TOGETHER WITH YOU, we're bringing people together in Rockwood to ensure that no one is invisible and that everyone has access to food, freedom, and forgiveness. TOGETHER WITH YOU, we envision Rockwood becoming a community of holistic flourishing where people are becoming followers of Jesus, and where everyone has the opportunity to earn, learn, and belong.
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Today was the SNOWIEST day in Portland since 1943. We had 12 inches of snow when we woke up this morning! Of course, that shut down the entire city. The bad news is that most of my appointments were cancelled for the day. The good news is that most of my appointments were cancelled for the day. So now I have time to write this update! :)
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One of our discipleship groups
A Few Signs of Encouragement…
In early January, we started 3 groups of people who are being discipled to become disciple-makers…a group of 7, a group of 5, and a group of 4. Most of these (13 out of 16) are people who are members of our local church (asischurch.com) in Rockwood. 2 of these groups are receiving intensive training which will last about 6 months and one of these groups is receiving the normal length of training (about a year). Bible study, scripture memory, prayer partners, answering deep thought-provoking questions, relationship-development, and practical application are all a part of this particular tool we are using. So far, there is active and positive participation from everyone.
One of the reasons I chose this particular tool for our church is
because I wanted to see if it would be a good fit for people who are
mostly not very academic (many high school dropouts, substance
abuse, mental health challenges, etc.) and cannot handle a large
amount of study at once. Here is a message I received from such a
member this week:
“I am so full of gratefulness how my relationship has grown with
Jesus. The core discipleship class is teaching me so much more
about God and I am crying tears of knowing Him so much deeper.
I can't stop crying, realizing how much he loves me! I am blown
away how he always takes care of me. He is a faithful God!”
We thank YOU for helping us help others follow Jesus who will
help others follow Jesus!
An Afghan believer in Germany whom I am discipling (via Zoom) told me recently that everything I am sharing with him he is, in turn, sharing with others he knows around the country of Germany. We thank YOU for helping us help others follow Jesus who will help others follow Jesus (around the world)!
Jozef, whom I have mentioned many times previously, is growing strong in the Lord and finding other opportunities for discipleship, serving, and sharing Jesus with those who do not yet know Him. I will be visiting him for a few days in March! As an added bonus I will get to share a meal with the youth minister (Jim Leascher) I had in high school who trained me how to share my faith, and also will get to share a meal with one of our former teammates in Athens (Debbie Clark).
We thank YOU for helping us help others follow Jesus who will
help others follow Jesus!
One of the women from our Wednesday night group told us recently that this process is helping her grow so much in her own walk, but also in interacting with her family and people at work, as well has having meaningful and mutually respectful conversations with her adult children about matters of faith. We thank YOU for helping us help others follow Jesus who will help others follow Jesus!
In memory of our dear brother Perveez…
Perveez was one of the first and most faithful members of the Int'l Believers Fellowship/Athens
Perveez and his new bride of a few months
I learned last month that our dear Pakistani friend and brother in Jesus died of a heart attack at 55 years old. He was only very recently married (see photo above) and trying to get the paperwork completed for his wife in Pakistan to be able to join him in the life and IT business he created in Belgium. Perveez would often refer to me as his “spiritual father”, a title I never felt comfortable with. He was more like a brother to me, a true follower of Jesus who I always admired for his perseverance and unwavering faith in the Lord. He was a great example to me and a good friend. I rejoice with him as he is now in the Presence of Jesus but I will miss him. As a mutual friend said, “His love for GOD was so real, and he was very committed to Kingdom affairs.” Please pray for his grieving and destitute widow in Pakistan.
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Copyright © 2023 Scott and Vicki McCracken, All rights reserved. You are receiving this because somehow you connected with our life and/or ministry . Please let us know if you prefer to not receive these updates, or feel free to click "unsubscribe" at the bottom of this page. ** Team Ministry https://onecollective.org/community/rockwood-usa ** Family/Ministry www.imccracken7.net ** Updates from 2016 to present https://scottmccracken.wixsite.com/website Tax-deductible donations may be made to "One Collective" (with an enclosed note expressing your intended designation--i.e., "for Scott and Vicki McCracken's account"), and sent to: One Collective 2155 Point Boulevard, Suite 200 Elgin, IL 60123 For online giving, go to: https://give.onecollective.org/30US0203 THANKS AGAIN FOR PARTNERING WITH US IN THE GOSPEL THROUGH YOUR PRAYERS AND/OR FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS! WE APPRECIATE YOU! Copyright (C) 2023 Scott and Vicki McCracken. All rights reserved. Scott and Vicki McCracken 2225 SE 157th Ave. Portland, Oregon 97233 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe
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Scott and Vicki McCracken · 2225 SE 157th Ave. · Portland, Oregon 97233 · USA
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