Bernie, Missouri - Vacation Bible School will be June 24^th – June 26^th at First Baptist Church in Bernie.  Times are from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

The theme this year is “Journey Off the Map” (Unknown to us, known to Him) and there will be an exciting new adventure each evening.

Journey Off The Map takes your kids to uncharted territory where they will begin to understand that obedience to God can lead them beyond the expected. So, toss the map, stick close to your guide, and prepare to listen for God’s direction in this journey that is unknown to us, but known by Him.

Registration night will be Tuesday, June 23^rd at 6:00 p.m. and there will be ice cream for all of the children who sign up.

Transportation will be also be provided for those who live in Bernie.  Parent night is Friday from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. and refreshments will be served following the program.

Dexter, Missouri - Tuesday night marked the final night of packing snack bags for the Feed Christ's Children summer snack program.

Because of the large volunteer turn-out both last week and this, the scheduled third week of packing will not be needed.

This year marks the third summer for the food program, which began as a ministry outreach at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The program is under the direction of Tommy Horton, a member of FCC.

"Pastor challenged the Board of Elders to find a community project that would really make a difference," Horton explains. "Because of my work with the juvenile office and with the sheriff's office, I was aware of the need for a summer food program in the Dexter area. Our board took up the project, and the first summer we prepared 400 bags. The effort has expanded to include 15 churches, and this year we have packed 1800 bags for distribution in July."

The bags will be delivered to the Gospel Mission, and they will distribute them. Each bag contains a meat pasta microwavable entrée, microwavable mac and cheese, applesauce, pudding cup, juice, package of cheese and crackers or peanut butter and crackers, and a single serving box of raisins.

Churches and various organizations collect the foodstuffs and donate them to the summer food program.

Dexter, Missouri - Ed Kleiman, led two days of teaching on the importance and power of prayer in the local church. Brother Ed started the conference by saying, “Everywhere I go I see people wearing the What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) bracelets. In order to know what Jesus would do we need to study the bible and look at what he did do.”  He referenced several scriptures (Mark 1:35-37, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12-13, Luke 9:28-29) to show that Jesus spent a large part of his ministry praying. Brother Ed stressed, “Despite having large crowds and those wanting healed urgently searching for him, Jesus always took time to pray.  The gospels record Jesus praying at all the key times during his ministry- during his transfiguration, before he was tempted, before he picked the twelve disciples and while he was baptized.”
 
The Dexter Prayer Conference held at Sweet Prospect General Baptist Church included two sessions on Saturday and then Pastor Ed delivered the Sunday message titled, Our Hearts Desire and Prayer. The first session included a breakfast of eggs, bacon, waffles and bisects with some of Miss. Mina’s apple butter.  Brother Ed taught on Jesus’s prayer example and showed how prayer was a shaping force in history. Then he split everyone in to groups of two to spend time asking God to increase their faith and allow them to be more like Jesus. Sweet Prospect member Rod Jetton stated, “This conference has totally revitalized my desire to pray more.  It reminded me of what Jesus taught by his example and I’m excited about what God will do in my life as I earnestly pray and ask God to help me be a better Christian.”       
 
The evening session focused on the ingredients of effective prayer.  Brother Ed outlined ten conditions of answered prayer that Jesus and the disciples taught about. He provided scripture references for each of the following:
1.       We must ask- A request has to be made to God
2.       Pray in faith believing- Our faith plays a role, we must believe God can accomplish the request
3.       Must be fervent in prayer- Praying or pleading earnestly for the request
4.       Obedient to Gods commands- Our daily life must be lived according to God’s commands
5.       Must confess any sins- The number one reason for unanswered prayers is unconfessed sin
6.       Must forgive others- We can’t have an unforgiveness towards another
7.       Preserver in your prayer request- Must continue to ask until we revived the answer
8.       Must pray in accordance with God’s will- We can know God’s will by reading God’s word
9.       Pray in Jesus name- Understand that it is because and through Jesus we must make our request
10.   Must have the right motive- For God’s glory and not our selfish desires
 
Brother Ed explained, “The result of the ten conditions will be an obedient Christ like life filled with faith, forgiveness and an earnest desire to see God’s glory revealed to a lost world.” The evening session ended with the groups of two asking God to help them meet the ten conditions of answered prayer. Sweet Prospect Pastor Ray Rowland said, “I expected the conference to focus more on our prayers for the church and our community and that was a part of what we learned, but the real emphasis was on our personal walk with Christ and making sure our prayers were not only for our personal desire, but God’s glory. Spending time in the evening session asking God to help us have faith, obedience, fervency, forgiveness and perseverance in our prayers has already refreshed my prayer life.”
 
Sunday morning’s service was filled with God’s glory as Brother Ed challenged everyone to search their hearts for any unforgiveness and to re-evaluate their Christian walk.  He stressed a follower of Christ should be praying for those who need Christ.  Family members, friends and the unsaved in their community will be a heavy burden to those who have strong prayer lives. Maria Glen who lives in Charleston, Missouri added, “Brother Ed opened my eyes to the many scriptures that stress the prayer life of Jesus Himself. If the Lord felt the need to pray to draw closer to the Father, how much more do I.”     
 
Ed Kleiman also spoke at the Celebrate Recovery meeting at Living Water Worship Center (LWWC) while he was in town and Pastor Jim Hook from LWWC has invited him back for their regular services sometime later this summer. Sweet Prospect member Mina Voss concluded, “I was a Christian for years, but got off on the wrong path before finding my way back and I have prayed to God for many needs throughout my life.  I thoroughly enjoyed this conference and I’m confident Brother Ed’s instruction on this important topic will add new strength to my prayers.”
 
Ed Kleiman is a Messianic Jew, who grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 1999 the Lord has been using Ed to preach on the importance of the local church, God's design for the family, especially the role of men, the call for missions, while always emphasizing the power, priority, and purposes of prayer. In 2000, Ed became part of, and now serves full time with the mission’s organization, International Messengers. Ed founded Small Cloud Ministries which mission is : To glorify God by spreading a zeal for Jesus Christ to all people as the infinite treasure of all of life and His cross as God’s focal point of His glory. More info can be found on Ed and his ministry at www.praybold.org.

Sweet Prospect is a Bible believing, family focused church reaching out to those who need Christ in the Dexter community. Pastor Ray Rowland preaches how the Biblical principles found in the Scriptures can offer hope and peace to people’s everyday life. Sweet Prospect’s mission is taken from Jesus’s words in Matthew 28: 19 & 20 - to reach the lost in our community for Christ, and teach them to observe all Jesus’s commandments. Sweet Prospect is committed to seeing every person …believing in Jesus, belonging to a church family, becoming a disciple and helping to build God’s kingdom. We welcome all those who are searching for their true purpose in life. Come as you are. Especially those who are, tired, broken, poor, addicted to porn, smoker, stressed, drinker, not good enough, busy, messy, alcoholic, questioning God, imperfect, divorced, ashamed, willing, looking for answers, don’t know God, lonely, rich, unhappy, straight, gay, unchurched, raised in church, afraid, judgmental, unhappy, or hungry, and you will be just like us. We want to be known as a church where people with all kinds of troubles, issues or problems can walk through our doors. A church where God can heal, restore and redeem our issues for significant life change. A church that draws outsiders in and insiders are known for their compassion and generosity. A church that turns our community upside down! Services are Sunday School 9:45 am and worship service at 11:00 am then Wednesday night supper and bible study at 6:00 pm.  More info can be found at http://www.sweetprospectgbc.blogspot.com/

Dexter, Missouri - The Church of Christ in Dexter will host a Blood Drive on Friday, May 29th from 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.  The church is located 1014 North One Mile Road just past Burger King.

The American Red Cross encourages eligible blood donors to make a difference in the lives of patients this spring by giving blood.

Donated blood is perishable and must be constantly replenished to keep up with the demand. Red blood cells, with a shelf life of only 42 days, are the most frequently transfused blood component, and are always needed by hospitals.

Eligible donors can give red cells through either a regular whole blood donation or a double red cell donation, where available. Double red cell donations yield twice the usual amount of red cells in a single appointment and are accepted at select donation locations. Double red cell donors must meet additional eligibility criteria, which will be determined at the donation appointment.

Donors with all blood types are needed, especially those with types O negative, A negative and B negative. Whole blood can be donated every 56 days, and double red cells may be donated every 112 days, up to three times per year.

To find a donation opportunity or make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Bloomfield, Missouri - Ed Kleiman, a Messianic Jew who grew up in St. Louis will be sharing the story of how he overcame drugs and alcohol at the Celebrate Recovery meeting on May 20th at Living Water Worship Center in Bloomfield, Missouri.  He will also be leading a prayer conference at Sweet Prospect General Baptist Church in Dexter, Missouri on Saturday May 23rd and Sunday May 24th.
 
Ed Kleiman, is a full time minister, who God saved and redeemed from a life of drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality at the age of 41. Ed grew up "worshipping & serving the god in the mirror" as he refers to it. From the age of sixteen to forty one he offered up daily sacrifices to this god; of drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality. Then God granted him repentance, and eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, on October 23rd, 1994.
 
Ed’s change is the powerful testimony of what the Lord can do. As Ed would say; “Nothing less than sovereign power and irresistible grace would ever be sufficient for such a hell-deserving one as myself! Why should any soul despair when God saved a wretch like me?”
 
After attending Covenant Theological Seminary Ed began preaching at Sunshine Mission, a homeless shelter in St. Louis.  During his 16 years of ministry at the Mission, God has granted new life to some of the most down-&-out, through their trust and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Ed has shared his testimony on overcoming addictions at numerous Celebrate Recovery meetings throughout America and Bryan Gentry from Living Water Worship Center said, “Ed’s message of hope, healing and God’s grace has inspired others with addictions to reach out for the God who heals and we are looking forward to his message and the impact it can have on hurting lives right here in our community.”
 
He has also ministered to thousands of people here in America and all over the world by leading prayer initiatives and teaching on prayer. Before they head to places in Poland, Hungary, Romania, the United States, Germany, Slovakia, and the Ukraine, Ed trains new missionary students at the Training Center for International Messengers in Libby, Montana.
 
To accomplish all these ministry goals Ed founded Small Cloud Ministries with the mission: To glorify God by spreading a zeal for Jesus Christ to all people as the infinite treasure of all of life and His cross as God’s focal point of His glory. More info can be found on Ed and his ministry at www.praybold.org  
 
Ed believes prayer continues to be a crucial, but often missing element in spiritual revivals. Since 1999 the Lord has been using Ed to preach on the importance of the local church, God's design for the family, and the call for missions, while always emphasizing the power, priority, and purposes of prayer.
                                                           
While he is in town Ed is also leading a prayer conference at Sweet Prospect General Baptist Church on Saturday May 23rd and Sunday May 24th. There will be a breakfast and 2 hour prayer and teaching session starting at 8:00 am on Saturday with an evening session starting at 7:00 pm that night.  Then Ed will deliver the Sunday message titled “Our Hears Desire & Prayer.”
 
“Please pray for Ed’s visit to Dexter and ask God to move mightily so that Christians will begin to pray for those needing Christ in our community. The Lord has used Ed’s ministry to rekindle a passion for Jesus Christ in many churches throughout the United States, we ask you to join us in thanking God for what He will do during this prayer conference,” added Sweet Prospect Pastor Ray Rowland.
 
Rev. Kleiman will be in in Dexter from May 20 to 24th and concluded by saying, “I am looking forward to sharing how God’s grace delivered me from drugs and alcohol with the people in Stoddard County.  I am also excited to spend time praying and teaching on the power of prayer.  I trust the Lord will bless our time and renew a passion for Christ that will have a lasting impact on not only Christians in Dexter, but on everyone in the community.”     
 
Who: International Missionary Ed Kleiman
What: Dexter Prayer Conference & Celebrate Recovery Testimony
When:  Celebrate Recovery- Wed. Evening 6:30 p.m. May 20, 2015
Prayer Conference- Sat. Morning 8:00 a.m. Breakfast provided by the Church
Prayer Conference-Sat. Evening 7:00 P.M. – 9:00 P. M.
Prayer Conference-Sun. Morning 10:45 A.M. -- Title: Our Hearts Desire & Prayer!
Where:
Celebrate Recovery- Living Water Worship Center 18094 Hwy. 25 Bloomfield, MO 63825
Prayer Conference- Sweet Prospect General Baptist Church 1201 E. Elk St., Dexter, MO  63841