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"From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" Acts 17:26-27 NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2002 Dear friends, Greetings and welcome to our fall edition of our multi-cultural newsletter. It is hard to believe that summer holidays are over, schools are running and fall activities are underway. Yes fall 2002 is here! We trust you have had a relaxing and refreshing time over these past months. We were busy in developing our center, it is up and running in full swing. Welcome: We welcome back all of our faithful volunteers and want to thank each one of you for your commitment to serving in our centre. We value your continued partnership and support and we want you to know how much we appreciate each of you. MB Church Leaders: The Mennonite Brethren leaders came to Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada in July 25, 26 and 27. The International Committee of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) leaders from the 17 national conferences met after MB General Conference. Our centre were instrumental in organizing a potluck fellowship at Clearbrook MB Church in Abbotsford. It was a good fellowship with retired India missionaries and with our India Mennonite Brethren Conference delegates Dr. P.B. Arnold, Rev. Menno Joel and Bro. J. Daniel. We have hosted Indian guests at our home for a couple of weeks. Office Staff: I take this pleasure to introduce you our office staff. Sheila Hoyt is our Office Administrator. She corresponds and maintains all our office procedures and maintains database of churches, volunteers and donors. She works part time and brings a wealth of experience and computer expertise. If you have any prayer requests, please feel free to send it to our center. Please send her an email admin@mclauren.org to say hello, she would appreciate it. Sharmila McLauren is our program coordinator. She coordinates our outreach programs and seminars. She brings her passion and enthusiasm into our multi-cultural center. If you would like to inquire about our upcoming seminars, conferences and workshops, drop her an email, her email is info@mclauren.org Robyn Ikeda is a student at the Columbia Bible College and works part-time at our centre. She helps in the administration, coordinates and networks with schools, bible colleges, churches and mission agencies. New Brochure: Take time to look through the new brochure that is enclosed with your newsletter. We have listed our vision and objectives of our centre. Please take a look at our brochures if you need any additional information and clarification on anything, please feel free to send an email. Many professionals have donated their time and resources in producing brochure, their services were much appreciated! Seminars: Do you know that in England there are more Muslims than Methodists? Or that twelve percent of the French population is Muslims. There are more Muslims in the United States than Episcopalians. Muslims claim Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world with 1.2 billion followers. Our center sponsored a seminar on "Understanding Islam" at two locations: Bakerview Church in Abbotsford and Willingdon Church at Burnaby. The purpose was to create an awareness about the Muslim Community of Greater Vancouver. Seminar participants have committed to pray for Muslims and for the 10/40 window. We remembered 9/11 and our hearts and prayers go to those who lost their loved ones. Sikhs come from a province called Punjab in India, the next big concentration of Sikhs outside of India are in the Surrey/Delta of the Greater Vancouver area. Due to popular demand we are conducting a seminar on "Understanding Sikhism" at two locations. On October 21st it will be held at the Bakerview Church in Abbotsford and October 28th it will be held at the Faith Lutheran Church in Surrey, B.C. We would love to extend an invitation to your family and friends to attend our seminar. Please call or email our center for registration and information. Please see a flier for additional information. Family Vacation: Sharmila, Misha, Samy and I had a good family vacation. It was a long drive from Abbotsford to Fresno, California. We have attended Missionary Gospel Fellowship conference at Turlock, California. I also had a privilege of speaking at two churches. It was a great opportunity to network and build relationships with other missionaries and friends. Jesus Festival Celebration: In my last newsletter I wrote briefly about the Jesus Festival. A group of pastors from Hyderabad, India had invited me to come for a possible Evangelism ministry. As discussions progressed we have decided to sponsor "Jesus Festival Hyderabad" November 7-10, 2002 to be held at Hyderabad, India. At the same time we are also sponsoring a "Pastors' Conference" at the same location. We estimate 120 pastors and leaders will be trained and equipped in their ministries. Dr. James Nikkel, new Executive Director of the Church Partnership Evangelism and Discipleship (CPED) a ministry of the Mennonite Brethren Missions and Services International (MBMSI) has graciously agreed to lead the pastors' conference. Please pray and partner as James and I plan our first missionary journey to India in November 2002. There are several expenses related to this project. You are invited to sow the seed in bringing the gospel and equipping pastors in Hyderabad, India. Please visit our website at www.mclauren.org for more information about the Jesus Festival project. Cross-Cultural Missions Experience: The Greater Vancouver area is a diverse multi-cultural metropolitan city, an ideal place to have a cross-cultural missions experience. As many young people from local churches go to Mexico for cross-cultural missions, our center is in the process of putting together a cross-cultural missions experience in Vancouver. If you are interested or wish to promote it in your church, kindly send us an email at your convenience. Family Update: I have been busy speaking and doing seminars at various churches in Greater Vancouver area. Sharmila continues to network and disciple many women. My mother (David's) Mrs. Prema Joshua had a major heart surgery in India on September 21, 2002. She is still in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), please continue to pray for quick recovery and healing. There are several ministry opportunities available to serve with our center, if you are interested, please let us know. We are in the process of building a support team who can pray and support our family and center on a regular basis. We have much appreciated your friendship and partnership. Thank you again for choosing to invest in our vision. May the Lord's best be yours today and always… Sincerely, David & Sharmila McLauren Samy and Misha Update: "David's mom passed away on September 26, 2002". Your support and prayers were much appreciated. PS: If you wish not to receive our mailings, kindly drop me a note at david@mclauren.org |
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