Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Time with Family and Friends

The last couple weeks have been a great time of visiting different family and friends!

Thanksgiving

We celebrated the first Thanksgiving with Grandpa and Aunt Janet in their new house. Though not every one made it, we had a substantial turn-out. It was so reminiscent of the Thanksgivings as we grandkids were growing up: the table(s) piled with food, the table for the "kids" in the living room, playing games of Skip-bo, and the family time together. Now many of the grandkids have kids of their own, and we've had the joy of sharing with them our family traditions. 

From Out of Town

Last week we had impromptu visits with friends from Sprague River (Klamath Falls area), here in Portland. One couple was here in Portland for medical procedure, and another was on their way home from Seattle, where there had been another appointment. What fun to get together for lunch here in Portland, and catch up with our friends!

Immediate Family and Friends

We enjoyed a visit to Elmira this last weekend with my parents, a brother and my sister. Mom was hosting a table at the ladies Christmas tea at their church, and I had some fun china and flatware to share. We had such a grand time! 
Duane and I had the privilege of attending Olivet Baptist Church in Veneta on Sunday, (where I had attended for a number of years before being called down to Klamath Falls in 2006). It had been such a long time since our last visit - we were glad to make those connections!

Still Working on Gathering Addresses...

Until you've done it, it seems like such an easy-breezy job: gathering addresses for a mailing. But I'm in the middle of a third week of gathering those addresses, and still have a ways to go. It seems kinda silly, but could you pray for this process to go smoothly and quickly, so I can get back to the other parts of ministry? Thank you! 
Oh, and if you're reading this and would like to receive a newsletter, could you make sure I have your mailing address and/or email address? I'd like to snail mail a prayer card to you this time, but it would save money down the road for other mailings if I could send correspondence to your email. My CEF email address is cora.tucker.cef@gmail.com 
  • Pray for me to get the addresses gathered quickly and the newsletter mailed
  • Praise God for so many friends and family you share my joy in ministry!

Blessings on you!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Ministry Musings November 25, 2014

The Lord is My Shepherd...

     At the CEF Staff Retreat a few weeks ago, we were given a great little book by Robert Morgan, called "The Lord is My Shepherd". I'm still not sure how some people I know have been able to slam through that book, because there is SO MUCH on every page that makes such an impact. I'll give them one thing though... I DON'T want to put it down!
     One thing that grabbed my heart is his statement that "The Lord is my shepherd" is NOT a promise. It's a fact. It's not that he SOMEDAY will shepherd me, or that he has been a shepherd to others, but instead, the Lord IS my shepherd. That's just the way it is. What a great comfort!
   

Helping to start a Good News Club...

     I had the privilege of joining a team as they prepare for their first Good News Club in the school. This team is part of a larger church that has a vision to reach the children in the community, so has already been working hard to develop relationships with the schools. It is fun to watch this team - each individual experienced in various children's ministries, coming together in a fun club! It's also great to see our newest Staff-member, Mary Hunter, stepping up to lead this team. Her creativity makes the learning process so much more fun for the teams she's working with.

  • Pray for her to adapt quickly to being part of the CEF team, and to learn the things she needs to know. 
  • Please pray for the school and school district to quickly give permission to meet and to distribute the fliers for the club. 

Raising Support...

     I've finally had a little bit of time to work on developing my support team for CEF! I have my newsletter just about ready to send out, and my letter ready to go. Now I just have to get a fresh picture for our prayer card, finish and have those printed, and then just gather almost 200 addresses into a format that I can use to print address labels, and of course fold, stamp, and mail all of those. No biggie. Ha ha!
     It has been several years since I've done much in the support-raising department, and I really feel bad. Indeed, it's hardest to spend time to raise support when you're busiest in the ministry, but that doesn't change the fact that that results in neglected, ill-informed supporters, who eventually give up. Ouch. So now I get to basically start from scratch, needing to raise 90% of my financial support, not to mention the prayer support that is so vital to this ministry. 
  • Pray for me to know who to contact about partnering financially, and for supporters to be distinctly called by God to be involved.

Thanksgiving...

     Duane and I spent an early Thanksgiving in Klamath Falls last week, when we were able to visit with Duane's parents and brother and sister-in-law, as well as retrieve several items from our house in Midland. This week, we look forward to celebrating at the new home of my Grandfather and Aunt, and being joined by parts of my family, as well. How are you going to celebrate? Add a comment below!

May you be blessed greatly as you set aside time to thank our Creator for his abundant blessings!

Cora for the Tucker's