November Crier
So Much to be Thankful For
Thanksgiving Day is this week! Where did the year go? This year we have a great deal to be thankful for. The biggest news with OAFC is that we're up and going again. Yes, we're moving slow right now, the point is we're moving. In October there were two weekends the first being in Montecello WI, and the second in New Minden IL. The details of each weekend are below.
OAFC is also in contact with the National Office of Church Planting and we are talking about ways in which we can partner with the church plants all over the nation to foster a culture of utilizing the methods OAFC has been employing for over 50 years and even some new ways to go about it. More on that as it developes.
The bottom line is that God is Good all the time and that we have the Good News to share with all those we meet that God Loves them, each and every one of them so much that He sent Jesus to save us from our sins. The Old old story that we have loved to tell for so long continues to be the best news there is. Thank you God for all you've given us, and for the opportunity to continue to share this with those you bring into our lives.
What's Happening
Peace Valley Lutheran Church (Monicello)
From Pastor Josh Benish, Church Planter:
​The first weekend in October, we welcomed Pastor Martin Herzberg of Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ (OAFC) to lead us in our canvassing effort in Monticello. On Friday night (Oct. 4) Pastor Herzberg reminded us of the joy that Christ gives to His Church through Word of the Gospel and in the Means of Grace and he taught us how, then, we can share that joy with others. On Saturday (Oct. 5), five of us began canvassing the neighborhoods of Monticello. Three took one side of the street and two took the other. The very first house we went to, we encountered a person interested in the new Church in town and asked for worship times and a follow-up visit! This encounter set the tone for the rest of the day. In total, we knocked on 102 doors of which 31 answered the door. 7 of the 31 who answered, were receptive (some even grew up in the Lutheran Church) and wanted to learn more about Peace Valley Lutheran Church. One person was emotional when we asked, "where do you think you will go when you die?" his response was, "I don't know." We were able to tell him the comfort that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. At least three people were neighbors of our members. As the day went on, the verse that kept coming to my mind was 1 Corinthians 15:58 where St. Paul writes, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (emphasis mine). Although we, at times, stumbled in our words and were nervous, although some were not receptive to the Gospel, still the Lord was doing His work among us. On Sunday, Pastor Herzberg preached for our matins service and we enjoyed a pot-luck afterwards.

Friends, the field in Green County, WI is ripe for harvest! We pray for those who opened their door to us, who gave us a few minutes out of their day to hear that Christ has taken their sins upon Himself and saved them through His cross and secured a place for them for eternity that the Lord would bring them into the ark of the Church and join us in our pilgrimage, until we are in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
One of the "hallmarks" of OAFC is their personalized version of John 3:16. If you need a reminder of God's promise to you, or if you know someone who is going through various trials and tribulations, here is something you can say (I will be making it personal for you, but in place of you put the persons name in the blank:
"For God so loved you that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer, die, and rise in victory for you , so that believing in Jesus as the Savior from sin, you shall not perish, but you shall have everlasting life." This is God's Promise to you!


New Minden IL. We also held a weekend in New Minden IL. There were 3 local congregations represented and we were able to knock on 54 doors in total with 10 people taking the survey. Out of those 10 people we had 3 people who were certain of going to Heaven through what Jesus has done. 4 believed they would go to Heaven by their own good works 1 didn't know how they would get to Heaven and 2 people didn't answer the question or complete the survey. Through the neighborhood canvass we discovered 2 people who wanted further follow up from the congregation. New Minden has a long history of involvement with OAFC and the youth that attended the weekend are wanting to continue to be involved and grow in their ability to share their faith with others through OAFC.
Upcoming Weekends!
​December:
​ARE YOU AN ACTOR? Would you like to be? How about putting on a show without having to show your face? Dramas and puppet shows are two of the ways for sharing Jesus developed by Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ. Pastor Tim Mueller (with lots of help) will be leading a workshop Saturday, Dec 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, New Minden. The day will feature Bible Study, singing, fellowship, an introduction to OAFC, and especially practicing dramas and puppet shows. The highlight of the day will be to present a program at a local nursing home. There is no cost and lunch is provided. Youth (mature 6th graders on up) and adults of all ages are welcome. If you plan to come, please call or text Pastor Mueller (618-314-3972) ahead of time.



ScheduleIn Other News
What else is going on? OAFC is in contact with both the Office of Church Planting and the Office of Youth Ministry. The big news is that with the Office of Church planting we are making plans to work with our many church plants around the country. We are working to discover how this will look going forward. Stay tuned as this develops we are greatly looking forward to working with new churches to further the Kingdom of God.
We are also in talks with the office of Youth Ministry to equip youth and those working with youth to share their faith in their daily lives as well as in formal situations.
Prayer Requests 

• Please keep both synodical and OAFC Leadership in your prayers. We ask God's guidance going forward both in terms of how to utilize the financial resources available to us, as well as developing and revitalizing existing teams and building new ones. 
• That God would sustain and encourage the workers in OAFC in faithfulness to Him, and also in the joy of training youth and adults at OAFC weekends and activities.

Personal Witness
By Rev. Martin Herzberg
Have you ever had a sweet tooth or a craving for something and you just can't figure out what it is? That's not my problem right now. I want licorice. Something fruity and sweet and chewy. Nothing else seems like it will handle satisfy. Believe me I've tried and it's looking like I'm going to have to dust the snow off of my pickup and go to town to deal with this craving. Do I really want to do that though? Not just to satisfy a sweet tooth. There are other reasons to go out in the cold and go into town today too. But this is the one that is more or less motivating me to get a shower and get dressed, dust the snow off my truck and then drive into town.
Amazing how that works isn't it? Nothing like an craving for something to make you act. That itch you can't scratch. You know what though? Even if I do go and get that licorice, I'm going to be hungry again. I'm going to end up craving something else, or just more of the same. It really gets to be a lot of running in circles for stuff that doesn't ever really satisfy. As I was thinking about this idea this morning as I was debating about getting ready to go into town it reminded me of Isaiah 55. 
“Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
    and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you.
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 “For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Now I know this is a bit of a long quote for a Personal Witness. Honestly I started out to only talk about the first two verses. The problem is that it isn't a good place to stop. There just isn't one. That's how it is with God's Word it speaks for itself in ways that we don't understand. His wisdom is far above our own. The stuff that we chase after to satisfy our desires won't ever do it the way God can. God's Word accomplishes so much more than we could ever ask for. It's in God's Word made flesh that we find the answer to all of the really big questions. We find answers to the questions we didn't even know we had. I'm not going to say that every question gets answered. It doesn't. Again this is the wisdom of God at play. The answer to the most important question is Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. He is the Bread of Life given for the life of the World. He is that Spring of Living Water that satisfies our thirst. Ultimately Jesus is the answer to the most important question. Does God Love Me? The answer is YES! So much that He thinks you're worth dying for. As we begin to prepare for the Christmas season, we go through the Season of Advent. We celebrate the fact that Christ came into the world and was made flesh for us. We also remember that He's promised to come again and eagerly await His second coming, where we're lead forth in peace, and the mountains and the hills will break forth in singing, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! And we get to go home to be in the presence of God forever
 
Do you have a Personal Witness? Send it to [email protected] and you could see it in the next issue of the Crier!

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We're Free
 As we celebrated the birthday of the United States this month it got me thinking about the many freedoms we have here that aren't always present everywhere. One of those freedoms is the ability to worship God and to share the message of Jesus. This is a blessing that isn't present everywhere. 
With as many freedoms as we have in the United States, it's not a perfect situation, there are many things we can work to improve in our country and what that looks like is going to vary from person to person. The truth is that even with all the freedom we have, it can be taken away in an instant. This is different from the freedom we have in Christ. This isn't a freedom to do whatever we want and God is cool with it. Far from it. What we are freed from is our enslavement to sin, death, and the Devil. You see, God shows us who He is in His Son. We see the very heart of God when we see Jesus live the perfect life that we have no chance of doing in our place, and then suffering and dying on the cross for our sins, and rising in victory over death on the third day. This has bought our freedom, not with gold or silver, but with the holy and precious blood of Jesus. We've been set free. That can never be taken away from us by any power here on earth.
In this freedom we're not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. This is the message we get to share with others totally confident that God will work through the Holy Spirit to bring the people we get to talk to into the family of God and the freedom that we've been given as well. Thank you Lord for all the gifts you've given us, most especially your Son who has freed us from the slavery of sin, and won life everlasting for us.
What's Happening
What's happening indeed. The OAFC board has been working hard to go over our policies and procedures, as well as seeking to find and call a full time Executive Director. The board extended a call to Rev. Martin Herzberg in April of this year. Since that time Pastor Herzberg and the board have been working to re-establish existing teams and examining our processes for emergency situations and what we will do when there is an accusation of misconduct. These are important policies to have in place with the world we live in and will be added to the Leaders Manual.
Pastor Herzberg has also been attending various District Pastors conferences, as well as the National LWML Convention, and will be attending the Synodical Convention at the end of July. This has been well received. He is working to get the news out that OAFC is still around and we're still an excellent resource for congregations that are wanting to learn to share their faith in a simple way with the people of their community.
Pastor Herzberg would like to encourage all who have been involved and those who would like to be involved to start talking with your pastors, and encouraging them to check out what we have to offer. If you are a pastor wanting to get things going we are currently beta testing some adjustments to how we do things to see how they may work. We can still do the classic OAFC weekend, and now we're offering some other options that may fit your and your congregation's needs better. We want to focus on the training aspect of our WIT model so that we can have trained Youth and Adults to rebuild and re-energize OAFC. This is the focus of the coming year. May God bless our efforts and help us to grow as we did before if not even better. 
Prayer Requests 

• Thank God for the work of the Board in calling and Executive Director. That God would bless and keep both the Board and Pastor Herzberg as we work to build OAFC up. 

Personal Witness
By Rev. Martin Herzberg, From South Dakota.
Simple things that we take for granted. How many of us have used the Good News card and just rattled it off. It's easy it's so simple my 9 year old daughter Grace can do it, and my 6 year old, Noelle, is learning it. Have you ever wondered if it really does any good? I have. Frankly I'd heard it criticized as being a bit of a gimmick. And up until 2019 I agreed to a point. Sure it's a bit gimmicky but it's still cool and it's an easy way to share Jesus with people. I had no doubt that this is God's Word and promise to the people I shared it with, but it can't be that easy can it? Surly there has to be more you've got to do, and yes I know I'm starting to sound like a guy at a bus stop thinking he's going to win people for Jesus. But don't we all start to think like that a bit?
As I said something changed in 2019. Up to that point I didn't really mind that people thought the Good News card was a gimmick. Now I'm actually a bit offended. In the last few months with going to Pastor's conferences and the like I've had that question raised. And to that I say, let me tell you about Blu. 
Blu was a Hell's Angels enforcer. He was one of the original Hells Angels and he looked every inch the tough old biker. And he was. Blu lived in Lahoma Oklahoma, which was where my first call out of seminary was located. Blu and I had talked a lot, as the church secretary had been working on him for years telling him about how much Jesus loved him and she introduced the two of us. I showed him respect and wasn't scared of him which won me a little bit of credibility with him. We'd known each other for about 3 years at this point. One day he came into my office and said "Pastor, I've got ghosts at my house and they're causing trouble, is there anything you can do about it?" Well, here's where the formal training comes in handy. We do have a house blessing we can do which asks Jesus to come and dwell in this place and bless the people who live there. Which I did do. After which Blu kind of looked sad and said, "You're really only delaying the inevitable." To which I responded, "Really Blu, we've talked about this. How many sins did Jesus die for?" "All of them": he responded. "But what about..." and he listed some pretty horrible stuff. I said: "For God so loved Blu that he gave his only Son, Jesus Christ to suffer and die and rise in victory for Blu, that believing in Jesus as the Savior from sin Blu shall not perish, but Blu shall have everlasting life. This is God's promise to you Blu." Now is God a liar? He said "No." And what happened next still gets me choked up. There is a 70 year old man in tears in his living room because up to now he never understood, this is for me. That God loves me enough to die for me. 
The Good News method is dynamite. This is the POWER of God's Word in action. Blu asked how he could be sure of all of this. I told him that this is as sure and certain the fact that I'm standing here talking to you. I also told him that God makes a promise to us that in Baptism He claims us as His own dear children. I told him we can do that right now. He said he wanted to come to the church and do a private baptism. I was ok with that. This was summer time when we had this conversation. I received a call to SD that November and accepted it at the beginning of December. Middle of November Blu drives up to my driveway and asked "Pastor, would you baptize me?" And the answer was, yes, of course. That day Blu became a child of God. I got a phone call in October of last year that Blu has gone home to be with His Savior. 
I claim no credit for any of this. This is the work of God that was awesome to behold and the key was simply "This is for you." God Loves YOU enough to die for you and has made you His own. Thanks be to God. I'll never forget how much God can do with the simple things. Let this encourage you all to keep telling the Good News to everyone. You never know what God is going to do. And it's always Amazing.

Go quick and tell the world of Christ, our Lord.
Go and God's Spirit goes within His Word.
Go forth and wield the Spirit's mighty sword.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
-OAFC Songbook, Fifth Edition, pg. 87; Words by Rev. Paul J. Foust


What a beautiful message that we have to share. Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That ransom is paid. That debt is forgiven! May you be encouraged by that truth-Jesus is still alive!

Weekend Report October 4-6, 2019 by Katrina Jurica
The Northern Illinois-Chicago group met at Concordia Ev Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL on October 4th-6th. While there, the group members encouraged each other with God’s Word and song, presented a drama for the congregation, and visited a church member in the nursing home. The group also had the chance to hand out John 3:16 cards to people just down the street at a boat race. The Saturday morning baptismal bible study was held by the Chicago river. During the bible study, over 100 people walked right past them. It was a great chance to witness and let God’s Word work on the hearts of those who walked past.

​

​The group will meet again at Beautiful Savior in Antioch, IL on November 15-17. For more information about this and other upcoming events, contact Katrina Jurica, Assistant Director of the Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ Northern Illinois-Chicago group at [email protected] or (872-222-5426)

Weekend Report October 12-13 ​

Ambassadors from 4 churches, 2 states, and a foreign country trained at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in West Salem, WI in the sharing of the gospel, and even braved the freezing cold and snow to make sure people knew the way to heaven. Of the 31 people they talked with, 10 knew Jesus was the way.

Weekend Report November 2nd by Pastor Timothy Koch
Pastor Timothy Koch of Emanuel Lutheran Church led an OAFC weekend at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota on Saturday, November 2nd. There were seven youth from Milbank, and a single youth and four adults from Aberdeen to participate in the truncated weekend. Four teams went out and visited a total of 141 homes, where we talked to 42 people and left gospel literature with 99 others. The weekend was a rousing success in spite of the lack of experienced Ambassadors. Of the four teams, two of them were led by individuals who had NEVER been to an OAFC weekend before. One of them was led by a youth who had only been to ONE weekend before.
The Lord blessed our efforts with a single prospect. The next OAFC weekend scheduled in South Dakota will be in April at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank.
Between Aberdeen in Milbank, the goal is to have eight weekends scheduled between Sept. 2020 and April 2021. Please adjust your prayers accordingly that these goals might be achieved.

Board members Katrina Jurica and Rev. Michael Ruhlig were present at the Lutheran Education Association Convocation on October 10-12. While there, they gave out 2000 Good News cards for teachers to give to their students and to teach their students to give out to others.
It was also a joy to connect with many other Ambassadors as well as to meet new people and share the ministry of OAFC with them.​

Mark Giardinelli from Texas had a booth representing OAFC at the Beautiful Feet Mission Conference at Concordia University Wisconsin on October 31st-November 1st. He also led 2 break-out sessions on creating a personal witness.

Students from Good Shepherd Christian Academy have written and presented skits to share the Gospel to the congregants at Jehovah El-Buen Pastor. This is because of the church and school's regular involvement in OAFC activities with the local group as well as in the classroom.
Have you trained your own students or congregation members in using the Good News card, puppet shows, dramas, creating a personal witness, songs, or used the OAFC Bible study format? Email us about it at [email protected]. Do you have pictures of this in action? Send those as well!

Psalm 118:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever."
a. Jesus said, "Father, I thank You for hearing Me." John 11:41 Our greatest example, Jesus, was a person of thankful prayer.
b. The Bible teaches, "Always thanking God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Eph. 5:20
c. Through faith in Christ we are able to thank God in every situation. "Whatever happens, thank God, because that is what God in Christ Jesus wants you to do." 1 Thes. 5:18
Copyright, Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ, Inc., June 1985
OAFC Youth Leadership Manual

The ministry of Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ requests your prayers.
Please pray for:

• Our leaders and members
• The future of the organization and its partnership with Lutheran Church Extension Fund
• The churches served at Summer Training, on Travel Team, and this last year
• The plans for the New Years Gathering
• The current groups and groups that are in the process of forming
• Upcoming weekends scheduled for this year and next

2019
November
15th-17th Weekend @ Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Antioch, IL For Details contact Katrina - [email protected] (872-222-5426)
December
30th-January 1st New Years Gathering @ St. Paul, Melrose Park
1025 Lake St, Melrose Park, IL
Details will follow soon. Check the scheduled events page regularly, visit our Facebook page, and sign up when registration is opened.

2020
January
25th Training @ Messiah Lutheran Church
9401 Dietz Elkhorn Rd, Boerne, TX For details, contact Mark Giardinelli - [email protected]

February
21st-23rd Weekend @ St. John's Lutheran Church
4939 W. Montrose Ave, Chicago, IL
For details contact Katrina - [email protected] (872-222-5426)

March
20th-22nd Weekend @ St. Philip Lutheran Church
2500 W. Bryn Mawr Ave, Chicago, IL
​For details contact Katrina - [email protected] (872-222-5426)

By Nathan Ruppert
During our OAFC Strategic Planning meeting and conference call on September 30, 2019 all attendees were asked to relay their most memorable OAFC experiences to the group. Let’s face it - we all have those fond old memories where God was in our work and we got to see Him peeking through the clouds in a special way which really affected us in our call or witness.
We have fond memories growing up, of our first relationships, of days in school, our first date, our new job, etc. Great reflections of our life, growing pains, learning curves, challenges and commitments all help us to grow, mature and make a difference in this world. How has this helped you in your witness life since OAFC? Your commitment to the support of the ministry which gave you the boldness to speak God and share your personal faith in Jesus to others? Is OAFC an active part of your church today, in your district or our synod? Are we just a warm fuzzy feeling in the trash can of life experiences. The Bible tells us in Philippians 3:7 (NIV) “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the loss of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.”
May God direct our next conversation, friendship, casual doctors visit, etc; to be our open door for sharing a way to a life open in Christ Jesus who suffered, died and arose again to forgive their sins. May God prompt you to new daily experiences in sharing your faith and supporting Gods’ work in OAFC through prayer and financial giving. Let us live out our OAFC training daily as we tell others what God has done today!
So God led you through OAFC to become a pastor, teacher, DCE/DCO. Super! All of us have an individual responsibility to leading where God directs us even away from the front of our class, pulpit or area of familiarity.
​
Do you have a fond memory or remember an impactful experience from OAFC? We'd love for you to share it! Send it via email to [email protected]

What an honor to be able to represent OAFC at the 67th Synodical Convention and encourage dozens of church leaders seeking ways to invite new people to church to see what God has done for them. I also got to meet so many people who gave testimonies of what God has already done in their lives. So many smiles and memories shared at both gatherings.

Report by Adam Fosse
     Praise God for bringing together such a special group of people for an incredible week of training in Hamburg, MN! As I reflect on this event while serving on Travel Team in South Dakota, I find much of it quickly fading from my memory. Despite this I have continued to be blessed by the excitement and testimonies people are continuing to share with me pertaining to the impact participation in training has had on their daily lives. One of the youngest attendees left with a pocket of Good News cards, using the first one on the way home, as she read it to a cashier after asking his name. Another was encouraged to write a personal witness. A young man from the South flew home and promptly met with his district president to find new ways to connect area churches in outreach. The list goes on, and the impacts continue to be far reaching as people share the Gospel in their homes and give testimony to their churches. 
       One of the most powerful moments came on the last day. The Ambassadors gathered to lay their hands on me and send me off to serve as a full-time missionary. I was encouraged to see OAFC’s WIT (Witness, Invite, and Train) come full circle as I depart this following week to begin to witness in another part of the world. 

August
23rd-25th Weekend @ Ascension Lutheran Church in Niles, IL
For Details or to RSVP contact Katrina - [email protected]

September 
Sept 20th-22nd @ Hope Lutheran in Mt Carmel, IL 
For Details or to RSVP contact Pastor Mueller - [email protected]
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October
4th-6th Weekend @ Concordia Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL
​ For Details or to RSVP contact Katrina - [email protected]


New Weekends are added often - Check back frequently for updates or follow us on Facebook for the latest. 

Do you find yourself with not enough time? Are you already over committed? Are you struggling to find a way to engage your church's youth? An easy way to introduce your group to OAFC is to start with something that you can do without planning another activity. Substitute those phones with a good news card! Every time you gather with a youth group, Bible Study group, or any other event at church have everyone read a good news card to the person sitting next to them. In this way not only will everyone be engaged, its a fun way to memorize a Bible verse. 
The Good New card with John 3:16 is one of our easiest and most popular witnessing methods, All you need is their name! You can buy them from our online store or download the file for free and print them yourself from the Group Resources page!

​Ambassadors in Chicago are continuing to meet monthly to learn and witness together. This month they met at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Chicago, IL. They went to a local church member's home and assisted in leading the Saturday night church service. It was an encouragement to spend time together in God's Word and sharing that with the fellow members of OAFC as well as the congregation and community. If you'd like to find out how you can connect with them, or host a gathering at your church email [email protected]

July 26th-30th Hamburg, MN 
For nearly half a century, OAFC has been helping to nationally strengthen LCMS churches by providing training and experience for members of local congregations in the areas of Evangelism and Outreach. This year, our national training is at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Hamburg, Minnesota. Participants will be able to attend workshops on tools like Music, Puppets, Drama and Bible Study as ways to do outreach. They will also knock on doors in nearby neighborhoods in order to learn what people really believe and participate in other outreach events to share our hope that is in Jesus!

This years music workshops are being led by Dave Horn. He will be giving a concert free to attendees and teaching how he uses music and singing to share of Jesus love and forgiveness! 

Registration fee is $50 for single, $200 for family. This includes, food, housing, a concert, and a T-shirt for the event! To register or find a printable bulletin insert go to www.oafc.org/summer-training or click below! 

Helping Lutherans grow together in faith and witness since 1970.

Come to this year's annual meeting to see what changes we are voting on! We also have two positions on our Board of Directors up for election The nominees that accepted are:  

Pastor: Michael Ruhlig
I currently am holding candidate status due to health. I am healing well and will be looking for a call after moving to Illinois. I was ordained in July 1995, have served four different parishes, and served as LWML Zone Pastoral Counselor in Illinois.

Adult Female: Katrina Jurica
I am 27 years old and currently serve as a Pre-school through 8th-grade music teacher at St John's Lutheran School and Grace English Lutheran School in Chicago, IL. I also serve as the organist at Jehovah El-Buen Pastor Lutheran Church in Chicago. 

Personal Witness By Adam Fosse, Missionary Volunteer in Mongolia.
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Ever taken a test or exam? Been subjected to the pressures of having your work inspected, of having a grade given, the fear of being underprepared? Now imagine taking a test on a subject you’ve never even heard of, in a language you don’t know, and being told that the results will have eternal implications for your soul. How do you think you could ever pass? 
This hopeless situation is very much the boat we are in when it comes to considering the prospect of our eternal judgement before God. God will ask if we’ve done good in our life, but in Romans 3:23 we learn that our very nature is such that we can’t even understand what it is that God considers good. Our heart in fact are actively opposed to being what God says is good. This is unfortunate, because in this Divine test failure means damnation; it means eternal separation from God, and any good thing from Him, forever. 
Where is the light side of thing? Is there anything we can look forward to following this impending judgment? Fortunately there is! God has seen fit to rescue us through the Gospel. In John 3:16 we hear God himself became a human, a man called Jesus. Jesus came to face the judgment for us, and even though he aced the judgment exam with flying colors, He saw fit to trade test scores with us, and in doing so incurred the consequences of failure for us. Now Jesus is restored to power in heaven, and God has promised all the rewards for passing to us, and by giving us faith in Jesus ensures for us eternal life with Him. 
Some day we will joyfully be able to say with a great multitude in heaven "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for His judgments are true and just..." But even now on this earth we are blessed to be surrounded by people in our every day lives with whom we have opportunity to share this great message! At church are fellow redeemed saints with whom we receive forgiveness and render thanks; and in our neighborhoods, schools, even our gas station are also people whom Jesus' Spirit is working in to bring the baptism hope that we have to share. We pray that God's kingdom may continue to come to us also! Amen. 

July 26th-30th will be the OAFC Annual Summer Training in southern Minnesota! Participants will attend an OAFC Weekend as a part of training. Ambassadors will also have opportunity to attend workshops on a variety of topics including weekend and group leadership, and hearing from professionals of evangelism methods. 
     
     This year we will be bringing in experts on a few OAFC witnessing methods. One presenter will be Dave Horn; who will be giving a concert and presenting on how he uses music and singing to share of Jesus love and forgiveness. Dave and Sabra Horn work as full-time missionaries-at-large, bringing new Biblical, exegetical music to the Church and her schools. ​

Nominations 
The organization of Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ is actively seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the Board of Directors. These individuals will serve on the board for the next three years and play an active role in the operations and casting visions of the ministry of OAFC. Nominations may be made by commissioned ambassadors and sent to [email protected] by May 15th. The nominee does not currently need to be commissioned.The specific positions that are up for election are: 
-Pastor
- Adult Female (over the age of 21)

Jacob Fosse, East Iowa. 
College, “it’s up to you,” choose your own way” “whatever is best for you.” The drone continues, choose choose choose, they say, “you are in charge  of your destiny and you if you come here, your dreams will come true.” choose choose choose, what to eat where to hang out what to do with your life. And in this sea of choice, the  devil is at work, many ideas are presented by him as “what’s true for you.” Choices of school slowly turn to choices of morality. Many people fall into the devil’s trap. It’s a subtle trap. A field of landmines ready to blow my faith away. As I plan to live in this Hub of the world, I am comforted by  the thought that I was once a lost and condemned sinner, dead in my transgressions. I couldn’t choose to believe, I couldn’t choose to do good. But Jesus has saved me by the Gospel and it wasn’t a decision of mine. Now, Jesus speaks to me through his word, as I travel in this dangerous world of wrong choices and false beliefs, I know I don’t have to choose “what’s right for me.” because Jesus is Truth. I know that I have the  ultimate guide in his word to guide my steps, to compare every new idea to it and refute the false doctrines of the world. With that in mind, I can focus my studies at College so that I may learn more about him through his creation and please Him in my education. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

26 youth and adults from 10 different congregations gathered at Jehovah El-Buen Pastor Lutheran Church in Chicago on March 22-24. Experienced ambassadors had the chance to present to 5 new youth and adults about the ministry of OAFC over the course of the weekend. Saturday was a beautiful day for going out into the neighborhood and canvassing. The 6 teams that canvassed talked to 14 people and left Gospel literature at 108 homes where no one was home. When asked “Where do you believe you will go when you die,” some people said “heaven” while others answered that they didn’t know. Only 1 person professed the belief that they would go to heaven because of what Jesus did for them. 2 people thought that they would make it to heaven because of their own good works. 4 weren’t sure of how to get to heaven. 7 chose not to take the survey. 
The results of this survey highlight the absolute necessity it is that we share with our friends and neighbors about what Christ Jesus has done for them. That is why the ministry of OAFC is so vital. It trains youth and adults to share their faith in their everyday lives by equipping them with God’s Word. What more powerful weapon is there to fight against the powers of sin, death, and the devil?
We ask that you continue to pray for the ministry of OAFC as it continues to build up local groups through consistently scheduled weekends. For future information about upcoming events, you can check the Schedule page of the OAFC website.
God’s richest blessings as you continue to “Go quick and tell the world of Christ, our Lord.”

We are excited to share that Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank, SD hosted their first OAFC weekend! Ambassadors gathered from 4 different churches to train with the new group in the 6 main methods of OAFC. They also shared Good News Cards with each other, and learned the SSS (Sin, Separation, Savior) Method. During our canvass of Milbank, we rejoice to announce we found one person who was currently unchurched and desiring pastoral care.
Matthew 28:19 says; “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Emanuel Lutheran Church is looking for other churches to partner with them in OAFC ministry, please keep them in your prayers as they continue to learn new ways to share Christ in their community. 

    Easter is April 21!  Once again, we celebrate the victory over sin and death and the promise of eternal life with our resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ.​
          "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that ready to be revealed in the last time."  1 Peter 1:3-5
      

From Roger Schafer, Ambassador in Ohio. 

I have​ been privileged to serve and lead more than 15 Spring Break teams for OAFC. This concerns a travel team to the Denver area. My canvassing partner and I were canvassing an area six blocks from the church, and we were invited into a lady's home during the afternoon before school was out. As we were going through the survey, we were invited to go into the home as it was cool weather and the lady seemed really interested in our conversation. During our conversation we mentioned the local church activities. She mentioned she was looking for a church home and also some place for her children to be safe as the neighborhood children had been harassing her children and actually throwing things at them recently! She said she had three multiracial children and was not married at this point. When we mentioned that the Lutheran congregation was close by (as she didn't have a vehicle) and there were activities at the church for youth and adults and possibly a way for them to know that they were loved by God, she seemed quite interested. We let her know that the church was having a meal that Wednesday as it was the Lenten season, and that she and her children were invited to come to the meal and share it with us and also attend the service that evening and our presentation. After sharing the Good News of Jesus and the workings of our church that we were representing that day, the children came home from school and agreed to come to church with their mother. My partner and I went back to the church and spoke with our team, and mentioned to the ladies in the kitchen who were preparing for the meal what had happened. They agreed to help out as there were several families with children about the age of our friend. We took the OAFC van back to her home, picked her family up for the service and enjoyed the wonderful evening. They stayed for the OAFC presentation after the service and each received a Bible . It was so awesome to see God working through us that special way on the trip. We only need to make ourselves available and He can and will do miracles through us. We need to remember the working of the Holy Spirit. He is with us each and every day. We only need to go out of our comfort zone and begin to share the Good News and the Holy Spirit does the entire work the Lord has asked us to do.
Do you have a Personal Witness? Send it to [email protected] and you could see it in the next issue of the Crier!

by Fred C. Darkow, Founder of OAFC
In early OAFC, youth were on fire and wanted to train others to witness for Jesus but needed a van.  We looked for a 15 passenger van owned by a Jewish car dealer.  We had found out that Betty Crocker would let us use their coupons to purchase needed equipment. We told the Jewish man we were going to buy the van with Betty Crocker coupons, and he laughed in doubt.  Later, a letter was sent to all Women's Missionary League Groups in the church, with a picture of the youth saying, "Have Gospel, Want to share it, No wheels!"  The response was overwhelming and flooded our little town's post office.  So many coupons came in we had to send out another letter that we didn't need anymore coupons.  We not only bought a new 15 passenger van from an amazed Jewish dealer, but also bought other needed equipment with the surplus.  Thank God for LWMLers.

       As a new year begins it is easy to feel hopeful. Now that maybe the old year is gone things will start to look up. Maybe now that the old year is gone, all the bad things we did in it will disappear as well. It’s easy to forget that we are sinners. But thanks be to God that just as he has brought us to look forward to New Year. He has given us the same opportunity in our spiritual lives. Just as the old man is drowned in baptism, so the old year falls away. According to this great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope. That hope is that Jesus died for our sins, and rose to confirm his victory over death. As we look forward to a new year, let us also remember that we look forward to a new future in Christ, one that will never have to be replaced by a new year. As Christ’s ambassadors, go forth in that hope, and spread the Good News. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” – 1 Peter 1:3-4.


       Last year, 10 ambassadors embarked with Pastor Peter Kirby to spread the gospel in Mongolia. In this new year of our Lord, a team of ambassadors will be returning to Mongolia to encourage our brothers and sisters in the faith. It is asked that you pray for their mission preparations, and if you feel called, to earmark a donation to OAFC for the express purpose of funding this trip.
     With the now vacant position of Executive director, the OAFC board is requesting nominations for an executive director. If you know a pastor who is interested in the part time position, please forward his name to the OAFC board.
       Ambassador Alumni! We are nearing the fiftieth anniversary of our mission. Check with your local groups to find out if there are any events near you that you can support. Don’t have a local group? That’s no problem; just start one with any Weekend format available. Check the OAFC website for more information.

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