July 2014 Crier

Prayers & News:
News

•  It is with great pleasure that I report to you the acceptance of Rebecca Nehrt with the assistance of her husband Rev. Dr. Jeffery Nehrt to take over the business manager/ treasurer duties of OAFC. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Thank you Rebecca and Pastor Nehrt.
• Summer Training is July 17-23rd, 2014 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Midwest City, OK . 
• Our Summer Travel Team is going to Colorado and North Texas, both of which have expressed interest in starting new local groups.
• We've purchased a new van for our Travel teams to more confidently go out and share the Gospel. Look for it soon at a church near you.
• The new 5th edition of the OAFC Songbook has finished production. We're planning to distribute them to local groups at Summer Training. (Everyone who comes to Training gets a songbook).
• We're making room in our archives by digitizing our files. We've purchased a commercial document scanner and will be working on this project for the next few months.
• Executive Director Matthew Tassey and wife Veronica are going to be bringing our new baby to Training, so come and see. (She'll only be a month old, so cute!)

Prayers of Supplication

• That God would guide and bless our Summer Training preparations and conference.
• That God would guide and bless our Travel Team.
• That God would bless our local groups with weekends, youth, and leaders.
• That people would be receptive to the Gospel. 

Prayers of Thanksgiving

• That God provided new business/financial managers in Rebecca and Pastor Jeffery Nehrt
• That God continues to provide for OAFC's financial needs through our supporters.
• That God blessed the production of the new OAFC Songbook and we give thanks to the CID LWML for their grant which provided the funding for this project.
• That the Oklahoma District so graciously received us for Summer Training.
• That God has given us many great leaders and volunteers to serve OAFC.

2014 Objectives

1. Sustain and grow our current groups
2. Add more local groups across the country
3. Equip youth and adults for witnessing in a cyber-based culture
4. Recruit a new Business and Financial Manager *

It's Vocation, not Vacation

As we continue looking at the Apostle Peter's first Epistle in preparation for our Summer Training, PROCLAIM! from 1 Peter 2:9, let's look at the teaching that forms the foundation for all of Peter's call for every Christian to share the Gospel: Vocation.


As with most classical Church words, Vocation is a Latin word, and it means "Calling." Throughout Scripture God calls many different people in multiple ways to do various things. It's the same God doing the calling, it's his same almighty plan he's accomplishing, but he calls each of us to do it a little differently according to who we - who he's made us to be - where we are in the world and where we are in our lives.


So the Apostle in 1 Peter 2:13-17 tells all citizens how to live for God in their calling as citizens in the country in which God placed them. He says, "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good... Fear God, honor the emperor." He then, 2:18-25, gives instructions to servants and masters just the same - to live for God in your callings. He then begins chapter 3 directing husbands and wives how to live in their callings to the glory of God in Christ: "Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives... Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life..." And Peter then says, 1 Peter 3:8, "Finally, all of you [that is, regardless of your particular Vocation/Calling], have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." And in chapter 4 he goes on to describe how we do all of this in all of our Vocations because we know that "Christ suffered in the flesh" (4:1). Finally he speaks to those who have the Vocation of Pastors (5:1-11), encouraging them to be under-shepherds to the great Shepherd: Jesus.


All of that means for you that wherever you find yourself you are put there to serve God for the sake of the name of Christ. Whether you're a child, a parent, a student, a teacher, a worker, a boss, a citizen, a soldier, or whatever - you are called by God to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light through your words and actions in those places. That's Vocation. And sometimes that's hard; but that's why it's a Vocation and not a vacation. That's the Calling of God.


For more about your calling from God, look at the Table of Duties in Luther's Small Catechism.

The Mission of OAFC is to equip youth and adults to witness more effectively of Jesus Christ through Singing, Bible Studies, Personal Witnesses, Dramas, Puppet Shows, and Neighborhood Canvassing.