Dear Mayfair Family,
Jesus has power — all the authority and power to command both the natural world and the forces of the spiritual realm. Notice that I did not say Jesus had power. The power of our living Savior is not past tense but fully active in the present. Jesus displayed His rule over weather patterns, sickness, disease, satanic forces, and even death itself during His three years of public ministry. The power and presence of the one, true Messiah is evidentially experienced by all who receive His gift of new, eternal life. Jesus isn’t the bellhop to do the bidding of believers at their command. But the reality of His power has not been diminished. His rule operates according to His will through His Body, the Church.
As the writer to the Hebrews declares, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8).
He, today, is more than powerful enough to order the affairs of humankind (Job 12:23; Psa. 22:8; 66:7; Prov. 21:1), hold all the planets in place like a symphony conductor (Col. 1:16-17), and produce radical transformation in anyone’s life (John 9:25; 1 Tim. 1:12-17). Every single day, Jesus is bringing men and women out of darkness and into His glorious light through the Gospel (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
This Sunday at 10:45 AM, we’re going to see in 3-D high-def color two “boat stories” from Mark 4:35-5:20 that prove yet again the shocking, life-altering power of Jesus the Christ. I can’t wait to dig into this text with you. Join with me in prayer that God’s Word works deeply into our lives by the Holy Spirit.
But there’s more…
As a living illustration of Jesus’ power to change hearts and lives, you’ll also have the opportunity to meet a very dear friend of mine, Pastor Devadas Mekala.
“Daddy” as he is affectionately called by hundreds, was born a Dalit – “the untouchable” caste of India’s poorest. He was an angry, abusive alcoholic until his mid-30s when He came to saving faith Christ through the witness of a colleague at the hospital where he worked as a pharmacist.
Daddy Mekala, his wife, and their sons now have cared for hundreds of orphans, helped plant over 50 churches, and initiated numerous other gospel ministries around Andhra Pradesh, India. He has been a mentor to me since I first met him in Flint in 2004 and subsequently traveled to India for my first ministry trip there in 2005-2006. You will not want to miss the opportunity to interact with this faithful man of God.
UPDATE: Here’s the video of Daddy Mekala’s story from Sunday
Our 9:15AM EQUIP Courses continue to grow. If you’ve not jumped into a course, feel free to check into one this weekend! Go to https://www.mayfairbible.
Ministry Leadership Update
Once again, we thank you for participating in our Annual Celebration luncheon and meeting last month. We appreciate the investment you make in the work of Christ as a local flock of believers. We praise God for your faithful prayers, enthusiastic service, and profound generosity. To follow-up on our business meeting recap (please let us know if you did not get that email and video), here are some additional points of information. We ask that you join us in prayer with each step we take together.
A. Why are we here? We exist to Belong. Thrive. Go.
Everything is about Jesus. We want to focus and hone everything we do around the simple mission Jesus gave His disciples.
3 Keys for Faithfully Moving Forward as Team Mayfair:
- PRAYERFUL. Complete Reliance on God. (read Matthew 9:38; Luke 10:2; Philippians 4:4-7; Ephesians 3:13-21)
- SIMPLE. Clarity on the Vision. (read Matthew 28:19-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8)
- MISSIONAL. Collaborating together on the Mission. (read Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 4:1-6; Psalm 67)
Q: What’s the bottom-line calling of every Christ-follower? A: Make and multiply disciples.
This Sunday, you’ll be given 1-2 “Mayfair Gospel Vision” Prayer Cards. There are 15 assorted prayer requests; one per card. Please join with us in prayer to our loving, prayer-answering God.
B. Mortgage and ______________? In an effort to articulate the need to pay off the mortgage of the Worship Center addition, we may have overstated the case. Eliminating our mortgage will open up wide, exciting opportunities for us. We, as elders and deacons, have committed to fervently praying until the burden of debt is erased — Lord willing, by 2025! However, you also must know that we’re developing our plans to continue moving gospel ministry, outreach, and staffing forward while at the same time making serious headway on our mortgage. Paying down the mortgage will not, by God’s grace, hamstring the ministry.
C. Thrive Center: Who’s leading this and what are the plans? 
Matt Pearson is the leader of the Thrive Center remodeling team. He’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
In addition to the details given in the printed Annual Report…
The Front Suite of Thrive Center is:
- An annex of Mayfair Bible Church
- A place for ministry events, gatherings, classes, and seminars of Mayfair
- A setting for community events, too. For example: job coaching, blood drives, birthdays, special-needs family events, teen events.
- A counter space (“coffee bar / sinks”) to be used 2 hours per week by FCOC for washing and packaging food products.
- A free laundromat (1-2 machine sets) guided by FCOC member churches and FCOC through coupons distributed to those deserving assistance.
All events and programs will be handled through a calendar curated by Mayfair and will follow our established guidelines for building use. Operations of the Thrive Center will be volunteer-staffed until God grows the ministry to the point of requiring paid staff. Our desire is that the hours of operation in the front suite mirror the typically open hours of FCOC.
The Middle Suite of the Thrive Center is:
- Home to the Flushing Christian Outreach Center
- Envisioned to be a Christian Counseling Center staffed with licensed professionals and certified lay-counselors. Other uses are in discussion.
The Drum Shop business will vacating by November 30th. Please pray that our site plan will be approved by Mt. Morris Twp. and that we will also receive tax-exempt status on the property for 2020.
Thank you so much for all you do in service to Christ and His people.
It is a joy to serve as your pastor!
November 10, 2019
Yes, by all means, our dear Lord Jesus has the power to accomplish His purposes in and through us. Thank you Mayfair Bible Church, for your passion and vision. We join you in prayer for paying off the mortgage! For continuing the advancement of the Gospel and we praise God for the amazing way you are faithfully supporting your missionary family.
Carleen and Ken Newton
November 12, 2019
Dear Ken and Carleen,
Thank you so much for joining with us in prayer for the advancement of the gospel! We will pray that God mightily blesses you and your ministry to the praise of His glorious grace.