Raleigh
North
Gideon
Newsletter
March
2002
Click here to see the March Prayer Calendar for Churches & Pastors
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
(1 Corinthians 15: 58—Gideon Scripture Memory Course no. 40)
Ten Candidates Attend
One-on-One Camp Meeting
![[Mike Steiner]](steiner.jpg)
|
| NC Gideon State Vice- president Mike Steiner speaks on "Number 1 Gideon." |
Four prospective Gideons and six prospective Auxiliary members came to
the One-on-One Camp Meeting on February 19. They were curious as to what God
would have them do. Did God want them to join? Should they commit themselves to
serve in this ministry? That’s what they came to find out. They sat at tables
“one-on-one” with members of our camp and took notes.
The turnout was good, as around 40 folks showed up for a time of food,
fellowship and inspiration. North Carolina State Gideon Vice-president Mike
Steiner gave a great presentation on what it means to be a “Number One Gideon.”
“Can any of us do all the things a number-one Gideon should do?” he asked. “No.
Can any of us do one thing—like pray, or attend a monthly dinner, or place the
Word of God in a hotel room, or speak in a church? Of course we can. God will
provide the time for you to do His will. However, all a Gideon is required
to do is to pray and pay his dues.”
![[Juanita Vickers]](juanita.jpg)
|
| Area 8 Auxiliary Memorial Bible Program Assistant Juanita Vickers: "To me, the Auxiliary was an answer to prayer." |
Then Mrs. Mack (Juanita) Vickers took the podium and told the ladies
about the Auxiliary. “The main function of the Auxiliary is to pray,” she said.
“To me, the Auxiliary was an answer to prayer. There are four things you can
do: wear the Auxiliary emblem, pray, pay dues and encourage your husband.”
Near the
close of the meeting, most questions in the minds of these candidates had been
answered. But for some, there were a few more. So now was their opportunity to
talk with the “old hands” already “in the know.” Finally, there was a time to
fill out application blanks and sign them.
As of this writing, there is still no news on the
acceptance of these new members by Gideons International. Meanwhile, we
should extend them the opportunities to be with us while their membership is
confirmed. We need their involvement quickly to capture on their
excitement for this ministry.
A big "THANK YOU!" to the Lord for inspiring Membership Chairman Cliff Merrill to do such a wonderful job in putting this dinner together!
Providence Baptist Church Hosts Gideon Booth
For the fourth year in a row, Providence Baptist Church has allowed Bill Swart and Bill Schone to set up a Gideon Mission Expo booth at the church’s
annual Missions Festival (February 15-17). Our booth was set up alongside more
than 50 other mission booths, all supported by the church. It was a special time for church
members and the public to interact with missionaries and mission agencies (such
as the Gideons).
![[Gideon booth]](gideonbooth.jpg)
Bill Schone (l.) and Bill Swart man the Gideon Mission Expo booth at Providence.
Bill Swart reports, “It was a blessed time for Bill Schone and I because
there was a lot of interest in our booth; we gave away 25 Personal Workers
Testaments. We even gave (from our personal funds) a Spanish-English Testament
to a lady who was teaching English to a Spanish-speaking child living in her
house. We also gave a Russian Testament to a person who ‘just had to have it.’”
The two Gideons also spoke as a team in one of the adult Sunday School classes.
Bill Swart spoke on USA Gideon activities and Bill Schone spoke on
International activities.
Note: Providence Baptist church is one of our camp’s major supporters, even though we don’t get to speak at their church services. Bill Swart says, “We’ve tried to accommodate the church programs and truly try to be a missionary arm of the church. We believe that, in this way, we have found a way to support this church as Gideons that may be different than usual. It has taken us years to establish ourselves as an outreach of this church. Now, they enthusiastically support the Gideons with their prayers and donations.
Camp Meeting March 19:
New Church Assignment Program
Our next camp dinner meeting will be held at Embassy Suites,
4700 Creedmoor Road, at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 19. Don’t miss this time of
food, fellowship and inspiration. Fresh from the February 9th
Regional Seminar, Doug Schmidt will present the exciting new Church Assignment
Program. A Gideon speaker requalification message is planned and, time permitting,
the new video promoting the 2002 State Convention in Raleigh will be
shown.
For the Auxiliary meeting special feature, Auxiliary Area 8
Director Linda Cooksey will present the new Memorial Bible Program and video,
with emphasis on new ways that the Auxiliary is now involved in this
program.
If you made a commitment to be at our last meeting but
couldn’t attend we were still charged for the meal. Please consider offering
your meal cost ($15 per person) to the camp fund c/o Gideons International, PO
Box 33635, Raleigh, NC 27636.
State Convention Planning Moves Forward
![[Convention planning meeting]](planb.jpg)
|
| Church Assignment Committee Chairman Doug Schmidt (l.) looks on while NC Gideon State VP and Convention Local Chairman John Kay discuss fine points of plan. |
As most of you know, the 2002 Gideon
State Convention is in Raleigh from May 2-5. On March 2, the planning committee, chaired by John and Nadine
Kay, met for the fourth time, again at the North Raleigh Church of the
Nazarene.
Jim Loehman
reported that a total of 269 registrations including 132 Gideons and 121
Auxiliary had been received as of March 1. In addition, 8 youths and no infants
have been registered. Doug Schmidt reported that 25-26 church services had been
obtained—17 from Raleigh East.
If you can spare a couple of hours, volunteers are
needed to assist at the merchandising table during the convention. Contact
Frank Rawley at 919-847-1366. Please pray for the Lord to bring little children
to the convention and to send good nursery workers to take care of them. Also,
pray for the living-plant centerpieces and for the favors (little pots of
thyme) at the Auxiliary Luncheon, that they’ll grow well and be beautiful in
time for the convention.
The next (and last) planning meeting is scheduled
from 10:00 a.m. to noon April 6 at the North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene on
Strickland Road (just east of Six Forks Road).
Complete
your Registration Form
and Mail it Today.
By now you should have
received a registration form for the Gideons State Convention, which takes
place this year right here in Raleigh May 2-5. Even though you may not be
staying at the Raleigh North Hilton, you still need to fill out the form and
return it now. If you don't have one, call Jim Loehman at 919-847-3009 and he will gladly mail you one. Jim says, “Pastors Banquet and
Fellowship Banquet seats are already filling up fast. Get a good seat and sign
up now!”
Local State Convention
Chairman John Kay and Bob Bennett
recently completed an excellent 9-minute promotional video about the
convention. Lucky attendees of the January 26 Saturday morning prayer morning
were the first to see it. All agreed it was very professional and very
good. Copies have been sent to every camp president in the state for
local viewing.
Faith Fund Encouraged
Faith Fund Chairman
Frank Rawley recently received this note of encouragement:
“As
you recall, the Gideons were a big asset for many of us chaplains. Here I have
been fortunate enough to be able to contribute financially to their work and
Becky and I attend their annual celebration for pastors’ assistance. You all do
good work. And I like your recruitment program.”
Chaplain
(Colonel) Floyd L. Heckard, US Army Retired
48
East 50th Street
Savannah,
Georgia 31405
Scripture
Distribution News
Trinity
Academy of Raleigh
On Wednesday, March 6, George Kissinger and John Kay visited
![[Girls at Trinity]](girls.jpg)
Trinity Academy of Raleigh’s “Upper school” (grades 9 - 12), which meets
at the Asbury Methodist church. They were invited by Upper school principal Rod Gilbert to tell the high school kids about the Gideons at their chapel service.
George and John gave out 82 orange Youth testaments. They also gave 19 Bibles
for the teachers to place at their desks. Then Mr. Gilbert said, “I forgot to
tell you about our Lower
school (grades K-8) campus on Ray Road. Can you go there today, too?”
George and John arrived at Calvary Presbyterian Church,
which houses the Lower school. They were just in time for their chapel service.
Again, they told the students about the Gideons and gave out 54 more
testaments, except for the 1st - 4th graders, which are
too young to receive Bibles under Gideon guidelines. They also gave out 12
Bibles for the teachers’ desks.
Starting in July, Trinity Academy will begin its move to facilities at Providence Baptist
Church.
Trinity will eventually buy that church building and, in a swap deal,
Providence will build a new church on land owned by Trinity Academy.
In a related note, North Raleigh Christian
Academy students are anxiously awaiting the fall 2002 opening of their new
campus on Perry Creek Road.
Hospital
Distributions
Last week, the chaplain
of the psychiatric unit at Raleigh Community Hospital called Auxiliary
Scripture Chairperson Dot Rawley and asked about getting Medical testaments. So
Dot participated with Gideon Scripture Chairman John Kay and on Wednesday,
March 6, 100 Medical testaments and 45 Hospital testaments were distributed at
thse hospital. That same day, another 100 Medical testaments were distributed
at Rex Hospital. Dot is very pleased that the Auxiliary is well on its way to
meeting its goals by year-end.
Thank you
Auxiliary from Interact
Interact is a battered
women’s shelter in Raleigh that “provides safety and support for victims of
domestic violence and survivors of sexual assault.” Since 2000, our Auxiliary
has been given the responsibility to distribute Ladies’ PWTs to its residents.
Recently, Auxiliary Scripture Chairperson Dot Rawley received this thank-you
note:
Dear Gideons International,
On behalf of the women, children and men who use
services provided by Interact, I would like to thank you for your donation of
Personal, Bedside, and Spanish New Testaments. We depend on the support and
generosity of this community to be able to provide crucial services free of
charge to thousands of victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual
assault in Wake County.
Sincerely,
Jaimee Murray, Office Manager
February 22, 2002
Hey, new Gideons!
Raleigh Bible Blitz—March 24
It’s
Bible Blitz time again! Placing Bibles in hotels and motels is the oldest and
most widely known aspect of the Gideon ministry. One of the greatest joys of
being a Gideon is to place a fresh copy of God’s Word where some needful soul
will read it and be drawn to Christ. This is a good way to break into the
Gideon ministry and learn what it’s about—especially since we’ve received
requests from at least two hotels to recheck their rooms. Seems that many
Bibles have disappeared since September 11.
Meet in the lobby of
the Crabtree Marriott Hotel at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. “General” John
Kay will disburse his Gideon teams to several nearby hotels with boxes of
Bibles. The teams will proceed with a room-by-room check with the object of
replacing all worn out and missing Bibles. This should take only about
one hour of your time. Call John Kay at 919-870-9266 and sign up. Or just come.
Church Assignments
Click here to see the March Prayer Calendar for Churches & Pastors
Gideon speakers from
all over the state will be attending the State Convention here in May. Pray
that we select the right speakers for the right churches. Our convention goal
is 100 local area church services on Rally Day, Sunday, May 5. If you would
like to schedule a Gideon report, contact Church Assignment Chairman Doug
Schmidt at home (782-5311) or work (781-0304). Pray for “inactive” churches to
respond positively.
Note: The Lee County camp need speakers for this coming
Rally Day, Sunday, March 17. Contact Doug Schmidt for more information.
Church Speaking Opportunities
|
Praise
for these churches and speakers: |
||
|
Feb 24 |
Creedmoor Road Baptist |
Ray Cooksey |
|
Pray for these churches and speakers: |
||
|
Mar 17 |
North Raleigh UMC |
Cliff Merrill |
|
Mar 24 |
Friendship Baptist |
Roger Turner |
|
Apr 7 |
Ridgecrest Baptist |
TBA |
|
Apr 28 |
St. Mark’s UMC |
TBA |
|
Apr 28 |
St. Timothy’s Episcopal |
Garland Tucker |
|
May 5 |
Emanuel Baptist |
TBA |
|
May 5 |
Calvary Presbyterian |
TBA |
|
May 5 |
Crabtree Valley Baptist |
TBA |
|
May 5 |
New Light Church of God |
TBA |
|
May 5 |
North Haven Church |
TBA |
|
May 12 |
Mt. Vernon Baptist |
Tom Hopper |
|
May 19 |
Wesley Memorial UMC |
TBA |
|
Jul 17 |
Victory Baptist |
TBA |
Christ is Risen!
|
|
Say
“I Love You” on Easter
With
Living Memorial Bibles
What will you do for Jesus at Easter? By now, you should have received an envelope from
Gideons International containing two “Christ is Risen” Living Memorial Bible
cards. This is the latest addition to the Gideon Memorial Bible program. Send
special Easter greetings to pastors, church staff, special friends or family
this Easter time by dedicating Bibles in their name. Mail your donation in the
handy gift envelope and don’t forget to indicate our camp number (U32120) in
the return address. If you have any questions, contact Memorial Bible Chairman
Garland Tucker at 785-0404.
In Memory: On February 28, 2000, our dear brother, Lloyd Stone
(International President 1998-2001), passed peacefully into the presence of
Jesus. His difficult journey of the past few months is over and today his body
is new, his mind is renewed and his soul is in unity with our Saviour the Lord
Jesus Christ. His passing leaves a tremendous void for his children, in his
church and with the Gideon ministry. Pray today for Julie and Elizabeth
(daughter and granddaughter), Van, Clay and Wesley. All of the cards provided
through the following link will be presented to his family for you. Click
on:
Lloyd Stone
Place Bibles in Memory of Lloyd V. Stone, Jr.
In Memory: Additionally,
our former International President, W. David Luikaart (International President
1980-1983), also passed into the presence of the Lord on February 21, 2000. He
had a massive heart attack while attending a ministry board meeting in Dalton,
GA. His funeral was a glorious celebration held on Tuesday, February 26 in
Grand Rapids. Some of you may remember that he was the speaker at our Pastors
Banquet in 1999. It was our largest banquet ever, with 106 attendees. All of
the cards provided through the following link will be presented to his family
for you. Click on:
David Luikaart
Place Bibles in Memory of W. David Luikaart
In Memory: Svetlana
Kuleshova, 48, of Minsk, Belarus, died unexpectedly the weekend of February 16
in Minsk. She was a widow who devoted the last 4 years of her life to the
children of Belarus who have been affected by the Chernobyl explosion in 1986.
She served as an interpreter for these children while they visited Raleigh each
summer for dental and medical care. Svetlana touched many lives as she allowed
the love of God to shine through. For the past few years, Gideons in our camp,
particularly Charlie Rabb, have given Russian-language New Testaments at Asbury
United Methodist Church to these visiting Ukrainian children, who were always accompanied
by the loving Svetlana. A memorial service was held at the church on Tuesday,
February 26. Memorial gifts may be made to The Gideons International, Raleigh
North Camp, P.O. Box 33635, Raleigh, NC 27636.
![[Svetlana Kuleshova]](svetlana.jpg)
Svetlana
Kuleshova
In Memory: Frances Louise Wood
Williams went to be with the Lord on March 27, 2001 in Wilkesboro, NC, just
three days before her 78th birthday. She was the wife of camp member
Alan H. Williams, who moved to Raleigh recently and is now a member of our
camp. Alan says Frances “was a grand woman.” Memorial gifts may be sent to: Alan H. Williams, 3113 Charles B. Root Wynd, Raleigh, NC
27612.
“I Was in
Prison and You Came to Me.”
(Matthew 25:36b)
On Sunday, February 24,
Charlie Rabb, Garland Tucker, Gary Pendleton, J.P. Morris, Monty Daniels and
Cliff Merrill visited the 480-bed downtown Wake County jail facility. The
ladies could not be visited due to weekly laundry. (This is the second month in
a row that this has happened—a bag of PWTs, Daily Breads and God's
Promises were sent to the floor via the deputies.) Tom Wallace, Richard
Justice, Ray Cooksey and Bill Swart visited the 424-bed newly revamped Hammond
Road facility.
Ray Cooksey reported
very good cooperation from the new staff at Hammond Road. One prisoner came to
him and said, “I don’t want to be just a ‘jailhouse Christian.’ I want to know
how to live properly when I get out and how to stay out. Could you give me any
suggestions?” So Ray talked with him about how to find a good Bible-believing
church with a congregation he could fellowship with and feel a part of. Ray
also led a lost soul (Spanish speaking) to Christ through a fellow resident as
an interpreter! Richard Justice led four men to the Lord, including two
Hispanics. Pray for a Spanish-speaking Gideon to join our camp. This is an
urgent need for one in our jail ministry.
That
evening 170 PWTs, 30 Auxiliary PWTs and
54 Spanish New testaments were placed! Twenty-seven residents gave their
hearts to the Lord! Lots of prayer was requested and accommodated. Bill
Swart spotted a young man in one of the dormitories standing off in a corner,
kind of watching the proceedings. Bill walked over to him and talked and prayed
with him, after which the man seemed comforted.
Wake County Jail
Chairman Cliff Merrill says, “Hammond Road is still yielding its fruit with
more residents coming forth for salvation! The harvesting of these lost souls
continues to be bountiful. Wake South camp (visits on second Sunday each
month) continues to reap fruits also.”
Butner
Prison Ministry
On Friday, March 8, thirty-six Butner inmates came to the
weekly Bible class, which is now studying Matthew 14. The growth of this class
has been extraordinary because of the grace of God and the dedicated Gideons
who teach it each week. For example, Ron McAdams drives 45 minutes each week
from Bunn just to meet the other Gideons in Raleigh. He then carpools with them
to Butner. That’s dedication! Please pray for our Gideons that regularly teach
the class: Ray Cooksey, John Dillard, John Kay, Jim Loehman, Ron McAdams and Prison
Chairman Tom Wallace. If you feel led to this ministry, call Tom Wallace at
919-782-0903. PRAY for this ministry and the prisoners.
Renew Your
Membership
Even if
you can’t attend meetings full-time, your dues are very important. Of the $40
you give, $2 helps pay the cost of the International Convention. In addition,
$17 is returned to the NC State Association to pay for such things as the
promotional costs of the State Convention and the Tar Heel Gideon. The
rest pays for expenses and staff at Gideon International Headquarters in
Nashville. The Auxiliary dues ($15) are allocated in much the same way. No
money given for Scriptures is ever used for these expenses.
If you haven’t renewed
your membership yet, please do it now and avoid the cost of sending a third notice to you on March 28. It is
estimated that the total cost of this notice will be approximately $1.35, the
cost of a New Testament placed in the hands of some soul destined to an
eternity without Jesus.
Be
Part of the Gideon Online Community:
Logon
to our Camp’s Website
Did you know
that already 84% of our camp members have e-mail addresses? And most, if not
all, have access to the Internet. That is why this newsletter went online. Just think . . .
- Color
photos.
- Easier
to read.
- You
can’t lose it.
- It’s
accessible anywhere anytime, even when you are away!
- Much cheaper for the camp (less postage, paper, copy work).
But
there’s more, much more! The Gideon USA Camp System was activated early last
fall and Ray Cooksey, in his role as Camp Secretary, is by default our camp’s
Site Administrator. Pat Simpson has been assisting as newsletter implementer.
Log on to www.gideons.org and sign in.
Links to our camp’s newsletter are already there. Our camp roster is also
there, along with telephone numbers. Plans are in place to put our camp’s
Scripture placement listing online as
well as church listings and the current Memorial Bible status. There is also a
message board and a picture board.
It is a first-class tool,
and we encourage you to use it. Try it out today and make a conscious effort to
check it out on a regular basis.
Comrades in Christ
![[Sergei Elmanov & John Kay]](sergei.jpg)
|
|
Sergei Elmanov (l.) receives Russian PWT from John Kay. |
John and Nadine Kay recently returned from Ryazan,
Russia, where, as part of a Josh McDowell mission group, they participated in
Operation Carelift 2002 Winter Project. (See February’s newsletter). Everywhere
they went, they were greeted by town mayors. Sometimes whole towns came out to
see them!
Sergei Elmanov, a Russian from Ryazan, was one of the
group’s most supportive people. He seemed to be around all the time. When there
were books and Bibles and literature to be loaded onto John and Nadine’s bus
each day, there was Sergei. It was always Sergei who made sure the group could
deliver the supplies to yet another destination.
It turns out that Sergei was a Gideon from Ryazan.
Not only that, he was a Scripture Chairman, just like John, and was a member of
Ryazan’s Central Baptist Church, which was attended by several other Russian
Gideons.
On the Kays’ last night in town, John gave Sergei a
Russian New testament (shown here) to show his appreciation and friendship. It
was one of 22 testaments John and Nadine had taken with them as special gifts
for their interpreters, bus drivers and guides. To God be the Glory!
MEPS Recruits Need You!
A need for backup volunteers exists at the MEPS (Military
Entrance Processing Station). Gideons are needed to present Service Testaments
to new recruits and to witness for Christ. Your mission is to offer free copies
of God’s Word to new recruits while expressing prayers and appreciation for
their service to our country. (Read “U.S.A. Military Distribution Guidelines”
in your Gideon Guide Book.) Working hours are terrific—7:30-8:00 a.m. on
weekdays only. Call Carl Nanney at 876-1973.
Saturday Morning Prayer:
Same Place—New Name
Join the Gideons and Auxiliary at 7:30 Saturday morning for
Scripture reading and prayer at the Crabtree Valley Clarion Hotel (formerly
Sheraton Four Points Hotel). Stay for a great time of fellowship and breakfast!
Ladies, please call Nadine Kay at 870-9266 if you plan to attend. Also, please
come to the monthly meetings with your husband.
The hotel changed its name in mid-February and is about to
spend $1.25 million on renovations. (Pray that the Lord continues to provide a
meeting place for us!) Similarly, the former Holiday Inn in downtown Raleigh
became a Clarion last year. In addition, the Brownstone Hotel on Hillsborough
Street is now a Holiday Inn.
Around the Town
The Maximum Man Conference deals with real-life
issues by presenting a clear picture of Jesus Christ as Creator, Savior and
Lord. His power in us is life changing. The conference is a non-denominational
conference sponsored by the Ministry to Men Foundation, Inc. of Memphis,
Tennessee and the local Raleigh Board of Council. The conference is scheduled
for April 19-20, 2002, 6:00-9:15 p.m. on Friday and 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Saturday at Bay Leaf Baptist Church. For information, call 919-847-4477 or
888-604-7728.
The daughter of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham, Raleigh’s own
Anne Graham Lotz launched Just Give Me Jesus in the year 2000, a series
of life-changing revivals for women held in arenas throughout the USA. Now it’s
coming to Raleigh at the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena. The program
begins on Friday evening, April 26, at 7:00 p.m. The doors will open at 5:30
p.m. On Saturday morning, April 27, the doors open at 7:00 a.m., and the
program begins at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call (919) 787-6634 or visit http://www.annegrahamlotz.com/
on the Internet.
Heavenly Notes
1. Our annual camp elections for both Gideon and
Auxiliary officers will be held at the camp dinner meeting on April 16.
2. Counselors are needed on March 25 as the
Burlington camp kicks off its New Member Plan with a dinner. As counselor, you
will sit at a table with 1-3 prospects and lead them through a membership flip
chart presentation. Prior to the dinner, you will receive all materials and
training in what to say, what to do, and how to do it at the table during the
meeting. Contact Ray at 919-847-0521.
3. Pray for Richard Justice and Juanita Vickers, new
member training leaders for the Roxboro camp. Richard is busy training the 11
new members.
4. Continue to pray for a full recovery for Victor
Goncharenko, Eastern Europe Field Representative, who was seriously injured in an auto accident in Belorussia
while distributing Bibles to the lost. He is now back in Russia with his
family, making progress in physical therapy.
Camp Calendar
|
Mar 19: |
Camp meeting—New Church Assignment Program |
|
Apr 6: |
State Convention planning meeting—10-12 noon, N. Ral.
Church of the Nazarene |
|
Apr 16: |
Camp meeting—Camp elections |
|
Apr 21-27 |
Bible Blitz—Chicago. Contact Ivan Dremann at 815-379-2380 |
|
May 2-5: |
State Convention—North Raleigh Hilton, Raleigh |
|
May 21: |
Camp meeting—State Convention returns |
|
Jul 23-28: |
103rd Gideon International Convention,
Louisville, Kentucky |
Respectfully
submitted,
Pat
Simpson,
Newsletter Editor
(919-877-0434 or e-mail PatSimpsonBooks@cs.com)
March Prayer Calendar for Churches & Pastors