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News/April-May 2008
KINGDOM FIESTA 2008
June 2008
WE ARE VERY SORRY THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. PLEASE, CHECK MISSION CENTER FOR INFORMATION ABOUT LIFE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE. YOU CAN VIEW OUR ARCHIVE ON THIS PAGE AT THE MOMENT.
News/April-May 2008
MAY 2008
Evangelistic Event with Food Distribution to The Needy
Global Day of Prayer. God's Answer.
Alpha Course/Sessions 1, 2, 3 & 4
APRIL 2008
Kingdom Fiesta 2008 Thank You Dinner
Alpha Course 2008 Introductory Dinner
KINGDOM FIESTA 2008
MAY 2008
EVANGELISTIC EVENT WITH FOOD DISTRIBUTION TO THE NEEDY
On May 18th, Mutual Faith Ministries in Lebanon had a great joy of showing God's Love to a group of needy people through giving them food, and taking an opportunity to share about the much greater gift that God has for them.
Church of God in Mansourieh had a priviledge to host the event. The meeting began as usual at 10:00 am with worship. The Church was filled with people the majority of which didn't know much about our Father.
After the worship, Church of God team presented popular evangelistic drama "Creation"
The drama was followed by presenting the Gospel of Salvation. Pastor Said Deeb explained more about what happened in the drama. He shared about how God created the world, about the sin, God's love and Salvation. 25 people were touched and came up front to ask for the forgiveness of sins and to accept Jesus into their lives!!!
Church of God members were happy to pray with people and will continue helping them learn more about our Father through their ministry in Nabaa.
The meeting continued outside. Everyone came out to the Church yard for the celebration! What a great time of fellowship sharing lunch together!!!
During the fellowship, after lunch, people could receive bags with food (rice, pasta, lentils, chick peas, sugar, poweder milk, canned meat, cheese, instant soups and sunflower oil)
We hope they felt how much God loves them.
Special THANK YOU to Mutual Faith Ministries USA for donating money for this beautiful event.
GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER While we were looking forward to have some really exciting events, the situation in Lebanon made it quite questionable whether or not we'd be able to do what we planned.
Alpha Course/Session 2 (May 9th) and some other events were postponed.
All of it was because of the polictical clashes here, in Lebanon. A number of roads were blocked (including the ones to the airport), and there was fighting once again in this beautiful country. Around 70 people were killed and many injured.
On May 11th, people from various backgrounds from 208 countries lifted up their prayers to the Lord.
Lebanon, in spite of the difficult situation, was one of those 208 countries. Evangelicals, Maronites, Catholics, etc... all came together to pray in Jounieh, Square, Municipality.
Michel Matar, Grace Dib, Militia, and other gifted folks led the worship. Ethiopian Church made many want to dance. Church leaders of different denominations touched everyone's heart by asking forgiveness from each other and expressing their desire for unity of the believers. The square was full of people who came united to pray for the peace in Lebanon, right while in other parts of Lebanon others were fighting. Mutual Faith Ministry in Lebanon also came out to join this beautiful prayer.
And... God answered it!!! Soon after this event the fighting ceased and the roads were opened. Things started getting better. The leaders went to Qatar for few days for negotiations... and on Sunday, May 25th, Lebanon finally had it's President! The country had been without one since November 2007! May God bring peace to this land! Please, click HERE to view Global Day of Prayer slideshow. 
ALPHA COURSE/SESSIONS 1, 2, 3 & 4
We were certainly overjoyed to see God's blessing upon Alpha Intro Dinner. It was exciting to see people signing up for Alpha and we were looking forward to see them again.
In the meantime, we continued seeking God's help and provision in making final arrangement. Some of us were a bit scared, because for the first time we decided to do Alpha right in the Church meeting hall.
So, besides shortage of money, we were also lacking supplies and time. BUT! God is good! We can trust Him, even when things look impossible to us.
We had 2 weeks to prepare for the 1st session. It was a bit hectic as we had to purchase basically everything; from salt shakers to tables. What exactly to buy? Where? Who's going to take what responsibility? Why did we get into it at all? Why didn't we do it in a restaurant like before?
Oh well, first time is never easy. We learn and experience that with God... eventually... step by step... things get done! He provided us with everything to start Alpha!
May 2nd, came quickly and a bunch of us got together in the Church long in advance to pray and set up for the first session.
The chairs had to be moved, tables had to be unpacked and put together. It took us awhile to figure out the best set up and put everything in its places.
People started coming around 7:30 pm. We were ready and happy to welcome them in the Church!
While waiting for everybody to arrive, people were chatting at the nicely decorated tables.
We hope that they will feel at home in the Church, will get to know Christians and... most importantly, our Father.
When most people arrived, Pastor Said gave a short speech and invited everyone to the food. We are very thankful for Fadia and Samy, who cooked and served us.
After everyone enjoyed the dinner, we all moved to the sitting area for worship. It was a blessing to have our worship band and Pastor Said leading us in singing.
Now all people participated in worship and yet we hope that the words of the songs touched their hearts.
And, of course, we watched Alpha Course Session 1! Everyone received a workbook and a pen to take notes. People were challenged to evaluate their beliefs about eternal things and their view of Christianity.
We continued the evening around the tables playing some ice-breaking games. The atmosphere was relaxing and we all enjoyed the fellowship.
All of us were happy with Session 1 and quite sad when we had to postpone Session 2, because of the difficult situation in Lebanon.
We waited for 2 weeks before we could get together in Church of God in Mansourieh for Session 2.
It was a bit easier to set up for Session 2 as we already had an idea about it from Session 1. It did take quite a bit of time, though... we are still learning...
At 7:30 pm everything was ready and we were waiting for our new friends to come. Only few people showed up... I thought to myself, "Yeah... that's what usually happens, the number decreases, especially, if you don't have meetings consistently. People forget or lose interest." To my surprise, Pastor Said didn't share my pessimism. In fact, he was convinced that we were going to have more people than for Session 1! I was very skeptical about it... However, around 8:00 pm the Church was full of people! Yes, it was more people than before!
Sessions 3 and 4 went well too. It took only 1 hour to finish most of the set up. However, we missed Pastor Said and his wife Cecile during Session 3 as they were travelling to Jordan to attend a wedding. So, because Pastor Said was absent to lead us in singing we had a skit on 1 Corinthians 13:13 right after the dinner before the Alpha video.
Famous Lebanese comedian Mrs. Mireille P. Abi Haydar was making everyone laugh once again in the beginning of Session 4.
Please, keep praying for all Alpha 2008 participants! APRIL 2008 It's been a privilege for Mutual Faith Arabic and Church of God in Mansourieh to be able to organize some of the most amazing events here, in Lebanon. Kingdom Fiesta was an inspiration for many and most importantly, - a first step into life with Jesus for a lot of people that attended this beautiful festival. KINGDOM FIESTA 2008 THANK YOU DINNER On April 4th, Church of God team got together to celebrate the success of Kingdom Fiesta and to show appreciation to all those in the Church who invested their time and strength to help this great event happen. In the beginning of the evening we watched a short video and some pictures that reminded us about all the beautiful things that took place during Kingdom Fiesta. After that the certificates of appreciation and envelopes with some money were handed out. And, of course... what kind of celebration it is without a nice dinner! So, the rest of the evening we all enjoyed some really nice Lebanese food and fellowship with each other. Kingdom Fiesta 2008 was great! We are looking forward to Kingdom Fiesta 2009! Pray for it with us!
ALPHA COURSE 2008 INTRODUCTORY DINNER So, you may ask, - and, what about those who accepted Jesus during Kingdom Fiesta? What's going to happen to them? Don't think we forgot about them! It was a great blessing to see them giving their lives to Jesus and it is our desire to help them grow to love Him and know Him more. For this purpose we started the Alpha Course! A number of people that attended Kingdom Fiesta left their contact information. Also, many of our brothers and sisters in the Church have family members and friends who don't know our Savior personally. So, we invited all these people to an Introductory Alpha Course dinner on April 20th! Over 80 new people came!!!
 Church of God volunteers helped out during the dinner and are as well involved into the Alpha course as leaders, and helpers.
 For the first time, Church of God is doing Alpha right in the Church. Please, pray for it! Those who brought their relatives and friends to the dinner spent the evening with them, being available to encourage and answer questions about the Alpha Course.
The evening began in a very casual way with some appetizers and humorous introduction. Lebanese famous comedian Mrs. Mireille P. Abi Haydar made many laugh to tears!
 We also looked at the pictures to remind people about their experience during the Kingdom Fiesta. After that those in our Church who attended Alpha Course before shared their testimonies with the guests. The testimonies were followed by inspiring presentation that gave even more details on what Alpha Course is all about. It was also a great blessing to have a wonderful singer with us. Lilian Hayek sang a number of beautiful songs in Arabic and English during the evening. People from the other parts of the restaurant came to see where the sound was coming from. She was so good!
 The Introductory Alpha Course dinner went very well. Half of the people that attended signed up for the Course. We are excited to meet them again and see how God is going to work in their lives through our Church. Jesus said: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." Matthew 5:14-15 (NIV) So, please, pray that our Church would be the bright light to all in Lebanon, and especially in the lives of those who God brought to be with us for the Alpha Course. Please, also pray for our Alpha Course team: Georges and Jocelyn, Graziella, Anwar, Pastor Milad, Fernande, Zogheib family, Milad Abrash, Joumana, Louis, Hady, Maya, Georges and Christine, Pastor Said and Cecile, Simon and Yuliya, Samy, Elie Hajj. Rola Issa (70-969211) is a coordinator of the Course, so you may contact her if you have any question regarding the Alpha Course.
KINGDOM FIESTA 2008
KINGDOM FIESTA 2008 Kingdom Fiesta 2008 was organized by "Mutual Faith Ministries Arabic and Church of God in Mansourieh in partnership with "Mutual Faith Ministries" (USA).
It took a lot of prayers and preparation, but God really blessed our efforts.
People from various nations and backgrounds came together to worship our Lord.
Nations that participated:
- Lebanon;
- Ethiopia;
- Sri Lanka;
- Philippines;
- Ghana;
- Nigeria;
- Egypt;
- USA;
- UK.
It was a glimpse of heaven to hear different nations singing to our Lord in their lanugaes. It was also a priviledge to see the nations peforming dramas and traditional dances wearing colorful costumes. What a great experience it was to see how big our God is!
We were especially joyful to see people who didn't know Jesus personally and yet were interested to come and join us in Kingdom Fiesta. Many of them left their contact information and we are hoping to continue these relationships that started during Kingdom Fiesta. Some of them joined us in Alpha course that we just began (see NEWS).
It was a great priviledge to have with us guest speakers from the US (Keith Hershey - Mutual Faith Ministries Founder, and his team), and well known Lebanese artists, such as "Militia".
We are very thankful to all those who worked hard to make this beautiful event happen. God certainly used it for His glory. (see News/April/Kingdom Fiesta 2008 Thank You Dinner)
Please, pray for all those who accepted Jesus during Kingdom Fiesta 2008 and for Kingdom Fiesta 2009.
All 3 nights of Kingdom Fiesta 2008 video is available on DVD! It's about 2 hours video and costs $5 inside Lebanon and $10 outside Lebanon (including shipping). If you would like to purchase DVD(s), please, contact us at: hady@mutualfaitharabic.org or call Hady Jammoul: (+961) 03 412911
Slideshow
(If you don't see some of the pictures, you may need to give it some time to load)
Click here to watch a short video about Kingdom Fiesta.
June 2008
JUNE 2008 Revival meeting at "Spring of Life" Church (Sassine Square)
It was a great joy to participate in the revival meetings at the Church that was just started for Armenians. Pastor Said and Church of God worship team were leading one of the meetings. The sermon was “Anointing that Breaks the Yoke.”
Slideshow (if you can't see all pictures right away, please, give it some time to load)
 Alpha Course 2008 Graduation
The Alpha Course 2008 is over!!! For the first time Church of God had Alpha Course right in the Church. It was quite challenging!
But!
God is good! He provided the Church with all necessary resources and blessed the project greatly!
Alpha took place from May 2 till June 11. It was a wonderful time of sharing about our Father with the guests. Many came, and the faithful remnant, 14 people, received certificates of Alpha Course Completion and… accepted Jesus into their hearts!
The graduation program included worship, watching last episode of Alpha, sharing testimonies, handing out certificates, and a nice dinner with cake that had a picture of graduates on it. It was a wonderful experience and we are hoping to repeat it over and over again!
Testimonies
Mireille: “Alpha helped me a lot. I learned many useful things and a lot about God. The most important and exciting for me was experiencing the Holy Spirit. During the weekend away I grew closer to God, thanks to Alpha team’s prayers. It is true that Church is not stones, but it’s alive. I’d like to thank Pastor Said and Cecile, but first of all God, because He allowed me to meet them. There is a reason for me to be here. I ask the Holy Spirit to touch every person’s life. I pray that Alpha Course would go on all over the world and will challenge people’s minds and change people’s hearts. I also pray that the number of Christian believers would increase. “
Lina: “I came to Alpha Course by coincidence through Milad the lawyer. I and my husband needed something like Alpha as we were going through some difficulties. We needed something refreshing in our lives that would help to renew our love and lift up our spirit. We just wanted to try Alpha, but the more we were coming the more we felt Jesus’ presence. We’ve heard about it, but for the first time we experienced His presence during the Alpha. Alpha helped us to find God.
Nicole: “Firstly, I’d like to thank people who gave me an opportunity to be with all of you. I’d also like to say that every Alpha session was a message that indirectly reached my heart, washed me, and purified me, my soul. I cry every time when I think of it. I thank God that we are Christian believers, we have grace. Sometimes we don’t realize its value and sometimes we forget that Jesus is in our lives. We are Christians; we have Jesus in our lives.”
Praise God for using Alpha project in these people's lives and blessing our efforts!
Thanks to all who were on Alpha team!
Special THANK YOU to Alpha Coordinator Rola Issa and Zgheib family for their hard work and faithfulness!
Slideshow (if you can't see all pictures right away, please, give it some time to load)
 Operation Life Cell (OLC) Operation Life Cell (OLC) is a Biblical strategy created to help minister to people in any culture or community. It is designed to touch the hearts of men, women, and children who are struggling with feelings of rage, anger, fear or frustration. It's inspired by the example of Ananias and Saul, who became Paul.
We had a nice time together with people from 2 Pilipino Churches in the mission center on June 29th as we watched and discussed how we can be a life cell in our environment, how God can use us to transform lives.
  
Alpha Course 2008 Weekend Away
Slideshow
Alpha Course supported by Mutual Faith Arabic Ministries has been one of the most facinating events this year. We have it right in the Church and every meeting God has been bringing someone new. So far we've been through 6 sessions:- "Who is Jesus?"
- "Why Did Jesus Die?"
- "How Can I Be Sure of My Faith?"
- "Why and How Should I Read the Bible?"
- "Why and How Do I Pray?"
- "How Does God Guide Us?"
And... we just had a WEEKEND AWAY!!!It took place on Friday and Saturday, June 20-21, at Le Crillion Hotel in Broumana.
People arrived at about 6 pm on Friday night after a long work week. Surely, everyone was ready for some rest!
 
FRIDAY
- Arrival/around 6pm/about 25 people;
- Dinner;
- Worship;
- Intro Video;
- Coffee Break;
- Talk 1/"Who is the Holy Spirit?";
- Prayer time;
- Rest.
 
 
SATURDAY
- Breakfast/8am;
- Worship/9am;
- Talk 2/"What Does the Holy Spirit Do?";
- Testimonies;
- Prayer Time;
- Coffee Break;
- Talk 3/"How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?";
- Worship;
- Prayer Time;
- Lunch/1:30pm;
- Taking pictures;
- Fellowship time and departure/around 3pm.
 
Praise God for all the Sessions that we've had and for the wonderful weekend away together!
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