Did you hear? We received over $20,000 in donations at the benefit concert! Good news for us and better news for the 4-5,000 Beautiful Zambians who will be able to drink clean water!
Thanks to the bands and many volunteers who made the night a great success! And thanks to all you generous and blessed donors! Keep living in love~
May Ministry and Prayer Update
Blessings from Coatesville! We hope you're all enjoying seeing the trees bud and flowers burst forth...The heavens still declare the glory of our God and the skies forever proclaim the work of His hands!
We pray that this spring the living Spirit of God is louder than all of our radios, TV's, traffic and all else that tries to drown out His voice!
Here are a couple quick ministry and family updates~
Local Update
Coatesville Community Night
Recently I (Steve) was talking with a leader from a partner organization for our Coatesville Community Night initiative. His comments pinpointed our heart for Coatesville and this endeavour:"Steve, it's time this community takes responsibility for itself and stops the pattern of unhealthy dependency on others. We have what it takes! The people here are capable, and we need "others" to start assisting our answers, visions and goals."
That quote captivates our desire for Community Nights; to empower the community to take authority and ownership (two central components for community revitalization) over its own vision and goals, while establishing healthy partnerships that further that vision.
Check out the following testimony and pictures of what a handful of people and organizations, through the Community Night Initiative, are doing to change Coatesville from the inside out.
Testimony:
"Community Night has been an encouragement to me and my family in many ways! First, it has brought both of my ‘worlds together’. I have been actively involved in reconciliation of races, classes, and generations; community development projects; Re-Evaluation Counseling Projects worldwide and more! Now that NCCC, in cooperation with other organizations, had branched out and is doing this work, it’s been harder for me to stay away!
At Community Night we have established something for everyone to participate in. While my five year old is in class with her peers being creative, having fun, and being cared for by a DIVERSE group of loving individuals, my 20 year old brother is able to share his experiences as a young adult with the teens. With this new responsibility, it has boosted his self esteem. It has caused my brother to think more about what type of man he wants to be, because he is mentoring young people in the community. He sees these young people every day, so he’s determined to be a good example. This has been a wonderful way for him to also be creative and use his artistic skills.
For me, I’ve been able to get helped in various ways. I am able to spend time with my family and friends, make new friends – those that come in for dinner – I am able to use my skills to help with the administration; planning and participating with the teens, and utilizing my own counseling skills, along with work and life experience to help facilitate classes for leadership. I also recently started co-teaching a course on racial reconciliation.
All in all, it has become one of the best past-times for me and my family. I can’t imagine anything else we’d be doing on Wednesday night…as a matter of fact, I can’t REMEMBER what else we did! Thank you!"
Here is a snap-shot of a typical Community Night:
Starr at the front desk
Kitchen Staff volunteersA volunteer staff of 4-6 people work from 4-6p each Wednesday preparing for the crowd!
Dinner time!Weekly we have between 65-85 youth and adults show up for community night dinner, with most staying for the classes after.
Our focus is on creating an environment where families and individuals can come for fellowship, healing and training.
Toddlers classWhat an amazing bunch. Each week these young ones have gym time, snack time, a craft and bible study.
K-5th GradersEach Wednesday Night this group of approximately 25 kids alternates from gym time, craft time, bible story time and seasonally has focus areas (arts, finance, processing fires, etc.)
JR/SR High ClassThis crew of between 25-30 students rotate through a variety of options throughout the year. This summer they will go through a small business training and become entrepreneurs in jewelry making, a water ice business, bike repairs and screen printing! Each night they also have a devotional and discussion time lead by one of the teachers.
We are also running an adult a course on Racial Reconciliation that looks at the history of race in America and helps a racially diverse group of people walk through healing and restoration.
Celebrate Victory is also offered to adults who want healing and victory over any hurts, habits or hangups.
Foreign Update
Romania
And numbers were added daily to those that were being saved.... Thank you all for your prayers for our Romania trip. It was an amazing and fruitful journey into the interior of some of Romania's most remote villages! We worked with a few Church planters and preached, prayed and ministered at 2-3 churches a day. It was busy, but the team did an amazing job bringing the love of Christ to the people. At one house church 30 people packed into a small living room just to hear from us. We later found out that 15 people received Christ! 
Please continue to pray for Cornel (pictured with me to left) and other church leaders and followers of Christ. Also, many of the churches had only 1 or 2 bibles for the whole church! If you would like to support our bible drive click here.None of this is possible without YOU! thank you for your continued prayer and financial support! We love and appreciate you!
~Steve and Stef
