Pastor's Prayer Summit - June 22, 23, 24

“I praise the Lord for this summit. From the very start we experienced a great level of unity – how beautiful it was (Ps. 133). We were strengthened and encouraged by His Holy Spirit and I pray that overflows into our ministries and beyond.” - Pastor



Greetings in Jesus’ Name.

What a privilege to be called of God to His people here in Newton, and we rejoice at how He has been working in our midst. We are thankful for the Newton Ministerial Alliance and the Missional Church Network and the many expressions of working together that we share. We get to be thankful, but not satisfied! There is so much more. There are too many people here who have not yet responded to His love. There is not enough of heaven here in our part of the earth.

Do you believe God would want to draw the spiritual leaders of Newton, across denominational and racial lines, together to seek His face? What would happen if the spiritual leaders of our city got away for several days just to be in His presence and ask Him how He wants to impact our city through us?

We believe God has invited us to spend 48 hours away with Him at a Prayer Summit. We know that we all have busy schedules, but we believe this is something that will reap great rewards for each participant, each of our congregations, and our community.

We have invited Pastor Howard Boyd of International Renewal Ministries (www.PrayerSummits.Net) to help us in this process. In the past 17 years, IRM has assisted over 1500 Prayer Summits for spiritual leaders in more than 35 states and 20 other nations.

So, our request is that you mark June 22, 23, and 24 on your calendar as days that you are spending with other Newton shepherds - in the Lord’s presence.
Please don’t let anything keep you from responding with us to this special invitation from the Lord.

If you have any questions please contact Timothy Conner at 316/284-0997 or missionalchurchnetwork@gmail.com

SCHEDULE
Monday June 22 Arrive to share lunch together.
Wednesday June 24 Depart After lunch ~ recharged!

LOCATION: Crosswind Camp & Conference Center
8036 N. Hoover Road, Hesston, KS 67062-9322
620/327-2700 http://www.crosswind.ws

Cost: $130 Includes: 2 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 2 Dinners and 2 nights, hotel style, single beds.

TOTAL COST: The fee for our facilitator and his travel have been underwritten by a generous grant from the Mission America Coalition - dramatically reducing our costs! Scholarships are also available for any pastor unable to attend due to finances. Please call Timothy for information.

Kingdom Class Awards Ceremony & Banquet - May 3rd

Cheering one another on to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24

A Second Annual
Kingdom Class Awards Ceremony & Banquet

The Kingdom Class Awards honor individuals, congregations and ministries in Harvey County who in the past year have modeled a Kingdom spirit: inter-denominational cooperation and "Be good news / Share good news" community impact.
Three awards will be presented at the banquet this year:

Tina Payne, Director, Health Ministries
RockeTown Youth Center (Hillcrest & Grace Churches)
Weekday Bible School, Celebrating 85 years of ministry!

And… a low key fund raiser for our work together through MCN

When: Sunday, May 3rd, 6:00 p.m.,
Where: First Church of God Family Life Center
Why: To celebrate the work of God through individuals and organizations who have demonstrated working together toward a Kingdom Class Community and to lift the vision for more God-honoring work in the years ahead.

Tickets $10 at Hinz Motors and Newton First Bank locations.

Banquet Also Features:
- An inter-denominational praise team of pastors and worship leaders from six churches will lead in a time or worship celebration!
- Steve Kelly CEO, Newton Medical Center, will be the Keynote Spreaker.
Steve lives out his strong faith as a businessman in ministry and shares his vision for Kingdom Class Community. Newton Medical Center is known throughout the region for excellent medical care with a caring and personal touch. Those who have dealt with Steve can testify to his integrity and passion for Christ. Steve was a Kingdom Class Award recipient last year!
- Video Presentations on each of our ‘09 recipients.
- Rep. Marc Rhoades, Master of Ceremonies

Please mark those calendars!

Mission America Selects Newton as "Pilot City"

Through the coalition building work of The Missional Church Network (MCN), in and around Newton, Newton has been invited to serve as a nationwide "Pilot City" for the Mission America Coalition's "Loving Our Communities to Christ" national initiative. Fourteen Pilot Cities were selected by Mission America, the largest coalition of church leaders ever assembled for the express purpose of evangelism. Each city was chosen because they have a proven track record of working to bring the Body of Christ together to love and reach their communities for Christ, and a desire to do even more.

For a year now, MCN affiliated churches in Newton have been implementing what they call Neighborhood Lighthouses. Lighthouses are people who are willing to pray for, reach out to care for, and share Christ with their neighbors using a "Prayer, Care, Share" model. Almost 200 Lighthouses have already formed in and around Newton and Hesston.

Commenting on the selection, MCN Coordinator Timothy Conner said, "The selection is an honor. Having our work recognized as a good model for others is truly an affirmation. But more than affirmation, it will provide a valuable three year consulting relationship with Mission America, a year round opportunity for networking with top national leaders, and also allow us the privilege of sharing our experience to help other communities through Mission America's national platform. We've a long way to go," said Conner, "but maybe we're just a little farther down the road and have something to share."

As one of fourteen cities selected nation-wide, and as the youngest ministry and the smallest city selected by far, Conner points out that Newton has a unique place in the overall effort: "to be a nation-wide model for the thousands of smaller communities who want to increase their ability to serve their community in such a way that the average person on the street would say that 'the churches are the best thing in their communities.'"

Making the selection was the Loving Our Communities to Christ project of the Mission America Coalition.

In response to Mission America's invitation in November 2007, a broad group of community leaders rallied to show their support for MCN to enter into a formal relationship with Mission America, and sent a collective letter of support. At Mission America's national meeting in Boston this month, Newton was formally introduced as one of the Pilot Cities. Conner was able to be there to represent the Newton ministry and begin networking and sharing ideas with national leaders.

Other benefits of becoming a Pilot City include "having our community be intentionally prayed for by hundreds of intercessors connected to the Mission America Coalition," said Conner and, "Lord providing, there may be some initial grant monies available to help build on our local strategy."

The Mission America - is a network of over 450 evangelical denominations and parachurch ministries, many with a national or global presence. www.missionamerica.org, www.missionalchurchnetwork.org.