than encouraging. Balancing many spinning plates is part of my job as director, and I actually enjoy having many irons in the fire. However, the task has simply become overwhelming.
There is something in me that likes working, maybe to a sinful degree. I think the term is “workaholic.” Things have been going so well with the ministry that I have certainly had plenty of work to do. Dr. Padelford is fond of saying, “The only thing we have to fear is success.” So, God is gracious and often sends storms our way and stops us in our tracks.
The past couple of months have been particularly blessed as we were able to sell our home at a profit; we have moved into a temporary home, and the health of the family has been much improved. I certainly believe that many of you have been praying for us, and God has answered your prayers.
It is during these times of great blessing that I seem most likely to forget God. Instead of being still and knowing Him, I would much rather busy my days with “important” things. I make my decisions and ask God to bless my plans. I really should know better by now.
When IOI started it was at an extreme low point of my life, and I see now how God has redeemed that suffering. I have had low points since, and I see how God has redeemed those times to further conform me to the image of His Son. It has become clear in all of this that God is not nearly so interested in us doing something for Him, rather His desire is that we should know Him.
As the holidays approach I am sure that we will all be tempted to busyness and activities. I would like to remind us all that our greatest purpose in life is to love God and our fellow man. Everything pales in comparison to our glorious God and the love that He has poured out on those who believe. May your holidays be a time of peace as you contemplate the goodness of God.

Church Planting in Ethiopia

The main purpose of Indigenous Outreach is to support indigenous ministers as they make disciples in their native land. Many of the missionaries are evangelists, some are pastors, some teachers and one is even an administrator. Like all believers worldwide, each of these ministers has been uniquely gifted by God to fulfill various roles within the greater body.
In Ethiopia there are still many villages with no congregation of believers. Indigenous Outreach is helping a group of local ministers from multiple denominations in Ethiopia to begin new congregations particularly in the Oromo region as the doors are wide open and many opportunities exist.
We understand that making disciples involves much more than evangelism. IOI has partnered with sister organizations and churches in an effort to provide a holistic approach to what many call “Church Planting”. One of our partners provides health care and sanitation training through local churches and has helped to make these churches a place of hope and healing. We also strive to strengthen existing congregations through theological training at an annual Bible conference, and a planned Missionary Training Center. IOI also provides hundreds of Bibles and theological books each year to believers to help them grow in the knowledge of Christ. In an effort to obey the commands of Christ and to display His love and mercy, we have also partnered with Operation Rescue and the Repi Children’s Fund to consistently care for 24 poor children.
Lives are being changed, the poor are being cared for and the Gospel is being preached. This is what we mean when we say church planting. v